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Update on Greensboro's green projects and use of federal stimulus funds

Greensboro's Housing and Community Development Department is awaiting final approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on the use of $510,817 in federal stimulus funds. These funds would be used primarily for creating temporary jobs and rehabilitating buildings to reduce energy costs among the city's low-income.

City Council approved a list of eight projects on June 2. I summarize six of those projects below, and you can view the full application here.

• $23,000 would be spent on installing new thermal windows at the Beloved Community Center's homeless hospitality house. This project is expected to take two to three months and create five temporary jobs.
• $78,000 would be spent by Housing Greensboro to weatherize 12 houses owned by low-income residents over a 12 month period. This amount would be matched by $182,000 in separate funding.
• $136,165 would be spent to weatherize 108 rental units at JT Hairston Memorial Apartments. This project is estimated to take three months and employ six people.
• $50,000 will be added to a separate $113,000 to weatherize six rental units, taking six months and creating just over one full-time equivalent position.
• Enpulse would receive $104,371 to install programmable thermostats and CFL bulbs in 150 homes, creating five jobs.
• $38,100 would be spent creating a walking trail for a low income neighborhood; six part-time jobs would be created, with teenagers being taught landscaping and grounds maintenance.

Keep in mind that these funds are separate from the roughly $2.5 million Greensboro is expected to get in energy efficiency and conservation block grants from the Department of Energy. The city Community Sustainability Council will help determine how that money gets spent. The advisory group has so far approved one set of recommendations and plans to hold a public input meeting this summer before submitting a final strategic plan to DOE.