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Collaborative outlines education calendar, EV event and budget schedule; REAP grant highlighted
Summary
Staff outlined several upcoming events (Aug. 21 citizen working group; Sept. 18 electric-mowers field day and nonprofit roundtable; Sept. 28 EVs-for-Everyone) and said budget hearings start Aug. 27 where a request for a third staff position was tabled; a board member also introduced USDA REAP grants for eligible rural businesses.
The Evansville Climate Collaborative listed a slate of public events and internal budget items at its Aug. 14 meeting and discussed next steps on staffing and grant opportunities.
Key dates and events announced by staff include a citizen working group meeting (Community Voices for Climate Action) on Aug. 21 at Innovation 0.318 Main Street, an electric mowers and tool field day sponsored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources at Bealwoods State Park on Sept. 18 (10 a.m.–12 p.m.), a nonprofit roundtable Sept. 18 at Oakland Library (4–5:30 p.m.), and a free community EVs-for-Everyone event planned for Sept. 28 (time 12–4 p.m.) with location being finalized because the originally planned site faced construction issues.
Norville also reminded the board that budget hearings begin Aug. 27 and said the committee tabled her request for a third staff position in next year’s budget; she said she will continue to press for the position and that it could be sought later via a finance ordinance if needed. "The committee tabled my request for the third position for the agency for next year, but I'm gonna keep trying," she said.
In other business, an attendee said he had met with Dominic Poggi, regional director for the Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center, and introduced the USDA REAP (Rural Energy for America Program), noting the program provides grants/loans that can cover about half of solar or energy-retrofit costs for eligible rural businesses and that parts of Evansville may qualify. Members were directed to the USDA website for eligibility maps.
Why it matters: The calendar consolidates public outreach and technical demonstrations aimed at reducing local emissions and increasing community participation. The budget item signals staffing constraints that could affect implementation capacity.
What’s next: Staff will finalize event logistics and continue advocacy around staffing; board confirmed the next monthly meeting for Sept. 11 at 4 p.m.
