BROOKINGS – Brookings County commissioners have approved funding requests for Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity and Elkton Ambulance.
At their Sept. 20 meeting, commissioners agreed to give $50,000 for Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity for infrastructure work, and up to $270,000 to Elkton Ambulance for the purchase of a new ambulance.
The money from the Commission Projects fund was granted based on policies set by the commission that included the use of one-time funds for one-time projects, that the use have a 20-year minimum impact, collaborative efforts to get maximum benefit dollars, promote economic development, and qualifies for federal regulations.
Commissioner Ryan Krogman began by readdressing a question from the initial request for $200,000 made by Habitat for Humanity. Krogman said the commission would like the description of a tangible project that the commission can specifically support.
Dan McColley, lead mission officer for Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity, explained the infrastructure projects Habitat completes are financed for 25 years. “The housing that we built in ’95, ’96 is still in service. It’s not serving a Habitat family anymore, but it’s still standing .... Our expectation is that they would certainly last longer than 20 (years).”
McColley said the projects Habitat for Humanity is constructing often fall under a “less traditional definition of infrastructure” and that shelter for families has been a top priority of both the city and county.
McColley described a $32,000 water line project to supply water to lots on the corner of Western Avenue South and Hawaii Avenue that are currently unserved by a water line.
Commissioner Angela Boersma asked McColley about any developments occurring in other towns in Brookings County as well as roughly how many projects are planned for the next calendar year. He explained that they receive few requests for builds outside the Brookings School District, so Habitat for Humanity doesn’t actively look for land in outlying communities unless they receive a specific request for such builds.
McColley clarified that water extension as well as small repair and renovation projects could certainly benefit from Commission Projects funds. He cited a home access rebuild for a homebound homeowner, a project that qualifies for Habitat’s renovation program. Projects like it, McColley estimated, cost about $3,000.
“Those kinds of projects, we get called on with some regularity to do when there’s a need…. So these funds would primarily be invested into backfilling the (water line) project at Western and Hawaii and … get spread out into another project because I don’t think that one’s going to require a complete $200,000.”
Commissoners Mike Bartley and Krogman agreed that the funds should be spent specifically on infrastructure that benefits the public as a whole, not just a single family. Krogman said that the commission could “move forward with anything else down the road” in regard to providing more funds requested by the organization and made a motion to amend the requested funds to $50,000 for Habitat for Humanity to be put toward its current water line project.
“I think everybody here wants to make sure that we’re part of the kind of larger development pieces, and we’re excited to partner in that way,” Boersma said.
The commission approved the $50,000 to be granted to Habitat for Humanity, and Bartley recommended Habitat create a budget line that lays out how commission funds were spent and any funds remaining.
Elkton Ambulance director Scott Stuefen and assistant director Arend Schuurman also spoke with the commission at the Sept. 20 meeting. They initially requested $311,516 to expand to an advanced life support (ALS) service to better serve Brookings County.
The ambulance is a volunteer-run nonprofit service that serves areas of both Brookings and Moody counties. Stuefen estimated the ambulance receives 80 to 100 calls annually, serving communities in various ways including being present at athletic events or assisting an individual in a community whose ambulance is already out on call.
Stuefen explained that one of their current ambulances is 21 years old, which makes finding parts difficult when the truck breaks down. According to a notice Elkton Ambulance received from Arrow Manufacturing of Rock Rapids, Iowa, manufacturing a new ambulance could take up to four years due to shortages and backlog.
“A lot of people assume we’re under the same funding umbrella as the Elkton Fire Department. We’re not. We actually are a completely separate entity …. We operate under the umbrella of the city (of Elkton), but we are essentially self-funded,” Schuurman said.
Bartley asked Stuefen, who is currently the only ALS certified EMT with the Elkton Ambulance, if there are opportunities for other EMTs to be certified to use an updated life support service. Stuefen said he has been in contact with the osteopathic board in Sioux Falls about hosting a class so current EMT basics serving through the Elkton Ambulance can gain advanced certification.
“We’re in the process of doing that. It’s just slow,” Stuefen said.
“There’s a lot of paperwork. I would be one of those that would take the class (for) an additional 350 hours of classroom time that we’d have to get done. You’ve got two years to do it, but, you know… the EMTAs would be able to provide a higher level of care than the (EMTBs). Not as high as Mr. Stuefen as a paramedic, but we’re looking to increase our services,” Schuurman said.
Elkton Ambulance requested funding to purchase a new Arrow ambulance, a new Lucas 3 chest compression system to replace a Lucas 2 system, a LifePak secure mount, an intraosseous gun to provide rapid infusions to cardiac patients, and six handheld P25 compatible radios from Two Way Solutions that work with other radios used by emergency services in Brookings County to replace old analog radios.
Schuurman explained that the ambulance service plans to keep its current ambulance to use for transports, which Stuefen estimates is 75% of their business, leaving the advanced ambulance to handle emergencies.
The commission approved the funding of an Arrow ambulance purchase up to $270,000 off the invoice when the finished ambulance arrives.
Contact Alison Simon at asimon@brookingsregister.com.
