Selectmen approve plan to reduce town energy consumption

By Johanna Seltz, Town Correspondent

Selectmen unanimously approved a “climate action plan” designed to cut the town’s greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by the year 2014.

The board postponed action on a new police contract until Monday night, when police union representatives can attend, said Chairwoman Sarah MacDonald. That meeting will take place at NewBridge on the Charles at 7 p.m. when the board hosts its "Town Hall to Your Neighborhood" information session with Precincts one and two.

The climate action goal applies to the town’s 21 municipal and school buildings, and its 89-vehicle fleet -- but also includes plans for reducing energy use throughout the community, according to environmental coordinator Virginia LeClair.

Both the selectmen and School Committee must approve the plan for the town to apply to become a state “green community” -- and get access to the associated state grants for energy-efficiency projects. The School Committee is scheduled to consider the plan at its Oct. 6 meeting, LeClair said.

Thirty-five cities and towns were named the first green communities in June and shared $8.1 million in state money. The deadline for applying for the next round of designations and grants is Nov. 19.

LeClair said Dedham meets all the other state requirements to become a green community and will apply.

The action plan includes replacing municipal vehicles with more fuel-efficient ones, and adding more mountain bikes to the Police Department’s current fleet of nine, LeClair said. Other transportation-related items include building bike lanes, and adding bike racks around town, she said.

The plan also calls for curbside composting pickups and putting more recycling containers at parks and playing fields.

The town would expand the town’s “eco-friendly” purchasing policy by requiring that 30 percent of the products it buys have recycled content -- up from the current 16 percent.

A large chunk of the plan involves the extensive energy-efficiency program approved by last May’s Town Meeting.

That work, which already has started, includes installing energy-efficient boilers, ventilation, plumbing, and lighting systems in town-owned buildings, putting a new cover on the town pool, and placing solar panels on the roofs of Town Hall and the Department of Public Works.

A central computer system will connect the buildings, tracking energy use and costs.

The town tapped its own funds, received grants and borrowed to pay for the program, with the hope that the improvements will pay for themselves over 18 to 20 years by decreasing energy costs, said Town Administrator William Keegan.

LeClair said the action plan also includes plans to distribute low-energy light bulbs and increase the number of people in town participating in “eco teams” -- groups of eight who work together to reduce their carbon footprint.

Dedham now has six “eco teams”; the action plan calls for getting 25 to 85 percent of local residents participating, LeClair said.

“We want to create a plan for the town to show how we can continue to go forward and be a leader in sustainability,” she said.

Johanna Seltz can be reached at seelenfam@verizon.net.