Following a successful year that yielded more than $800,000 in grants for the township, the Falls Supervisors on Monday voted to continue its annual contract with a grant writing company.
Falls began working with Millennium Strategies, LLC after neighboring Middletown Township netted more than $10 million in grant funding since 2010. For 2021, Millennium helped Falls obtain a $756,881 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to fund pedestrian safety improvements at various intersections. An additional $55,029 was secured from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development – Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program for upgrades to the township’s roller hockey rink.
“There’s a long list of stuff they’re looking into as well,” Supervisors Chairman Jeff Dence said.
Supervisor John Palmer wants to ensure that the grant writing service is used to its fullest extent possible among all township departments and said he would reach out to fire services to help the volunteer companies defer some of their expenses through grants as well.
In 2021, the township contracted with Millennium for a $3,000 monthly retainer. For 2022, Falls has adjusted the proposal to an hourly basis with a monthly cost of $1,500 and an amount not to exceed $18,000 per year.
In addition to Falls and Middletown, Millennium Strategies provides grant writing services to more than 90 municipalities, counties, school districts and nonprofits in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Since its inception in 2005, the company has secured more than $600 million in both governmental and non-governmental grants for its clients.
Millennium has secured funding for a wide range of projects, including arts and culture, economic development, open space preservation, parks and recreation, environmental planning and restoration, public safety, sustainable energy, historic preservation, as well as transportation-related projects.
In other business, the Supervisors approved installing safety netting at Levittown Continental to help prevent balls from flying over the backstop and into backyards of adjacent properties. Parks and Recreation Director Brian Andrews said utility poles will be installed with safety netting. The total cost of the project is $18,726.
