GILDFORD, Mont. (NMB) – The Gildford Volunteer Fire Department was presented with a $70,000 grant on Thursday to help with the purchase of a new fire engine.
Shane Borlaug is the Secretary/Treasurer for the Department and says this will go a long ways.
“We are looking at a couple different options that are in our price range. It’ll be a used truck, but it’s something that we can have for the town and that’ll work for us,” said Borlaug. “It’ll be a huge improvement. Our truck now is a 1984 and it’s turning into a money pit. We’ve been putting in money into it every time we have a breakdown, every time it goes out, it overheats. It’s just time for a new one that we can trust and if we need to use it for a house fire or anything in town.”
The grant was provided by the National Philanthropic Trust, in conjunction with the Northwest Farm Credit Stewardship Fund.
Also on Thursday, Borlaug surprised Don Miller with an award for his more than 50 years of service to the Gildford Water and Sewer District.
“It means a lot. People appreciate (my work). It’s been a long time but it’s been a good life, good community,” said Miller.
Miller says when he was a kid, there was no sewer system in Gildford. Instead, everyone had a septic tank and Sage Creek was a water distribution point. In the 1980’s, Miller said the town began getting water from the Milk River.
“Water came in first with the Milk River. That brought all the trees and green grass to town. Didn’t have that before. So you can see the change there.”
