Baker-Polito Administration Awards Melrose $500,000 Green Communities Grant
On September 20, 2022, the City of Melrose was awarded a $500,000 grant to take the Melrose Public Library off fossil fuels as part of the Baker-Polito Administration’s celebration of Climate Week. Melrose is just one of two Green Communities to receive the $500,000 grant in this round.
The grant marks the seventh Green Communities award for the City and will be used to support the Melrose Public Library Renovation Project by switching the building’s natural gas system for heating to all-electric heat pumps, plus ventilation and high-performance building envelope measures. Further renovations will also include electric vehicle charging stations and a solar-ready roof.
“I am grateful to the Baker Administration for awarding Melrose a Green Communities grant to support the decarbonization of our library, which will soon be undergoing extensive renovations,” said Melrose Mayor Paul Brodeur. “In addition to our in-house efforts led by Sustainability Manager, Martha Grover, this state-local partnership is critical to the success of our climate change mitigation efforts.”
Through electrifying its municipal buildings and schools over time, the City aims to discontinue fossil fuel use and increase energy efficiency, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions — the key objective for Mayor Brodeur’s Net Zero Action Plan.
“The City of Melrose is committed to doing whatever is in our control to reduce our emissions to net zero by 2050, or sooner,” said Mayor Brodeur. “By achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions, Melrose residents can experience cleaner air and a more equitable, prosperous, and healthier community for all.”
More about the Green Communities grants:
The Baker-Polito administration announced the awarding of $6,309,686 in Green Communities competitive grants to 51 municipalities across Massachusetts to fund clean energy projects. With this new announcement, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) has awarded nearly $160 million to Green Communities in Designation Grants and Competitive Grants since 2010.
Under the Green Communities Act, cities and towns must meet five criteria to be designated a Green Community and receive funding. The grants provide financial support for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that further the designated communities’ clean energy goals. 280 Massachusetts cities and towns, which account for 88 percent of the Commonwealth’s population, have currently earned the Green Communities designation. This round of DOER Green Communities competitive grants is awarded to existing Green Communities that have successfully invested their initial designation grants and previous competitive grant awards. Grants are capped at $200,000 per municipality, apart from larger multi-year projects, which are capped at $500,000. Funding for these grants is available through proceeds from carbon allowance auctions under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).