HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-01-26-SLC-min Town of Lexington
Sustainable Lexington Committee
Minutes of Meeting of January 26, 2016
A meeting of the Sustainable Lexington Committee (SLC) was held on January 26, 2016
at the Hadley Building. A quorum of five was present.
Members Present: Mark Sandeen, Chair
Marcia Gens, Dan Voss, Rick Reibstein, Todd Rhodes
Members Absent: None
Other Attendees: Greg O'Brien, Joe Pato, Anthony Clough
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm.
Solar Task Force Update (D. Voss)
• D. Voss provided an update on the Hartwell Solar Project. The Conservation
Commission has provided their approval. There are no additional non-ministerial
permits required.
• The design is now at 2.2MW of generation capacity and is projected to generate $16
million in revenue.
Massachusetts Solar Energy Letter (M. Sandeen)
• M. Sandeen presented a draft letter from the Massachusetts Climate Action Network
(MOAN) to be sent to the State Legislature to request that the State lift the net
metering caps.
• The committee voted unanimously to send an updated version of the letter
(customized to Lexington) to the Selectmen to request that they approve the letter and
send it to the State Legislature.
Better Buildings Task Force (M. Sandeen)
• There will be a GWAC presentation on Thursday to discuss the Getting to Net Zero
initiative that will be presented as a warrant article to Town Meeting. It will be
important to attend to help identify potential task force members.
• M. Sandeen presented a set of proposed warrant articles from the Planning Board.
The Board had requested that the SLC review the list of articles to see whether the
SLC would support the articles from a sustainability perspective. The committee will
review the articles and determine whether to recommend any articles to the Board of
Selectmen.
• M. Sandeen presented the 2030 Districts program. D. Voss will look at the program
in more detail to see if it fits with Lexington's efforts to improved energy efficiency
in the commercial sector.
• T. Rhodes provided an update on activities with Next Step Living. We did not get
selected for the National Grid Community Incentive, but will continue efforts to
encourage residents to sign up for Home Energy Assessments (HEAs), air sealing and
insulation improvements, and high-efficiency heating systems. Planned actions to
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promote HEAs include promoting "Celebrity HEAs"published in the local papers
and working with the Lexington High School GWAC club.
Climate Action Plan
• The committee discussed how best to go forward with the Sustainability Plan.
• T. Rhodes will update the plan and send to the committee to be reviewed at the next
committee meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm
Respectfully Submitted,
Todd Rhodes, Scribe
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