Carbon County is continuing its plan to secure funding for the proposed multipurpose fire training facility in Nesquehoning.

On Thursday, the county commissioners voted to apply for $500,000 from the Local Share Account Grant for the estimated $10 million project.

The grant, if successful, would go toward phase 1B, which include the construction of the burn building on the land off Route 93 next to the current Emergency Management Agency and county prison.

Commissioners’ Chairman said that the county is currently in a holding pattern as it works to resubmit applications for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and stormwater permits to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The county recently had to withdraw their applications after it ran out of time.

“Hopefully things go a little bit faster with DEP,” Nothstein said. “We know what their concerns were, and they were addressed.”

He said that if Carbon receives the permits in the near future, officials hope to put the first phase of the project, which is the widening of Emergency Lane to accommodate firetruck traffic, as well as stormwater runoff and site preparations, out for bid in the spring.

That phase is estimated to be completed by the end of 2018.

Carbon County has secured about $800,000 in grants for the access road portion of the project to date.

The whole project, once completed would include a 29,045.50-square-foot emergency operations and training center building, two parking areas with 69 spaces, a 1,600-square-foot law enforcement training building, 400-square-foot observation tower, 1,820-square-foot firefighter’s training building, 924-square-foot firefighter’s training tower, a storage building, concrete burn pad for class A combustible materials (wood and straw materials) for fire training purposes and four concrete pads for other training or storage.

The project has been moving through the proper channels between county agencies, the state and Nesquehoning over the past two year, gaining conditional approvals; and permit requirements are being fulfilled.