P’ville Anti-Drug and Alcohol Coalition Prepared to Submit Grant Request
Pleasantville Strong is moving closer to submitting its proposal for a five-year grant to support anti-drug and alcohol efforts throughout the village but not all officials are supportive of the process.
The coalition, which was founded last summer to take preventative steps to inform and educate Pleasantville students and parents about drug and alcohol abuse, is in the process of drawing up its proposal for a $125,000-a-year federal grant to fund the efforts.
“I can’t honestly think of anything more important than to protect our children,” said Pleasantville Strong member and village Trustee Colleen Griffin-Wagner.
Judy Mezey, assistant director for Community Based Programs for Student Assistant Services in White Plains, which has been assisting Pleasantville Strong’s efforts, said that the coalition is in the process of drafting the grant narratives to submit in time for the March 18 application deadline. The grant is overseen by the Office of National Drug Control Policy in partnership with the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.
At the Feb. 23 village board meeting, trustees approved a resolution that would name the village as the fiscal agent for the grant. Trustee Mindy Berard was the only trustee to opposed the resolution, explaining that while she is in full support of Pleasantville Strong and its mission, she was uncomfortable with the village taking on the role.
According to Mezey, 13 Westchester municipalities obtained similar grants and eight of those name the municipality as the fiscal agent.
Berard said that because the grant extends for five years, she was uncomfortable obligating a future board, although Mezey noted that future boards could opt out of the responsibility. A registered nonprofit organization are among the other entities that are eligible to be the grant’s fiscal agent, she said.
As the fiscal agent for the grant, Pleasantville would need to employ a part-time employee to be the coalition coordinator and a bookkeeper to keep track of finances. The village would make those hires, but the grant would fund the salaries for the two employees. Mezey explained that because of how the grant is structured, village officials would be able to draw down any necessary funds 48 hours before they’re needed; therefore, the municipality would not need to lay out money for the expense.
In addition, the village would also need to use its treasurer and provide office space. Village Administrator Patricia Dwyer explained that would count toward the in-kind contribution. For every dollar of federal money received, there must be a matching in-kind contribution of money or services.
Although the grant application must be filed by March 18, Mezey explained that a decision as to which organizations receive grant money won’t be made until August with winners being notified in September. Mezey said the process is highly competitive but she is “cautiously optimistic” about Pleasantville Strong’s chances of obtaining the funds. Last year, 197 organizations received the grant.
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