News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Fentress County Commission voted Tuesday night to pursue a grant to renovate the county ambulance facility, but not without some discussion.
Several commissioners asked about pursuing a Community Development Block Grant as a way to increase funding for the Highway Department. Fentress County Grant Writer Amanda Mainord said highway departments are not eligible.
“We can just, you know, in the last few years they’ve allowed us to start doing paving projects,” Mainord said. “But for those projects we have to prove it’s a seriously dangerous road where there’s been lots of crashes because of the paving.”
Commissioner Larry Cooper said the county has new ambulances sitting outside because of the condition of the building. He said the county has done the best it can to maintain the facility. Adding two bays to the facility estimated at $950,000.
The $1 million grant features a 12 percent county match. Applications are due in March. The awarding of grants will happen later this year. Mainord said the grants can only be used for certain types of projects and cannot be split among multiple projects.
The county’s most recent CDBG grant went for the purchase of new ambulances. The county also used the money for a fire department truck upgrade and for new emergency shelters in recent years.
If the county receives the grant, the EMS facility would also see an upgrade to the training room and sleeping facilities.
