City of Fresno, BitWise Announce Funding Update for “Fab 5” Water Conservation App

FRESNO, CA – The City of Fresno and BitWise Industries today announced that development of the water conservation application proposed by the 6th grade robotics team from Riverview Elementary School known as the “Fab 5” is now fully funded, thanks to a major donation by AT&T and support from Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin and the Fresno Chamber of Commerce.

“We were extremely impressed by their presentation – so much so that we immediately saw an opportunity for the City to turn their idea into reality while providing our residents with real information on their water usage,” said Mayor Swearengin. “These young men are truly inspiring and I’m so pleased that our community has stepped up to support their dream.”

Ken McNeely, President of AT&T California

The project design, development and launch are estimated to cost $51,000 with additional costs for maintenance and marketing to reach as much as $100,000. The City of Fresno provided the initial commitment to fund the project in the amount of $5,000 with the Fresno Chamber of Commerce adding $1,000. However, the big news was the announcement today that AT&T would become the Presenting Sponsor for the mobile app with a donation of $25,000. The total contributions secured to date total $51,000 with more donations expected in the coming days.

“At AT&T, we know technology can help businesses, governments, and individuals make smarter more efficient choices, even for conservation,” said Ken McNeely, President of AT&T California. “That’s why we’re proud to support the Fresno Fab 5 and the solution they have developed to help Fresno residents do their part in conserving water during this time of extreme drought in California.”

The announcement was made at BitWise Industries’ headquarters after the “Fab 5” presented to a group of potential donors gathered at the invitation of the Chamber, who will manage the donations. The team’s idea came out of a requirement from their entry in the FIRST LEGO League competition to identify a problem, develop an innovative solution, and share that solution with others. The “Fab 5,” coached by Kevin Murai, decided on a concept for a water conservation mobile app that could be used by City of Fresno water customers to keep track of consumption in real time.

BitWise Industries will design and maintain the mobile app, which is expected to be available to City of Fresno water customers within the next 120 days. The City’s Department of Public Utilities will be making an upgrade to its data base to accommodate the additional information load.