Arlington Receives $100K Competitive Green Communities Grant

ARLINGTON, MA — As part of the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Green Communities program, Arlington will receive a $100,000 grant to continue municipal energy use reduction initiatives in town buildings.

Three town buildings will receive improvements through the grant, utility incentives, and town matching funds.

The Dallin Branch Library Building, which houses Arlington Community Media, Inc. (ACMI), will receive attic insulation and high-efficiency air source heat pumps to replace the current gas-powered and electric resistance heating systems on the first floor of the building. The attic area above the Town Hall auditorium will be fully insulated. Additionally, the Brackett Elementary School will receive new high-efficiency LED lighting fixtures in classrooms, hallways, stairwells, and bathrooms.

The Green Communities Grant will cover 52 percent of the total $192,977 project cost. Eversource and National Grid are providing an additional 20% percentof the project cost via energy efficiency incentive funding. Nearly one-third of the Town’s match of $54,445 will be paid back in energy savings in the first year alone.

This year’s grant award, in particular the funding for the Dallin Library/ACMi building project, marks a shift in state and town priorities toward electrification of facilities.

“By deploying cleaner technologies to heat and cool our facilities, including through this year’s Green Communities grant, the Town is making progress toward our goal of net zero GHG emissions by 2050,” Town Manager Sandy Pooler said in a statement “We are grateful to the Department of Energy Resources for providing funding for these important projects which support local as well as state-wide climate commitments.”

The Green Communities Division of the state DOER empowers the Commonwealth's cities and towns to reduce their energy use and their carbon footprint. DOER’s Green Communities Competitive Grants are awarded to existing Green Communities that have successfully invested their initial designation grants and previous competitive grant awards.

This is the eleventh grant Arlington has received from the Massachusetts Green Communities program since its inception in 2010. This new grant puts Arlington’s cumulative grant total at $1,973,393, one of the highest in the state.

For more information about Arlington’s Green Communities grants, contact Sustainability Manager Talia Fox at 781-316-3428 or at tfox@town.arlington.ma.us.