Beaver Township lacks funds for training tower

The construction could cost the township at least 100,000, according to township officials.
By VIRGINIA ROSS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NORTH LIMA -- Beaver Township officials haven't given up their dream of building a training tower for the fire department.
The township is looking into applying for a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help fund the project.
But Fire Chief Gary Borman said he must first determine whether the township's proposal to build a training tower is eligible for funding through FEMA.
A training tower is multilevel structure firefighters use to practice firefighting and rescue skills. The structure simulates a multilevel residence, apartment complex or office building.
Borman recently asked township trustees to consider hiring grant writer Barbara Ross of Canfield to help him complete an application that would be sent to FEMA
He explained FEMA doesn't view projects such as the construction of a training tower to be top priority for funding, but he's hoping Ross would be able to help him word the application in such a way that FEMA officials would be more willing to consider it.
Construction could easily cost the township at least 100,000, officials said.
Township officials said they would need to review Ross' contract before deciding on the matter.
Federal money
The township recently received two Homeland Security Grants through FEMA. The initial grant is to be used for the purchase of a 100,000 firetruck to fight grass fires. The township share for that purchase is 5 percent, or 5,000.
The second grant, totaling more than 900,000 as part of a group grant with other fire departments throughout the county, provides 80,000 to Beaver Township for the purchase of new radio equipment for the fire department. The township is to kick in 10,000 for that purchase.
"The training tower would be a great asset to the township," Borman said. "We hate to give up on that and are looking at ways we might be able to pay for it."
He said the training tower would allow area firefighters to better develop their skills and that the township could open the facility up to other area fire departments for training.
The township has considered building a training tower as part of the addition to the safety building being constructed. The 8,500-square-foot addition has been designed to expand the current safety building along West South Range Road, on the building's east side.
The 700,000 project originally included plans for the construction of the training tower, but officials agreed the township could not afford the feature. The trustees, however, did not rule out the possibility of later adding a training tower to the structure.