Since the beginning of this year, the city of Hailey has procured more than $400,000 in grants.
Most of the money will be used to support energy conservation efforts in the city. The rest will be used to provide energy backup in case of emergencies and to develop recognition for historic buildings in the city.
The city was awarded $234,000 from the Idaho Office of Energy Resources to pay for the installation of a solar-powered energy system at the wastewater treatment facility in Woodside.
The money will pay for a 24.2-kilowatt photovoltaic solar panel that will generate electricity to help power the plant. The grant will also cover the costs of an "energy recovery unit," which reclaims heat from the building's exhaust stream. The city expects to save $864,000 in energy costs over the first 25 years following the upgrade.
Hailey also received a $100,000 Energy Efficiency Block Grant from the Idaho Office of Energy Resources. The grant brought a total of $700,000 to six jurisdictions in Blaine County.
The money will be used to implement an energy efficiency audit and retrofit program in Hailey.
The largest benefactor of the grant will be Hailey City Hall, which will get a $50,000 energy conservation retrofit. Main Street will get $15,000 worth of energy-efficient LED lights. The remaining $35,000 will be made available to Hailey residents for energy audits and retrofits.
The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Hailey $83,000 to hire an energy assurance coordinator for 18 months. The new position will assist the city engineer in developing a backup plan for energy sources in the city in case of a disaster, such as the 2009 blackout that left the city cold and dark on Christmas Eve.
The city also received $5,000 from the Idaho State Historical Society for a survey of the Fox House on Bullion Street and Second Avenue. The survey will help determine whether the house is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hailey currently has nine buildings on the register.
"The grant program is very significant to our city budget," said City Administrator Heather Dawson.
She said Deputy City Clerk Tracey Anderson, Public Works Director Tom Hellen and Planner Mariel Platt have put in long hours applying for the grants.
"It is a team effort and represents a significant volume of staff time," Dawson said.
Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com
