Tag Archives: Grant

$750k grant allows Wyoming police to add six officers

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Crime Prevention, Hard News, Our Cities, , , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Thanks to a federal grant totaling three-quarters of a million dollars, the Wyoming Department of Public Safety hopes to curtail gun violence and violent crimes by adding six community police officers to its department.

During a National Night Out event, a Wyoming police officer helps a resident on a motorcycle. Through a federal grant, the Wyoming Department of Public Safety plans to expand its Community Services Unit. (WKTV)

The Department was awarded the $750,000 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program grant from the United States Department of Justice. The Wyoming City Council accepted the grant at its Dec. 20 council meeting. With the grant money, the Department will be able to add six officers to its department, bring the police department’s total number of sworn officers to 99.

“We have seen a significant increase in violent crimes,” said Capt. Timothy Pols, the department’s public relations officer. “Last year, we had eight homicides, which is an all-time high for the city.”

Pols said the department could not contribute the increase specifically to COVID, as there was a rise before the pandemic started. However, current conditions have impacted the community with there having been an increase in reported shootings involving property damage and people being hurt, he said.

The Wyoming Department of Public Safety has been searching for funding to help increase its numbers. The COPS Hiring Program is designed to reduce crime and advance public safety through community policing by proving direct support to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies nationwide. The program funding supports the hiring of career law enforcement officers to increase an agency’s community policing capacity and crime prevention. The funding covers up to 75 percent of the approved entry-level salaries and fringe benefits of full-time officers for three years. The city is required to cover the remaining 25 percent.

The COPS Hiring Program is an open solicitation. For the 2021 fiscal year, COPS received 590 applications from about every state and U.S. territory. It awarded grants to 183 state, local, and trial law enforcement agencies totaling $139,232,523 to support the hire of 1,066 full-time officers and deputies.

The Wyoming Department of Public Safety was one of four police departments in Michigan to receive a COPS Hiring Program grant. The other cities to receive funding were Battle Creek, West Branch, and Hamtramck. Wyoming received the highest awarded grant monies out of the four Michigan cities that received funding.

“Obviously this is a great thing for the City of Wyoming and it is really hard to turn money like that down,” said Mayor Jack Poll during the Dec. 20 City Council meeting. The grant does come with the requirement that the city fund the new six positions for at least 12 months beyond the three-year time period. The department hopes through additional local funding to maintain the new positions beyond the three-year timeframe.

The Community Services Unit works on building relationships. (WKTV)

The COPS Hire Program grant is dedicated to community policing. With the six new hires, the Wyoming Department of Public Safety will be able to move seasoned officers into its Community Services Unit, which currently consists of four Community Services Officers, three School Resource Officers, and a supervisor. By expanding the community policing, the Wyoming Department of Public Safety hopes to curtail gun violence and violent crimes through expanded evening coverage; adding a dedicated crime analyst office, gang intelligence officer, dedicated apartment liaison, and dedicated hotel/motel liaison; and increasing participation with juvenile offender reentry programs and area summer camps comprised predominately of at-risk youth along with high visibility patrols, especially in high crime areas and other community policing initiatives.

Currently, the Department is in the hiring process, Pols said adding that they have interviewed some strong candidates.

“With all that has happened in the past couple of years with COVID, I believe it has given us some dedicated candidates who have a good understanding about what is involved with today’s police work,” Pols said.

The department is seeking to fill the six positions along with several other positions that will be opening up due to retirements this year. Pols said the goal is to have the positions filled by the end of 2022. 

Catherine’s Health Center gets $35,000 grant from CVS Health Foundation

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Health, Non-Profits, , ,

At Catherine’s Health Center

By Mary Alfieri

 

The CVS Health Foundation has awarded Catherine’s Health Center $35,000 to support chronic disease management and prevention for diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and asthma, improved care coordination and increased access to care programs.

 

As the need for access to affordable care and improved health outcomes continue to weigh on the U.S. health care system, the CVS Health Foundation is providing grants, ranging from $20,000 to $35,000 this year.

 

In all, 33 free and charitable clinics nationwide are receiving more than $1 million in grants from the CVS Health Foundation as part of a multi-year grant program with the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFC). Over the past four years, the Foundation has donated nearly $5 million to NAFC to increase access to quality care and support the management of chronic disease.

 

For more information on how the Free and Charitable Clinics will be utilizing their grants to improve community health, please go here.

 

About Catherine’s Health Center
Established in 1996, Catherine’s Health Center is a 501(c)(3) safety net medical clinic serving more than 6,000 patients annually. Using a small core of paid staff and many dedicated volunteers, Catherine’s mission is to provide free or low-cost medical services to low-income, uninsured, underinsured and newly insured residents of Kent County. Support for the mission is provided by generous friends who share our belief that access to health care should be provided for all people, businesses, foundations, religious groups and others. Catherine’s Health Center does not discriminate; services are available to the broader community. Learn more at www.catherineshc.org.

About the CVS Health Foundation
The CVS Health Foundation is a private charitable organization created by CVS Health that works to build healthier communities, enabling people of all ages to lead healthy, productive lives. The Foundation provides strategic investments to nonprofit partners throughout the U.S. who help increase community-based access to health care for underserved populations, create innovative approaches to chronic disease management and provide tobacco cessation and youth prevention programming. To learn more about the CVS Health Foundation and its giving, go here.

Kent County Board approves funding for mental health court study

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , , , ,

By Lisa LaPlante

Kent County

 

Mental health issues are perhaps one of the largest contributing factors to recidivism. Providing much-needed treatment to those suffering from mental health issues could help offenders recover and stay out of the justice system, while alleviating the strain on the courts and jails. The Board of Commissioners recently voted to accept a $33,000 Mental Health Court Planning Grant from the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) be appropriated to the 2017 Special Projects Fund budget.

 

The State Legislature created the mental health court statute in 2013, enabling trial courts in Michigan to develop and operate mental health courts.  A mental health court is a specialized court docket for certain defendants with mental illness that substitutes a problem-solving model for traditional criminal court processing.  The SCAO makes funds available annually for planning and implementation of mental health courts.

 

The 17th Circuit Court, in collaboration with Network180, received the funding to evaluate the need for a mental health court within Kent County and how these services would best be delivered.  As required by the grant, staff representing the 17th Circuit Court, local district court, Network180, County Prosecutor, Sheriff’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, mental health services providers and County Administration will participate in the project planning committee.

 

“We simply cannot operate in silos when it comes to the mental health system and the justice system,” said Judge Donald A. Johnston, 17th Circuit Court Chief Judge. “By working together, we hope to enhance public safety and make a difference in the lives of individuals who are trapped in an endless cycle of illness and jail.”

 

Grant funds will be primarily used to contract with a consultant to serve as the Mental Health Court Planning Coordinator. The coordinator will work with the project planning committee to determine whether implementation of a mental health court in Kent County would reduce recidivism, enhance public safety, and improve outcomes for mentally ill citizens.

 

“When we treat mental health issues successfully, we will save money that would be spent on court costs and incarceration,” said Jim Saalfeld, Chair of the Board of Commissioners. “Our Board is hopeful that this study will result in development of a program into the future.”

 

James Hughes, former Regional Administrator for the Michigan Supreme Court, will coordinate the effort on a contractual basis under the direction of the 17th Circuit Court Administrator Andrew Thalhammer.  “Kent County has a great opportunity to improve outcomes for persons with serious mental illness who become involved in its criminal justice system.  I plan to identify the best practices from other Mental Health Courts in Michigan that could be started here in Grand Rapids,” Hughes said.

 

The study is expected to be completed by September 30, 2017 to allow development of a proposal for an implementation grant during FY 2018 if recommended by the planning committee and accepted by the court and appropriate funding unit.

 

“Treatment is a much more cost-effective way to deal with mental health issues, but it is also a more holistic course of action,” said Scott Gilman, Executive Director of Network180. “I look forward to the work we can do and the lives we can positively impact through this planning period.”

Grant helps Wyoming make improvements at Ideal Park

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, , , ,

Ideal Park was loved for its dense tree canopy now lost from the 2014 tornado.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

The City of Wyoming received a yearend bonus from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust this month when it was awarded a $300,000 grant to help rebuild Ideal Park.

 

Announced last week, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board’s recommendations totaled more than $47.6 million for projects in 2017. This included $19.9 million in recreational development and $27.7 million in land acquisition projects. Of the $19.9 million recreational development funds, the City of Wyoming received one of the largest grants of $300,000.

 

Ideal Park was reopened this past summer.

City officials had made it clear that the grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust was key in helping to rebuild the park which was devastated during a 2014 tornado wiping out the park’s playground, tennis and basketball courts and a majority of the trees.

 

“We are extremely excited that our City has been chosen by the state as a grant recipient for 2017,” said Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll. “The grant awarded by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund will allow the City to continue restoring Ideal Park, which sustained tremendous damage after the (2014) EF-1 tornado touched down.

 

“There is still more work to be done, but the state grant allows us to tackle some of the most pressing issues.”

 

The city spent the next two years cleaning up the park, located at 5843 Crippen Ave. SW, and just reopened it this past summer. The park currently does not have any playground equipment or basketball or tennis courts.

 

One of the unique features of Ideal Park is that Buck Creek runs through the middle of the park..

Because of the amount of damage caused by the tornado, it gave city officials and residents a chance to review the current layout of Ideal Park and consider some improvements in access and safety, said Rebecca Rynbrandt, Wyoming’s director of community services.

 

“What the city had done in the past with Ideal Park was to maintain the historical heritage of the park for the community,” Rynbrandt said. In fact, Ideal Park pre-dates the City of Wyoming, having been created in the 1930s.

 

One of its natural features is that Buck Creek runs through the middle of the park with bridges providing access to most of the parks amenities such as the shelters and former playground area. This also created limited access for emergency personal and others if something should happen at the park, Rynbrandt said.

 

So the city began to look at ways to reconfigure access into the park with a new gateway from Crippen Street, a new drive from Crippen Street to east lot and a connector drive to Averill Avenue. Other improved security and access include a connector path from art deco bridge to the west lot, lighting in parking areas, a new west parking lot gate, new natural area between Park Drive and west lot, open play area with irrigation, basketball court, trailhead signage, a footpath trail to connect to existing pathway and interurban trail and a new creek overlook.

 

Playground areas within Ideal Park were destoryed by the 2014 tornado.

The $300,000 grant money will be combined with with about $508,000 the city has to move forward on the first phase for Ideal Park, Rynbrandt said. That includes developing construction drawings and hopefully going out for bids at the end of 2017 or beginning of 2018 with construction starting in 2018, she said.

 

The City of Wyoming has a  five-year parks plan which shows more than $26 million in capital need such as major maintenance and replacing of assets such as playgrounds, fencing and trail work. Among those capital improvements is funding the master plans for Ferrand, Oriole Phase II, Jackson and Gezon. In May, Wyoming will ask voters to allow City leadership to change the way dollars can be spent under the dedicated Library Maintenance millage to help with the capital improvements at the parks.

 

Two other Kent County municipalities received funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust, the City of Rockford for its Rogue River Nature Trail Phase IV, $150,000, and Algoma Township’s River’s Edge Park Development, $50,000. A total of 79 projects throughout Michigan received grants.

Grant Hopes to Boost Achievement, Performance Rank

3-bottom, Area Education, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Education, , ,

Godwin Heights High students work on science projects at the spring Science Night
Godwin Heights High students work on science projects at the spring Science Night

By: Erin Albanese — School News Network

 

The district’s high school will use money from a recently approved School Improvement Grant on technology, professional development and added personnel to help zero in on areas of need.

 

The five-year grant, approved by the Michigan Department of Education, will include allocations of $750,000 each year for the first three years and $500,000 each year for the final two years. Godwin Heights is one of 14 low-performing schools to receive the grant to increase student achievement.

 

The MDE is distributing the federal funds to the schools in the bottom 5 percent of the state’s annual top-to-bottom rankings, as Michigan’s last SIG recipients. It is also the final round of SIG grants nationwide.

 

While approval of the grant coincided with the state’s School Reform Office’s announcement that it may close some priority schools, Superintendent William Fetterhoff said there is no indication that Godwin Heights High School will be shuttered. School Reform Office officials visited the school in August, but have checked in regularly, sometimes virtually, since the school was put on the list in 2013.

 

“They have actually been happy with the progress they’ve seen,” Fetterhoff said. “Our growth has been received well as we’ve reported it, but more importantly we’ve been happy with the strides we’ve seen in our student progress.”

 

Principal Chad Conklin said students have made gains without the SIG grant and the funds will help that momentum continue. Before the state switched the required high school college-entrance assessment from the ACT to SAT, they experienced a 5 to 10 percent increase in scores on the ACT, from an overall composite score of 16.4 in 2012-2013 to 2014-2015. Scores increased in each ACT content area as well.

 

“I’m very proud and excited to be able to say we’ve seen an increase in our standardized test scores over the last two years and they’ve been the best that they’ve been than over the last five years,” he said.

 

The SIG grant will go toward include improving literacy across all content area, preparing students for the workforce or college by developing communication and collaboration skills and professional development.

 

It will also fund a SIG coordinator and data coach, which could be a combined or separate positions, and intervention specialists, who are like learning coaches.

 

The data coach will train staff to use data to find gaps in learning.

 

“Intervention specialists will be working right alongside our core teachers, almost in a co-teaching regard so they add more support in our classrooms,” Conklin said.

 

The specialists will provide after-school tutoring offered to prioritize learning based on how students do on assessments. New classroom technology will include including Chromebook carts, interactive whiteboards and digital projectors.

 

Godwin Heights should be removed from priority school status after this year, Conklin said.

 

“We need to have another good year of standardized testing and see our scores improve for that to happen, and we fully expect that to happen.”

 

He said they are continuing to work toward improvement goals.

 

“We have a fantastic staff at the high school that is working tremendously hard on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “I know they’re excited to have a little extra support now with the SIG grant to provide even more things for the students.”

 

Be sure to check out School News Network for more stories about our great students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan!

Four LUCAS Life Saving devices are now in Kentwood

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, Health, Our Cities, , , , , ,

By: Barri Tiggle

A $115,000 grant may have given the Kentwood Fire Department an edge in saving a life.

 

lucas cpr
The LUCAS Chest Compression System

The Kentwood Fire Department recently received a big hand with the help of LUCAS.

 

The 2014 FEMA Assistance to Firefighter grant – which totaled $114,949 – was used to purchase four LUCAS chest compression devices. These devices are designed to allow CPR to be done without human help, outside the first initial 15 – 20 seconds it take to set up the device

 

“The LUCAS devices will be a great asset to the Kentwood Fire Department and the community,” said Kentwood Fire Department Deputy Chief Greg Ginebaugh. “Having the LUCAS CPR device allows more time for airways to be made on the patient, as well as starting IV’s and completing all other needs on the patient.”

 

The idea for the CPR assisted mechanical device derived back in 1991 by Norwegian paramedic Willy Vistung. Years later, the  first LUCAS was created and has since progressed throughout the years.

 

The LUCAS device is used during pre-hospital treatments, in-hospital treatments, and even percutaneous coronary intervention (also known as a PCI, a non-surgical procedure used to open narrow or blocked coronary arteries). LUCAS is equipped with 10 accessories that allow it to work to its full function.

 

It takes a maximum of 20 seconds to set up and adjust LUCAS correctly on a patient. LUCAS is intended to save time for first responders to help in other areas the patient may need, or lack assistance, during manual CPR.

 

Manual (human to human) CPR requires first responders to rotate performing CPR on the patient every two minutes. Since CPR can sometimes last up to 30 minutes, the availability of a LUCAS can save precious time for help in other areas.

 

As of right now the Kentwood Fire Department has four LUCAS devices. There are three fire stations with four primary vehicles and one LUCAS device is placed in each vehicle. There are currently no future plans to receive additional LUCAS devices.

Kentwood Fire Department Set to Receive Extra Funds

Our Cities, , , ,

Kentwood Fire FightersThe Kentwood Fire Department will be receiving a nice little gift from Congress thanks to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters grant program. These grants help fun professional training programs, update equipment and facilities, and provide new supplies to help first-responders handle hazard efficiently and effectively.

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters announced that the Kentwood Fire Department would be receiving $114,949 to help improve its operations and boost safety in the community.

“Our firefighters put their lives on the line every day to keep our families, homes and communities safe,” said Senator Stabenow. “These new resources will help the Kentwood Fire Department safely protect their community.”

Senator Peters added, “First responders are on the front lines when emergencies strike in their communities, and it is important they have the resources needed to protect themselves. With these funds, firefighters in Kentwood can be better equipped to make their neighborhood a safer place to live.”

The Assistance to Firefighters Grand program is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).