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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-03-21-SLC-minSustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of Meeting of March 21 , 2023 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 (chair), Celis Brisbin, Paul Chernick, Lin Jensen, Andy Joynt, Rick Reibstein, Todd Rhodes (vice-chair), Dan Voss, Charlie Wyman Members Absent: Staff Present: Maggie Peard Other Attendees: Joe Pato (Select Board), Mark Sandeen (Select Board), Atreyi Basu (SustainabLY), Jon Himmel (PBC Chair), Mike Cronin (Public Facilities), Mark Barrett, Lisa Giersbach, Wendy Krum, Charles Favazzo, Fred Merrill, Charles Hornig, Ricki Pappo, Deepika Sawhney, Mehul Mehta, Phil Coleman, Tina McBride, Nancy Sofen, Michael Boudett, Alisa Santos, David Kanter, Marcia Gens, Gerry Yurkevich, Tom Shiple The meeting was called to order at 6:02 pm. Cindy referenced the opening statement requested by the Town Clerk and all members present responded that they could hear. Comments from residents; emails to committee mailbox; new business. Lin introduced Deepika Sawhney, who explained that the sand-and-gravel operation in Burlington along Adams Street at the town line has changed hands and a permit granted for a Ready Mix concrete plant. Neighbors are concerned about trash along Butterfield Pond, screening, and water quality, and are eager to obtain baseline water quality data before the spring flush of fertilizers in Vine Brook masks any longer term trends. Mehul Mehta, a neighbor, also provided background and expressed neighborhood concerns. Lin offered to follow up with 2-3 members of Sustainable Lexington to explore what advice could be offered, particularly with regards to assistance with water quality testing. Joint meeting with Permanent Building Committee to review and approve proposed Integrated Building Construction and Design Policy update. Jon Himmel called a meeting of the Permanent Building Committee to order. Todd shared his screen and walked everyone through the three documents, noting the most recent proposed changes: the amended Integrated Building Design and Construction Policy, the amended Attachment A (the Goals Checklist), and a new .1 Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of March 21, 2023 Attachment B (sample feasibility phase work plan). Jon Himmel explained that Exhibit B is a sample work plan intended to be given to design teams for guidance in putting together a work plan that adheres to the policy. There was discussion about modifying the attachment to be fillable and applicable to any project, as opposed to providing an example from the high school project. It was moved, seconded, and unanimously voted to approve these three documents for inclusion in the high school bid solicitations and for forwarding to the School Committee and Select Board for final approval (8-0, Rick having had to leave prior). The Permanent Building Committee then moved, seconded and voted to approve an identical motion. SustainabLY update. Atreyi reported that Maggie held a focus group with SustainabLY on the climate action plan. Work on the library materials continues. Approval of past meeting minutes. The draft minutes of February 28, 2023, were approved as written. Committee email. Todd reported an email inquiring whether the Sustainable Lexington Committee would be reviewing plans for the Pine Meadows renovation. Mike Cronin reported that solar is being considered for the clubhouse and maintenance shed and for parking lot canopies. Sustainability & Resilience Officer updates. Maggie reported: Waste Reduction Task Force update. The Task Force is looking into how sign-ups will work for the compost pilot program and how to advertise the program. A wait list will be compiled. Town Meeting. Article 26 (the specialized stretch code) was adopted. Cindy served notice of reconsideration in case new regulations from the state on the ten-community pilot project are issued before the end of Town Meeting and require a revision to the Article 26 motion. Charlie mentioned that Article 28 (extending the lookback period under the Tree Bylaw to three years) passed overwhelmingly. Joe noted that several speakers mentioned that if we need to do more to protect Lexington trees, we should. Maggie reported that Town staff held a listening session with landscapers on how to apply the $75,000 Michelle Ciccolo secured to help with the noise bylaw transition to electric blowers. The conclusion was that the Town will purchase a blower and battery for every landscaper with a substantial client base in Lexington, plus a few larger backpack blowers that landscapers can sign out from DPW. Mark reported that Michelle is willing to seek additional funding if the program is a success. .2 Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of March 21, 2023 Maggie noted that the Town has received a Green Communities grant for $50K for LED indoor lighting at the high school and Harrington. ATM 2023 - Artificial Turf - working group with Recreation and Health. Cindy reported that several departments have been attending working group meetings to explore concerns about artificial turf fields. Cindy, Todd, and Lin attended the community meeting. There is a set of draft bid specs and some improvements were made in the language around disclosure of chemicals in the turf. Cindy commented that it looks like it is going well but details have not been finalized yet, nor has the possibility of a statement from the working group. Lin and Todd shared their perspectives. One focus is on the infill; there are some natural infill fields around (including Minuteman Tech) with the jury still out on performance. The Recreation Committee has been asked to continue the working group until the bid specs are finalized and sent out. Lin noted that the Recreation Committee is now more aware of the amount of concern about artificial turf, making additional fields hopefully less likely. Discussion about clarification of process for SLC to provide input for future Community Choice Aggregation (or other related) re-negotiations. Disappointment was expressed that the committee was not consulted by the Select Board before the renegotiation extending our Community Choice contract. After some discussion, it was moved seconded and voted unanimously that Cindy is authorized to communicate the following points to the Select Board and Town Manager in consultation with Todd, Paul, and Dan: •Since the merger of the Energy Committee and the SLC, the SLC charter has included the role to review and advise on the energy procurement process. •In 2022, the committee had the opportunity to provide advice on changes to the Town’s electricity procurement contract and several recommendations were adopted. •In 2023, the committee was not consulted on changes. •While time is often limited when such changes are made, we encourage the Town Manager and Select Board members to keep SLC in the loop so that we have an opportunity to fulfill this important aspect of our charter and to provide the town with the benefit of the committee’s expertise. •We look forward to working with the Town Manager and Select Board to clarify the process so that SLC can provide advice in a timely manner when future opportunities to revise the contracts arise. Consider a statement on smaller, denser housing. Cindy asked if we want to make a general statement about the zoning articles coming before Town Meeting. Some discussion followed about the need for such a statement, whether to comment on specific articles, and other matters. After further discussion, it was moved, seconded, and voted unanimously to authorize Cindy to express, if and when she feels appropriate, the following as the comments of the Sustainable Lexington Committee: .3 Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of March 21, 2023 The zoning articles before Town Meeting have many complex factors and the Sustainable Lexington Committee has chosen not to take a position on any article. In considering those articles, Town Meeting may find the Sustainable Lexington Committee’s perspective helpful. While many aspects and impacts of the proposed zoning changes are not within SLC’s purview, generally speaking, smaller housing and denser housing in walkable/transit- oriented locations are valuable steps towards a more sustainable future. Such housing generally uses less energy in buildings and transportation than larger or less dense housing located farther from retail and other destinations. In addition, the Sustainable Lexington Committee must emphasize that an essential step towards our zero emissions, public health, and equity goals is to build housing that is highly energy-efficient, more resilient and not dependent on burning fossil fuels. Networked Geothermal. Andy reported that he and Ken Karnofsky have continued their outreach but without feedback yet, including a sample feasibility study they’ve requested and a conversation with the sustainability coordinator in Framingham. They may reach out directly to Eversource regarding the pilot project. ATM 2023 - Police Station Solar. Dan reported that the meeting with abutters was very informative. The key takeaway was that some folks were finding out about the canopy late in the process and are upset about the lack of notice and opportunity to comment. Dan noted that the better process, for many reasons, is to incorporate solar package into the base design of a building, not adding it later. Several options were discussed at the meeting with abutters, and the end result seems to be that the Town will convene a small working group to review what has been done, aiming for a public meeting on April 4. The Historic District Commission will be meeting on the 6th and we expect them to vote on the design. Town Meeting will be voting on the article on the 12th. SLC’s statement on the canopy will be posted to the ATM website for that article. Next Meeting: The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Sustainable Lexington Committee will be held at 6 pm on April 25, 2023, and will be held as a hybrid meeting with the in-person component in the Hudson Room in Cary Memorial Building. The committee voted to adjourn at 8:46 pm. Respectfully submitted, Charlie Wyman .4