Title:
Grant Application - Air Quality Learning Station (AQLS)
Summary
ACTION:
A. Apply for, recognize, receive and appropriate up to $200,000, if awarded, from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Air Quality, to
construct an Air Quality Learning Station in Mecklenburg County
B. Authorize the carrying forward of unspent grant funds to subsequent years until completion of the project
Staff Contact: Leslie Rhodes, Director, LUESA-Air Quality
Presentation: No
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
Mecklenburg County Air Quality (MCAQ) is requesting approval to partner with the North Carolina Division of Air Quality (NCDAQ) to design and construct an Air Quality Learning Station (AQLS) in Mecklenburg County. NCDAQ will provide up to $200,000 for project activities to include working with vendors to procure, install, and test all equipment and technology required to operate the AQLS, and developing public engagement and school resources to compliment the AQLS.
Years of successful education and outreach programming have shown the hardest part of engaging the public with air quality issues is that air pollution is often invisible. This project will help make air pollution and air monitoring more visible and relevant to the public. The project will create and install a publicly-accessible air quality sensor station used for education and outreach purposes. Helping community members ‘become the scientists’ and better understand air quality issues is a critical step when asking them to actively participate in improving air quality.
This project aligns with Mecklenburg County’s Strategic Business Plan. The County Strategic Business Plan identifies fostering access to information resources for all residents and visitors in our community (County Goal Area 2.) The Land Use and Environmental Services Agency (LUESA) Strategic Business Plan supports a comprehensive air monitoring network within Mecklenburg County (LUESA Goal 3, ...
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