HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-10-29-SLC-min Town of Lexington
Sustainable Lexington Committee
Minutes of Meeting of October 29, 2015
A meeting of the Sustainable Lexington Committee (SLC) was held on October 29, 2015
at the Hadley Building. A quorum of four was present.
Members Present: Mark Sandeen, Chair
Marcia Gens, Dan Voss, Rick Reibstein, Todd Rhodes
Members Absent: None
Other Attendees: Greg O'Brien, Anthony Clough
The meeting was called to order at 7:10 pm.
Solar Task Force Update (M.Sandeen)
• 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 (D. Voss)
• D. Voss reported on a meeting with the Permanent Buildings Committee (PBC) and
development groups (Architects) held yesterday to discuss the process for developing
more sustainable/resilient buildings regarding Diamond, Clarke, and Hastings. There
was discussion regarding the benefits of focusing on new construction vs.
refurbishment projects.
• M. Sandeen identified that the architects agreed that 30% improved energy efficiency
can be achieved without added cost. There was pushback on improving indoor air
quality by improving ventilation due to the potential annual cost of$4,000 for
running the HVAC system to meet needed air exchanges. The cost would be an
addition of about 1%to 3% of the energy cost.
• D. Voss recommended that solar on Diamond be revisited as part of this effort. It
would help to cover any additional cost. He also presented an approach to present a
set of scenarios that present capital costs and associated performance outcomes
(lifecycle operating costs, health outcomes, number of classrooms, resilience score,
etc.) for different systems.
• M. Sandeen discussed the "Getting to Net Zero" event run by Lexington GWAC. The
program provided an overview of the effort by the City of Cambridge to get its
buildings to Net Zero. Mothers Out Front has requested that Sustainable Lexington
submit a warrant article to Town Meeting to request that new buildings that require a
special permit (i.e., mostly commercial) in Lexington follow the "Getting to Net
Zero"process. The warrant article could include a requirement that commercial
building owners report their energy consumption to the Town to support tracking and
improvement programs.
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Food and Schools (M. Gans)
• A pilot program has been approved by the Superintendent in concept. It is in the
hands of the Facilities Department. There are three schools in the pilot and have the
support of all PTAs. They still need to fund the project.
Natural Gas Leaks (M. Sandeen)
• Sustainable Lexington will request a meeting with the Board of Selectman to present
background and recommendations related to natural gas leaks in town. The committee
will coordinate with Mothers Out Front. The recommendations include the inclusion
of gas leaks in Lexington its plans, require the utilities to provide information about
leaks, and prepare plans to resolve the leaks.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm
Respectfully Submitted,
Todd Rhodes, Scribe
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