FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kenton County has collectively been awarded over $456,000 in grant awards benefiting youth, strengthening the City of Covington’s cybersecurity and allowing county residents to dispose of hazardous waste material.
“Local officials at the county and city levels deserve recognition for not only securing these grant awards but also being good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said Senate Budget chair Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, who represents northern Kenton County in the Kentucky Senate. “The grant writing process is a thankless job but is incredibly important. I’m happy children and residents here in Kenton County will reap the benefits of their hard work.”
Fort Mitchell Diocesan Catholic Children’s Home HVAC Project – $435,320
Awarded grant funding will support the proposed project, replacing every out-of-date HVAC system component and restoring the system to proper operation. The new equipment will provide 15 or more years of service before it must be replaced.
CDBG funds are distributed through the Kentucky Department for Local Government (DLG). Per the office’s website, the CDBG program assists communities in revitalizing neighborhoods, expanding affordable housing and economic opportunities, providing infrastructure, and/or improving community facilities and services. With the participation of their residents, communities can devote these funds to a wide range of activities that best serve their particular development priorities. According to DLG, $38 million is available for utility relief from the CDBG-CV program. Local governments may request up to $200,000 to provide utility relief to Kentuckians in their jurisdiction. The CDBG-CV program guidelines can be found here.
All project activities must meet at least one of three national objectives:
- Benefits to low and moderate-income persons
- Prevention or elimination of slums or blight
- Meeting particularly urgent community development needs
Kenton County Household Hazardous Waste Disposal – $16,600
Grant funding will support a one-day free drop-off event for Covington residents to safely dispose of household hazardous waste. This includes empty aerosol cans, used antifreeze, dead batteries, leftover pesticides, oil-based paint, and flammable liquids.
The Recycling and Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Grant Collection Program, funded through the Kentucky Pride Fund, aims to leverage limited funds into efficient and cost-effective projects to help Kentucky develop an integrated recycling infrastructure, manage household hazardous waste and provide recycling and HHW public education programs. Regional recycling programs and household hazardous waste management programs with state-approved inter-local cooperative agreements are given priority. Funds can be used to pay for up to 75 percent of the total cost for each project; a 25 percent match is required. Any county, waste management district, city, urban-county government, or other state political subdivision or any combination of the above, including school districts, shall be eligible to apply.
City of Covington Cybersecurity Upgrades – $4,752
The City of Covington was awarded grant funding through the State and Local Cyber Grant Program (SLCGP) to replace rudimentary and outdated security plans with professional incident response guidance, informed through updated risk assessments.
SLCGP is administered through the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security. Eligible entities include city and county governments, locally-owned infrastructure such as utilities, K-12 schools, law enforcement, emergency management and more. Grants require a 20 percent match either through hard cash or in-kind contributions. For more information on SLCGP, CLICK HERE.
