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The City of Richmond would like to recognize the hard work and impact Lucy Mellen has had on our community as Heat Relief Coordinator. Lucy was instrumental in creating and implementing Richmond's Beat the Heat program.

Beat the Heat is a two-year, grant-funded initiative created by the Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute and funded by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, Reid Health, and the City of Richmond. Through this program, the City of Richmond is tackling the health repercussions brought about by extreme heat.

In her role, Lucy collected community input on the ways heat affects the lives of residents and collected data on the hottest and coolest places in Richmond. Using this information, a Heat Management Plan was created for Richmond that plans for both short and long-term responses to extreme heat. Working with community partners, such as the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency, they streamlined processes for responding to extreme heat events.

In addition, she was a part of the Climate Action Plan drafting team and her work with Beat the Heat helped ensure that the plan addressed urban heat islands and increased tree canopies.

“Lucy did a tremendous job for our city, “said Richmond Mayor Dave Snow. “Her work on the Heat Management Plan and Climate Action Plan is invaluable to help us be better prepared for extreme weather events in the future.”

Grayson Hart, GIS Coordinator at the City of Richmond and Lucy's supervisor said, “Not only did Lucy’s hard work and dedication benefit Richmond, but through the Beat the Heat program, her impact will go on to benefit other cities in Indiana and beyond to help them govern and manage for worsening extreme heat. We will miss her energy and passion for helping others.”

“I'm proud of the work we've done together to address climate resilience in Richmond, “Lucy said. “I’m so grateful for the support the program received from community members and local stakeholders. Thanks to their participation, Beat the Heat will continue to have a lasting impact on the community.”

The City of Richmond is looking forward to continuing its work with the Beat the Heat program and finding innovative solutions to reduce extreme heat's public health impacts.