Williston Awarded Energy Impact Grant | Video

Evan Kruegel | 10/12/2012

The Williston Fire Department has been awarded a $125,000 grant from the Energy Impact Office at the State`s Land Board. The money will be used for personal GPS alert systems, which will show pinpoint locations of firefighters as they move through response situations. Total grant money awarded for emergency services in oil-impacted counties in the state came to about $4 million, while the requested dollars were six times as high at $24 million

"You`d always like to get more, and we`ll apply again, they`ll be more opportunities to apply for these but it will help. The 125,000 that they did grant us will be put to good use in emergency services, it`ll help with things we wouldn`t be able to do otherwise, so we appreciate that and we`ll keep looking," said Mayor Ward Koeser.

Koeser hopes to receive between $15 and $20 million in energy impact grants in 2013 in order to keep up with growing infrastructure needs in the area.

"There`s just no way our citizens should have to pay for all this infrastructure that needs to go into place to make sure there`s housing so that we can have people work in the oil industry, so it`s critical and it`s a big issue. And the Governor seems to understand that, he`s stated that he will put a large sum into that grant fund for the next biennium and we`ll certainly be actively looking to get our fair share."

The grant round also awarded more than $800,000 for ambulance needs in Watford City, more than $200,00 for Ray fire and ambulance support, close to $80,000 for Trenton needs and close to $40,000 for Grenora equipment and building improvement.

COMMENT ON THIS STORY