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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-06-16-SLC-min Town of Lexington Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of Meeting of June 16, 2020 A meeting of the Sustainable Lexington Committee (SLC) was held by Zoom conference. A quorum of nine was present. Members Present: Cindy Arens, Celis Brisbin, Paul Chernick, Archana Dayalu, Marcia Gens, Rick Reibstein, Todd Rhodes (vice-chair), Dan Voss (chair), Charlie Wyman Members Absent: Other Attendees: Stella Carr (Sustainability Director), Jeffrey Rhodin, Joe Pato (Select Board), Mark Sandeen (Select Board), Paul Gromer (Peregrine Energy), Mary Hutton (Mothers Out Front), Ricki Pappo (Lexington GWAC) The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm. Todd read the opening statement requested by the Town Clerk, and all members responded that they could hear. 1. Previous minutes. The minutes of May 14, 2020, circulated previously, were approved as written. 2. Comments from residents; new business. • Ricki Pappo explained that the visitor center was putting up an exhibit on sustainability, and several people (including some members of Sustainable Lexington) are helping with wording. It was agreed that once the draft was complete, Ricki would share it with the committee for review. • Todd and Dan welcomed Stella Carr, our new Sustainability Director, who joined us from Arizona. • Todd announced that Archana is now formally a member of the committee. 3. Review of Draft Energy Baseline Report, Paul Gromer, Peregrine Energy Group. • Paul led the committee briefly through the draft report he sent earlier, which is an update of the 2017 study prepared for the Getting to Net Zero Task Force, and which focuses on three areas: Lexington's buildings, energy use (electricity/oil/gas), and CO2 emissions. Members of the committee offered a number of comments on presentation, clarity, and the substance of the analysis. Paul thanked the committee for their input and will prepare a second draft. • Mark provided the committee with an update on the new Community Choice contract. Because rates are favorable now, the town has signed a contract for the next three years, beginning when the current one expires at the end of the year. The 100% Green option will include 20% Class I RECS in addition to the amount mandated by law, up from 5% currently, at a rate less than the current one. 1. Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of June 16, 2020 4. Discussion of projects and priorities with Stella Carr, Town of Lexington Sustainability Director. The committee welcomed Stella Carr, our new Sustainability Director, who introduced herself and explained that she will be moving to Massachusetts shortly, and has been meeting remotely with a number of town staff and committee chairs to get the lay of the land and begin identifying issues and priorities. Committee members and others present introduced themselves and described their interests and activities. Stella invited anyone to email her and continue the conversation at scarrglexin tog nma.gov. 5 Updates and Additional Topics. • Funding for Getting to Net Zero. Stella explained that of the $40,000 appropriated by Town Meeting for the last year of the Getting to Net Zero initiative, $10,000 is being used for the energy baseline report update by the Peregrine Energy Group, and the Finance Department would like to know if the remaining $30,000 can be repurposed, given the financial impact of COVID-19 on the town. It was noted that there are a number of priority projects identified in the Net Zero report, some of which Stella might undertake herself, while others would require funds for contractors and other expenses. After some discussion, it was agreed that a subgroup (Mark, Archana, Todd, and Dan) will work with Stella to identify any priorities for funding. • Toxics Use Reduction. Rick presented a draft letter to the Select Board, asking the Board to direct Town staff to minimize the use of toxics in cleaners as the town reopens from the COVID lockdown, and to employ expertise in the Health Department in directing that effort. After some discussion regarding the roles of the Select Board and the Town Manager, it was agreed that Joe would work with Rick to revise the letter to reflect the division of authority between the two, and with that understanding, the Committee moved, seconded, and approved unanimously the delivery of the (to-be-revised) letter. • Police Station. The Permanent Building Committee is meeting Thursday and will focus on design issues related to the Integrated Design Policy and Red List for the new police station. The PBC has invited Sustainable Lexington members to attend. Mark explained that among the topics on the PBC's list for discussion (or that we'd like to be on their list) are heat pumps, Red List compliance, solar and storage, and air filtration. After considerable discussion, including the importance of early incorporation of sustainability goals into the design process, it was agreed that, while all members are invited to attend and listen, a subgroup of those present(Cells, Jeff, Cindy, Dan, Paul, and Mark) would meet beforehand to discuss and coordinate our involvement so that the committee speaks with one voice. • Heat Smart: Cindy reported that she's been in touch with the Town Manager and is putting together a survey to ask town residents about their heating source. The team will submit their application for a grant to fund the program in September/October; marketing will begin in January. Support includes technical support and a website. Joe advised that they inform the Select Board about the program before the survey goes out. Cindy 2 Sustainable Lexington Committee Minutes of June 16, 2020 explained that one of the challenges they're facing is that these programs typically rely on events to educate and enlist homeowners; how does one do this in the time of COVID? • RMI training. Ricki reported that the RMI training for towns interested in a gas ban by- law starts next Thursday, and five folks from Lexington are enrolled: Archana, Lin Jensen, Ricki, Mary Hutton, and Mark. Joe cautioned that the timeline for getting articles on the Warrant for a Spring Town Meeting has been trending towards earlier deadlines. • Trees. Charlie reported that he, Rick, and Marcia met with Gerry Paul to discuss ways to promote tree planting and reduce tree removal. The concept of asking developers to explain why regulated trees had to come down and to discuss options may help, as it has in other settings. Rick mentioned a recent BU conference on remote sensing that might help document trends in tree cover in Lexington. Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Sustainable Lexington Committee will be in July—the date is to be determined. The meeting was adjourned at 9:55 pm. Respectfully submitted, Charlie Wyman 3