If there were a stock market for municipalities, you could say Clairton has had a decades-long battle with the bear.

But Deputy Mayor Rich Lattanzi thinks Clairton's grappling with lackluster is coming to an end, thanks to what he says is a growing volunteerism among residents and a renewed effort by city officials to capture state and federal grants.

"We have many projects going on that are being undertaken by concerned residents who love this community," Mr. Lattanzi said.

Last month, when officials were struggling to find money to fix a deteriorating pavilion in the city's public park, a conversation by residents at the town's Italian Club led to a solution.

A local home improvement chain pledged a shipment of lumber and a crane operator offered to bring in equipment for a day, said Councilman Terry Julian.

The result is an old fashioned barn-raising scheduled for next week.

And when officials were in a state of sticker shock at the cost of repairing a wading pool at the city's pool complex, a small army of residents offered supplies and labor, saving the city $6,000, Mr. Lattanzi said.

It was $6,000 the city didn't have to spend.

Volunteers also have begun cleaning up Memorial Hill, a section of the municipal park that contains headstones -- but not the remains -- of war veterans. Mr. Lattanzi concedes that Memorial Hill became an embarrassment that few people noticed due to its location surrounded by towering pine trees.

"Clairton gets a lot of bad news, but the one thing we've got going for us is people who are giving their own time and resources to make this a better place to live," Mr. Lattanzi said. "And they are picking up where government doesn't always have the resources to do everything."

Mr. Lattanzi, who works as a safety officer at U.S. Steel, said earlier attempts at economic development were hampered because they focused on funding rather than resident involvement in the community.

But funding, however, is still a priority, he said.

Finance Director Scott Andrejchack says the city is redoubling its efforts to obtain grants, and is applying for every grant program available.

Clairton last month received a $25,000 grant from the District Attorney's office to buy nighttime mobile surveillance equipment for the city park and additional money has been obtained to repair volleyball courts.

Mr. Andrejchack also submitted an application for a $32,000 information technology grant through the federal stimulus package. The money will be spent on cameras and on-board computers in police cars.

An additional COPS grant for $137,000 is pending approval from the U.S. Department of Justice. Under the program, municipalities funds for additional police officers with an agreement to pick up the tab after three years.

Clairton also is competing for an Allegheny Together grant to revitalize facades in the business district. The city also applied for the Weed and Seed program.

Perhaps most telling of all, council is eager to attract a Housing and Urban Development project through Allegheny County that would build 28 townhouses in Blair Heights for low-income residents to replace public housing that was razed in the 1980s.

John Lattanzi, chief of city fire department and leader of an ad hoc group of city volunteers, was notified in April that his department is receiving a $105,000 FEMA grant for 20 self-contained breathing units. The order will be placed out for competitive bidding and the invoices sent directly to FEMA for payment, John Lattanzi said.

John Lattanzi is related to the deputy mayor.

"Usually some congressman comes out and tries to take credit for development,'' John Lattanzi said.

"But this time we did it ourselves."