Middleton secures BlockPower mapping tool to prioritize neighborhood decarbonization; staff eyes ARPA and TIF funding

Kelly, Middleton’s sustainability coordinator, told the committee the city has obtained a license for BlockPower, a mapping and analysis tool that layers public datasets (building age, heating fuel, census data, energy bills) to identify neighborhoods with high energy burden and to prioritize decarbonization strategies such as heat-pump retrofits.

Kelly said the tool is already available to staff (three logins) and can support grant applications, internal prioritization, and analysis for TIF closure funds that will become available in 2025. She described BlockPower as a way to make a transparent case to federal agencies when seeking funds and to target neighborhoods for equitable interventions.

Committee members asked whether the data will remain current, whether the city will bear ongoing maintenance or licensing fees, and whether the tool could be made public. Kelly said the tool pulls regularly updated public datasets and that public-facing access would likely require a separate license; for now, the tool will be used internally to develop grant-ready analyses and eligibility justifications.

Laura reported ongoing staff and departmental surveys to assess how procurement currently works; she said she will draft recommendations for embedding sustainability criteria in bid documents and hopes to present a finalized set of recommendations to the committee and the common council during the current budget cycle. Kelly and other members flagged the need for a bridge year of funding to continue the Efficiency Navigator program as ARPA funds expire.

Next steps: staff will use BlockPower outputs to prioritize federal grant targets, prepare a short list of capital requests for the August meeting, and explore bridge funding for the Efficiency Navigator program.