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In this day of making a dollar stretch as far as possible, Town staff continues to search and apply for a variety of grants. Since the end of November, we’ve already received over $160,000 in grant money from the state and federal governments. This money is very important to the town for many reasons we often don’t stop to think about. For example …
If you were to visit the Town Clerk’s office, one of the first things that you might notice would be the storage room full of old, worn books. To some this might not seem very impressive; however, these books contain vital Town records dating back to the 1700s. They describe the original Colchester colony and the foundation that our great town was built on. Some of the Town’s grant monies will be used to continue restoration of these delicate archives. Until the records are restored, it is impossible to make a copy or remove a page from the book. If by mistake a book is dropped or “roughed up” a little, the letters on the page actually pop off! However, as the books are restored, pages are laminated and placed in binders that allow the pages to be used without fear of destruction.
Another important Colchester icon, the Senior Center, provides much needed services to our seniors. Many of our elderly need a source of transportation to access those services, as well as rides to places such as medical appointments and the grocery store. With appointments in Norwich, Willimantic, New London, Hartford, even as far as New Britain, the senior vans and drivers are key to ensuring quality care for our seniors. It’s through grants that the Senior Center funds this transportation.
Colchester’s volunteer firefighters are another example of how grant funds are put to good use. The Town employs six career firefighters, but relies on twenty times that number in volunteers. These are unpaid men and women who work around the clock for the pure love of the town. In the event of an emergency, our volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and fire police must drive their cars to the fire department or the scene and often leave their cars running for hours on end. Thanks to a federal grant, Colchester is able to compensate to a small degree volunteers who are over the age of eighteen for those gas dollars. While the compensation is small, the intent is large and every bit counts.
Other uses of grant dollars includes funding to support library services, including new books, promotions, and the book discussion series. The section of sidewalk near Troop K completing the continuous sidewalk from Bacon Academy to the Recreation Complex became a reality and the White Oak greenways project is underway.
These are just some of the grants the Town of Colchester has received. Next week I’ll talk a bit about the grants that are in process. Until then, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas. Better yet, come have coffee with us on Wednesday, August 20th, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Café Mangia on Linwood Avenue. Have a great week!
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