Title
Authorizing the City to apply for $298,000, with no match required, from the Minnesota Department of Commerce's Microgrids at Community Lifeline Facilities grant program for Oxford Community Center.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan, adopted in December 2019, established the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in municipal operations by 2030 and included a key action of increasing installations of renewable energy at city buildings; and
WHEREAS, the Minnesota Department of Commerce has designated U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program funding for a competitive grant program to support demonstration projects for a microgrid at a community lifeline facility, community hub, or a group of such facilities to improve energy resilience in a disruptive event; and
WHEREAS, decarbonization plans were developed for Oxford Community Center and the adjacent Jimmy Lee Recreation Center during 2025 which recommend electrification of the HVAC systems to improve energy efficiency and reduce operational emissions in support of the City’s climate goals, and the plans also propose the addition of 125-kW of rooftop solar at Oxford Community Center to offset increasing utility costs and improve resiliency of the facilities; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Financial Services and Department of Parks and Recreation are requesting permission to apply for $298,000 in grant funds from the Minnesota Department of Commerce's Microgrids at Community Lifeline Facilities program, with no match required and a grant term of 12/8/2025-9/30/2026 and the funding for this grant is federal; and
WHEREAS, funding will cover planning, design, and engineering costs for a microgrid project that would include HVAC system electrification and the addition of on-site solar with battery storage at Oxford Community Center and Jimmy Lee Recreation Center; and
WHEREAS, the Grants Division of the Office of Financial Services has reviewed and approved the Intent to Apply request; and
WHEREAS, the City certifies that it will comply with all applicable laws and regulations as stated in the agreement; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, the Saint Paul City Council expressly provides its support for the City of Saint Paul to submit a Microgrids at Community Lifeline Facilities grant application to the Minnesota Department of Commerce for the planning and design of a microgrid project at Oxford Community Center.