County commissioners created their own grant program Thursday, earmarking $1,000 to help each Lawrence County volunteer fire department.

Friday, July 06, 2001

County commissioners created their own grant program Thursday, earmarking $1,000 to help each Lawrence County volunteer fire department.

The commission has fielded a number of fire department requests for funding in recent months. And, the county’s 1/2-cent sales tax for emergency services enacted in 1998 made provisions for such assistance.

"The firefighters need money and we needed to come up with a way to help," commission president Paul Herrell said. "It’s a good follow through on what the commission talked about when it created the fund."

Funds from the emergency services tax will allow each department to apply for $1,000. Grant applications will be mailed to each volunteer fire department. Funds will be mailed when completed applications are returned.

Also Thursday, commissioners:

– Approved the Ohio Public Works Commission’s Demaria Street Force (sewer) Main Replacement Project grant documents. The grant will help fund a $300,000 to replace the main Union-Rome Sewer line between Demaria Street and the district’s equalization basin in Rome Township, which will increase capacity. The increased capacity should reduce current EPA limits on new subdivisions, officials said.

An engineering firm has already been selected for the project, which is now in the design phase.

-Accepted a resolution applying for this year’s state formula grant money: $9,000 for Lawrence Economic Development Corporation support; $21,000 for Proctorville’s water tank replacement and other improvements; $16,000 for Windsor Township Fire Department’s Jaws of Life; $28,000 to match funds for Coal Grove’s water project; $9,000 for fair housing; about $75,000 for Decatur Township’s new fire station project; and $110,000 in water tap assistance.

– Met with attorney Randy Lambert; county emergency services director Don Mootz and Doug Cade of the CAO in separate closed executive sessions concerning personnel and/or legal issues. The commission also met in executive session with Mike Pitson of Life Ambulance in Portsmouth about contract negotiations.

– Set next week’s commission meeting for Thursday, at 9 a.m., at the Lawrence County Fairgrounds during this year’s fair.