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Page 14             October 2018                                    The Catoctin Banner Newspaper                         www.TheCatoctinBanner.com                     Published by www.EPlusPromotes.com
                                                                                       Grant Funding for Thurmont

                                                                                       Exceeds $555,000 in FY2018


                                                                                          James Rada, Jr.

                                                                                          Thurmont                                            Photo by James Rada, Jr.
                                                                                       Chief Financial
                                                                                       Officer Linda
                                                                                       Joyce recently
                                                                                       reported to
                                                                                       the mayor and
                                                                                       commissioners
                                                                                       that the town
                                                                                       received
                                                                                       $555,471.50 in
                                                                                       grant funding for
                                                                                       fiscal year 2018.
                                                                                       Thurmont has
                                                                                       always done well
                                                                                       in grant funding
                                                                                       but fiscal year
                                                                                       2018 proved         The East End Park All-Inclusive Playground in Thurmont is one of several
                                                                                       to be especially      projects that benefited significantly from grant funding obtained by
                                                                                       successful.                     Thurmont staff during fiscal year 2018.
                                                                                          Grants received
                                                                                       included $174,300 from the DNR Community Parks & Playgrounds
                                                                                       program, along with $63,902 from DNR Program Open Space, all for the
                                                                                       East End Park All-Inclusive Playground. The town also received $83,000
                                                                                       from a Community Development Block Grant for ADA retrofits to pedestrian
                                                                                       crossings throughout Thurmont, along with an additional $27,814 in
                                                                                       Program Open Space funding for an ADA-accessible restroom at East End
                                                                                       Park. A total of $18,684 of Program Open Space funding was awarded
                                                                                       to renovate playgrounds at Eyler Road Park, and another $74,337 for
                                                                                       Thurmont Trolley Trail paving. A total of $34,650 was awarded from the
                                                                                       Maryland Energy Association for a Smart Energies Community grant for
                                                                                       energy efficient LED subdivision lighting, installed in the Catoctin Heights
                                                                                       subdivision.
                                                                                          Community Legacy Grant funding from the Maryland Department of
                                                                                       Housing and Community Development funded $40,000 in downtown façade
                                                                                       grants, along with $20,000 for bridge work on the Maryland Midland
                                                                                       Railroad bridge. Other grants included $2,000 for tree planting and tree
                                                                                       conservation projects; $8,900 in Police Grants; and $16,500 in economic
                                                                                       development grants that funded brochures, an economic development video,
                                                                                       and signage for the Trolley Trail. The town partnered with Frederick County
                                                                                       government and received $100,000 from the county to install new sidewalks
                                                                                       on Moser Road. By the end of the fiscal year, awarded grant funding totaled
                                                                                       almost 5 percent of the overall town budget.
                                                                                          “With this funding, Thurmont was able to do more with less. The town’s
                                                                                       ability to invest in infrastructure, green energy initiatives, sports, cultural
                                                                                       programs, and safety improvements would be limited without the assistance
                                                                                       of these grants” stated Joyce.

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