Federal funding cuts delay Sterling-Rock Falls fire training facility construction

STERLING — The Sterling and Rock Falls fire departments have hit a speed bump in their plans to build a joint training facility.

Rock Falls Deputy Fire Chief Kyle Sommers said the departments are losing $825,000 in federal Community Project Funding appropriations they had planned to use to build a burn tower where firefighters from both communities could train in live-fire conditions.

CPF allows members of Congress to request federal funds for specific projects in their district, which are then reviewed and approved through a series of committees and votes. Rock Falls' funding was requested by U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Rockford, as part of the fiscal 2025 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

However, Sommers said that despite their CPF allocation request having made it out of the Appropriations Committee last fall, it was part of ongoing temporary spending bills. The final spending bill eliminated CPF requests.

“I can’t speak to which departments had cuts,” Sommers said. “The projects that were approved ranged from cities that had infrastructure projects to fire departments like ours that had projects and everything in between. The way it was explained to me is none of the CPF requests in the country got approved for that fiscal year.”

Sommers said that the setback is a “speed bump” and not a “roadblock,” and said there is still hope that Sorensen’s CPF requests will be approved next fiscal year. He went on to say that because the project had already been approved, it would be given top priority if funding is secured.

Sterling Fire Department Deputy Chief David Northcutt said the project “is not dead” and the departments are considering other avenues to raise the money, including fundraisers, donations and various grants.

“There are different grants that are out there and we just have to find the ones that fit our project,” Northcutt said. “Instead of one big one, it might be three or four small ones that come together. On top of that maybe we get some donations from some corporate folks. There are other avenues out there. We have to get a little bit more creative now and keep at it.”