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Belmont looks to hire grant writer

BELMONT — Mayor Stan Sobel is pleased about several equipment and vehicle upgrades the village has accomplished through grant awards since he took office in January 2016, and the village is considering a contract with a professional grant writer to keep the ball rolling.

“I am extremely excited about all the equipment we’ve been able to get with grants, things that are newer than the year 2000. We now have a 2017 police cruiser, a brand new street sweeper and a 2004 backhoe that replaced a 1977 model,” Sobel said. “We are still in the process of trying to get surveillance equipment through grant money. We’ve come a long way to make the village safer and cleaner.”

Council held a special meeting May 15 to discuss the proposed grant-writing position, the purchase of the new backhoe and to finalize and approve a contract with Mark Morton of Gravestone Guardians of Ohio for continued work and restoration of the Belmont Cemetery. The grant-writing position has not been officially approved by council yet, but members are considering a contract with Lynn Majzun, who has experience writing grants for other agencies.

“We wanted to introduce her to council. We haven’t figured out her pay scale yet, but having her on board will be cost-effective for the village. She has been awarded every grant she has ever applied for,” Sobel said. “We are just talking about this now, but I think she would be a huge asset to the village. The only way for us to be able to afford the big stuff is through grants.”

Sobel said the village likely will contract with Majzun and possibly pay her a monthly salary plus a small percentage of what each grant brings in. He noted that the village will still be using Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association’s services to apply for the largest grants. Village leaders hope to eventually obtain grant money to improve Belmont Park, where Sobel said there are “tremendous problems,” such as severe drainage issues, and a need for new playground equipment and a concession stand.

“We need to fix the drainage problem on the ballfield, and we want to add better playground equipment because when parents come to watch their children play ball, (the players) usually have siblings that want to play on the playground equipment,” Sobel said. “These are major expenses. It is never ending, and we really need help seeking grant money to get the things we need.”

Council approved the purchase of a used 2004 Case extended backhoe that has logged a total of 2,600 hours of work. The backhoe was purchased from Classic A Properties Inc.

“They were doing some work with it and didn’t need it anymore. They were wanting to sell it for $36,500, but they let us have it for $35,000,” Sobel noted. Village maintenance and water department personnel “Dan Schmitt and Kenny Davis drove the backhoe and looked it over and thought it was a great deal. It has a heater in the cab and is in great working order.”

The backhoe replaces a 1977 model that was “on its last legs,” according to Sobel. “We will still keep it and use it for more light, simple tasks.”

Council also approved a $4,000 contract with Morton for the cemetery, with work set to begin in June. Morton began restoring several gravestones in the Belmont Cemetery last summer with help from the Belmont County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. The village hopes to obtain grant money for more upgrades to the cemetery to add electricity and restroom facilities. The village recently installed a portable restroom to accommodate those who visit the cemetery.

“Since we’ve been doing cleanup work on the cemetery — restoration of gravestones, painting the gate and fence, and taking out shrubs, people have been donating to the cemetery fund so we can keep improving,” Sobel said.

Finally, a new street sweeper was added to the village’s assets through a shared services grant with the village of Bethesda.

“It is amazing — state of the art. When it was out cleaning this week, people were on their front porches watching it like they were watching a parade,” Sobel said.

The street sweeper’s pass through the village resulted in two large piles of debris, mostly dirt and gravel. The collected dirt and gravel will be reused as fill dirt on several projects in the community. Cleanings will occur weekly, and Sobel thanked village residents for their cooperation in moving vehicles from near the roadway.

“It helped us to get to the edges where a lot of the debris is located,” Sobel noted.

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