HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-09-22-SLC-min Town of Lexington
Sustainable Lexington Committee
Minutes of Meeting of September 22, 2015
A meeting of the Sustainable Lexington Committee (SLC) was held on September 22,
2015 at the Hadley Building. A quorum of four was present.
Members Present: Mark Sandeen, Chair
Marcia Gens, Dan Voss, Todd Rhodes
Members Absent: Sheryl Rosner, Rick Reibstein
Other Attendees: Joe Pato, Greg O'Brien, Anthony Clough
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm.
Solar Task Force Update (M. Voss)
• D. Voss provided an update on the Hartwell Solar installation project. The team is
currently working to resolve engineering issues related to the installation.
Better Buildings Task Force (M. Sandeen)
• M. Sandeen, D. Voss and J. Pato attended a meeting to discuss building standards
with the team (i.e., architect and sub-contractors)working on the design of the new
buildings in town. The goal is to establish a process to consider and implement
sustainable elements of the design.
Sustainability Plan (M. Sandeen)
• M. Sandeen recommended that we update the Sustainability Plan/Framework to
present to the Board of Selectmen. It could be included as part of the involvement
with the Compact of Mayors.
• The committee discussed updating the plan by mid-November with the goal of
presenting the plan to the Board of Selectmen. The committee discussed the need to
reach out to other committees to get alignment on goals and objectives for a few of
the sectors in the plan where there is the most activity.
Food and Schools (M. Gans)
• M. Gans presented a request for support for a program to recycle food waste at the
town elementary schools. Potential vendors include Bootstrap and Black Earth. The
program would cost about $1,000 to $1,500 per year per school. The committee
discussed options for how best to promote the program to get a pilot effort started.
Natural Gas Leaks (M. Sandeen)
• J. Pato initiated a discussion of natural gas leaks in Lexington. The infrastructure in
Lexington is old and reports of leaks are common. In addition to the danger
associated with these leaks, they present a significant impact on the release of
methane. M. Sandeen identified that methane leaks account for about 10% of the
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town's CO2e emissions (burning of natural gas accounts for about 12% of the town's
emissions). M. Sandeen recommended:
o That we include methane leaks in our baseline of emissions as part of Green
Communities
o Encourage residents to report leaks (not all leaks are on the maps)
o Charge National Grid for damage to street trees (and maybe the cost of GHG
emissions)
o Reach out to the Tree Committee to get their support.
o National Grid is required to provide maps of known leaks and infrastructure
profiles (type of pipe, age, etc.) and get data of methane loss in Lexington.
o Send letter to the Governor and legislators about the issue re: safety,
environmental impact, cost to rate payers of leaks, etc.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm
Respectfully Submitted,
Todd Rhodes, Scribe
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