Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Malone Helps Area VFDs With Grants For Heating

With the help of State Representative Percy Malone, four area volunteer fire departments will have heat next winter.

In addition, the Nevada High School gymnasium will be cooler next summer.

Malone was able to secure grants for the Bodcaw, Laneburg, Willisville and Rosston volunteer fire departments, according to a release from his office and Jim Cross, a volunteer firefighter in Rosston.

"We weren't getting anything in grants before," Cross said. "Malone, working through the (Nevada County) Judge's Office got four through."

Cross said a fire meeting was held in December concerning grants. The meeting was called at Malone's request.

Members from four departments met at Nevada High School to discuss the issue. Cross said Malone informed them this part of the state wasn't getting its fair share of grant money and would work to change this.

Malone informed those on hand of energy grants available. He asked the departments to figure out what they needed and submit these needs to him.

The Laneburg, Bodcaw, Willisville and Rosston VFDs all turned in requests for new heating units for their buildings.

On Friday, March 15, all four requests were granted by the legislature. Laneburg's department will get $2,500, Rosston and Bodcaw will receive $1,200 each, and Willisville will get $600.

At the same time, a request was made to get air conditioning for the NHS gym. It, too, was approved by the energy committee.

Cross said NHS will be installing four 15-ton units later this year, but not before graduation.

He said it would be about 45 days before the district will get the money in hand, and then must go through the bid process before the units can be installed.

Rick McAfee, Nevada superintendent, said if it wasn't for Malone the district wouldn't have known the grants were available.

"He worked hard for us," McAfee said of Malone's efforts.

According to McAfee, the Nevada School is used for a number of meetings during the summer, including the training of basketball officials, reunions, and graduation ceremonies.

"We're fortunate Malone worked so hard for us," he said. "We definitely appreciate it."

The grants were approved by the Joint Committee on Energy, of which Malone is a member. Malone thanked Gov. Jim Guy Tucker, the Nevada school district and members of the fire departments for their work on these projects.