Borough appoints Colliers to help secure grant funding

LAVALLETTE — The Lavallette council Monday unanimously approved a resolution appointing engineering firm Colliers Engineering & Design as grant and funding specialists to aid the borough in securing grant money.

Colliers was hired to research both federal, state and county level grant opportunities for the borough of Lavallette; a task for which there is no official position in the borough’s municipal offices.

“We don’t actually have a grant writer, or someone that seeks out grants for us,” said Borough Administrator John O. Bennett. “They’ve done this for several other municipalities and asked them if we’d add them on at no cost.”

Bennett explained that, as per the terms of the appointment, the borough does not have to compensate Colliers Engineering for the work of seeking grants until and unless grant funding is secured.

“They do not get paid anything unless they find us a grant, and unless the mayor and council agree to let them do the work as a result of the grant,” he said. “But for this particular job of finding us grants, they do not get paid anything.”

“Good,” said Mayor Walter LaCicero. “We love grants.”

Colliers Engineering & Design is a Holmdel-based engineering and architecture firm with additional services including grant professionals.

“Our experience encompasses the research, procurement and administration of grants for all types of projects,” according to the website for Colliers. “In particular, our team’s experience with Federal programs is invaluable to ensuring your project’s compliance with all requirements, including environmental reviews, labor standards compliance, prevailing wage, reporting and recordkeeping.”

The appointment of Colliers’ grant specialists comes in the wake of a $2.6 million grant from the Ocean County Board of Commissioners to remedy the town’s sump pump drainage system that the borough received last month. According to Borough Administrator Bennett, the grant is a part of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds. This $2.6 million grant is part of the third round of such fund allocations by the board of commissioners, which totals over $59 million.

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