By Teddy Rydquist
Leader Staff Writer
On September 23, Oxford Township was awarded a $6,178 COVID-19 Response Grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL).
Per Township Communications and Grants Manager C.J. Carnacchio, who completed and submitted the application on September 9, the grant covers election-related expenses incurred from June 15 through the end of the calendar year, including staffing, training, and necessary equipment.
“Deanna Cushing, our Deputy Supervisor, sent me an e-mail over Labor Day Weekend, Sunday, September 6, asking if I saw this and she thought of me and forwarded it to me, so, I took a look,” Carnacchio explained of how the application process unfolded.
“When I got back into the office on Tuesday (September 8), because of the holiday on Monday (September 7), I read over the information, thought it was definitely something we could go for, and then I conferred immediately with the clerk, Curtis Wright, the deputy clerk, and the administrative assistant, the whole clerk’s department, and kind of put our heads together and said, ‘OK, well, here’s what funding is available for, what do you want to use it for?’
“We came up with some ideas, there was some information I needed for the grant, as far as numbers and things like that, and they got me the information I needed, and I filled out the application and sent it in the next day, September 9.”
Oxford Township is using this grant money to cover the cost of the drop box installed in front of the building, located at 300 Dunlap Road, and a couple of other tasks.
“It’ll cover the cost of the box itself, the decals, the cost of the labor to have it installed,” Carnacchio shared.
“And then there’s the other stuff, temporary staffing, and then we want to pay for some of the cleaning of the facilities we use because not all the polling places are government buildings. You’ve got the three churches – Free Methodist, United Methodist, and LakePoint, which used to be Christ the King on Drahner – and the library and the community room at parks and rec.
“We’d like to help spread it around and any costs that are incurred for cleaning the buildings in preparation for the election, we want to help defer those costs.”
One quality that helps Oxford Township operate with impressive efficiency is their ability to work as a team. In this case, Deputy Clerk Susan McCullough played a pivotal role in helping Carnacchio gather the necessary information to secure these funds.
“Susan is always a big help, and Curtis (Wright),” he said.
“Whenever I need any information, they get me what I need right away for a grant. So, I’d said Susan, Curtis, and Kelly Richter, she’s the administrative assistant.
“They’re all invaluable, anytime I need anything, they get it quickly. Everyone’s happy, I came to them and said, ‘What can we do? Here are the categories.’ That’s what I marked on the application, what we’d like to use the money for. It was a team effort.”