HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-11-27-SLC-minTown of Lexington
Sustainable Lexington Committee
Minutes of Meeting of November 27, 2012
A meeting of the Sustainable Lexington Committee (SLC) was held on November 27,
2012 at Cary Hall. A quorum of five was present.
Members Present: Mark Sandeen, Chair
Rick Abrams, Ken Moraff, Todd Rhodes, Dan Voss
Members Absent: Rick Reibstein
Other Attendees: George Burnell
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm.
• The minutes from the June, 212012 and the September 4, 2012 meetings were
approved.
• Mr. Abrams provided an update of the status of Next Step Living (NSL) activities.
NSL is beginning a new initiative to promote the residential installation of heat
pumps. The committee agreed to allow NSL to use the Sustainable Lexington
Committee name in its promotion of heat pumps.
• Mr. Sandeen summarized the results of the meeting that he and Mr. Abrams had with
WegoWise. The company has an application that allows the user to access NSTAR,
National Grid, and water usage. The user can then track usage based on the
benchmark levels. Mr. Sandeen tested the application and recommended that it wasn't
currently an approach that the committee should promote.
• Mr. Rhodes provided an update on efforts to run an environmental audit day for
commercial businesses in the center of town. The event had been tentatively planned
for October/November. Mr. Rhodes will follow up with Melissa Tintocalis, Economic
Development Director, to reschedule the event. Mr. Burnell recommended that the
committee also coordinate with: Economic Development Committee, Center
Committee, Chamber of Commerce, Merchants Association, Hartwell Avenue
Association.
• Mr. Rhodes identified that there has been no progress on the initiative to install rain
gardens on the bikeway to address spot flooding. He will follow up with John
Livesey.
• Mr. Voss provided an update on the Solar Energy Task Force:
o The Task Force is assessing the potential for placing solar panels on public
structures — specifically the DPW building, Harrington Elementary, Clarke
Middle School, Lexington High School, and the Hartwell Compost Facility.
The Hartwell facility is projected to be able to support a 3MW system and the
other sites are projected to support 2.4MW, in total.
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o The Task Force plans to prepare a Selectmen's warrant article for Town
Meeting in April. The Task Force is working to prepare the warrant now and
plans to have RFPs in place prior to Town Meeting.
o Mr. Burnell recommended that the Task Force contact Pat Goddard to have
him assist in developing the warrant article.
o The Task Force is working with The Cadmus Group, Inc. to evaluate the
technical and financial feasibility of the solar energy opportunity.
• Mr. Sandeen describe several upcoming events:
o On Saturday (12/l/2012), there will be a meeting with Massachusetts
legislators to discuss sustainability initiatives.
o GWAC is planning a meeting at Cary Hall on January 13, 2013 to present
"It's high time for solutions" and discuss what the town can do to address
global warming. The committee agreed to co- sponsor the event.
o The League of Women Voters will facilitate a discussion on February 26,
2013 to address what Lexington can do, individually and collectively, to
address global warming.
Mr. Sandeen identified that there is an initiative to prepare a climate change plan for
the town of Lexington. Mr. Moraff will contact Kay Tiffany to coordinate activities
on this effort.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm
Respectfully Submitted,
Todd Rhodes, Scribe
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