The City of Richmond is set to unveil the Nevin Resilience Hub, which will be used to provide relief to residents during periods of extreme heat.
On Thursday, Oct. 26, the city is inviting the community to join the official “power up” of the hub at Nevin Park in Richmond. The free event will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the park at Nevin Avenue and 6th Street. Refreshments will be provided.
“The hub is equipped with solar panels and power stations that can power appliances such as refrigerators to store medicine or provide electricity to power essential medical equipment or charge devices,” city officials said. “Additional features include retractable shade with misting tubes to help cool down residents during extreme heat.”
The PG&E Corporation Foundation’s Better Together Resilient Communities program (Better Together) and PG&E’s Resilience Hubs program funded the project.
The hub is set to locate in Nevin Park because the park is in a “high-priority heat vulnerability area,” as identified by the County and state, according to city officials.
“The Nevin Resilience Hub exemplifies our community’s spirit of innovation, collaboration, and, above all, care for one another,” Mayor Eduardo Martinez said in a statement. “As we power up this hub, we’re not just switching on the lights, but building a stronger and brighter future for Richmond. We are grateful to the dedicated partners who
have joined us in this project.”
The project also brought economic benefits to the community. The city partnered with Rebuilding Together East Bay-North to provide unsheltered residents with workforce development opportunities, including training and employment in construction, staffing and outreach related to the cooling structures. Also, GRID Alternatives Bay Area designed and supplied the solar technology to power and support the hub.
“With appreciation for the City of Richmond’s partnership, we’re proud to launch this PG&E climate resilience hub, which is a tangible and innovative step towards greater equity for our community’s most vulnerable,” said John-William Frye, executive director of Rebuilding Together East Bay-North.
