By JOHN EBY
Dowagiac Daily News

City Manager Kevin Anderson reported Monday night Dowagiac appears to be eligible for energy conversation grant funds for weatherizing municipal buildings, performing an energy audit at the wastewater treatment plant and doing a Light Emitting Diode (LED) demonstration project for portions of the city street lights and pedestrian walkways.

While the complete project scope is being finalized, this was the last council meeting before the grant application’s Oct. 22 due date.

The resolution the council approved authorizes the city manager to apply for a grant. A cost benefit analysis will be performed to determine the maximum match, but Anderson anticipates that match to be one-third to one-half of the funds requested.

“Reduced energy consumption reduces cost of operation,” he said. “That reflects in our utility rates. That way, everybody in the community gets a benefit from it. This is not a commitment to accept grant funds or to enter into a grant agreement, it’s permission for staff to make that grant application” to the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth (DELEG) Michigan Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (MEECBG) program.

With the city eligible for up to $52,361 plus $11,142 for the LED demonstration project, match could raise those amounts to $104,722 and $22,284.