HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Energy Committee - 08/01/2013SBEC Meeting Thursday, August 1, 2013
7:00 pm
South Burlington Municipal Offices, 2nd Floor, 575 Dorset Street
Attendees: Laura Waters – SBEC, Scribe Keith Epstein – SBEC
Ilona Blanchard – City of South Burlington Don Cummings – SBEC, Chair Sam Swanson – SBEC
Karen McKenny - SBEC Helen Head – State Representative
Fred Kosnitsky – Citizen
Julie Deslandes – Citizen Mary Ann Valla – Citizen
Deb Sachs – Go! Vermont
Ross MacDonald – Go! Vermont, Vermont Agency of Transportation
As there initially was not a quorum, the meeting started with City Staff Update:
• Renewable Energy Projects: Police Station, Cairns o The police station solar project is on track. There are concerns around the roof structure of the Cairns arena that might prohibit installation of
solar panels.
• Update on LED street lamps
o Project is ongoing.
• Update on Claire Solar Project
o The City was still negotiating with the owners of the property. The
negotiations were confidential.
• Energy Code Compliance – Certificate of Occupancy o The city continues to hand out the Energy Code Compliance brochures with building permits for applicable construction.
Ross MacDonald then presented the Go! Vermont program. . Go! Vermont is a web based one-stop resource for all transportation information for the state. It is a resource
for Vermonters who want to reduce the cost and environmental impact of driving and
includes carpool matching, van pool services, and statewide bus routes. The VTrans Public Transit Section is offering grants to municipalities to assist in building a statewide
outreach and advocacy network for the Go! Vermont Program. VTrans will provide a $500 grant to participating municipal energy committees. More information on the program can be found at: www.connectingcommuters.org.
Sam moved that the Energy Committee participate in the program. Keith seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Previous Month’s Minutes: Keith moved to accept the minutes, Karen seconded the
motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Sam advised the committee that he was organizing a trip to the CSWD Materials Recovery Facility on the afternoon of August 14.
Karen discussed her efforts at the South Burlington Farmer’s Market. She has been handing out the SBEC weatherization brochure and information from Go! Vermont. She
stated that most people seem to be more interested in weatherization and that they don’t feel that carpooling would work for them. Keith suggested that she collect the email addresses of people she talks to. A general purpose banner was also discussed. Ilona
stated that she could do the art work and that Staples could provide pricing for the project. Don asked if the SBEC had a budget that would cover this purchase and Ilona was unsure. Don asked that she provide the status on the budget and what it can be
used for.
Karen moved that the City provide a banner for SBEC activities, Laura seconded the
motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Don stated that he met with Pat Nowack to introduce the SBEC. We agreed that we
need an energy policy. Keith submitted energy policy comments on the LDRs. Ilona stated that the LDRs for one area cannot be any more restrictive than those for other
parts of the city. Keith suggested that the city incorporate energy policy into what is already in place. Ilona stated that energy recommendations were included in the draft Comprehensive Plan and that the LDRs were developed from that framework. Ilona was
asked to clarify how we as a committee move forward with the Planning Commission to implement energy policy. A briefing to City Council was suggested as a step toward integrating energy policy into the City’s decisions.
The new Chair and Vice Chair were elected: Keith nominated Sam as Chair, Laura seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Don nominated Karen as Vice
Chair, Sam seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Keith stated that Efficiency Vermont has provided a list of people who had completed
energy audits but had done no weatherization work.
Don recommended that we have a working meeting to assign tasks for Go! Vermont and
for the home weatherization effort. Sam is to provide a Doodle poll for scheduling.
Keith introduced the Georgetown University Energy Prize. Don moved that the committee begin the process of exploring the availability of partners and preparing the Letter of Intent, Karen seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Keith moved to adjourn, Laura seconded. The motion passed unanimously.