WETHERSFIELD CITIZENS ENERGY COMMITTEE
MINUTES - TUESDAY August 13, 2008

Chairman Baldoni called meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. at the Physical Services Headquarters cafeteria.

Members present were:

Rick Baldoni

Mary Dobruck

Carol Jones

Tom Kennedy

Nancy Kiely

Keith Saunders

Members absent:

None

Members excused:

Carollyne Weidler

Also present were:

Matthew Forrest, Town Council Liaison

Mike Turner, Director of Public Works

1 Resident

1. Approval of minutes of July 30, 2008 meeting. Motion by Nancy Kiely, seconded by Mary Dobruck to approve the minutes. All voted in favor. Motion approved.
2. Finalize Goals, Mission Statement and Objectives.
3. Discussion of Energy Consultant Selection

   The Committee members reviewed their thoughts and impressions of the two consultants interviewed on July 30, 2008- Salamone & Associates PC and CCAT. The first firm offered a very technical and engineering approach, while the second offered a more global and academic thought process and seemed to have more familiarity with potential funding opportunities. Motion by Nancy Kiely, seconded by Mary Dobruck to recommend the Town Council award the project to CCAT as the Town Energy Consultants and to enter negotiations for a revised scope and fee. All voted in favor.

4. Sub-committee formation and assignments

   The Chairman made initial suggestions of the following topics to be covered by sub committees: town buildings and facilities, schools, town fleet vehicles, conservation ideas (incl. water, electricity), renewable energy (wind, PV, bio-diesel, etc), grants and financing, public education (web site, Ch 14), business involvement, status of other towns, watchdog of Green Summit, and streetlights. After many suggestions, the Committee narrowed down to three sub committees and got volunteer assignments form members as follows:

   • Energy Creation (Tom, Rick) - renewable, grants
   • Energy Conservation (Keith, Mary) - streetlights, vehicles, LEEDS, consortiums, grants
   • Education (Carol, Nancy) business involvement, Green Summit, web, resident outreach

   The committee felt it was important to establish a liaison with BOE, especially since our consultant won't be studding those buildings, and direct staff to contact Fred Bushey.

   Motion by Nancy Kiely, seconded by Carol Jones to establish the above noted committees and assignments. All voted in favor.

5. Public Comment - none
6. New Business - Nancy Kiely advised the committee of upcoming Green Summit 2/Energy fair set for November 8th which includes vendors, booths, workshops and speakers. Nancy asked if this committee would consider being a co sponsor. Motion by Carol Jones, second by Mary Dobruck to Co Sponsor this event. All voted in favor.
7. Next meeting is scheduled for August 27, 2008. Note due to scheduling conflicts, we will meet at 7 pm, not 6 pm.
8. Adjournment - Motion by Carol Jones, seconded by Rick Baldoni to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 pm. All voted in favor.

Attachment: Mission Statement and Goals - adopted August 13, 2008

Wethersfield Citizen's Energy Advisory Committee¹ adopted August 13, 2008

Mission Statement:

The Wethersfield Citizen's Energy Advisory Committee is committed to promoting significant reductions in energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions throughout the town, including town buildings, businesses, schools, and residences. This will be done through new energy management strategies, improved energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, reduced dependence upon fossil fuels, and education of town residents.

We will investigate financing capital expenditures that help the Town achieve these goals through grants or other financial means so as to minimize the initial impact on residents and businesses. It is anticipated that improving our "energy balance" (as outlined in the following goals) will provide more financial resources for the Town and its citizens, improve our environmental climate, and help attract new economic development.

Goals:

1. Develop a measurable system/format to evaluate energy usage, impacts of projects/policies, and ability to determine success percentages. After evaluation/education, determine appropriate goals/successes/benchmarks for the Town and its citizenry.
2. Reduce on-grid electricity usage during peak load periods.
3. Develop, implement, and monitor "green" and energy conservation/generation technologies and strategies.
4. Become a model of energy self-sufficiency through the creation of renewable energy sources and strategies.
5. Identify, develop, and apply resources, such as tax and other incentives, grants, and favorable financing to implement energy peak load reduction, energy conservation, and energy self-sufficiency.

The Energy Consultancy Team will be expected to:

• Establish baseline energy consumption data for the Town against which progress will be measured and create a system/format that will enable the town, this Committee, and its residents to measure their goals and objectives.
• Identify, in collaboration with the Wethersfield Citizens' Energy Advisory Committee, reasonable benchmarks over a 3 - 5 year period to achieve the abovementioned Goals as may be amended from time to time.
• Identify funding/financing opportunities, cost saving and partnership strategies to finance investments in energy technologies.
• Create implementation strategies/action plans to achieve goals.

¹This is a living document and is anticipated to change and develop as new policies, technology, and opportunities are discovered and evaluated.