Olympia committee wants to fund energy audits with city's federal funding

Olympia plans to include energy auditing in its rental rehabilitation projects funded by the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) it receives. 

Anastasia Everett, Olympia's CDBG specialist, was at the Olympia Planning Committee meeting on Monday, April 17, to present the proposed activities in the upcoming program year 2023-2024.

"The CDBG can fund energy auditing, which is an eligible activity," Everett told Commissioner Carole Richmond, who inquired about the availability of grants for energy audits for residents and businesses.

"One of the first steps you have to do before retrofitting with heat pumps and everything else is [inspecting] how much energy leakage there is in your house or building," Richmond said, adding that the city should pursue funding sources for this project.

Everett explained that getting CDBG is a flexible grant that can be used for various activities. The grants involved a request for proposals. She said they provide an overview of the program and what kind of projects can be funded.

The applicants submit proposals for projects that they plan to implement. The proposals will go through the scoring process to assess if they align with the CDBG program's needs.

"Housing-related activities are going to score very high because that is the greatest need to be with our CDBG funding," Everett added.

The CDBG has allocated $362,353 funds for Olympia. Everett enumerated the proposed projects and activities for the program year 2023-2024:

• Rebuilding Together Thurston County - $75,000
  • It provides critical home repair to low-income homeowners. Home repairs include re-roofing, emergency plumbing repairs, and health and safety additions to the home. The target beneficiaries are families with children, homeowners with a disability, veterans, or the elderly.
• South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity - $77,500
  • The project provides critical home repair, including the construction of steps, porch or wheelchair ramps, window repair or replacement, siding and trim repair, and interior.
• Enterprise for Equity - $77,500
  • The project aims to provide microenterprise assistance for Olympia's low- to moderate-income business owners.
• Downtown Ambassadors - $60,000
  • The program provides outreach and assistance to community members experiencing homelessness in the downtown, as well as outreach to businesses.
• Program and administrative costs - $72,353

The Community Livability and Public Safety Committee approved the recommendation to bring the CDBG action plan to the city council for consideration.