Grants continue to make a difference in Madison Heights

MADISON HEIGHTS — In recent years, officials in Madison Heights have been focused on securing grants for enhancements around town.

“When I first joined council (in 2013), it was actually incredibly rare that we would apply for and receive grants, because in order to take advantage of them, you needed to ensure you were budgeting to cover whatever matching parts were required,” said Madison Heights Mayor Pro Tem Mark Bliss. “And so, historically, a lot of money was left on the table. Changing that has been a major priority over the past five years.”

In March 2024, the city was awarded a $525,000 federal grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for new ballfield light poles and LED light conversions at Rosie’s Park, Silverleaf Park and Huffman Park. The city’s match there is $400,000.

In March 2023, HUD also awarded the city $850,000 for a partnership program with Habitat for Humanity, providing home repairs to eligible residents. And in March 2022, HUD awarded a $490,000 grant for library renovations including repairs to the foundation, insulation, mechanical upgrades, lighting enhancements, dedicated spaces for children and teens, and improved accessibility features. The overall renovations cost nearly $730,000.

This year, the Consumers Energy Foundation awarded $250,000 to Madison Heights for the construction of a bandshell at Civic Center Park, which made its debut during Trail Tunes Sept. 21 as the stage for the climactic Battle of the Bands. Another parks upgrade is inbound at Rosie’s Park, where $91,000 awarded by Oakland County Parks and Recreation and the Southeast Michigan Pickleball Association will construct pickleball courts. The county also awarded the city $22,500 this year for new basketball courts at Civic Center Park, which were installed in June. The city matched the county’s contribution.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) awarded the city the same amount — $22,500 — paying for the consulting firm Energy Sciences to work with staff and the city’s Environmental Citizens Committee on the creation of a sustainability plan.

Another environmental initiative is the ongoing development of a regional decarbonization plan in Madison Heights, Ferndale, Oak Park and the Lamphere Schools district. The four entities aim to reduce their energy footprint and will form their plan with a $500,000 energy futures grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Another round of funding could follow for the second phase of the plan, with a possible $1 million in grant funding.

And then there is the recent award of $500,000 from the state to Madison Heights for the purpose of upgrading the heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems at the Madison Heights Police Department. The upgrades there will not only replace the existing 1991 system but will also convert it from electric to a gas boiler system, which is more efficient and should save taxpayers even more money on utility costs.

Adam Owczarzak is the grant administrator for Madison Heights. His specialized role includes identifying suitable federal, state and private funding opportunities, and then drafting and submitting detailed proposals in coordination with city departments, ensuring compliance with grant requirements.

He has become the lead on many applications and said that the city has been successful in finding grants lately because of its strategic plan.

“We started this planning process in 2018 and have updated it annually to ensure that City Council and staff priorities are aligned. This gives staff a roadmap of which projects and funding opportunities to seek out,” Owczarzak said in an email. “Once the strategic planning process has been updated by council, staff starts to receive quotes for projects, to get an idea how much a project will cost. We then evaluate how much in the budget we have available for the project, and then seek out funding if there is a gap. Most grant funders want to see that you have ‘shovel ready’ projects. Because of this, we’ve been able to complete many projects.”

Bliss said that designating Owczarzak as the grant writer has been a sound investment.

“The grants he brings in more than cover the salary of the role, sometimes 10 times over,” Bliss said. “I also instituted a special project fund several years ago as part of our budgeting process, so that we’ll always have cash set aside for special projects, especially as it relates to our parks or anything in that quality-of-life area. We’re now having conversations three to five years in advance and setting aside funds. With the bandshell at the park, we ended up getting the grant much earlier than we expected, but we were still able to take advantage of it, thanks to the special project fund.”

The mayor pro tem praised his colleagues on the City Council for prioritizing grants, and he praised City Manager Melissa Marsh, as well, citing her insight as the city’s former finance director.

“She changed our budgeting practices in a way that makes this possible. It’s a nice moment of all the stars aligning for us to do this,” Bliss said. “At any given time, there are a handful of grants in the process at our city, and every time we win them, it’s less money coming out of taxpayers for when we make upgrades in our city. So I am extremely proud of our staff and council.”