Alton was founded in 1837 on the bluffs above the Mississippi River and sits about 15 miles north of St. Louis. The city has a population of about 28,000. Like all cities today, Alton is continually looking for ways to improve the livability of their community for residents while also creating an attractive environment for businesses. In 2008, one strategy that Alton adopted to help achieve those goals was to become one of the 1,000+ cities around the country that have joined the Sierra Club's Cool Cities Program In the same year, the City Council voted to sign the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement.
As part of both of those programs, Alton created a Climate Action Plan that contains over 200 recommendations for reducing energy use which will also result in a reduction in Green House Gas Emissions. Some of these recommendations have already been successfully implemented - a great achievement at a time when finding money to invest in infrastructure changes has been challenging. Jane Allen Jones sat down with Matthew Asselmeier, from the mayor's office who shared how the City overcame the funding challenges to get started. Matthew is Associate Director of Public Relations/City Council Liaison and a part of the team that has put these programs together.
The goal of one of the first programs that the City tackled was to convert 295 lighting fixtures in City facilities to energy-efficient fixtures. The projected cost of the project was $51,900 and the anticipated reduction in energy use will produce annual savings of $15,000. The good news for the project was that the City was able to secure two sources of grant money for the project that, when combined, produced enough to cover the anticipated costs. The two grantors were a Federal Energy Efficiency Block Grant and a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
The bad news was that the conditions for the grants required that the work had to be completed prior to the grantors reimbursing the City for that work. So the challenge was to find the up-front money to initiate and complete the work. The City worked with the Madison County Community Development Department that offers loans for local governments' capital projects that address energy efficiency and conservation and enhance the County’s overall quality of life. Through this program, Alton was able to secure a 10-year $50,000 loan at zero percent interest. With that money, the City was able to complete the project work. Subsequently, the grant money has come through as reimbursement for the work so that Alton can now repay the loan from the County.
Another project that the City has completed was to replace aging motors in the sewer treatment plant. The cost for the project was $63,000 and the reduction in energy use has resulted in annual savings of approximately $18,000. For that project the City was able to attain a grant through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Another goal in the Climate Action Plan is to find ways to reduce vehicle emissions. To jump start that effort, the City found grant funding to replace two of the City-owned vehicles with hybrids. The grant came from the ConocoPhilips Environmental Project Funding Program that was set up through the Sierra Club and American Bottom Conservancy. The City has also added an electric car charging station at City Hall, anticipating the use of electric vehicles in the future.
Those are a few examples of the different capital improvement projects identified in Alton's Climate Action Plan and the techniques that they have used to fund the projects. Thus far, the total savings from the projects outlined above has been $189,000. And by making changes in the procurement of energy for the City, they have saved another $500,000 over the past two years. Matthew indicated that the City continues to work on next steps in their efforts to fully implement the Climate Action Plan, including reaching out to the Edwardsville School District, Lewis and Clark Community College and the Madison County Planning Department to find opportunities to collaborate. They also are planning a public outreach campaign to help local residents and businesses find ways to reduce energy use.
If you would like more information on Alton’s plans and successes, please contact Matthew Asselmeier at 618-463-3500 or masselmeier@alton-il.com.
About the writer: Jane Jones is Chair of the FOCUS Environmental Sustainability Implementation Committee and Owner and Principal of Sustainability Management Consulting, LLC