Stephanie Zahn, the town’s grants coordinator, told the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners on Sept. 9 that the town is managing roughly $738,000 in active grant projects and has about $467,000 in pending applications. “Grant funding helps supplement the existing budget by providing opportunities for projects we otherwise would not be able to afford,” Zahn said.

Zahn gave a department-by-department overview of recently awarded and pending grants, saying the town has attracted more than $3.2 million in grant awards over the past five years. She described awards and applications that the town is administering or awaiting reimbursement on, and the local matching funds the town provided.

Among the active and pending grants Zahn listed:
- An $18,000 award from the Maryland State Arts Council for arts and entertainment operating support to help sponsor musicians and events, public art-tour advertising and workshops.
- A $140,000 Safe Streets and Roads for All grant (a multi-jurisdictional safety-action plan the town pursued with Aberdeen and Havre de Grace), for which the town provided a $25,000 cash match and $10,000 of in-kind match shared among the municipalities; Zahn said that project is complete and the town is awaiting reimbursement.
- A Department of Natural Resources Community Parks and Playgrounds grant of $100,757 for improvements at Plumtree Park; Zahn said the work included resurfacing a basketball court, parking-lot paving, new playground equipment and installation of four automated external defibrillators at town parks. The town provided a $50,000 match and the project is complete, she said.
- A pending $125,000 application for Lisonbee Park to fund multigenerational fitness equipment, poured-in-place surfacing, a trail connection and an AED.

Zahn also reviewed recent applications to private foundations: a $100,000 Dresher Foundation application submitted July 10 and an application to the Greater Bel Air Community Foundation for $25,000 (submitted Aug. 27) that would be paired with $25,000 from the Bel Air Downtown Alliance.

She reviewed police-department grants that support equipment and programs: a State Aid Police Protection award ($264,209) distributed via an annual formula; a small body-armor award (about $2,157) to purchase five vests (50% match required); a $224,037 community-program award to support the Explorers post; a $10,530 police recruitment and retention grant (a $330 bonus per officer this year); and a $52,739 Police Accountability, Community, and Transparency (PACT) grant intended to fund 26 body-worn cameras and a part-time audit clerk to review footage, Zahn said. She also listed a federal Office of Justice Programs bulletproof vest partnership award (about $2,139) that will fund additional vests.

Zahn summarized active totals on a chart shown to commissioners: approximately $738,000 in active projects and $467,000 in pending applications across departments. She emphasized the staff time needed to write applications, manage reporting and submit reimbursement requests. “Grants are very competitive, and a lot of time and effort goes into writing the application and creating the budget,” she said.

Commissioners praised the grants work during the meeting. The board’s comments noted the effect of grants on the town budget and thanked Zahn for securing funds that pay for projects the town otherwise could not afford. Zahn said she coordinates with town directors, the town administrator and partner organizations such as the Bel Air Downtown Alliance in preparing applications and administering awards.

The presentation closed with commissioners asking clarifying questions about pending foundation timelines and future grant research the public-works department is doing for a possible solar canopy project. Zahn said she is managing ongoing reimbursement requests and will continue to pursue the pending applications discussed on Sept. 9.

Ending: The commissioners did not take a formal vote on the grants presentation; the session moved on to the next agenda item after questions and commissioner remarks.