Hi everyone,
I’m writing to voice my support for taking next steps to explore the public/private partnership with BlocPower. Providing turnkey and cost effective solutions for building owners in Menlo Park to go electric is key to our sustainability goals. I also love that this organization is committed to hiring and training low income and people of color for good new jobs in the green economy. Feels like a win win win.
There are two issues I'd like to highlight: 1) equity, and 2) incentives for apartment building owners.
Regarding equity, I'd love to see this opportunity available to building owners with less discretionary resources. The following statement in the staff report feels particularly relevant, "However, Menlo Spark and Commissioner Evans have committed to obtain external funding to support the effort that could include state programs, electricity providers, grants and/or philanthropic funding to continue to cover the resourcing needs of BlocPower and reduce interest rates to zero, particularly for low to moderate-income residents/businesses." Let's ensure that funds are available so that everyone who wants to go green can do so easily.
Regarding incentives for apartment building owners, it's not super clear that there are any. I find myself curious about what might help incent, encourage, or entice apartment building owners to make these kinds of investments in their properties. Clearly there are benefits for the collective, but it's hard for me to see what's in it for them directly.
Hope that helps! Thanks for all you are doing to help Menlo Park be a leader in addressing climate change.
Nancy Larocca Hedley
District 4
