HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-08-22-SLC-minSustainable Lexington Committee
Minutes of Meeting of August 22, 2023
A meeting of the Sustainable Lexington Committee (SLC) was held by Zoom conference. A
quorum of at least six was present throughout.
Members Present: Cindy Arens (chair), Celis Brisbin, Paul Chernick, Lin Jensen, Andy
Joynt, Rick Reibstein, Todd Rhodes (vice-chair), Charlie Wyman
Members Absent: Dan Voss
Staff Present: Maggie Peard
Other Attendees: Marlana Patton and Paul Gromer (Peregrine Energy Group), Mark
Sandeen (Select Board), Tina McBride, Ricki Pappo (LexCAN),
Charles Hornig (Planning Board), Gerry Yurkevich, Jeanne Krieger,
Betty Gau (Bicycle Advisory Committee), Cynthia Pfeiffer
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.
Approval of minutes. The draft minutes of June 22 and August 8 were approved unanimously as
written, except that the date on the first page of the June 22 minutes needs to be changed from
May 23.
Comments from residents; emails to committee mailbox; new business. Ricki asked about the
committee’s role in the Planning Board’s review and adoption of its regulations, to which
Charles responded that the committee’s comments are always welcome. Todd said a few emails
had come to the committee’s address and he forwarded them on to the appropriate parties. Cindy
is drafting our annual report and Todd took a screen shot for our photo.
Community Choice Aggregation update. Paul Gromer and Marlana Patton of Peregrine Energy
Group walked the committee through the community choice aggregation numbers, showing
trends (and offering likely explanations) for numbers of accounts and usage in different
categories. A considerable amount of discussion followed, including examination of the trends;
what other communities are doing in terms of options offered and how they increase
participation in the greener options; pricing trends and changes in the electricity market; DPU’s
role in approving programs and the desire for them to act faster, provide more latitude to local
programs, and make it easier to provide low-income residents with access to low income solar
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Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of August 22, 2023
benefits. Peregrine will help Maggie determine some outreach to help increase the number of
small businesses on CCA.
Lexington EV adoption and vehicle emissions. Mark Sandeen presented charts showing that
Lexington is #1 in the state in adoption of electric vehicles per capita and #4 in total numbers,
but also ranks high in vehicle miles driven, resulting in slightly increasing emissions. He
suggested the key challenge for the town is less about increasing the number of EVs (which we
should continue to do) but reducing vehicle miles driven. Some discussion followed, focusing on
the importance of a system of well-connected, safe bike lanes and a functioning, reliable public
transport system.
Discussion of SLC 2-year priority goals for Select Board. Cindy explained that the Select Board
is planning a facilitated meeting of committee chairs on Sept. 11 to help identify two-year
priority goals for Select Board consideration. She shared some suggested goals and members of
the committee provided feedback, including others that might be added to the list including:
environmental purchasing policy, artificial turf policy, improvement of existing buildings,
facilitating more solar throughout town, urban forest master plan, and strong implementation of
the FFF pilot. Maggie pointed out that many of these are in the draft Climate Action and
Resilience Plan, and a commitment to implement that plan (and the Zero Waste Plan) would go a
long way.
Sustainability & Resilience Officer discussion and updates. Maggie reported:
•She is presenting to the Select Board on the Resolution Framework (operationalizing the
town’s equity and inclusion and climate resolutions) on Sept. 6.
•The public comment period on the Climate Action and Resilience Plan has closed, and she is
working with KLA to finalize the plan by the end of the month and is preparing an
implementation strategy.
•Andy and Ricki are working with Maggie on a LexElectrify campaign with a number of
activities this fall, including a new one-stop electrification page on the website adapted from
a checklist developed by Green Newton. The official launch is at the Sept. 12 LexCAN
meeting, with a grander launch at the energy fair on October 28. Andy is working on a slide
show for presentation to community groups and asked for help identifying candidates.
•Maggie has had a couple of meetings with Homeworks Energy to discuss improvements they
could make to better coordinate with town programs.
•The Fossil Fuel Free Pilot application was submitted August 8; no news yet.
•The compost pilot is going well. Robert Beaudoin reports that the town sent 85 fewer tons of
waste to the incinerator this July compared with a year ago. Together with those still paying
Black Earth, there are now 2600 households participating. Options for encouraging greater
participation, including reduced rates as numbers grow, are being explored. A key is to get
the cost into the operating budget, as the pilot was funded with ARPA funds.
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Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of August 22, 2023
•Maggie reported that NEEP got a grant from the MA Clean Energy Center to do feasibility
studies in 10-12 communities for networked geothermal opportunities. There is a working
group including her, Ken, Andy, Mark, and Economic Development and Engineering staff
looking at sites in town we might want to propose in an application.
Police Station Solar+Storage. Todd reported that Mike Cronin and the architect presented to the
Historic Districts Commission and the Select Board about some tweaks to the earlier design
being considered.
High School Project. Cindy reported that the School Building Committee, of which Dan is a
member, met last week; with the assistance of consultants they are in the process of selecting a
designer. The updated Integrated Building Design and Construction Policy, which has been
approved by the Select Board and will go before the School Committee on the 29th, will help
guide the design. A meeting of SLC and Permanent Building Committee members will provide
guidance on the application of the IBDCP. A brief discussion followed, including mention of the
importance of batteries not only for resilience but especially for maximizing the use of
renewables and the financial benefit; and the question of whether the school will be entirely new
construction or whether some renovation of existing structures will be incorporated (MSBA will
tell us which option they will fund).
Turf working group. Cindy reported that the working group meets next on September 8. Specs
are being assembled, and it seems likely they will require BrockFILL (a natural wood fill) in
field renovation. Questions remain about disclosure of waste and PFAS.
Next Meeting: The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Sustainable Lexington Committee
will be held at 6 pm on September 26, 2023.
The committee voted to adjourn at 9:02 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Charlie Wyman
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