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City of Vancouver, Washington

 Vancouver seeks grants, funding to create a Sustainable Neighborhood Demonstration Project

Friday, July 17, 2009
Contact: Mike Piper, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Vancouver, 360-487-7116
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The City of Vancouver seeks to put stimulus and other funding to work in the community through a proposed Sustainable Neighborhood Demonstration Project to improve energy efficiency, water conservation, transportation solutions and more, all while encouraging the addition of "green jobs" to get the work done.   

Recently, the city sent out a request seeking qualifications of companies to assist with the project, which would maximize new and existing federal funding sources by partnering with weatherization and other programs to improve existing homes within a targeted neighborhood. Interest has been high.

Many sustainability initiatives sponsored throughout the United States focus on new buildings or developments. Vancouver hopes to place its Sustainable Neighborhood Demonstration Project in an older neighborhood where residents are primarily low and moderate income. The city's initiative seeks to increase "livability" and economic vitality through energy efficiency, water conservation, habitat restoration and creation, household repair and retrofit; homeownership opportunities, the use of sustainable building materials, recycling, community gardens, neighborhood safety, job training and development; transportation and urban design. 

Mike Piper, Vancouver's Sustainability Coordinator, said strategies implemented at the neighborhood level could serve as a model for financial and environmental performance. If successful, he added, the Sustainable Neighborhood Demonstration Project could become a valuable roadmap for a potential citywide program at some future point.

The city is seeking $25,000 from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program to be matched with an existing $25,000 from the Community Development Block Grant Program, for a total of $50,000 to help design a process and provide planning for the project. In addition, the Demonstration Project would be coordinated with another Vancouver Community Development Block Grant of about $250,000 for repairs or retrofits of income-eligible homes, in concert with the weatherization efforts.

The EECBG funding would also be used to leverage additional stimulus dollars from the Clark County low income weatherization program as well as Americorp staffing and workforce-training funds. Residents who are unemployed or underemployed could be trained to work on houses in the designated area, Piper said.

In addition, the City of Vancouver is applying for help from Washington State University (WSU) and the Washington State Department of Commerce. WSU, in partnership with the state Department of Commerce will be providing grant funding to a minimum of three pilot sites for this type of project, with an estimated $3 million per site. 

Piper said the city hopes to be able to help hundreds of residents with CDBG and weatherization dollars alone.

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