State grant will go for new fire gear

By Charles Sercombe
The grants keep pouring into Hamtramck.
The latest is one worth $88,651, and it goes to the fire department. The money is earmarked for the purchase of protective gear, which will include:
o 12structural firefighting coats
o 12 sets of structural firefighting pants
o 4 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units
o 8 SCBA tanks
o 10 SCBA masks
This grant came from the state, and was part of a package that went to 13 municipalities, worth a total of $2.8 million in total.
The communities in question are considered “distressed cities,” which are defined, according to the state, as those “experiencing one or more conditions indicative of probable financial distress.”
That designation is at odds with what Hamtramck officials have been bragging about regarding the turnaround in the city’s financial picture under their leadership. The city is, indeed, not currently operating under a deficit spending budget, thanks largely to the injection of one-time only federal grants.
The press release issued by the state goes on further, to say:
“The grants fund specific projects, services, or strategies, including infrastructure and public safety enhancements that move a city, village, or township toward financial stability.”
Out of the 13 municipalities to receive this grant, Calumet Village received the most. That municipality was awarded $323,450 to do “Public service enhancement through infrastructure replacement at the village hall building.”
The announcement of this fire department grant came at the same time it was announced, at a recent city council meeting, that the city will receive a $15 million federal grant to continue replacing the city’s lead water lines.
And, just a few months ago, the city received grants to purchase radio communications and guns for the police department.
This is all on top of other, multi-million-dollar, federal grants Hamtramck has received in recent years to improve general infrastructure, and also to create a bike/walking path called the Louis Greenway path, that will ultimately connect Hamtramck to Detroit, Dearborn and Highland Park.
Posted May 31, 2024