By Martin Couch
The Finance and Personnel committee has recommended to the Bryant City Council, a contract for administrative services for an EECBG (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant) issued by Winrock Enterprises to improve[more] Bryant City Hall.
"The grant is one the city received from Winrock upgrading lighting and HVAC here in City Hall and I believe there is another building that receives an upgrade with that grant money of $275,000 and change," Bryant City Engineer Richard Penn said.
The grant is administered through the Central Arkansas Planning and Development district, which receives a cut of those funds to administer programs.
"It's still a good thing for us," Penn said. "This contract is for $25,009 administrative cost for the CAPD to administer all of it."
The $275,000, minus the $25,009, can only be spent in city buildings using Entergy.
"There were several ways used to describe the amount of potential for energy savings in these buildings that was turned into Winrock for the grant application," Penn said. "They approved the grant to replace the equipment we need to make them more efficient."
Currently, City Hall, the animal control building, and the old Parks and Recreation building on Northeast Second Street in Bryant are the three buildings that are applicable for the grant money.
"Everyone who’s served by Entergy is considered," Penn said. "Both the Street and Water/wastewater Departments are served by First Electric. The Fire Department was such a new building, it didn't have a big gap of current technology and what was already installed was fine. The main benefit of the entire grant is right here at City Hall."
