$350,000 Awarded in Fall 2021 Grant Cycle
Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District Awards a Total of $350,000 in Grants for Plateau Valley Broadband and East Orchard Mesa Fire Protection District Brush Truck
GRAND JUNCTION, CO – The Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District (MCFMLD) has awarded a total of $350,000 for its fall 2021 grant cycle.
The Town of Collbran applied for and received a $300,000 traditional grant from the MCFMLD for the construction of a fiber optic broadband network to connect the Plateau Valley with the I-70 fiber optic access point near De Beque.
This will benefit the entire Plateau Valley including Mesa, Powderhorn, Molina and Vega State Park.
The Town of Collbran has committed $175,000 for the project and received a commitment of funds from Plateau Valley School District, Plateau Valley Hospital District, USDA Job Corps and a $1 million dollar commitment from Mesa County.
Plans are for the construction of the project to begin around August 2022 and be completed by December 2022.
The second award went to the East Orchard Mesa Fire Protection District (EOMFPD). The EOMFPD was awarded a $50,000 mini grant for the purchase of a brush truck. Of the 56 calls the department has received from January 1st to September 2, 2021, 21 of those have been for wildland/brush fires. The EOMFPD will be able to help with the mutual aid agreement that the department has with all fire departments in Mesa County.
“These two grant awards will have a lot of positive impact on Mesa County. We know that broadband will have a positive and long-term result for the businesses and residents of Plateau Valley. The brush truck for East Orchard Mesa will help provide continued protection to our area from fires. Mesa County has really benefitted from these federal mineral lease dollars coming back into our community,” said Dusti Reimer, grant administrator for the MCFMLD.
The MCFMLD will hold its next grant cycle in the fall of 2022. The MCFMLD received $493,224.26 for its 2022 budget year. For more information on the MCFMLD, eligibility for grants and grant cycles, please visit our website at www.mesafml.org. You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date information regarding meetings and grant project progress.
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Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District (MCFMLD) was established in 2011. The MCFMLD serves a mission to enhance positive social and economic impact in Mesa County from the development, processing and energy conversion of fuels and minerals leased under the Federal “Mineral Lands Leasing Act” through strategic grants, partnerships, investments and leadership. Since 2011, MCFMLD has awarded over $8.1 million to local entities in Mesa County. For more information, or to join in the conversation, please visit our website at www.mesaFML.org. Join us on social media, using hashtags #MesaFMLD or #MCFLMD, on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MCFMLD or twitter at www.twitter.com/MesaFMLD.
