Sustainability, Energy, & Resiliency Committee

Meeting Minutes - Final April 20, 2017 6:30 PM 120 Washington Street, 3rd Floor Attendees: John Hayes, Jeff Cohen, Rick Nye, Gail Kubik, Jenna Ide Absent: Matt Rusteika, Jeff Barz Snell, Craig Thomas, Chrissy Kobyljanec Public in Attendance: None The Task Force had a quorum at 7:04 and officially started the meeting. Jenna Ide handed out the Draft RETF Mission that was developed previously, suggested goals from Jeff and John, and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy for the City of Salem that is posted on the City’s website. This document is required in order to be a Green Community.  Review Meeting Minutes: March 16th, 2017 The Task Force reviewed the minutes. Minor corrections were noted, and the Committee approved the final minutes. John Hayes agreed to take minutes in the future.  Proposed New Mission Statement Discussion and Finalization The Task Force discussed a number of different names. The Task Force questioned whether the Task Force designation was a required part, and whether or not we could be a committee, advisory group, or council. Jeff Cohen stated that other Committees have different names, some are set up by the Council, and have a Council liaison, others are set up by the Mayor, and members approved by the Council. Jenna Ide stated she would check on the legal requirements around the name. Suggested names included: Sustainability & Resiliency Advisory Committee, Resiliency and Energy (or Environment) Task Force, Sustainable Salem. If possible, members would like to not use Task Force, which implies a short-term group that does one task. The group reviewed the draft mission. The Committee believed the mission overall was good, but wanted more about sustainability and awareness. Also, members wanted the mission more action focused. Jenna Ide agreed to email the team with the suggested names prior to the next meeting. John Hayes and Gail Kubik agreed to work on the mission statement prior to the next meeting.  RETF Goals - Discussion 120 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ¨ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ¨ WWW.SALEM.COM T  The Task Force discussed some specific goals for this year. Some that were put on the table were:  John Hayes would like to update the FAQ for wind.  Jeff Cohen would like to get a City Council representative on the Committee, and would like to develop a plan to maximize solar on municipal buildings.  Jenna Ide would like to update the existing database on the City’s buildings, and run some analysis to see how well we are doing on our goals and then find opportunities to improve. She requested any suggestions for interns to assist with updating the data. John Hayes said he would look into students who might be interested.  Gail Kubik handed out a detailed and informative graphic about resiliency, with shorter and longer term goals. Gail had read the Climate Change Adaptation Plan, and two things rose to the top for short term: finding a champion in the City, potentially seeking a Chief Resiliency Officer. Gail also felt that awareness of resiliency was needed. The Task Force agreed that, unlike sustainability and energy efficiency, resiliency was still fairly new to most people. The Task Force discussed a goal to have at least one awareness raising event for the Community about resiliency and climate change. Gail suggested some events in other Cities that were creative and involved the community.  Open Discussion, New Business, Project Updates o Solar PV project, Witchcraft/Bentley Jenna Ide provided an update on the status. The solar panels were installed on much of Witchcraft, however some roof fixes were needed to install on the remaining roofs. o Municipal Aggregation Jenna Ide stated that a company called Agera won the latest Municipal Aggregation, and that they would be the provider for 2 years, starting with the June meter read. The default option is 100% renewable energy as before. There are ways for residents to opt out or “opt up”. Jenna Ide stated she would send around information about the rates. o Additional Discussion It was discussed that Craig Thomas had indicated he was resigning from the Committee, however, there has not been a formal notification. RETF will follow up. If he resigns, a new member will be needed.  Public Comment 120 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ¨ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ¨ WWW.SALEM.COM T  None.  Next meeting will be held on May 4, 2017 at 7pm. The team discussed having a draft mission and goals by the next meeting.  Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:13 PM. Know Your Rights Under the Open Meeting Law, M.G.L. c. 39 §23B, and City Ordinance Sections 2-2028 through 2-2033 120 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ¨ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ¨ WWW.SALEM.COM T