Agenda - 12-09-2003-9f - Laserfiche WebLink

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.,,a~ , ~~ `°° ,a a ~ ,y r' ,. '.~ z.,~o~~~° ORANGE COUNTY EMERGL•NCY MANAGEMENT PO Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Emergency Medics] Services Fire Marshal Hazardous Materials 1-e~mt Disaster Response 9-I-1 Conununicatious Nur~trn/Dusiuess Hounsr 919-9GS-zoso 9t9-Gd4-3030 24 Hour INnrrtirrg Point 919-933-2G00 919-732-SIGI lSUSiness Fn.~c Mnc/tine 919-9GS-40GG ?-t -Hour £n.e ddnclune~ 919-9Gi-902G DIRECTOR Nick Waters nwaters@co. orange.nc, us DEPUTI' DIRECTOR/EMS/ADMINI51-RAT[( C. Kent McKenzie kmckenzie@co. or ange.ne.us DEPU7"1' DIRECT"OR/FIRE MARSFIAI Milce Tapp mtapp@co. orange.nc.us DEPUTY DIRECTOR/COMMUNICA'IIONG Gwen Snowden gsnowden@co orange nc.us EMERGENCI' MANAGF,MENT SPECIALIST Eric Griffin egriffm@co .orange .nc.us ADMINISI-RATIVE ASSISTANT Tanury Comar tcomar@co . or ange. nc. u s MEMORANDUM To: Nick Waters From: Eric Griffin Date: November 25, 20.3 Subject: Alternative Energy Source Grants Status ~~ As you know, I actively research grants thl°ough public and private sources in performance of my job duties. To date, I have found very few that fiord altenlative energy sources. The North Carolina State Energy Office, a division of state govenunent, is the holding agency for federal energy grants, and is our best chance of building alternative power source capacity. I have monitored this office for grant announcements, and have been unable to capitalize on their Request For Proposals to date. I plan to continue attempts to tap this funding stream to acquire photovoltaic systems to supplement our° facilities' power needs. Alternative energy needs have so far been unacceptable to federal Homeland Security grant mairagers, even for generators to allow us to take our facilities "off the grid". The existing grants which Orange County is eligible for are limited to specific funding criteria skewed toward "f rst responder" equipment only.. Currently, this grant constitutes the only Homeland Security funding available to Emergency Management for capital equipment purchases and is spread out through all the first responder agencies in the County. I will latow of other opporttmities in the coming months as Congress approves more deparhnental budgets. There are a limited irumber of private grants that will find govermnental prgjects. As you recall, most of the large grant fenders such as the Ford Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts only fiord agencies with a national scope, like the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships. The grantors for local agencies favor those which are 501 (c) 3 organizations, which is a private non-profit designation. Govermnent is less favored since it is seen as having "dedicated" finding streams. I have, and will, continue to research and apply to these private grant progl-ams. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funded tlu-ough the Stafford Act after federally declared disasters will continue to be a source of grant funds. However, they are limited to public safety uses only, Currently, the stipulations are that only primary Emergency Operation Centers; EMS stations, Fire Departments, and 9-1-1 cotnrnunication facilities are eligible for permanent generators. Other facilities are eligible for "quick corrects", which consist of limited writing and the electrical panel to connect a leased generator to the facility.