Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Firestone, county roof courthouse

The local Firestone facility has donated the materials needed to roof the Nevada County Courthouse, meaning the county now has money in its coffers to address some other long-overdue projects. A recent meeting of county, state and Firestone representatives sealed the donation and put the countys leaking roof very near a solution.

The donation came after some casual conversations between the county judge and Firestone managers. The local Firestone officials say the action is a direct result of the attitudes of the corporate officers.

Our CEO is very much involved in communities, said Firestone Human Resources Manager Danny Glass.

Firestone Plant Manager Bill Smith said the donation is Firestones way of being a good community partner and corporate citizen.

Smith said his job as plant manager makes him responsible to Firestone.

I have an obligation to Firestone, he said. But I have an obligation to the City of Prescott, Nevada County, and to the employees of that plant and their families as well.

Smith said Firestone has been part of the community for 36 years, but many people seldom realize the company is there.

The roofing project has been at the top of the countys project list for some time. The problem has been that the money to complete the project hasnt been available. Over the past two legislative sessions, State Senator Percy Malone has secured state funds for the county to help with the project.

I have to help bring money to the communities, Malone said

That money - two disbursements of $50,000 each - wasnt enough to purchase the materials and to have a contractor install the roofing, according to Nevada County Judge James Roy Brown. Brown said the county has been sitting on that money, hoping to compile enough to do the project. The fact that Firestone donated the materials has put the job on the fast track, according to Brown.

I appreciate Percy, Brown said during a recent press conference held on the courthouse steps. And I appreciate Firestone. By what Percy and Firestone have done, were going to have money left.

Now the money I brought down here can be used for some other things, Malone said.

Brown said there are a number of smaller projects that can be done with the money he expects to remain after the installation costs.

One of those is the heat and air unit in the courtroom. Some exterior painting and other minor projects could also be part of the renovation project, according to Brown.

As the officials discussed the donation and the future of cities such as Prescott, the talk turned to the role of downtowns, the connection between corporations such as Firestone and their communities, and the potential for the government to be involved.

Malone said the donation from Firestone is a great move between government and the private sector.

Malone also praised Brown for his work toward making the courthouse a positive focal point of downtown.

Downtown wont be what they were 50 years ago, but theres always going to be a downtown, Malone said. We have to define now what thats going to be.

Smith said he sees Firestone playing a bigger role in the community in the future. The donation, according to Smith, simply makes sense.