Silicon Valley Clean Energy recently awarded the City of Morgan Hill with two grants that will help the city reach its climate cleanliness goals, according to city staff.
The City of Morgan Hill adopted a Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2021, which included a key central goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reaching carbon neutrality by 2045 and working toward this goal through several sub-goals, action items and planning efforts.
The first grant awarded to the city is provided through the SVCE Community Decarbonization Demonstration Grant Program for $500,000, says a press release from the city. This grant will help fulfill the CAP goal of “converting all municipal buildings to all-electric by 2035” through the development of a new all-electric fire station and interpretive meeting area in the adjacent park space in the City of Morgan Hill.
The proposed park interpretive area will serve as a meeting point for newly established fire station tours, says the press release. This space will be designed to include picnic tables with accommodations for groups as large as a classroom of students. It will feature displays depicting how the all-electric fire station building operates, how such facilities reduce carbon emissions and why these actions matter to the community.
The city’s new fire station is under construction and expected to open in late 2024. The Morgan Hill City council approved conceptual plans for the new fire station in November 2022.
The second grant awarded to the City of Morgan Hill is provided through the SVCE Community Decarbonization Engagement Grant Program for $95,748, and will help implement the CAP’s outreach, education and engagement initiatives, says the press release. The monies awarded through this grant will support community activities related to climate change, including funding for booth supplies and events, the design of brochures and flyers, outreach campaigns, a Loaner Induction Stove Program, development of Clean Air Week, surveys and research and hiring a part-time city staff member to support in planning and implementation of these engagement items.
