Sustainable Madison Advisory Committee

Sustainable Madison Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes November 22, 2022 Chairperson Kathi Caccavale called the meeting to order at 1:07 P.M. STATEMENT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT: “In compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act, adequate notice of this meeting of the Sustainable Madison Advisory Committee (SMAC) was provided by transmitting a copy of the meeting notice to the Madison Eagle and Morris County Daily Record, posting a copy on the bulletin board at the main entrance of the Hartley Dodge Memorial, and filing a copy in the office of the Clerk. This notice was made available to members of the general public.” The following members acknowledged their presence: Kathleen Caccavale, Chairperson/Regular Member Peter Fried, Resident/Regular Member Angelique Devost, Resident/Regular Member Mary Ellen Hennessy-Jones, Resident/Regular Member Rachel Ehrlich, Borough Council Liaison/Regular Member Lisa Jordan, Resident/Regular Member Absent: Joan Maccari, Resident/Regular Member Sarah Fischer, Board of Education liaison Marilyn Musielski, Resident/Regular Member Guests: Rachel Miller, Drew University student Deanna Schmidt, Madison Resident October minutes were approved. Kathi reported on the Sustainable Jersey award banquet where Madison received an award for the most number of points in a medium-sized town. Kathi and Mayor Bob Conley were present to receive the award. We discussed unevenness in programming and rebate options provided by BPU. Madison is often excluded. Rachel shared that the roof replacement project has begun at the library. DPW is investigating different EV mowing equipment. DPW planted 22 street trees this fall. The council unanimously approved an appropriation to begin the solar panel project: with the Inflation Reduction Act, municipalities can receive rebates on solar power. Peter explained further. The grid modeling study revealed that there were no negative impacts from adding the planned solar facilities. Kathi recommended that we explore ideas for grants for next year: https://www.sustainablejersey.com/grants/ Rachel recommended that plans for battery storage be developed alongside solar projects moving forward. Action Item: Peter will follow up to develop plans for battery storage in upcoming solar project designs. End of year actions are planned for February submission to Sustainable Jersey. Rachel shared a presentation on water rates and metering that Jim Burnet put together. It is fantastic – please read and review. Kathi recommended following up to see if rate changes change behavior. Peter recommended exploring information, perhaps in economics/psychology, to identify the rate changes that can make a meaningful difference. Kathi suggested that documentation of letters used as outreach can support Sustainable Jersey education and outreach on water conservation. We reviewed Sustainable Jersey actions, and we are looking for volunteers to help with actions, even those not working currently with Sustainable Madison. Peter and Lisa requested to share information about Ithaca, New York’s innovative sustainability practices at the next meeting. Action Item: Kathi add discussion to the December agenda We discussed an upcoming Sustainable Jersey webinar in December that provides an overview of actions in the next cycle. Rolling action items are as follows: Action Item: Peter Fried would like information on upcoming events in order to share information to the Madison Eagle. Jersey Green column volunteers needed for the coming year. Action Item: Mary Ellen will review presentations on the water-main breaks to better understand the use of the new sensors and then ask Bob Vogel for more information. Action Item: Lisa will follow up and report on Drew student plans for a Green Fair in the spring. The next SMAC meeting will be on December 20 at 1:00 P.M. The meeting was adjourned at 2:09 P.M. Minutes respectfully submitted by Lisa Jordan.