Shutesbury Board of Selectmen at the Energy Committee Meeting
July 14, 2008 Meeting Minutes

Members present:  Chairman Rebecca Torres and Al Springer.
Energy Committee members present:  Bruce Davidson, Mark Tuominen, Clark Sylvester, Craig Marden, Susan Reyes and Larry Hunter.
Finance Committee members present: Chairman Eric Stocker, Lori Tuominen, William “Bill” Wells and Fredrick “Rus” Wilson.
Also Present: Town Administrator David C. Dann and Administrative Secretary Leslie Bracebridge, recording.

Meeting opened at 7:03 P.M. 

Topics
* The Energy Committee reviewed and approved their June minutes.
* The Energy Committee will provide a Kill a Watt meter to the Spear Library for home-owners to borrow.  The meter will show how much power an appliance uses.  Member Susan Reyes is preparing the display unit.
* Review of two pages from the Pioneer Valley Energy Plan spearheaded by FRCOG and Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.
* Does Shutesbury want to update the ICLEI energy survey in order to be listed on the ICLEI web site?  The town already pays ICLEI $600/year to be a member.  Membership makes Shutesbury eligible for certain benefits, including some funds toward such things as the school photo-voltaic project.

7:30 PM Discussion with the Finance Committee:
The Finance Committee will:
* Ask town departments to only increase their budgets by 2% in FY 10.  
* The town just had an override; the Finance Committee feels very lucky that the override passed and members don’t want a new override soon.
* Recommends incentives to get departments to use less energy through promoting projects that promote energy efficiency.  
* Payback periods for energy efficiency are getting shorter and shorter.
* Keep town budget under control through energy use.
* Take the town building by building, department by department.
* Shutesbury is scheduled for a comprehensive energy audit of all town buildings between October and December.
* Review of the fuel catalyst used in Belchertown and Palmer schools.  Energy Committee questions how it could actually work with less carbon dioxide coming out as an end product.  More carbon dioxide is needed to create energy.  Couldn’t find a study under controlled conditions.  The evidence put before the Energy Committee by the salesman at a previous meeting wasn’t convincing. If it did work, the only place to use it would be at the school.
* Improved insulation at the school could provide payback.
* Becky and Rus suggest:  1650 kilowatt Danish made wind turbine similar to the Hull turbine. Could put up an anemometer for a year to see if the available wind meets the threshold.  Bruce noted that Sirius Community will have data collection within a month at 100 feet.  Larry:  The MTC would want a higher tower.  Mark: Excess power would have to go through the power grid.  Hull had an easy start because they already had their own power company.  In Massachusetts, it doesn’t pay to produce more power than you can use. Mark:  The “king pin” is the lesser amount of wind available up here compared to the shoreline.  

Eric:  What can we do?  Wait for Audit?

Craig:  “Esco” (Energy Service Company) towns sign 20-year contracts for company to manage the town’s energy performance.  16 Franklin County towns have signed up through the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, under individual agreements.  It’s not too late for Shutesbury to get involved.  The Energy Committee will invite a representative to present the program at their next meeting.

Shutesbury’s vehicles are the biggest energy users:  
* As of this year, we have more flexibility to select our own school bus provider. 
* The Police Department cannot use a hybrid as they need interior space for their professional use.  
* Chief Harding offers to use the cruiser less often rather than go to a smaller vehicle. 
* Would a Prius shared amongst departments make sense?  
* Could general public use school busses?  Some Maine school busses are using natural gas. Use of bio-diesel wouldn’t save money but would be better for the environment.

Co-generation of hot water for heat and electricity gives 70% energy extraction.

Bio-mass for the elementary school?  The very smallest co-gen “micro units” are still too big for the elementary school.

How do we get to totally renewable?  Until we have a goal, we’re not going anywhere.   

Conservation is the key to savings.

Photo-electric payback time is 40 to 50 years without rebates; may get down to 20 years with rebates.    Payback is about 5 years for electric hot water.

Public transportation may be more appealing now that fuel costs are so high.  People are already making changes to their habits.

We should look far into the future:  How would you change your life if gas were $20/gallon.  Do the conservation things short term and think of the major changes for the long-term.

Community dinner at Sirius with movie (What Cuba went through when they were cut off from energy in 1990) and discussion for the Energy Committee on September 24.  

This Thursday from 5 to 6:30 climate change and sustainability project will meet to make a display.

Select Board Discussion
Al will speak to the Athol Town Administrator to learn details of the Athol High School bio-mass unit.  

Large oak trees taken down on Prescott Road for the LCP reconstruction project are gone now.

Meeting adjourned at 9:02 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,

Leslie Bracebridge
Administrative Secretary