Clean Energy Taskforce

City of Middletown CLEAN ENERGY TASK FORCE MINUTES MEETING OF APRIL 6, 2022 VIA ZOOM Members Present: Anna Salo-Markowski (Chair), Chris Holden (ex officio), Demetrius D’Alessandro, Erin Dopfel, John Giuliano, Vincent Loffredo, Ray Lumpkin, Sara Mendillo, Krishna Winston Members Absent: August deFrance, Ed Ford, Patrick McKenna, Catherine Young 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:35 by Chair Salo-Markowski, who ascertained that a quorum was present. Sara Mendillo introduced herself as the new representative for the Chamber of Commerce, taking the place of Jeff Pugliese. The Chair noted that Krishna Winston had been sworn in as a member. 2. Public Comment No members of the public were present. 3. Old Business a. The Chair reported on her participation in the March 16, 2022 Zoom meeting with Deborah Cain (Chair) and the Middletown Public Schools Facilities Committee. The Committee had responded positively to the CETF letter (attached) and voted to approve it. b. The Chair called attention to the recent posting of the Mayor’s budget address and draft budget for FY23, noting that it contained proposals for two positions relevant to the Task Force’s purview. The part-time Energy Consultant’s position would be converted to a fulltime position with responsibility for all City facilities and energy use. The Recycling Coordinator’s position would be reconfigured to include coordinationof the City’s sustainability efforts. The public hearing on the budget would take place on April 19 at 6 PM in the Council Chambers and on Webex. She noted that the CETF had requested inclusion of a line item in the budget related to energy use. C. Holden noted that a line item for energy audits had been included since 2020. He and V. Loffredo provided additional information on the role the public could play in the budget process, with communication between the public and the Mayor and Common Council possible and desirable up to May 15, by which time the final budget had to be adopted per the City Charter. They explained that adding line items after adoption was much more cumbersome and less likely to succeed than proposing them during the process. The Chair urged members of the Task Force to send questions and comments to C. Holden on the Public Works budget before he had his conference on Friday with the Mayor. c. The Chair reported on the status of the 2022 Energy Plan, which she had been working on with Michael Harris. She had finished revising the Executive Summary, but had not been able to find the appendices M. Harris had planned to add to the plan. C. Holden promised to forward the files from M. Harris that had possibly been intended to serve as appendices. The Chair  asked for volunteers to help with reviewing the entire document. E. Dopfel and K. Winston offered their services. d. E. Dopfel reported that she had composed a summary of the Energy-Labeling proposal and would forward to the Mayor a talk on the subject given by the mayor of Burlington VT. She would also contact the Planning and Zoning Committee. A parent she had met through the Neighborhood Preschool was enthusiastic about bringing the project to Middletown. e. C. Holden reported that a final engineering review was under way for the former Canoe Club. The hoped-for summer opening could not be guaranteed, and a final decision on the name of the facility was still pending. V. Loffredo reported that the required resolutions approving inclusion of photovoltaic panels on the Farm Hill and Snow School roofs had been adopted by the Council at its March 7 meeting. The State had agreed to contribute its share to the Farm Hill project, which would be undertaken in the summer, but had not yet moved on the Snow School. A. Salo-Markowski inquired about the status of heat pumps for the school. J. Giuliano said he would check with the MPS facilities director on what was being planned for Snow’s HVAC systems. C. Holden reported on the renovations to Veterans’ Park. In addition to EV charging stations, speed bumps would be installed on the road to discourage drivers from using it as a Newfield- St. bypass. Keeping the park pedestrian-friendly was particularly important, given that the multi-use trail and eventually the bridge to Jackson St. were in the offing. Before construction of the bridge, the FEMA map would have to be updated to reflect recent flooding experience. Bioswales would be installed to keep unfiltered water from running off into the storm drains and then into the Coginchaug. Installing solar panels in the park would not make much sense, as they would be used for only three months a year. C. Holden reported that the new roof and solar panels would be installed soon on the Middletown Recreation Center. 4. New Business The Chair reported hearing that the new EV chargers in the Melilli lot were very slow. C. Holden promised to look into the situation. R. Lumpkin said he was scouting additional locations for EV chargers around town. He noted the proposal in the Mayor’s draft budget that all new construction be net-zero, an achievement he took some pride in contributing to. He suggested that the City sponsor a summit of real-estate developers to encourage conversation about the use of renewable energy, something the Chamber should promote. K. Winston suggested having the Task Force sponsor another initiative to get solar power on residential roofs; she had participated in the Sunlight Solar campaign and had been very happy with all aspects of the installation and performance. No members of the Task Force could recall how many residents had taken advantage of the three solar programs, but they agreed that the picture was now much more favorable for adoption of renewable energy, with soaring electricity prices and widespread awareness of climate change. R. Lumpkin added that Eversource was looking for commercial roofs on which to install panels to meet its renewable-energy obligations. S. Mendillo noted that J. Pugliese was now working for Eversource; she would see what she could find out about the company’s interest. 5. Adjournment There being no more new business, V. Loffredo moved that the meeting adjourn. K. Winston seconded the motion, and the meeting adjourned at 7:20 PM. 2 Respectfully submitted, Krishna Winston Secretary pro tem 3