Energy Commission discussion on pool structure funding

There was an Energy Commission meeting tonight. At the meeting there was discussion of:

1) the pool's energy consumption and
2) the energy portion of the stimulus package

As a result of the discussion, I sent the following email to Cheshire's five legislators:

Dear Legislators,

While attending a Cheshire Energy Commission meeting tonight, there was discussion of the state of CT receiving $38 million in stimulus package funding for energy projects.

Does this funding exist? If so, is this funding earmarked? If so, for what? If not, then what are the criteria being used to prioritize the projects that receive the funding?

Specifically, I’m wondering about securing funding for a energy-efficient permanent structure for Cheshire’s Community Pool.

I apologize for sending this to all of you, but to be frank, the whole stimulus package seems to be a fluid process. And while I’m guessing that Rep. Nardello is best equipped to address this as the Energy Committee co-Chair, I was uncertain. So I figured I’d put this to all of you in an effort to expedite the process from my perspective. Also, I’m concerned that if this $38 million is currently available, it may quickly be dedicated to other projects.

Thanks for your help.

Tim

I had a conversation with Congressman Murphy's office last week. Based on that conversation, I understand that this energy-related stimulus funding does not have any predetermined earmarks in it. The stimulus funding is basically being fed to the states via block grants. So who knows? Maybe we could get a grant to pay 100% of the costs for a permanent structure? I figure it's worth a try.

Also from tonight's EC meeting, it's worth noting that after only 14 months, the town may actually be issuing an RFP for a permanent structure for the pool later this week!

Tim White