S Grant - Acceptance of a $193,100 Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant Program Transportation Grant and Approval of Budget Amendment #4-A

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~, oRD-~al~-oq3 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: December 6, 2010 Action Agenda Item No. ~{h SUBJECT: Acceptance of a $193,100 Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant Program Transportation Grant and Approval of Bud et Amendment #4-A DEPARTMENT: Asset Management, Economic PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No Development, & Financial Services ATTACHMENT (S): Grant Award Letter, Grant Agreement Form INFORMATION CONTACT: Pam Jones, Asset Management, 245- 2652 Michael Talbert, Financial Services, 245- 2153 Jeff Thompson, Asset Management, 245-2658 PURPOSE: To formally accept a $193,100 Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant ("EECBG") Program Transportation Grant to purchase food processing equipment for the Piedmont Food & Agricultural Processing Center and approve Budget Amendment #4-A. BACKGROUND: Orange County applied for this grant in August of 2010 as a potential source of funds for food processing equipment at the Piedmont Food & Agricultural Processing center now being constructed on Valley Forge Road. The grant program is designed to promote innovation in energy efficient transportation (as measured by the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere). Orange County is one of only six successful grant recipients. Many of the foods expected to be processed at the new Center are historically trucked in from distant corporate processing centers across North America. Orange County's successful proposal argued that the availability of a local, well-equipped food processing facility would significantly reduce the transportation energy required to bring this food to market, thereby significantly reducing the associated carbon footprint. Using conservative displaced market share assumptions for locally produced and processed foods, this investment is estimated to eliminate 112,147 truck miles, 553,261 pounds of carbon dioxide and their respective energy cost savings annually.