Disappointing loss of funding turns into county EMT opportunity

Staff

Published Tuesday, June 28, 2005

By Ann Austin, Tribune staff writer

Four years ago the Glenville Community Booster Club began to raise money for a senior housing project in the community. The group was successful in receiving two grants worth $350,000 but they didn't receive an additional $450,000 grant in May. The news was very disappointing, say planners, since the club had to return the other grants.

But instead of letting their dashed hopes keep them down, the club agreed to donate $2,000 of the money it raised to Freeborn County for a program to train Emergency Medical Technicians online.

"Because the people of Freeborn County helped us so much, we wanted to give back as much as we could," Sherry Adams, president of the Glenville Community Booster Club, said.

Freeborn County donated money to the club so it could have an archeological study done on the proposed plot of land. They also performed a study among community members to prove there was a need for senior housing in the area.

The proposed project was for an 18-apartment housing facility with 12, two-bedroom and six one-bedroom units.

The money will now fund online training programs for Emergency Medical Technicians in the Southeastern Minnesota Emergency Medical Services.

"This will help all the communities in Freeborn County and not just the Glenville EMTs," said Adams.

Budget shortfalls limited services and training programs for SE MN EMS. Each county involved in SE MN EMS was asked to donate $2,000 for a total cost of $25,000 to continue services and training, but since Freeborn County is also facing funding issues, County Commissioner Dan Belshan approached the club.

"We are doing this to retrain, retain and recruit volunteers," he said. He also met with the SE MN EMS on behalf of Freeborn County.

The new online education will allow volunteers to take some classes at their home computer when it's convenient for them, reducing time and travel it now takes to be certified and recertified. The new database will also coordinate information and reporting management as well as managing new education and programs," Belshan said.

The senior housing project will be on hold, unless an investor or developer steps in to provide funding, Adams said.

"We definitely proved that there was a need, there was a want for our community (for senior housing)," she said. "This was really going to bring something in to our community. Hopefully we did the groundwork and legwork so other communities can learn from us."

The city was going to give free land for the development and if someone else was to come before them interested in building senior housing, they will have to consider the type of project, according to Glenville Mayor Wes Webb.

"I think it's unfortunate that it didn't pan out," Webb said.

"It's still a very viable concept. It's a card game. You play the round of grant applications; we're not successful at this point, but that doesn't mean we're not going to pursue various things," he said.

(Contact Ann Austin at ann.austin@albertleatribune.com or 379-3435.)

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