Mayor Carlo DeMaria and the Office of Planning and Development are pleased to announce that the City has been designated as a Green Community from the Patrick Administration.
The Green Communities Designation and Grant Program helps municipalities navigate and meet the five criteria required to become a Green Community, in turn qualifying them for grants that finance additional energy efficiency and renewable energy projects at the local level.
In order to secure a designation the DeMaria administration applied to the Local Energy Action Program at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council for a technical assistance grant. The Local Energy Action Program (LEAP) helps communities plan and implement local clean energy projects. Participating communities receive technical assistance from MAPC to plan for and launch innovative and financially sustainable projects that reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the municipal, residential, and commercial sectors.
“I am very pleased that Everett has been designated and will receive funding necessary to continue our Green Community initiative,” states Mayor DeMaria, “It has always been a goal of my administration to continue to grow and work with the State and the MAPC as a Green Community so that Everett can be a leading community in energy efficiency projects.”
Becoming designated as a Green Community provides grant funding to a municipality to support studying, designing, constructing, and implementing energy efficiency activities including, but not limited to, energy efficiency measures and projects.
In addition grant funding will assist with procuring energy management services, adopting energy efficiency policies, and siting activities related to and construction of renewable energy generating facilities on municipality owned land.
As a Green Community, Everett strives to find clean energy solutions that reduce long-term energy costs and strengthen local economies. The program also provides technical assistance and financial support for municipal initiatives to improve energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy in public buildings, facilities and schools.
Mayor DeMaria is happy to announce that the City has received its first yearly grant in the amount of $307,175, and will be using it to convert streetlights from traditional lighting to LED lights. LED lights can help the City reduce the amount of energy and money spent on lighting. By delivering a low total cost with a typical energy savings of 30-70 percent over traditional lighting sources, near zero maintenance costs, and fast payback, upgrading to LED lighting is a suitable decision for the City.
Once the City has spent the $307,175 over the course of the year, the City will then be eligible to apply for additional competitive grants against other green communities for further projects the City would like to implement. The most money a Green Community can receive from a competitive grant is $250,000 per year.