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Lowell seeks state school-decarbonization funds for Jean d'Arc School; sustainability council backs letter of support
Summary
City staff described a multi-source funding plan to decarbonize the Jean d'Arc School and asked the Sustainability Council to authorize a letter of support for a TESI grant application; the council voted unanimously to authorize a letter of support for grant applications tied to school decarbonization.
City sustainability staff told the Lowell Sustainability Council the city has applied for multiple grants and is assembling funding to begin decarbonization work at the Jean d'Arc School, a mid-20th-century facility the city plans to renovate as an educational site for students with autism.
Catherine, identified as a sustainability division staff member, said the city previously received a $5 million Green School Works grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and is pursuing a Transforming Energy in Schools Initiative (TESI) grant from the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) that can provide up to $10 million. She said the city had committed approximately $4 million in capital funding to ADA and general upgrades and that the grants could be combined with MassSave incentives and other state programs to fund a multi-phased decarbonization plan.
Catherine described completed and planned steps: a comprehensive building assessment/site visit already performed to evaluate heating, cooling and electrical upgrade options; a requirement in the TESI program to demonstrate about a 60% reduction in building fossil-fuel usage; and a tentative October application deadline for a full TESI application pending the program opportunity notice in September. She said the immediate next deliverables include receiving the comprehensive-assessment report around mid-September and drafting a letter of support for the grant application if the council elects to provide one.
Council members praised the effort and unanimously voted to authorize the sustainability division to draft and the council to sign a letter of support for the TESI application and related decarbonization proposals. One member noted the grant also supports environmental-justice objectives by prioritizing schools that serve higher shares of low-income students.
Catherine and others said program flexibility could allow a package of measures — electrical upgrades, heat-pump retrofits, envelope improvements and, later, solar integration if roofs are suitable — coordinated across multiple funding sources. The council approved a motion to write a letter of support and requested staff circulate a draft for review.
