Carbon County officials took the first step Thursday to secure funding for the proposed countywide fire training facility.

The board of commissioners voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with The Delta Group Inc. of Mechanicsburg, to develop and implement a comprehensive funding strategy to finance the construction of a two-building fire and emergency training facility.The new facilities will be located on approximately 10 to 12 acres of land in the emergency complex on the Broad Mountain in Nesquehoning.Currently, the Carbon County Emergency Management Agency, 911 Communications Center, Correctional Facility and dog shelter are housed in this area.Under the agreement, the county will pay Delta a monthly retainer fee of $5,000 for eight months, plus reasonable and ordinary expenses.Delta will also be entitled to deferred fees equal to 3 percent of the total of any grant awards approved as a direct result of Delta's efforts for the project.On Tuesday, the commissioners announced the project, which will provide enough training facilities for fire, police, county agencies, EMS and the Emergency Management Agency to train, meet and operate with ease.The conceptual design plans call for widening the current road to the Emergency Management Agency/911 Communications Center to allow for additional traffic to the two new sites; constructing an approximate 3.8-acre fire training facility with a training building and drill areas and a two-story multiuse building that would be the new house of the EMA and Emergency Operations Center, as well as classrooms, meeting areas, vehicle and apparatus parking garages; and a storm water management facility that would recycle water that is collected as available water for live fire training.The commissioners said that the project is expected to cost approximately $5 million to $10 million, and would cost the county taxpayers minimally, if anything because of the agreement with Delta, who specializes at leveraging funding opportunities. Most recently, Delta helped secure $907,000 for the countywide narrowbanding radio project.Delta will now begin looking at financing options that are available for the project.The county is asking state legislators and county agencies for letters of support for the project to strengthen grant applications.In other matters, the county voted on the following personnel items:• Employment separation: Rachel A. Singelsether of Kunkletown, county caseworker II, Children and Youth Services, effective Feb. 19.• Hire: Samantha Jones of Summit Hill, park attendant, Parks, effective April 17.• Hire: Adam Nevenglosky of Nesquehoning, summer laborer, Buildings and Grounds, effective June 11.• Changes of status: Joseph M. Kiraly of Hazleton and Ronald C. Kusse of Lehighton, from part-time corrections officers/Teamsters, to corrections officers, Corrections, effective March 2.