LCRA, City of Schulenburg award $3,500 grant for lightning detection system

​​​​​Local Communities
LCRA and City of Schulenburg representatives present a $3,500 grant to the Schulenburg Little League Baseball Association for a lightning detection system to be installed at the sports complex. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Eli Blansitt, baseball player; Greg Janda, Schulenburg Little League Baseball Association president; Connor Lichnovsky, baseball player; Lori A. Berger, LCRA Board member; Elaine Kocian, City of Schulenburg mayor; Tami Walker, Schulenburg city administrator; Zane Brenek, baseball player; Kate Holman, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; and Owen Brenek, baseball player.

SCHULENBURG, Texas – The Schulenburg Little League Baseball Association will install a new lightning detection system at the city’s sports complex with the help of a $3,500 community development grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of Schulenburg.

The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $11,000 in matching contributions, will allow the association to purchase and install the system at the city’s sports complex. The complex is used for baseball, softball, soccer and track and field events.

Greg Janda, president of the Schulenburg Little League Baseball Association, said the lightning detection system will be an important safety addition to the city’s sports complex, which hosts hundreds of events annually that bring participants and spectators from across community, as well as from out of town.

“We have 80 to 100 Little League games scheduled this year, and we have local fundraiser games and other events taking place at the sports complex, too,” Janda said. “We have organizations like the Knights of Columbus that play softball tournaments over multiple days, and the Schulenburg Festival has games and activities there that attract 300 to 500 people.”

The lightning detection system will detect lightning as far as 12 miles away, making its installation at the sports complex, which is near schools, Wolter’s Park and downtown, beneficial to more than those who are playing games or watching them at the sports complex.

“We have several schools and a football field not far from the sports complex, and they will get the lightning notifications, too,” Janda said. “Additionally, the sports complex is located near Wolter’s Park, where there is also a playground, pavilion, swimming pool and walking trail used by residents who will be able to hear the alarm go off when the system detects any lightning within a 12-mile radius.”

The lightning detection system also comes with a smartphone app that can help notify people who have downloaded it to their phones.

“Coaches, referees, parents, lifeguards – they all can have the app on their phones and notify each other when they receive alerts that conditions aren’t safe to be playing outside,” Janda said. “This is a huge benefit to players, because you don’t have your cellphone on you when you’re playing in a game, and you’re so focused on the game that you may not hear a rumble of thunder. Our whole community will benefit from having this lightning detection system because it will raise awareness of unsafe conditions through an entire network of people who can pass along the warnings.”

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. The City of Schulenburg 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.

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 enhancing the lives of Texans through water stewardship, energy and community services. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934. For more information, visit
lcra.org.

Media Contact
Clara Tuma
512–578–3292
clara.tuma@lcra.org


Source: LCRA Business News

Share This Post

Add Comment

2 + 8 =