LCRA awards $19,857 grant to Sunrise Beach VFD
Emergency landing pad will reduce transport time during medical emergencies
MAY 9, 2025
LCRA representatives present a $19,857 grant to the Sunrise Beach Volunteer Fire Department for construction of a medevac emergency landing pad. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Rob Hardy, Sunrise Beach Village mayor; Steve Harris, Sunrise Beach Village police sergeant; Patrick Cates, Llano County ESD #5 fire chief; Cindy Daly, VFD public information officer; Karl Wolfe, Michael “Mike” von Wupperfeld and Jean Glass, Llano County ESD #5 commissioners; Frank Serpas, retired VFD firefighter; Michael L. “Mike” Allen, Carol Freeman and Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA Board members; Dan Gower, VFD deputy chief and Sunrise Beach Village councilmember; Mike Thomas, Llano County ESD #5 commissioner; Bill Daly, VFD lieutenant; Andrew “Andy” Spencer, Llano County ESD #5 commissioner; Erle Weekly, volunteer; Susan Patten, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; Jim Miiller, former VFD fire chief; and Mike Byrd and Jeff Cook, Sunrise Beach Village council members.
SUNRISE BEACH VILLAGE, Texas – The Sunrise Beach Volunteer Fire Department soon will construct a medevac emergency landing pad at Sandy Park, thanks to a $19,857 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority.
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $4,965 in matching funds from the department, will facilitate construction of a much-needed landing pad for medevac helicopters to land and pick up patients in Sunrise Beach Village.
“By definition if someone is being evacuated, they are in a serious situation and time is of the essence,” said Daniel W. “Dan” Gower Jr., Sunrise Beach VFD deputy chief. “This landing pad will allow a person in a medical crisis to be moved to a specialty hospital more rapidly and get the critical care they need without having to navigate the winding road out of town in an ambulance.”
The landing pad will be the second landing area for medevac helicopters in Sunrise Beach Village and will be constructed with concrete instead of gravel. A patient needing to be evacuated from the south part of Sunrise Beach Village will be able to reach the new pad in about a two-minute ambulance ride instead of the current 14-minute ride to the existing pad at the Sunrise Beach Village airport.
“As a former Army medical evacuation helicopter pilot, I know that the crews only have a certain amount of slope they can land on before it becomes unsafe,” Gower said. “Thanks to the collaboration and funding from LCRA, the VFD, the City of Sunrise Beach Village and the emergency services district, we will be able to increase the safety of the first responders and medical crew onboard the ambulances so they can better serve our community.”
The community grant is one of 45 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund eligible capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.
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