LCRA, Bluebonnet Co-op award $11,349 grant to Lee County Amateur Radio Emergency Services
Expanded backup radio system will help community stay connected during emergencies
June 1, 2022
LEE COUNTY, Texas – Lee County Amateur Radio Emergency Services will purchase new radio communications equipment to strengthen Lee County’s response during emergencies, thanks to an $11,349 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $3,500 in matching funds from the recipient, will allow the group to expand its geographic reach and resiliency through the purchase of new radios, antennas and other electronic equipment.
The volunteer organization, founded in 2019, serves as the Lee County Emergency Operation Center’s official backup for communications during events such as tornadoes, hurricanes or cyberattacks. In the event official channels go down, the group will assist in connecting first responders with members of the community, as well as state and federal support networks.
“Imagine a world without phones, without internet, and you are half an hour from any city,” said Marida Favia del Core Borromeo, LeeCARES emergency coordinator and founder. “Maybe there are trees down so you cannot drive through the road. What do you do? We can shadow a responder, and they can say ‘call in, I need XYZ’ and we can call it in.”
The EOC building itself offers an ideal vantage point for the group to communicate with the State Operations Center and other counties.
“We started asking for grants to equip the EOC so that if something happens, we can have a presence there with a stationary radio and antennas,” Borromeo said. “We are increasing our vertical antenna, and we would like to put up a directional antenna. Redundancy is the name of the game. If one doesn’t work, hopefully the other does.”
The organization predominately relies on the personal equipment of its 18 volunteer members, including local ranchers and farmers, first responders and people in the information technology and oil industries.
“We all have different backgrounds,” Borromeo said. “Everybody brings to the table something different.”
She emphasized, though, members have a shared mission. “It is all people who are very much in love with Lee County, who really care about taking care of their neighbors. All we have in our hearts is Lee County’s well-being.”
The community grant is one of 36 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations. For more information, visit lcra.org.
About Bluebonnet
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of the largest electric cooperatives in Texas and has been serving its members since 1939. Bluebonnet serves more than 118,000 meters and owns and maintains 12,000 miles of power lines, located across more than 3,800 square miles within 14 Central Texas counties. Bluebonnet’s service area stretches from Travis County to Washington County, and from Milam County to Gonzales County. For more information about Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, go to bluebonnet.coop and follow the co-op on Facebook and Twitter.
Media Contacts:
LCRA: Clara Tuma
512–578–3292
clara.tuma@lcra.org
Bluebonnet: Will Holford 512-332-7955
will.holford@bluebonnet.coop
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