Limestone County school board members want to investigate a proposal to build storm shelters at county schools.

Where the schools would find the money for storm shelters is the question.

Lee Helms, owner of Lee Helms Associates of Clanton, asked school board members to consider hiring his firm to apply for federal money available to build storm shelters and to coordinate the construction.

Although federal money is available to the state every year for building storm shelters, the April 27 tornadoes made more federal money available to the region.

“There is an unprecedented amount of money this year due to the disaster,” Helms told board members. He said schools could build new shelters or install prefabricated shelters to make them storm-safe.

The federal government would pay 75 percent of the cost and the local schools 25 percent, which could include in-kind labor or materials to make up the 25 percent, he said.

The deadline to apply for grants has been extended to Oct. 27, or six months past the date when seven tornadoes ripped through the county and other parts of the state killing residents and damaging millions of dollars in property.

Helms said the grant requirements would allow 6 percent of the cost to be paid to a project manager such as his company, who would make the grant application for each shelter and coordinate the project. The schools would seek bids from qualified companies for the actual construction or retrofitting. Helms said his firm, which does not construct storm shelters, typically requires $1,000 up front to apply for each grant application and then charges the remaining 5 percent once the grant is approved.

Each school would have to submit separate grant applications. Large schools would have to submit more than one application if school officials planned to build separate, unattached shelters at one school. The largest prefab shelter holds 100, but he said about 150 could fit safely. East Limestone has about 1,300 students.

Board member Charles Shoulder asked if the schools could retrofit a building to make it storm safe. Helms said this could be done but that it typically costs more than new construction or a prefabricated shelter.

Board member Brett McGill asked if the 25 percent required locally could include all in-kind, or donated, help or materials. Helms said he believed that would be possible but it would be unusual.

Helms, who served as director of the state Emergency Management Agency under former governors Fob James and Don Siegelman, said his firm has never had a grant application rejected.  He said his firm is working with several school boards in the state to create storm shelters.

After the meeting, Board President Earl Glaze said he did not know where the schools could find enough money to build storm shelters. The board approved a list of capital building projects needed countywide but the schools system has no money to budget to complete them. He said the list is required each year by the state department of education “in case someone wants to leave us a bunch of money.”

Limestone and other schools statewide are looking at a fourth year of state budget cuts do to the ongoing recession. Unlike many schools, Limestone expects to have $33,213 at the end of the 2011-12 budget along with $9.4 million in reserve. Schools are required to keep a reserve to cover at least a month of operating expenses.

Look for more stories from the Limestone County School board meeting, including a voting redistricting plan, Adequate Yearly Progress report and other news online Wednesday or in Thursday’s edition.