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The City of Reading and Green Building Alliance (GBA) have been selected to receive $250,000 in funding from the Municipal Investment Fund (MIF) to support building project revitalization efforts that incorporate electrification.
The city was the only applicant from Pennsylvania to receive a grant award. Nationwide, it was one of just 50 communities selected from a pool of 114 applicants across 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and tribal nations.
The Municipal Investment Fund is a 50-state strategy launched by Coalition for Green Capital (CGC) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI USA) to empower communities to use public/private investing to accelerate the development and construction of smart infrastructure projects across the country.
“This grant is an important step forward in our work to make Reading stronger, more sustainable, and more affordable for everyone,” said Mayor Eddie Morán. “By working with GBA, ICLEI, and our local partners, we’re giving businesses, schools, and neighborhoods the resources to modernize, save on energy costs, and prepare for the future.”
The city will use the funding to develop a roadmap that prepares property owners, businesses, community developers, colleges and universities, K-12 schools, and building industry professionals with the knowledge and resources they need to invest in highly energy and cost-efficient projects that will make the city more resilient. The plan will also connect participants to early-stage funding opportunities, from incentives and rebates to capital investment opportunities, with the goal of establishing a pipeline of shovel-ready, highly energy efficient building projects.
“Reading is proud to be the only Pennsylvania partnership selected for this year’s Market-Building Funding & Technical Support grant,” said David Barr, community development director. “This support will play a key role as we launch our CRIZ program by developing user-friendly guides for land development, historic preservation, permitting, financing, and other project phases in a sustainable way, helping create a more resilient community.”
As part of the plan, GBA will develop an energy efficiency capital toolkit designed to guide commercial and institutional property managers through every stage of their building resiliency projects. In addition, GBA will host workshops, share case studies and provide support materials to introduce stakeholders to high efficiency building modernization best practices. To strengthen the local workforce, GBA will provide training in energy efficiency and preventative property maintenance skillsets to contractors, facilities personnel, and aspiring tradespeople.
Businesses, building owners, higher education institutions, and K-12 schools are encouraged to reach out to Chris Cieslak, chief operating officer at the GBA, at [email protected] to get involved.