Sierra Pacific Power is awarding a $10,000 energy efficiency grant to the Community Chest in Virginia City, a nonprofit agency that provides a variety of counseling, early childhood education and community development programs in Storey County.

Mary Simmons, vice president of external affairs for Sierra Pacific, will present a check for the grant to the Community Chest Executive Director Shaun Griffin during the Storey County Commission meeting in Virginia City today.

The grant will be used to rebuild the roof and install insulation in the attic of the Community Chest's Comstock era building at 991 S. C Street in Virginia City. The historic building was one of the few to survive the Virginia City fire of 1875 that destroyed much of the town, according to Griffin.

 Ã¢â‚¬Å“We're elated. This will really help us,” Griffin said of the grant. “This will probably help decrease our energy bill by 10 percent.”

When completed, the improvements are expected to help the agency save approximately $1,100 on its annual energy bill, according to Larry Rackley, project manager for energy efficiency programs at Sierra Pacific. He said the purpose of the grant program is to help nonprofit groups better manage their utility costs and to help reduce the total amount of energy Sierra Pacific needs to produce at its power plants or purchase from other energy suppliers. 

The Community Chest operates a thrift shop on the ground floor of the building, and the remaining floors of the 3-story building are using for meeting space and offices.

In 2004, Sierra Pacific Power awarded more than $75,000 in grants to 16 nonprofit organizations in northern Nevada to fund energy efficiency improvements at the agencies' facilities. Approximately $100,000 in grant funding is expected to be awarded in northern Nevada in 2005.