At $100 million awarded for 170 projects since 2008, the parish’s Grants Office is often praised for generating new dollars in one of St. Charles Parish government’s top three sources of funding – grants.
A breakdown of the grant total translates into $4.60 in state and federal grant dollars for every $1 in local funding, which means this revenue makes projects possible and a reality as it has with levees, drainage, the Edward A. Dufresne Communiy Center and Emergency Operations Center, said Holly Fonseca, the parish’s grants officer.
Despite these many dollars flowing into the parish, Fonseca, along with grants specialists Carla Chiasson and Adrienne Swann, operated the grants office this year on a $256,000 budget.
In 2014, $8 million in grants also funded projects like the Ellington Levee, part of the West Bank Hurricane Protection Levee; Ormond Boulevard pavement rehabilitation at $3.1 million and the East LaBranche Shoreline Protection Project, $2.8 million.
Additionally, grant dollars helped fund the parish’s LA-52 revitalization plan, East Bank Multi-Use Path Phase V, Hazard Mitigation Plan Update and even the Fall Trash Bash Incentive.
Fonseca said these projects couldn’t have been done without grants, which must be applied for to get and come as revenue dedicated or earmarked for certain projects. The money comes into the parish budget, but it serves as a conduit for these monies.
Parish President V.J. St. Pierre Jr. said the parish’s success with getting the grants also relied on the collective abilities of every department is successfully demonstrating the need for the funding.
“Grants played an important role in helping us achieve the many projects that have improved the quality of life for residents over the past eight years,” St. Pierre said. “They’ve taken a huge effort on the part of not only the Grants Office, but also each parish department and the parish council, which ensured matching funds were budgeted.”
Fonseca attributed the Grants Office success on teamwork, including the Parish Council, parish president, department heads and staff “for recognizing the value of grant funding” and helping secure the funds.
“When presented with opportunities to compete for grant funding, the Grants Office has utilized all available resources to write grant applications for projects that place the parish in the best position to score well in the competitive process,” she said. “Without the ability to secure grant funding competitively, the parish would not have had enough local funds to move forward with many of the grant funded projects that have been completed.
Additionally, the parish has established a reputation for implementing grant funded projects in a timely manner, so grantor agencies now tend to look favorably on parish grant applications due to our track record.”
The parish president said what’s important to remember about most grants is that they’re awarded based on a competitive application process.
“If St. Charles Parish had not won its grants based on demonstrated need, the funds would have gone to another jurisdiction,” he said. “It is our duty to make the most of the opportunities presented to us, and we’ve certainly done that with regard to grant funding.”
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