Pictured, from left to right, are: Barbara Shelton, Caldwell County commissioner; Ray Chandler, Caldwell County deputy constable; Martha Aiken, club treasurer; Avenell LeMar, club vice president; Kathy Hutto, restoration committee member; Lori A. Berger, LCRA Board member; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA Board member; Candyce Mueller, club secretary; Rick Arnic, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; Joyce Buckner, Bluebonnet community development representative; and Pat Parsons, club president.

The McMahan Community Center will undergo a major renovation thanks to an $18,880 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.

The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $4,720 in matching contributions, will allow the McMahan Community Women’s Club, which maintains the community center, to upgrade the center’s electrical wiring and install new ceiling and wall paneling, energy-efficient lights, rain gutters and rain collection. The pot-holed driveway also will be repaired.

Martha Aiken, club treasurer, says some of the electrical wiring was installed in the 1930s and is well past time for needing upgrades. Rain gutters will protect the wooden building from wood rot.

“The community center is centrally located and is one of the few community gathering places in the area,” Aiken said.

“Various organizations and the community rely on the space for regular meetings and family gatherings. We truly want to make it a welcoming space and are pleased to leave it to the next generation in good shape: functional, comfortable and lovely.”

The community grant is one of a number of grants recently awarded through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which provides economic development and community assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other nonprofit organizations in LCRA’s wholesale electric and water 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 a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted July 1-31. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.

The Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department will soon begin construction on a helipad that will significantly reduce patient transport time during medical emergencies, thanks to a $25,000 community development grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.

The grant, along with matching funds from the City of Fayetteville and the VFD, will help the fire department eliminate the time spent looking for landing sites and conveying location information to helicopter crews and first responders. The time saved coordinating resources could be critical for patients.
Fayette County has no Level I trauma centers. People needing that level of emergency care must be transported by helicopter to Austin or Houston.

“The City of Fayetteville has an aging population and our volunteer fire department assists with about one medical transport a month,” said former Fayetteville Mayor Stephen Cushing. “Having a safe, secure landing spot for helicopters is a priority for our community.”

The new helipad will be constructed in a field near Fayetteville City Hall this summer.

“LCRA helped the New Ulm VFD construct a similar helipad last year and I’ve seen first-hand how it has helped that community,” Cushing said. “With a helipad of our own, I know we will feel safer and more capable when responding to medical emergencies.”

The community grant is one of a number of grants recently awarded through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which provides economic development and community assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other nonprofit organizations in LCRA’s wholesale electric and water 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 a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted July 1-31. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.

Pictured, from left to right, are: Kate Holman, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; Stephen Cushing, former Fayetteville mayor; Rodney Sladek, assistant fire chief; Mark Johnson, Bluebonnet community development representative; Lori A. Berger, LCRA Board member; Ronnie Pflughaupt, Fayetteville city council member; Carl Marino, Fayetteville mayor; Luke Sternadel, Fayette County commissioner; and Kyle Merten, Bluebonnet community development representative.

The Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department will soon begin construction on a helipad that will significantly reduce patient transport time during medical emergencies, thanks to a $25,000 community development grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.

The grant, along with matching funds from the City of Fayetteville and the VFD, will help the fire department eliminate the time spent looking for landing sites and conveying location information to helicopter crews and first responders. The time saved coordinating resources could be critical for patients.
Fayette County has no Level I trauma centers. People needing that level of emergency care must be transported by helicopter to Austin or Houston.

“The City of Fayetteville has an aging population and our volunteer fire department assists with about one medical transport a month,” said former Fayetteville Mayor Stephen Cushing. “Having a safe, secure landing spot for helicopters is a priority for our community.”

The new helipad will be constructed in a field near Fayetteville City Hall this summer.

“LCRA helped the New Ulm VFD construct a similar helipad last year and I’ve seen first-hand how it has helped that community,” Cushing said. “With a helipad of our own, I know we will feel safer and more capable when responding to medical emergencies.”

The community grant is one of a number of grants recently awarded through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which provides economic development and community assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other nonprofit organizations in LCRA’s wholesale electric and water 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 a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted July 1-31. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.