HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Comment LLoyd trancleantech
INSTITUTE
September 13, 2011
Robert A. Brady
City Manager
City of Lake Elsinore
130 South Main Street
Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
Clean Tech Institute
NASA Research Park
Building 19 -1076, Moffett Field, CA 94035
11258 Monarch Street, Unit O and P
Garden Grove, CA 92841
Tel. 800 -567 -8184 Fax 877 - 836 -6266
http://www.cleantechinstitute.org
Re: Lake Elsinore Cleantech Innovation Cluster Proposal
The Cleantech Institute, Inc. and International Green Technology Institute (Cleantech Team)
hereby propose to establish a Cleantech Innovation Cluster (Cleantech Cluster), a
public /private /non - profit partnership to foster the economic development and to create green jobs
in the City of Lake Elsinore.
The minutes of the Redevelopment Agency Meeting on August 31 indicated that the
Redevelopment Agency would consider the termination of the $2.6 million EDA grant from the
US Department of Commerce, due to the lack of matching funding resources from the City.
As a resident of Lake Elsinore I am concerned about the consequence of terminating the EDA
grant, while our city is in urgent need of federal funding support to create jobs for the
community. Abandoning the $2.6 million EDA grant would have a profound negative impact on
our city in losing future federal funding opportunities not only from the Department of
Commerce, but also from other federal agencies.
We had an opportunity to talk with Mr. Wilfred Marshall from the EDA after our meeting, who
was prepared to give an extension to September 16 for the City to work with us in developing a
revised proposal to the EDA.
After having had an opportunity to review the Lake Elsinore EDA Grant Application dated
October 2007, we respectfully recommend to the City Council to modify the Scope of Works of
EDA grant, awarded to the City in 2007 in order to continue the grant funding project.
The 2007 grant application called for the City of Lake Elsinore to invest $3,504,854 in addition
to $2.6 million from the EDA to build a 12,000 sf office building for the Business Incubator to
create a total of 109 jobs over the next 9 years.
Our proposal would save the City the $2.6 million cash which we understand is no longer made
available from the Redevelopment Agency. Instead of constructing a new building with the cost
of exceeding $6 million in the recession economy with- 7 my vacant but gs vailable in the
real estate market, our proposal would call for a loin term lease of a 40,000 sf uiIdiiig that
would house a business incubator, and manufacturingra6lity I'm young enterprises that will
brings jobs to our community.
The Cleantech Innovation Cluster, established in Silicon Valley is comprised to 2 main
functions: Cleantech Incubator and Cleantech Green Manufacturing.
The Cleantech Business Incubator will provide general business start-up support as well as
training a new generation of green collar workforce in the fast growing areas of solar, wind
energy and electric vehicle industry. The Incubator will help nurture eco- entrepreneurs to
become the economic engine to create jobs in their communities. The Incubator program will
also help returning veterans as well as other unemployed workers to repower and rebuild our
cities.
The Cleantech Green Manufacturing will provide subsidized light manufacturing facility to
young enterprises in order to relocate their business and keep them stay in Lake Elsinore. So far,
we are pleased that 2 companies having expressed their interest to relocate a portion of their
technical support and assembly to Lake Elsinore, given a subsidized manufacturing space:
1 Amptran Motor Company, an electric vehicle and lithium air battery production assembly
facility; and
2 Illumineering Science, LED light manufacturing company
Our industry partners have expressed their interest to provide the needed $2.6 million leverage
resources and matching fund for the EDA grant.
By combining the Business Incubator and the Green Manufacturing Facility, we anticipate that
the Cleantech Cluster would create 159 jobs for the community over the next 9 years.
In order to jumpstart and finance the establishment of the Cleantech Cluster, we recommend the
Lake Elsinore City Council to take the following actions:
1. Authorizes the modification of the EDA Grant of $2.6 million for a long term lease of a
vacant building in the city as well as for tenant improvement, including solar and wind
application.
2. Establish a EDA Grant Committee consisting of the City Manager, a representative from
the Redevelopment Agency, a representative from the Lake Elsinore Chamber of
Commerce, Lloyd Tran from the Clean Tech Institute and Les Hamasaki from the
International Green Technology Institute
3. The Committee is authorized to find and to negotiate a long term lease agreement for a
40,000 sf building facility in Lake Elsinore.
4. Support and incentivize Veteran employee salaries from available training grant
programs;
5. Support Public Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing programs to encourage energy
efficiency and solar power generation for residential and commercial buildings.
As a new resident of Lake Elsinore, I (Les Hamasaki) would encourage the City leaders and
stakeholders to envision Lake Elsinore as the city with a green future.
If you have any questions, please contact Lloyd Tran at 714 - 892 -6266 or Les Hamasaki at 323-
350 -5750.
We look forward to working with you for the benefits of our community in Lake Elsinore.
Sincerely.
Lloyd L. Tran
Managing Director
Clean Tech Institute
de-6 %swadaof 6
Les Hamasaki
President and CEO
International Green Technology Institute