The Town of Miami Lakes received a $525,000 federal grant to replace and install a backup generator at the Roberto Alonso Community Center.
The funding, from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation program, was awarded Feb. 3.
The Roberto Alonso Community Center, at 16500 NW 87th Ave., is relied upon when a disaster such as a hurricane takes aim at Miami Lakes.
The center is used to distribute sand and other resources, is the town’s emergency operations center for the west side. It also and serves as a backup to the primary emergency operations center in Town Hall.
After a storm passes, the center could be further relied upon by the community as a shelter.
It is also the location of the electric charging station for the town’s Freebee vehicles.
Using the federal grant to replace the existing backup power source will allow the town to avoid a power failure or disruption of emergency operations, it said.
--Linda Trischitta