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Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M)
blends experience, vision and technology to
build lasting infrastructure strategies for local communities throughout Wisconsin and Illinois.
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July 11, 2017
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It's never too early to start thinking about grant opportunities. Whether it's a project that's been on a wish list or the back-burner; the prospect of supplemental funding can never be understated.
Two opportunities that should be on a municipality's radar are the Urban Forestry Grant and the DNR Urban Nonpoint Source (UNPS) Construction Grant.
Urban Forestry Grant:
The Urban Forestry Grant is a great opportunity to get on top of your Emerald Ash Borer treatments or getting that old tree inventory back in check. The grant provides communities with funding to help support, create, or recreate their tree management programs. With a 50/50 match up to $25,000, communities can develop a plan to tackle various initiatives aimed at sustaining a healthy urban forest.
The Wisconsin DNR offers two sizes of 50/50 match forestry grants. The first being, the 'Startup' grant which reimburses between $1,000 - $5,000. This grant is meant to support "Startup" initiatives or smaller projects such as starting a tree management program, public outreach, and/or Emerald Ash Borer treatments. The larger of the two grants is the Urban Forestry Grant, which reimburses $1,000 - $25,000. Objectives for this grant opportunity may consist of, but are not limited to, calculating your urban tree canopy density, completing a tree inventory, creating a GIS tree inventory database, developing a tree ordinance, and/or conducting tree maintenance. Diversifying the budget and enhancing the areas that your tree management program is lacking will increase your chances of being awarded this awesome funding opportunity.
Deadline: October 2017
DNR Urban Nonpoint Source (UNPS) Construction Grant:
The UNPS Construction Grant is ideal for shovel ready projects to implement pollutant control practices within a municipality. The goal of the grant is to help communities meet their MS4 and TMDL requirements by reducing pollutants such as TSS or phosphorus. These storm water quality projects are typically in areas of high pollutants or have been identified in a Storm Water Quality Master Plan. These projects can either modify or construct a storm water BMP.
A construction project can receive a 50/50 match from the DNR of up to $150,000. While some of the funding is available for project planning, projects are ranked higher if they are construction ready. It is important to think early, often, and creatively for possible BMP construction opportunities within your community!
Deadline: April 2018
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Keeping track of which plastics should be recycled in a municipality can be difficult for residents. To increase participation in recycling programs, it is helpful to make the information readily available and easy to understand. For example, here is an easy-to-use table listing different types of plastic:
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Plastic Number & Name
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Common Products
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# 1 - Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE)
Commonly recycled |
Soda, condiment, mouthwash, peanut butter, jelly bottles |
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# 2 - High density polyethylene (HDPE)
Commonly recycled |
Milk, water, juice, shampoo, and household cleaner bottles |
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# 3 - Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Not commonly recycled |
Rigid plastic packaging, shrink wrap |
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# 4 - Low density polyethylene (LDPE)
Growing recycling market |
Grocery and garbage bags; container lids; squeezable bottles; bags from newspapers, bread, produce, etc. |
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# 5 - Polypropylene (PP)
Growing recycling market |
Yogurt, margarine, and butter containers; takeout meal boxes; medicine bottles and caps |
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# 6 - Polystyrene foam (PS)
Not commonly recycled |
Styrofoam™ takeout containers, meat packaging trays, packing materials, food service products |
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# 7 - Other
Not commonly recycled |
All other plastics, mixed plastics, multi-layer materials
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Confusion may occur when municipal recycling regulations change due to policy updates, upgrades to waste management facilities, new technology, etc. Here are a few ideas for effectively communicating with residents when these changes occur:
- Include pamphlets or refrigerator magnets about recycling in welcome packet for new homeowners/renters.
- Partner with grocery stores and other local businesses to display updatable signage near the point of purchase.
- Post updatable signage on public recycling containers in public locations such as parks, schools, public transportation stations, etc.
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Waukesha, WI Kenosha, WI Madison, WI Chicago, IL Global Water Center, WI Fox Valley, WI
www.ruekertmielke.com
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