City pursues funding to upgrade fire hall

The City of Sundance is hoping that another round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding through the state might see the fire hall finally upgraded.

The Sundance Volunteer Fire Department previously submitted a grant application for the Local Government Funding portion of the ARPA funds administered through the State Loans and Investments Board (SLIB).

Unfortunately, due to a hiccup, notice was not received in time that SLIB required further information and the application was not successful.

However, the Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI) recently announced that more funding is soon to be available. An additional $15.3 million was appropriated during the 2023 legislative session for eligible projects.

Last week, the council approved a resolution to apply for $800,000 of those funds to upgrade the current fire hall in order to increase the available storage for equipment and also create space for volunteers to meet.

The building has been in use since the 1980s; during the interim, equipment has continued to increase in size, from the gear worn by firefighters to the trucks themselves. According to Fire Chief Gari Gill, the department is also sorely in need of a training room.

The renovations would also allow for a new primary exit to be added on the south side of the building, which would mean that firefighters responding to a call will no longer need to emerge onto the highway. The south is also easier to keep free of ice and snow.

The original grant application for this project was for $535,000. However, Gill told the council, the projected cost has since increased.

According to the resolution, this grant application will be submitted to the Local Government Project ARPA Grant program through SLIB.

In a press release from mid-June, the Office of State Lands and Investments announced that applications will be open until August 4 for the funding. The applications will be considered by SLIB at a future meeting, the date for which had yet to be determined.