A groundbreaking ceremony recently was held for the new personal protective equipment storage facility that will be attached to the Somerset County Communications Center in Skowhegan. From left are Robert Sezak, Somerset County commissioner; Mike Smith, Somerset County Communications director; Newell Graf, Somerset County commissioner; Dawn DiBlasi, Somerset County administrator; Cyp Johnson, Somerset County commissioner; and Lloyd Trafton, Somerset County commissioner.

SKOWHEGAN — The Somerset County Commission and county administrator recently attended a ground breaking for a new personal protective equipment storage facility.

The building will be attached to the County Communications Center in Skowhegan, which is owned by the county. Recognizing the need for long-term PPE storage, new space will be climate controlled, ensuring county resources will be well spent and properly stored.

The commission also allocated $150,000 in support of a new firefighter training facility in Fairfield.

“This project has been years in the making, and the commission is happy to contribute partial funding to the state-of-the-art facility, which will not only provide training resources to the area’s immediate fire departments but will offer several other departments throughout Somerset County and the state the opportunity to properly train staff and volunteers,” said Newell Graf, Somerset County Commission chairman, according to a news release from the Somerset Economic Development Corp.

A $200,000 match challenge was also approved towards the Run of River Whitewater Park in Skowhegan. The commission has supported the park and Main Street Skowhegan, which has coordinated the effort and looks for this allocation to spur matching support for the project, which is entering into the final design and permitting phases.

The funding was made possible by the Clean Energy Corridor and its affiliates, with community support focused on outdoor recreation opportunities, increased firefighting training capacity, and a positive public health response in the wake of the pandemic.