The Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit voted in late March to approve $155,691 in SmartBuildings Detroit matching grants to make energy-saving improvements on five buildings, including two in the City of Detroit public parks, a grocery store, and a parking garage.
Under the program guidelines, the grants must be matched at a 3:1 ratio, and are capped at $100,000 for each building. This set of grants is expected to leverage $382,846 in additional investments from the building owners or other sources for a total of $538,537 in energy-saving improvements. Grantees will monitor and report their actual energy cost savings from the completed work to the EDC.
The City of Detroit General Services Department (GSD) will use two grants to make improvements at city parks:
The GSD will use $31,000 toward the cost of installing an energy-efficient chiller for the ice rink at Clark Park, and installing high-efficiency light bulbs inside and outside the park building at 1130 Clark St. The total cost of the investments is estimated at $124,000.
The GSD will use $39,873 toward the cost of a number of energy-saving improvements to the Casino in Belle Isle Park, including roof repairs, insulation and high-efficiency lighting. The total cost of the improvements is estimated at $159,493.
660 Woodward Associates, LLC, the owner of the First National Bank Building parking garage at 660 Woodward, will use its $31,721 grant toward the total estimated cost of $126,886 to install energy-efficient induction lighting.
Liberty Foods Center, Inc. will use its $32,039 grant toward the $128,158 total estimated cost to add insulation and upgrade its refrigeration equipment at the grocery store at 10620 W. McNichols St.
The EDC also amended an earlier grant to Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corporation for improvements at a residential building at 149 Davenport St., adding $21,058 to bring the funding to the designated 3:1 match amount of $87,218. The grant will contribute to the $348,873 total estimated cost of installing new insulation, windows, HVAC equipment and other energy conservation measures.
