Lane County residents will soon have six more-consistently available spaces in which to take refuge during extreme heat, or smoke events.
The “community resilience hubs” will be located in existing community spaces such as school gyms and libraries.
The project will be paid for with a nearly $20 million grant that Lane County and Lane United Way won from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Regional EPA administrator Casey Sixkiller said the hubs will be part of the county’s emergency response during smoke or extreme heat events, such as the one that broke several temperature records in Eugene this month.
"What Lane County and United Way are doing is helping respond to that,” he said. “Creating community centers that will have clean air, cool air that people can go and be safe."
The funds will also be used to train and equip volunteers to activate and manage the shelters during emergencies.
The facilities chosen to become hubs include the Senior and Activities Center in Florence, the Fern Ridge Service Center in Veneta, the Fairfield Elementary School Gym in Eugene, the Bob Keefer Center in Springfield, the Willamette Activity Center in Oakridge and the Community Center and Library in Cottage Grove.
According to Lane County, the county and United Way will collaborate with local groups before renovating those buildings.
The hubs will also be stocked with supplies for emergencies and the county and United Way will work with local community groups to make sure there are long-term volunteers who can operate the centers when they are needed most.
Sixkiller said any city, county or tribal government or community group impacted by smoke or extreme heat can apply for a grant to build their own hub.
"This is the first set of announcements, not the last, and there are still more opportunities to apply," he said.
The EPA is taking applications until November and is offering technical assistance to any local government or community groups seeking funds.
