Schools, towns vie for energy money
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By Cristina Kumka Staff Writer - Published: January 5, 2010
Eleven schools with 12 projects and four municipalities in Rutland County have been chosen by the state Department of Public Service to try their shot at more than a half a million dollars in federal stimulus grants to save energy.
The first round of applications for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants provided by the U.S. Department of Energy from 324 schools and towns statewide, due at the department early December, were recently cut by half — 162 applicants being asked to provide more comprehensive data on what they plan to do in a year's time with the money if awarded.
About $5.8 million from the federal Energy Department, offered after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 from two different programs, is available in Vermont, said Andrew Perchlik, an application reviewer and director of the Clean Energy Development Fund within the state department.
In total, the 162 applicants chosen to provide more information are asking for more than that — about $6.7 million worth of projects, Perchlik said.
"It's not enough for sure," he said. "There's a lot more work that can be done … we are just getting the federal money that's earmarked for this and using it the way we were told to."
The comprehensive applications are due by 4 p.m. Feb. 23 and the eligible towns and schools will be notified if they receive an award or are denied by March 17, Perchlik said.
The schools and towns in Rutland County, chosen to submit second applications, are asking for a total of $612,203 for their projects.
Most schools and towns are asking for between $10,000 and $50,000 for energy-efficiency retrofits — for weatherization, new heating and cooling systems or window and door replacements — with the expectation that they will match 10 percent of the grant, according to the application.
Danby's Currier Memorial School is vying for $45,391 for energy retrofits, according to a list of applicants provided by the public service department and the Rutland Regional Planning Commission or RRPC.
Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon is asking for $13,500 to conserve energy in transportation, such as the use of flex time by employers, satellite work centers and the synchronization of traffic signals.
Schools and towns were notified earlier last year of their opportunity to apply for ARRA energy funding through the Vermont League of Cities & Towns, the school energy management program of the Vermont Superintendents Association, Vermont Sen. Bernard Sanders' office and a state public service department mailing list, Perchlik said.
Norman Etkind, the director of the school energy management program, said in a May 2009 interview that an survey conducted by the Department of Education earlier that year showed 58 of Vermont's more than 200 public schools had $54 million worth of energy projects in the pipeline, waiting for funding from the state government — from weatherization projects to converting fossil fuel heating systems to wood-chip-burning systems.
Regional planning commissions and some of Vermont's largest cities, including Burlington, Essex and Rutland, were not eligible to apply for block grant funding because those entities were eligible for direct funding or have already received funding, according to the application.
Mark Blucher, executive director of the RRPC, said even if towns and schools in Rutland County don't get the money they apply for, the commission has been allocated $189,700 to help those entities do an audit of what energy-saving measures are needed.
"Energy conservation is basically a good thing to be doing and towns haven't had the opportunity or resources to do the necessary retrofits to save energy," Blucher said Monday.
"This gives them the opportunity to do that," he said. "It's a start."
cristina.kumka@rutlandherald.com
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