Mayor's Neighborhood Preservation Commission

Mayor's Neighborhood Preservation Committee 05/06/2009 Minutes (Final) CITY OF NORWALK MAYOR’S NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION REGULAR MEETING MAY 6, 2009 ATTENDANCE: Mayor Richard Moccia, David Shockley, Marilyn Maitland, Health Department; Christine Abraham, West Main Street N.A.; Hal Alvord, Department of Public Works; Maribeth Becker, Wall Street; Helen Bryan, West Main Street N.A.; Glenn Iannaccone, Norwalk Fire Department; Diane Cece, ENNA; Michael Wrinn, Planning & Zoning; Marcia Powell, Village Creek Homeowners Association; Mark Pierce, Wilton Avenue N.A.; Al Raymond, Spring Hill/Hospital N.A.; Lt. Paul Resnick, Norwalk Police; Nancy Whitmore, West Main Street N.A.; Thomas W. Hanrahan, Flax Hill Neighbors; Georgiana Hanrahan, Flax Hill Neighbors. CALL TO ORDER Mr. Shockley called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m. He commented that the Customer Service Department was not able to attend today. WELCOMING REMARKS AND APPROVE THE APRIL 1, 2009 MEETING MINUTES The following changes were noted: Page 1, under PRESENT: please add Georgianna Hanrahan, Flax Hill Neighbors; Thomas Hanrahan, Flax Hill Neighbors Page 3, 3rd paragraph. Please change Lt. Resnick to Lt. Randall. ** MR. IANNACCONE MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF APRIL 1, 2009 MEETING MINUTES AS CORRECTED. ** MR. WRINN SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. GUEST SPEAKERS, REBECCA MEYER AND MARGE KELLY, CL&P/CONSERVATION & LOAD MANAGEMENT Mr. Shockley introduced Ms. Meyer and Ms. Kelly. Ms. Meyer then gave a PowerPoint presentation. She explained that the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund was sponsoring a lighting fair in the lobby of City Hall. Mr. Iannaccone asked where one could dispose City of Norwalk Mayor’s Neighborhood Regular Meeting May 6, 2009 Page 1 of a compact florescent bulb. Ms. Meyer said that one could go to the Customer Service desk at Home Depot or Whole Foods and turn the bulbs in. The discussion then moved to the effect of purchasing an ENERGY STAR appliance. Ms. Meyer said that the compressors on the ENERGY STAR appliances are more efficient and the dishwashers use less water, so that there are savings. Ms. Meyer then reviewed the terminology for Kilowatt-hour and informed those present that CT customers pay about .20¢ per kilowatt hour. She then said that in 1917, the electrical use was for lighting and an average family used about 243 kWh. In 2008 the number of kilowatt hours were 8,000 kWh. LCD TVs are more energy efficient and use less electricity. Mr. Alvord commented that Norwalk consumes more than the national average electricity and more than the national average for water. Ms. Meyer then reviewed the distribution system. In New England, the electricity comes mainly from burning fossil fuels. CL&P does not own any power plants. They purchase their power from the plants. Ms. Meyer then displayed a pie chart showing the energy consumption. Key users are the heating and cooling the home, which logs in at about 50%. Computers consume about 9% of the energy. She then reviewed several simple steps that residents can do to reduce their energy use such as sealing cracks, inserting gaskets behind outside wall electrical sockets and checking the dryer vent for drafts. Installing a programmable thermostat will also reduce costs. Ms. Meyer then spoke about the Compact Florescent bulbs. She explained that the technology was continually changing and that those that need round bulbs can now get ones in that shape. The CFLs have the same amount of lumens as incandescent bulbs. She also said that the bulbs contain 5 milligrams of mercury, the amount that would cover the tip of a ball point pen. The average mercury thermometer contained approximately 500 milligrams of mercury. One new technology are the light emitting diodes (LEDs), which have been used for years, which are more efficient than CFLs , but are still more expensive. Ms. Meyer then had several suggestions such as turning down the hot water heater to 120 degrees, using cold water laundry detergent, and using a dryer rack. Another possibility is the Kill-A-Watt device that indicates the Phantom Power usage when appliances are not even turned off. Items like the microwave can be unplugged. There are new power strips that can turn off one or more plugs and leave the selected ones on. Having Energy Star widows will help with the heating and cooling costs. City of Norwalk Mayor’s Neighborhood Regular Meeting May 6, 2009 Page 2 Ms. Kelly said that there was an Energy Star plaque on City Hall. She then gave a brief overview of the Home Energy Solutions. There is a $75 co-pay to have an energy assessment. She noted that there are three electrical power companies in Norwalk and the programs would only be available to those who have CL&P service or Yankee Gas. She then reviewed the current WRAP Program that assist with energy assessment of the home. A brochure was available to those present about this program. She also mentioned the CT Clean Energy Option, which allows CL&P and UI customers to purchase clean energy from non-fossil fuel power plants. There are also 2009 Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency. She encouraged everyone to check the website www.CTEngergyInfo.com for answers to their questions and additional suggestions. Mr. Pierce asked whether light dimmers save electricity. Ms. Kelly said that she had checked with Sylvania and the technician had told her it depends. She said that the savings would be very small and requires the installation of a dimmable CFL, not just the regular CFLs. Mr. Hanrahan said that he and his wife had attended a program on wind power in Rhode Island. He said that the professor had spoken about the usage of wind farms. Ms. Kelly said that she had information on this, but encouraged everyone to tighten up on their energy usage before choosing alternative energy. Ms. Kelly said that The Clean Energy Fund was aware of this. Discussion followed about Norwalk’s ability to use wind power. ANNOUNCEMENTS City Staff Mr. Shockley announced that the Tree Alliance would be co-sponsoring a Tree Festival at Cranbury Park on May 16th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be free food and demonstrations. Mr. Alvord said that there had been a recent authorization to hire temporary workers to repair potholes. Household Hazardous Waste dates are posted on the websites. Other towns take different items, so visit the individual town websites for verifications. The week of May 18th will be Yard Collection Week and will resume in September. Keep Norwalk Beautiful City of Norwalk Mayor’s Neighborhood Regular Meeting May 6, 2009 Page 3 There have been at least 15 clean up and the City is moving ahead with the KAB affiliate campaign. Ms. Maitland reported that a problem on West Main had been taken to court. Another problem on Chestnut Street had also been addressed. Lt. Resnick announced that last week a juvenile had been arrested in connection with graffiti on one of the schools. The Mayor said that there would be new equipment for the Police Department from the JAG Grant. There will also be more enforcement for speeding during the summer months. A new program has been implemented that will have the officers working on traffic enforcement. There will also be a seat belt enforcement program from the State Highway Safety Program. There will be a Wall Street Area Clean up on May 9th from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Meet at Fat Cat Joe’s for supplies. Neighborhood Representatives There were no reports at this time. CUSTOMER SERVICE UPDATE Mr. Shockley said that Ms. Blair requested that anyone who had a problem needed to go to the Customer Service Department to speak with a representative. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Shockley adjourned the meeting at 11:05 a.m. Respectfully submitted Sharon L. Soltes Telesco Secretarial Services City of Norwalk Mayor’s Neighborhood Regular Meeting May 6, 2009 Page 4