Economic Development Board OKs effort to secure $500K for more Industrial Park surveys

The Economic Development Board on Wednesday unanimously endorsed the city’s pursuit of a $500,000 Community Sustainability Grant that would provide money to conduct additional surveys of Benicia Industrial Park businesses.

The grant also would allow the city to offer the businesses grants and loans to make recommended changes to help reduce water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

This is the third time Benicia has sought funds for the Business Resource Incentive Program (BRIP), Economic Development Manager Mario Giuliani told the EDB. The first edition of the program started April 17, 2012, with $625,000 in Valero-Good Neighbor Steering Settlement Agreement funds that are managed by the Community Sustainability Commission.
The program received an additional $300,000 in 2013.

During that time, Giuliani said, 17 businesses completed the program and now are saving a total of $175,000 annually while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 438 metric ton equivalents.

The new version of BRIP would earmark $100,000 for assessments and reserve the rest for grants, loans and costs, Giuliani said.

And this time, he said, the surveys would focus on determining how a company can conserve water — crucial since California is in the middle of a serious drought.

The city would continue to help companies reduce carbon-based emissions, too, he added.

Giuliani said that of the remaining $400,000, $10,000 grants would be used for specific electrical use reduction projects, and $25,000 grants would be available for natural gas and water reduction projects, combined heat and power projects and electric vehicle charging stations.

The new program would also offer $50,000 zero-interest loans for larger projects that would be approved by the city’s Climate Action Plan coordinator and economic development staff.

Giuliani said only $100,000 of the $400,000 would be available for lighting projects. Greenhouse gas, water and energy savings would be determined by third-party monitoring, he said.

Pacific Gas and Electric has helped the city meet its largest energy consumers, though to protect clients’ privacy the utility first asks a company if it is interested in a BRIP survey.

Giuliani said the city would continue to work with PG&E to obtain introductions to companies that could benefit by energy — electricity and natural gas — surveys. The city’s Public Works Water Division would help determine which companies are candidates for water surveys.

He said city employees also would continue to work with the Benicia Industrial Park Association and the Chamber of Commerce to find appropriate candidates, explaining that BRIP targets companies that could help the city reach water and greenhouse gas reduction goals.

“We don’t market it,” he said, explaining he would not want to tell a company its savings would be too small to benefit.

However, EDB member Dennis Cullen asked that the city tailor its third version of BRIP and its loans and grants “so the little guy can get them.”

In other matters, the board learned that Jack Wolf, the city’s tourism consultant, was able to get Benicia a spot in Sunset Magazine’s annual show, and that a report about the city had been published in multiple newspapers.

The panel also bid goodbye to its chairperson, Ron Myska, presenting him with a plaque and praising his economic development efforts during his time on the board.