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Empower Coalition pilot weatherizes homes, but community fund awaits county solicitation
Summary
Community Weatherization Coalition and Empower Coalition leaders told the board small grants have repaired leaks and upgraded heating and cooling, cutting energy and water bills; county staff said a formal solicitation to route rebate funds to a nonprofit partner should be posted within roughly a month.
Mary Anne Schmink, volunteer facilitator for the Empower Coalition, and Elaine Humrick, program director at the Community Weatherization Coalition, reported progress on a community investment pilot that uses small grants to weatherize homes and repair hazards.
"We now have a board of seven members," Schmink said, describing community governance of a fund seeded by a Lydia B. Stokes Foundation grant and small county awards. Humrick described projects completed so far: replacing sinks, piping and damaged cabinetry; air‑sealing doors and windows; replacing refrigerators and inefficient water heaters; and fixing leaking toilets. She said average pilot grants have been roughly $2,000–$3,000 per home.
Humrick highlighted measurable household savings from the work. "She went from 3,129 kilowatt hours to 1,700. So she's saving $235 a month just in the electricity portion of her bill," Humrick said. In another example, replacing leaking toilets and faucets brought a home’s monthly water use from about 17,000 gallons to about 2,000 gallons and saved roughly $145 a month on water costs.
Community members representing Sugar Hill, Greater Duvall and the SWAG area described the program’s benefits in person, noting improved safety, lower bills and increased ability to remain housed. Rebuild Together and other partners contributed volunteer labor on some projects.
On funding mechanics, Matt Williams, sustainability manager for the county, said county rebate and solar‑rebate dollars cannot be passed directly to the coalition without a procurement partner. "We are in the process of the solicitation to get the partner that will allow the money to pass through," Williams said, adding that a small $10,000 allocation tied to an earlier grant is already moving and that the broader solicitation could be posted within about a month.
Board members pressed to accelerate the process and asked staff to report back on timelines and expected funding levels. The board agreed to refer the item to joint oversight boards and to track the RFP process so funds can be moved to the community as quickly as procurement rules allow.
The board’s discussion closed with members urging additional fundraising and coordination with established service providers, including Community Action Agency and Rebuild Together, to expand the pilot’s reach.
