HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-11-26-SLC-min Town of Lexington
Sustainable Lexington Committee
Minutes of Meeting of November 26, 2019
A meeting of the Sustainable Lexington Committee (SLC) was held in in the Hudson Room of
Cary Hall. A quorum of seven was present.
Members Present: Cindy Arens, Paul Chernick, Marcia Gens, Rick Reibstein, Todd
Rhodes (vice-chair), Dan Voss (chair), Charlie Wyman
Members Absent: Celis Brisbin
Other Attendees: Mary Hutton, Archana Dayalu, Leah Rapperport (Solar Five), Mark
Sandeen (for first item only)
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm.
I. Opportunity for the Town to install a Two-Way Vehicle to Grid EV Charging Station.
Mark explained that Eversource has the highest peak demand charges in the country (which is a
main reason we're putting storage in municipal and school buildings, as shaving the peak offers
significant cost savings). Fermata Energy has developed a two-way electric charging station that
allows a building to draw on the car battery to lower its peak. Fermata is a start-up, looking for
case studies to help market its product, and has offered to give the town a charging station and to
cover the monthly lease payment on a Nissan Leaf for two years. The town would be responsible
for installation of the station and all other charges associated with the Nissan lease.
The Town Manager is potentially interested and has asked someone to vet the proposal, and
Mark asked that Sustainable Lexington do it. Some discussion followed about where the station
might be installed (schools? DPW?); different buildings are on different utility rates, which has
ramifications for savings. It was agreed that our energy folks (Dan, Paul) would review the
details and we will discuss again (perhaps with a Fermata rep present) at the December meeting.
2. Minutes. The draft minutes of October 29, 2019, were approved as written.
3. New business: GWAC engagement with SL. Todd reported that Ricki Pappo has
proposed some kind of a relationship between GWAC and Sustainable Lexington that
encourages coordination and partnership on matters of mutual interest. Considerable discussion
followed regarding what that relationship might look like, and any limitations that our role as a
Selectmen's advisory committee places on any formal collaboration with others. Dan noted that
Mark, when he served as chair, played an invaluable role in communicating with other groups
(GWAC, Mothers Out Front,the League of Women Voters, etc.) and in bringing that
information to committee discussions. Marcia agreed to discuss this more with Ricki, and it was
agreed that we would welcome a GWAC member at our meetings.
Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of November 26, 2019
4. Review outputs from First Friday (Nov 1) —League of Women Voters. Attendees agreed
that it was a useful event, people were engaged, and the format worked well—lots of informal
conversations and teaching moments took place at each sector display. Thanks to Cindy for
compiling the additional ideas and votes people offered at the event, and to Todd for compiling
the votes into a spreadsheet. It was agreed that we would post this to our website. Sector teams
will weigh feedback from the event as they think about priorities for action.
This led to a discussion about our reports to the Selectmen, and whether we should offer or
encourage any articles for the annual Town Meeting in March. It was agreed that each sector
team will consider feedback from the event, along with other information, and decide whether to
propose any warrant articles for Town Meeting, and will share its conclusions prior to meeting
again on Wed., December 11, to discuss possible warrant articles.
5. Update on meeting of the Energy/Building Sector Teams with Paul Gromer (Peregrine
Energy) to initiate the update to the Net Zero analysis. Todd reported that he met the previous
evening with Paul Gromer of Peregrine Energy, who has the contract do update the net zero
inventory. Paul will do as much as he can with available data and then meet with the committee
in January or February to report his progress and discuss what more might be useful to do.
6. Review of state legislative priorities. Charlie presented his and Rick's draft of a statement
of legislative priorities that can be communicated to the Selectmen and which can also guide the
committee when weighing future requests for recommendations on specific bills. He pointed out
the division of priorities into first and second tiers, reflecting a desire to place an emphasis on
measures that would result in economy-wide reductions in emissions. Some discussion followed
about our lack of mastery of the details of every bill, and the preamble to the list of bills was
modified accordingly, after which the statement was adopted by the committee.
7. New business (part 2): Toxics Use Reduction Task Force. Rick explained his concern
about toxics in artificial turf and the lack of truly independent testing, and subsequent
discussions about this with the Board of Health staff. This led him to think that an ongoing toxics
task force would be useful that would include participation by both town staff and town residents
with relevant expertise. After further discussion, it was voted to create a Toxics Use Reduction
Task Force, chaired by Rick. Rick will put together a proposal to the Selectmen to endorse the
task force's creation and approve town staff participation, which he will discuss with Joe and we
will review at the Dec. 17 meeting.
8. Schedule meeting with the Energy Sector Team to plan for the solar canopy warrant
article. It was agreed that the proposed amendment to the zoning by-law to remove restrictions
on solar installations should be limited this year to canopies on commercial lots. The energy
sector team (Dan/Paul/Celis) will consult with Joe. Discussion followed about the Historic
Districts Commission, as many of the parking lots affected are in the HDC's jurisdiction. It was
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Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of November 26, 2019
noted that some conversation with the HDC prior to Town Meeting would be prudent to obtain
their support or at least lack of objection.
9. Guests. Ms. Dayalu had departed (Dan explained why she had attended, and will follow
up with her). Ms. Rapperport introduced herself and described Solar Five, the company she
works for, and their interest in Sustainable Lexington's work. She shared a couple of thoughts
about the solar canopies issue, and offered that an opportunity for green businesses to meet and
share their ideas would be useful, especially if done in collaboration with the Chamber of
Commerce. Ms. Hutton explained that she was there on behalf of Mothers Out Front and would
be attending regularly, and was welcomed.
Next Meetings: The next meetings of the Sustainable Lexington Committee will be on
Wednesday, December 11 and Tuesday, December 17, both at 7 pm.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Charlie Wyman
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