Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
The Brightening Ohio Communities (BOC) program is designed to provide grants to implement cost-effective, energy efficiency improvements for streetlights, perimeter lighting, and municipal-owned parking lot lighting in communities across Ohio. Funding for this program comes from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Ohio was one of eight states awarded federal funding on Oct. 12 through the first round of the EECBG program.
Ohio Department of Development is accepting applications for this program. This program provides $3,130,030 with each county being eligible to receive a maximum award of $500,000. Local units of government applying may submit multiple applications or multiple projects on one application, but total funding will be limited to $500,000 per county. At a minimum, $1,252,012 will be used for projects located within Ohio’s Disadvantaged Communities.
The Department of Public Utilities proposed project (Hilltop Phase II Street Lighting Project) includes smart lighting improvements in the South Side Columbus neighborhoods area generally bounded by High Street on the west, Livingston Avenue on the north, Alum Creek Drive to the east and Marion Road to the south. The Department is requesting $500,000 for the project which will replace approximately 3,900 existing HPS lights with LED lights that will be connected to a central control system. The street lighting activity falls within the consolidated plan goal for Public Facilities/Infrastructure Improvement and addresses the Low/Moderate Income Area Benefit National objective. The project is located in a primarily residential service area with approximately 70% residents who are low/moderate income and all the residents in the service area will benefit from the smart lighting improvement.
2. FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this legislation will authori...
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