FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio -- The Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) recently awarded Fairview Park a $65,182 community grant.
Mayor Patrick Cooney said the city is still determining how it will use the funds.
“We have a roof problem here at City Hall, but then we were also thinking about holding onto those funds and using them for one big project,” Cooney said. “At this point -- because of all of the uncertainty with the economy -- we’re just going to wait and see what makes the most sense.”
The NOPEC grant is for energy efficiency and/or energy infrastructure projects in the community. Specifically, the funds can be spent for projects related to solar energy, lighting, energy-efficient doors, windows and roof improvements.
Fairview Park Community Development Planner Monica Jordan Rossiter said that with NOPEC’s approval, the funds can be carried forward for up to two years.
Last year, Fairview Park used part of previous NOPEC funds to complete the police station locker room renovation project.
As for the City Hall roof, Cooney said the estimate is roughly $125,000 to fix what’s described as a baffle issue.
“Right now, water leaks in the administration offices by the fire department,” Cooney said. “It also leaks by a bay door. We were thinking about having some work done in that area, but now we’re going to wait and see.”
The City Hall roof replacement project would qualify for the NOPEC energy efficiency money due to it involving the addition of insulation.
“There are some efficiencies in replacing the roof,” Cooney said. “That’s the problem with the roof design, is that it’s a hot roof. There’s no insulation, so the snow accumulates and melts. It gets in the gutters, freezes, expands and causes leaks. There would be some insulation that would help with energy efficiency.”
If the city doesn’t use the NOPEC money for the roof replacement, the mayor said there’s another likely option.
“Our charter requires that 12.5 percent of our income tax be applied to permanent improvements or capital improvements,” Cooney said. “So this may fall into that category, but again, not knowing what all our collections are going to be, we wanted to get a better idea before we proceed.
“There’s just so much uncertainty," he said of the coronavirus pandemic’s effects on city revenues. "We’re not sure what we’re going to have available.”
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