Mayor Jim Suttle today announced the City of Omaha hired Kristi Wamstad-Evans as its Sustainability Coordinator to administer $4.3 million in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program Funds as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The City of Omaha will use the Energy Efficiency grant funding as a critical tool to launch new and extensive sustainability efforts. The goal of the grant is to implement a combination of low-cost, immediate return activities and strategic long-term investments to create jobs and reduce costs through energy savings.
This will include an opportunity for the City of Omaha to create its first comprehensive Energy Efficiency Master Plan to develop and guide energy consumption policies and practices. “This funding provides an opportunity for the City of Omaha to invest in improving our energy efficiency and achieve results that will pay off for years to come,” Mayor Suttle said.
When Kristi starts work on September 8th, she will be asked to:
- Work with the Mayor’s Office to coordinate the various City departments’ energy conservation projects and turn best practices and policies into viable programs,
- Lead the development of the City’s comprehensive Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy, including a set of proposed activities to submit to the Department of Energy,
- Help develop the City’s Energy Efficiency Master Plan, and
- Ensure grant compliance with Department of Energy policies and reporting requirements.
Wamstad-Evans will begin work in the Omaha Planning Department by developing the Strategy for utilizing the 3-year grant award. The Strategy must be submitted by November 24th. Wamstad-Evans brings a wide range of experience in sustainability initiatives to the position, including local government experience with the City of Lincoln, NE, Grant writing and administration experience, and most recently experience as the National Sustainable Solutions Program Coordinator at HDR, Inc.
