Dateline April 2004
Russo’s Service to Charleston County Communities Recognized With Charleston County CDBG Award
Leo Russo, Director of Community Development at Mount Pleasant Waterworks (MPW), has received special honors by Charleston County for his work to bring clean drinking water and wastewater service to East Cooper neighborhoods.
The Charleston County Grants Administration Community Development Division presented the award as part of the Fair Housing Month Celebration. The event celebrated three decades of the federal Community Development Block Grant program and its mission to improve living conditions for low-income families across America. MPW was also honored at the event for its years of work as an organization to help improve living conditions in the East Cooper section of the county.
Dubbed "Mr. Waterworks" by the county's community development staff, Russo was honored for his tireless efforts working through complicated grant proposals and paperwork to unlock federal funds to help local families. Since 1999, Charleston County has awarded MPW $979,810 in CDBG grant funds to bring water and wastewater service and needed fire flow protection to low income communities. This improved quality of life benefits residents in the Green Hill, Remley's Pointe, South Venning Road, Hamlin Road and White Hall Terrace communities.
Several residents of those communities attended the awards presentation. "Charleston County is lucky to have such organizations as Mount Pleasant Waterworks with a Community Development Director willing to work with the enormous amount of paperwork and red tape required when managing federal grant funds," said Charleston County Community Development Manager Philip LaRoche. "From our perspective, through it all, Leo Russo hardly breaks a sweat."
Clay Duffie, General Manager of Mount Pleasant Waterworks, said Russo is a valuable asset not only to MPW but the entire East Cooper community. "Leo's work is about finding ways to bring clean, safe drinking water into the homes of families who have pulled substandard water from shallow wells for generations," said Duffie. "His work also helps eliminate poorly performing septic tank systems and that helps improve the environment for the larger community. This is a well-deserved honor for a job well done."
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--Press Room
