City accepts grant for Brown Memorial

Thanks to a grant from the Regional Workforce Impact Program (RWIP), the Brown Memorial Auditorium in New Rockford will be getting a significant safety upgrade.

On Tuesday, Dec. 17, the New Rockford City Commission convened a special meeting to hear from Amanda Hegland, director of the New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation (NRABC), about the program.

Hegland informed commissioners that the city was awarded a RWIP grant of more than $164,000 for the installation of a fire suppression system in the Brown Memorial Auditorium.

The City of New Rockford will have to match 25% of that funding – just over $41,000 – meaning the city is effectively getting $124,000 for the new system.

The RWIP is a program designed to provide support to organizations that address workforce challenges and barriers to employment.

According to the state’s website, “The goal of the Regional Workforce Impact Program is to empower locally led solutions to one of the state’s greatest challenges. Workforce needs vary by region throughout North Dakota, so a one size fits all approach is unrealistic and would not adequately address challenges in all parts of the state.

“By creating a regional funding mechanism to support workforce initiatives, local and regional partners have the opportunity to articulate their needs and the ability to access funding to address them.”

In New Rockford’s case, a new fire protection system will keep the Brown Memorial available to the critical local daycare, Mindy’s Clubhouse, which operates in the building.

Hegland, who wrote the grant, said Nova Fire Protection, Inc. out of Fargo came to New Rockford to create a cost estimate for the installation of a new fire suppression system.

That estimate was $100,000 for a new sprinkler system and its installation; $15,000 for new electrical; and another $50,000 for dirt work and adding a 6” water line.

The new fire suppression system will be a great safety measure for the local daycare, but Hegland said it’ll also help keep the Brown Memorial a safe and viable place to serve the community’s needs long into the future.

“It’s for the daycare, but we were also thinking of how we can keep this building nice and improve it for the years to come,” said Hegland. “That’s kind of where my thought process was.

“It just improves the overall viability of the building.”

After learning of the grant and what it will pay for, the commission unanimously carried a motion to accept the grant.

“It’s a no brainer,” said Commissioner Jacob Dauenhauer.