AVON CLEAN ENERGY COMMISSION
AVON ROOM - BUILDING #1 TOWN HALL
MINUTES
WEDNESDAY JULY 1, 2009
I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Chairman Olivier Gressier in the Avon Room, Building 1, Town Hall. Members present: Chairman Olivier Gressier, Bernard Zahren, Brett Eisenlohr, Robert Martin and Marty Kaplan. Members absent: James DiPace and Linda Meyers. Advisory members present: John Craig and Giorgina Paiella. Advisory member absent: Diane Zhao. Also in attendance was staff member and Town Clerk Ann Dearstyne.
II. APPROVAL OF THE PRECEDING MEETING MINUTES - JUNE 3, 2009
Mr. Kaplan noted a typo on page two an extra "20" in 20 by 2010. Chairman Gressier motioned, Mr. Martin seconded and all agreed to accept the June 3, 2009 minutes with corrections.
III. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE
None.
IV. COMMUNICATIONS FROM COMMISSION MEMBERS
Mr. Kaplan asked if anyone had a chance to read West Hartford's Comprehensive Energy Plan. He felt it was a good start and the key part is the Town of West Hartford plans to hire a Town Energy Manager to take care of all the projects that are ongoing. He added that West Hartford was paying for the manager through the energy savings.
Mr. Martin told of his, Mr. Zahren's and Chairman Gressier's recent visit with Mr. Robert Palmer, the Plant Services Supervisor from West Hartford. Mr. Palmer helped them to understand how they formulated West Hartford's plan for the town. Mr. Gressier added that it helped to validate what the Avon Clean Energy Commission was working on.
Mr. Eisenlohr commended Ms. Paiella for her article in the high school newspaper, The Falcon, urging students to sign up for clean energy, the ramifications of excessive idling, and included many recycling and energy savings tips. Mr. Gressier concurred and suggested who'd know how many people the article would reach and benefit.
Mr. Kaplan mentioned that Farmington Woods would be having a Green Energy Fair in the fall, tentatively October 17, 2009, and asked if anyone or knew anyone that had any products or literature they'd like to present. Mr. Craig mentioned Judy Friedman of PACE in Canton being a good source for energy conservation. He added that he could possibly do a presentation on wind at the fair.
V. OLD BUSINESS 1. Discuss and approve Block Grant projects for recommendations to Town Council, 2. Canton Hydro Project Update - Marty
Mr. Gressier spoke of the meeting he had with Ms. Robinson earlier in the week. She said the Town Council would be looking for projects with a payback, ones that are going to be practical projects. Also, there are some restrictions the money can be used for. His impressions are that the funding ($75,189.00) cannot be used to hire anyone. She did add that a "plan" would qualify for some monies.
The committee discussed the projects that would be presented to the Town Council at the August meeting. Mr. Martin spoke of his meeting with Bruce Williams, Director of Public Works, and David Paul, Board of Education Facilities Supervisor, which addressed potential projects using the grant monies we had to work with. He brought information on two potential projects: 1) replacing fifteen garage doors at the Highway Garage, and 2) re-lamping (light bulbs) at selected Avon Public Schools. Replacing the garage doors would cost approximately $48,000.00 which would result in an immediate savings on heat, and re-lamping would cost approximately $11,000.00 with a payback of $8,700.00 per year. Several committee members cautioned against purchasing new doors if the rest of the building lacked sufficient insulation,
that it'd be throwing good money after bad. Mr. Eisenlohr cautioned the newness of the high school renovation would make it an unpopular choice for any more monetary infusion. He added that the Town Council was subject to intense public pressure that affects their decisions. Mr. Craig suggested that perhaps motion detectors would be more cost effective than leaving lights on all the time. He said the motion detectors now have two or three functions. Mr. Gressier cautioned more exploration would be needed to determine the usefulness of a light bulb choice given its energy efficiency, lumen factor, longevity or cost. He offered knowing people who could come out to the schools to do audits to determine the best choice. Ms. Dearstyne suggested he work with Mr. Paul to get this done.
Ms. Paiella told of the Clean Energy Club's ideas for public outreach that may include a light bulb exchange, which would encourage people to get more energy efficient in their homes. Mr. Gressier suggested finding a group or company that would be willing to donate the bulbs. He said it'd be better to go to a manufacturer who would want to get their brand into the home; that a consumer would be more apt to buy more at a nearby retail outlet. Ms. Paiella also suggested creating a competition among the schools to see how many bulbs they could get over another.
Mr. Kaplan spoke of ways to promote engine idle reduction town wide and in the town fleet with the use of signage and engine devices that hinder excessive idling. Mr. Gressier asked Mr. Kaplan to put together a proposal which would show the cost savings of fitting town vehicles with devices such as "Idle Right." Ms. Dearstyne cautioned that some of the town vehicles may be too old to be retrofitted. Mr. Gressier added that police still needed to be cool or warm and the new devices may not be able to accommodate these needs. Mr. Kaplan suggested brain-storming with the police to find the best solution. Mr. Eisenlohr reminded them of the limited timeline left to present the usable projects to the Town Council. Mr. Gressier suggested tabling the police fleet at this time but asked Mr. Kaplan to put together
estimates.
Ms. Dearstyne suggested getting the background material ahead of time in order to be included in the Town Council packets for their review. The information for the Grant has to be ready for 9/15/09 which she and Ms. Robinson will write. Mr. Gressier will put together a template to present the selected projects so the format is consistent. He reminded the committee that the Grant requires solid data with its presentation and would require progress reports along the way.
Mr. Gressier discussed West Hartford's Comprehensive Energy Plan. He felt it was a good plan for a town of its size but Avon would need one more tailored to its needs. The folks running the Town of Avon would prefer something a little simpler, practical, and measurable and see progress that has been made and goals accomplished. Mr. Zahren felt the goals were very similar regardless the size of the town. Mr. Zahren spoke of hiring one regional person to represent surrounding towns (West Hartford and Bloomfield are already interested) to go for the special regional grant that is available from the stimulus money in order to get some of these plans implemented. Mr. Craig spoke to local people from surrounding towns who are very interested in discussing this. Mr. Martin cautioned you'd get a grant for the
first year and then be prepared for funding after that. Mr. Zahren expressed the urgency of working on a plan for Avon. Ms. Dearstyne reiterated the projects that would be presented to the Town Council: 1) garage door replacement, 2) re-lamping at selected schools, 3) signage for excessive idling, and 4) monies to create a comprehensive energy plan. Mr. Kaplan added - education. Mr. Gressier will be making the presentation to the Town Council at the August meeting.
VI. NEW BUSINESS
None.
VII. DO ANY OTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THIS MEETING
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
Chairman Gressier motioned, Mr. Eisenlohr seconded and all agreed to adjourn the meeting at 8:40 PM.
Respectfully submitted:
Chairman Olivier Gressier
Attest: Susan Gatcomb, Clerk
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