Group seeks energy grant

SANDPOINT — The city is teaming up with several local organizations to help bring a woody biomass energy generation facility to Sandpoint.

Sandpoint Planning Director Jeremy Grimm is working with Matt Janssen, CEO of Sandpoint’s Vapor Locomotive Company and Karl Dye, executive director of Bonner County Economic Development Corporation, to apply for a $500,000 grant that would help development a woody biomass cogeneration energy facility on property the city owns at Airport Industrial Park.

The property is currently used to store snow.

Grimm presented his plan to the City Council last week and received unanimous approval to go forward with the grant application. The grant would come from the Idaho Office of Energy Resources and is meant to implement a pilot program for reusable energy.

The cogeneration system would create energy by burning locally or regionally obtained woody biomass, such as wood pellets. According to Grimm, the thermal energy and electricity generated at the site could be used, among other ways, to heat and cool area businesses and homes.

If the system is successful, Grimm said it could be adopted at the Renova site, located along Boyer Avenue and Larch Street, to fuel the site’s future development.

“If we can show that this facility works and is efficient and cost effective, a larger system like this could be built on the Renova site that would ideally provide the power and all the steam for the residential units, all the commercial, maybe a convention center and other users on that property.”

At last week’s meeting, Councilwoman Carrie Logan asked Grimm why the city, rather than a private company or a local economic group, should get involved in the project.

“Somebody needs to champion it, somebody needs to lead the charge … ,” Grimm said. “Somebody just has to present this and be the champion of it. So, no one else was stepping up, and I see this as a great opportunity for the city to create a utility, create long term revenue for the city, utilize a waste product and bring that property, that’s not currently on the tax roll, and put it on the tax roll.”

The grant application is due by Oct. 31.