Vincent Peterson II of McAuley & Company told the Elyria City Council on Nov. 3 that the firm has helped the city obtain about 51 grant awards totaling approximately $8,900,000 since 2020.

Peterson listed recent awards and amounts, including the NatureWorks grant (~$70,000) for a pocket park; a “shine a light on dumpers” grant (~$19,000) for fencing and security at the Republic Steel Quarry; a $136,000 community litter contract for compost-facility operations with Barnes Nursery; a $325,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund award for the West Park inclusive playground; violent crime reduction grants for the Neighborhood Impact Unit (about $65,000 in 2025 and $89,000 in 2024); a SAFER firefighter-hiring grant for about $847,000; an H2Ohio chloride-reduction award (~$60,000) for a brine production mixer and tank; a $115,000 EECBG award to replace downtown sodium street lights with LEDs; and a $3,000 water-bottle refilling station at South Park Picnic Shelter.

Peterson said nine grants remain pending, including an FY25 COPS hiring application for “a little over a million dollars,” a Transportation for Livable Communities application for about $150,000 to update a pedestrian and transportation study, a $117,000 law-enforcement mental-health-and-wellness implementation grant, and other applications such as NEA arts funding and federal firefighter assistance (AFG). He also described recent federal and state lobbying meetings and noted two pending earmarks: a $2,000,000 Middle Avenue sewer extension and a $500,000 police radio replacement project. "Since working with Elyria since 2020, we've received about 51 grants, totaling about $8,900,000," Peterson said.

Council members praised the results. Councilmember Oswald called the consultant “an investment,” and Councilmember Tillett said the city has seen a roughly 17-to-1 return on the dollars spent with McAuley & Company. Peterson agreed to provide council with a written summary of what has been attained and what remains pending so members can review specifics away from the meeting.

The presentation was informational; no formal council action was taken during the report. Peterson identified specific awards and pending items for follow-up with the administration and council.