GREENSBORO — The city of Greensboro has about three months to narrow an expansive list of wants into a workable strategy to spend more than $2.5 million in energy-related federal stimulus money. And the list submitted by residents in the past nine months is long.
Residents attended two public hearings Monday to provide additional feedback about what the city should include in an application for an energy efficiency and conservation block grant administered by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Greensboro Community Sustainability Council, appointed by the City Council last year, is working with city staff to develop a strategy. If all goes as planned, Greensboro would start spending the funds in January and complete projects within three years.
“I’m glad they had the meeting and everyone could participate,” said resident Bob Canner, who attended one of the meetings. “It’s how you leverage the money to create the biggest impact. The time to act is now.”
The Energy Department wants cities to use the block grants to create jobs, promote long-term changes in energy use and leverage other public and private resources. The grant can be used for many purposes, including education and outreach, retrofits of government buildings, financial incentives and recycling programs.
But participants in the meeting said they also wanted to see funds used to improve air quality, synchronize traffic signals, add walking trails and encourage vertical building construction to curb sprawl.
Resident Joyce Johnson said Greensboro should devote funds to the upgrading of poor housing stock instead of government and commercial buildings.
“To really make a substantial difference in our town, we need to address the everyday citizen’s dwelling place,” Johnson said.
People who missed Monday’s meetings can submit feedback online.
Contact Morgan Josey Glover at 373-7078 or morgan.josey@news-record.com
Cookprint: A term used by food writer Kate Heyhoe to describe the entire chain of resources used to prepare meals, along with its resulting waste.
Seeks to transform greater Greensboro area into into a more bicycle-friendly community.
Bicycle recycling project that promotes bicycling as a means of alternative transportation, a healthy lifestyle choice and a way to build community.
This network of locally owned and independent businesses in the North Carolina Triad formed in the summer of 2009 and aims to share ideas and network to promote locally owned brick and mortar retail businesses, to educate the consumers on the importance of shopping locally, and to encourage investment in our community be keeping our dollars at home.
"How you define an eco-friendly frame product, depending on your perspective, comes in a hundred shades of gray." - Robyn Feinsod, manager of marketing and merchandising for Graphik Dimensions Ltd in High Point.
