A Yuba County Sheriff's deputy makes a traffic stop in Yuba County. Courtesy photo

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - On July 15, Yuba Water Agency approved two grants totaling $27,500 as part of its Bill Shaw Rescue Equipment and Training Grant Program, providing funds to support the mental health and wellness of Yuba County first responders and better equip the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds for use as an emergency shelter.

The Yuba County Probation, Sheriff and District Attorney’s offices will receive up to $20,000 to send staff to a First Responder Mental Health and Wellness Conference coming to Yuba County in November.

Hosted by 1st Responder Conferences, the two-day event aims to inspire conversations that minimize the stigma around mental health challenges and provide education, tools and resources for emergency responders and their families.

“Yuba County’s first responders play a critical role in our communities,” said Yuba Water Board Chairman Jon Messick. “Investing in the health and wellness of these folks is not just a good thing for first responders, it’s a good thing for the well-being and safety of all of our communities.”

A second, $7,500 grant was awarded to the Yuba County Office of Emergency Services to support a project to install sound-absorbing panels in the main exhibit hall at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds, better equipping the space for use as an emergency shelter and improving the ability to communicate during a crisis. The $30,000 project is a community collaboration and partnership between Yuba City Rotary, Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds, Hilbers Inc. and Yuba County Office of Emergency Services.

Yuba Water also outlined plans to establish a nonprofit organization with the City of Wheatland to oversee a potential research center focused on water, energy and climate with the University of California Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society. The partners outlined their plans for the research center in a memorandum of understanding signed in May 2023. The group has also been working closely with officials from Beale Air Force Base, who have expressed interest in joining the partnership and using space in the planned research center.

Learn more about how Yuba Water is powering a brighter future for Yuba County at yubawater.org.