[NOTE: These minutes are made available to the public prior to Citizens Energy Committee acceptance.]

WETHERSFIELD CITIZENS ENERGY COMMITTEE
MINUTES - Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Vice Chairman Nancy Kiely called meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Physical Services Headquarters cafeteria.

Members present were:

Mary Dobruck

Carol Jones

Tom Kennedy

Nancy Kiely

Keith Saunders

Members absent:

Rick Baldoni

Member excused:

Carollyne Weidler

Also absent :

Matthew Forrest, Town Council Liaison

Also present

Heather Vargas, Physical Services Dept

Mike Turner, Director of Public Works

1 Resident

1. Approval of minutes of August 13 2008 meeting. Motion by Carol Wilson, seconded by Mary Dobruck to approve the minutes. All voted in favor. Motion approved.
2. Briefings by Subcommittee.

   Mary Dobruck and Keith Saunders briefed committee on their subcommittee, Mike Turner had forwarded them a spreadsheet, lost in cyberspace, and will resend.

   Next subcommittee briefing by Tom Kennedy. Tom briefed committee on hydrogen fuel. Heather Vargas will forward him a list of vehicles in town. Tom will analyze for fuel alternatives.

   The last subcommittee briefing was from Nancy Kiely and Carol Wilson. They briefed committee on Energy Fair, and looking into grants. The committee learned of RaeAnn Palmer's grant searching software and will provide Heather with a list of keywords to search grant database.

3. Rescheduling of consultant from CCAT.

   Due to a conflict in Matthew Forest's schedule the committee decided against talking with Joel Rinebold without him. The committee decided to meet with Joel on September 4, 2008 or September 18, 2008 at 5:00. The committee directed Heather to have Joel revise his scope of work to include benchmark/building analysis of town buildings (exclusive of schools), identify low hanging fruit and easy wins, develop a short term goals and conservation measures, and long range plan such as pilot programs and showcase. They also requested Joel bring his proposed project manager when they meet to discuss scope.

4. Change in meeting day.

   Due to conflicts with Matthew Forest's teaching schedule, the committee has decided to meet the 1st and 3rd Thursday's of each month at 5:00.

5. Public Comment - Resident Bruce Bockstael commented on the choice of the committee to hire CCAT, agreeing with observations of the committee last meeting. Bruce commented he wished more firms including local engineering firms had applied.
6. Next meeting is scheduled for September 4, 2008, depending on whether CCAT can meet, otherwise the next meeting will be September 18, 2008, 5:00pm at the Physical Services Dept.
7. Adjournment - Motion by Keith Saunders, seconded by Tom Kennedy to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 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.