PEC teams up with LCRA to award more than $110K in grants
Funded projects will benefit nonprofits in PEC’s service area
With the help of PEC, local organizations recently received almost $118,000 in grants through the Lower Colorado River Authority’s (LCRA) Community Development Partnership Program.
This year’s recipients include the Kempner Volunteer Fire Department, the Marble Falls Rodeo Association, the Oakalla Volunteer Fire Department, and the Sandy Harbor Volunteer Fire Department. The projects will benefit first responders and help make PEC communities safer.
The Marble Falls Rodeo Association, for example, will use its grant to build new facilities at a staging area for emergency response equipment. First responders often use the staging area at the rodeo grounds as a place to rest, sometimes overnight, before returning to work. It is also used as an emergency operations center to coordinate and plan emergency responses.
Burnet County Commissioner Joe Don Dockery said the Texas Forest Service staged equipment on the rodeo grounds throughout most of the summer. “The fire danger has been at critical levels, and having these resources at-the-ready means the local volunteer and paid fire departments have professional support close at hand,” he said.
LCRA’s grants program distributes funds across its 42,000-square-miles semiannually. PEC works with local nonprofits to help ensure portions of LCRA’s grant dollars benefit PEC members and communities. The cooperative’s staff offers help with applications, qualifications, and budgeting.
“We’re proud to do our part in supporting these great organizations that serve our members,” PEC Community Relations Coordinator Caroline Tinsley Porter said. “We were pleased to help them secure these funds, which will make our members and communities safer.”