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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-11-30-SLC-min �RECEIVED 2022 22 Mair, &28 arn Sustainable Lexington Committee "Id'O W U E RK Minutes of Meeting of November 30, 2021 L.E X I N G'T"0 N M A meeting of the Sustainable Lexington Committee (SLC)was held by Zoom conference. A quorum of at least eight was present throughout. Members Present: Cindy Arens, Celis Brisbin, Paul Chernick, Archana Dayalu, Rick Reibstein, Todd Rhodes (vice-chair), Dan Voss (Chair), Charlie Wyman Members Absent: None Staff Present: Martha Duffield Other Attendees: Mark Sandeen (Select Board), Mary Hutton (Mothers Out Front), Ricki Pappo (LexCAN), Jeanne Krieger, Tanay Dalmia, Michelle Wu, Marlana Patton (Peregrine Energy) Marcia Gens, Nina Mascarenhas, Alex Tsouvalas, Lin Jensen, Sean Dugan, Paul Gromer(Peregrine Energy), Tina McBride The meeting was called to order at 6:05 pm by Dan. Dan referenced the opening statement requested by the Town Clerk, and all members present responded that they could hear. Approval of minutes. The draft minutes of September 28, 2021, were approved as written. Comments from residents; New business. Introductory statements were made by Alex, Nina, and Lin, all candidates for the open seat on the committee. Cindy noted that the Special Permit Residential Development Committee will be bringing a proposal to Town Meeting, and asked that it be added to the next meeting agenda. Community Choice Aggregation update. Paul Gromer explained that Eversource winter rates will be much higher than the town price, creating an opportunity to persuade residents still on Eversource basic service to switch to Community Choice. Marlana Patton described the options: tax bill insert, an ad in the Colonial Times and/or Lexington Minuteman, and targeted mailing to those still on basic service (about 1,500). We don't has addresses to send letters to those with competitor suppliers. Mark suggested that we seek to place a news story as well as an ad in any print media. The committee discussed a range of topics: what's the best timing; commercial also should be included, need for simplicity, Town logo to build trust; what about an opt-up? We will need a Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of November 30, 2021 decision in early December to hit an early January deadline. Dan asked if Paul Gromer and Marlana could take a first cut, and Paul Chernick, Cindy, Rick, and Charlie agreed to review ad copy and work on a story. Staff update on Town activities and Sustainability Officer position. Todd circulated a spreadsheet of Stella's projects, and the committee agreed what was most important is to make sure we're not losing anything on that list. Concern was expressed that any grant applications or requirements not be missed during the position's vacancy. It was noted that the spreadsheet is Stella's list, not a complete reflection of the responsibilities of the position. The question of the position of Sustainability Director being downgraded in title and salary was discussed at length; any action was put off until later in the meeting. Martha described that what was posted (Sustainability and Resilience Officer) was intended to be in line with other Officers in the Town Manager's office. Tomorrow is round 2 of the interviews. Update on discussions with Homeworks re: Home Energy Assessments and Heat Pumps. Ricki reported that in a meeting with a Homeworks representative it became clear that their staff had been telling homeowners during assessments that heat pumps alone are insufficient in New England's climate. The Homeworks rep was very responsive and explained that they have done a training with all of their people and have changed their message. Ricki noted the need for feedback on whether Homeworks is following through, and raised the possibility of a mailing to all the people they've met with. It was suggested that we wait to hear about the substantially increased rebates for heat pumps that are likely to be offered next year ($1 OK per home if sized to heating load). SustainabLY update, including status of the Climate Youth Forum planned for December 9th. Tanay reported that Dr King at the high school is one of those organizing the forum. Fifteen people have been invited, including Michelle Ciccolo. The committee was asked if we have anything we'd like to see brought up, and some discussion followed. Results of special town meeting. Congratulations were extended to Archana and Cindy on the successes of Articles 10 and 17. Jeanne and Mary both cautioned that a lot of work will be needed on the Article 10 referendum to educate the electorate, and emphasized the importance of getting out the vote. Rick noted his upcoming webinar on lessons from other jurisdictions, which suggest success hinges on extensive outreach and education. Procurement policy. There was some confusion on the status of the procurement policy. Mark noted that Stella had been saying it was pretty much done, she had taken feedback from the committee, run it by Liz Mancini, but had not made the progress she hoped with School Department. It's not clear the school department has looked at it yet. Where does it stand on the Town side? Martha will inquire as to where it stands, and whether Liz is willing to present it to the Select Board. 2. Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of November 30, 2021 Open committee position. We agreed that interested members will talk with candidates, answer their questions, and provide feedback. Update on BEU-D. The group working on the article has started outreach to businesses and commercial property owners,private schools, churches, and residential complexes. We need to get on a Select Board agenda to ask that the article be included in the warrant. It's been decided that some funding will be needed to administer the program, not a lot but some is needed to monitor ownership, collect data, and report it out. Private firms are available to do this,probably in the $50-100K range to get the program started. The committee agreed to hold a special meeting on the 14th in case it comes before the Select Board as early as the 20th. Update on EV school bus feasibilily project: Todd reported that language was added to the school bus bidding documents. The bidders conference is scheduled for Dec 10, with potential for funding from state recovery act funds. Sustainability Officer position. The committee returned to the issue of the downgrading of the title and salary of this position and debated how best to communicate its concerns. Rick proposed language, and after debate and collective wordsmithing, the committee voted unanimously to send the following to the Select Board and Town Manager: We are moved to write at this moment when the hiring of a replacement for the Sustainability Director is in process. We thank the Select Board for prioritizing sustainability as one of the top town goals. We are confident that the hiring process will result in a fully qualified candidate, but at this critical juncture we urge the hiring of someone who can lead and hit the ground running with the necessary experience to implement sustainability initiatives of every practicable kind. The world is facing a climate emergency and top-level support for concerted action is necessary. We strongly urge the consideration of accelerating progress in implementing every aspect of the Town's Sustainable Action Plan. The town will reap many benefits from full investment in this effort. We look forward to working with the next sustainability officer. Next Meeting: Sustainable Lexington will meet for a short, special meeting on December 14, 2021 at 6 pm to review the BEU-D warrant article language. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the committee will be at 6 pm on December 21. The committee voted to adjourn at 9:17 pm. Respectfully submitted, Charlie Wyman 3.