Arlington Energy CommitteeMinutes12 September 2024
6:30 – 8:00 PMIn-person at Town Hall and online
Present: in person: Karen Lee (Temporary Chair) , Jenny Murtaugh, Mary Anne Holmes, NickZaiac (Administrator); online: Joan Nash, Alexandra Ernst, Garret Siegel (alternate)Call to order: 6:34 PM
New Business
- Minutes:
Garret made a motion to accept the minutes from the past three meetings. Second by Jenny.
Unanimously approved with no changes. - MERP Implementation Update:
The Select Board reviewed the Town energy audit from several years ago and voted to adopt
all recommendations for both buildings except for solar. These include air sealing, coldcliamte
heat pumps, insulation, and smart thermostats. Nick submitted the MERP application
requesting $115,000. He will be cleaning the attic in preparation for the work. Nick said that
Arlington has a good chance due to the high energy burden of needing to drive to Manchester
or Bennington for the resources available in a larger town. Karen thanked Nick for his
efforts. - Tracking Tool Update:
No one is finished with their “homework” assigned at the last AEC workshop, but some
progress has been made. Alex did much research on her topic. Karen, Jenny, and Mardi spent
2.5 hours starting to analyze Jenny and Mardi’s heat pump systems as local case studies.
Karen has created a spreadsheet for determining the per cubic foot expense of operating heat
pumps at our zip code based on Jenny and Mardi’s data.
Another workshop meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, September 24th at 6 PM. - Window Dressers Update:
With 259 inserts paid for, the Northshire AEC group have exceeded our goal.
Karena and Jenny met with Bryan Dalton on Sunday, September 8th regarding volunteer
organization. Jim Hand and Carl Bucholt have done a great job getting people to sign up.
There are still 15 volunteer open slots to fill. - Hazard Mitigation Plan:
Mardi proposed that the committee should educate the public about the plan as it relates to
climate emergencies. The question was raised that if it is decided that AEC should take on an
educational role, how do we get the news out? Karen suggested that we wait until after the
tracking tool project is finished and 2024 Window Dressers is over. Nick informed the
committee that development of this plan has been an ongoing project for the past 9 months
and suggested that AEC consult with the committee working on it. This item to be added to
the agenda for the October 2 AEC meeting agenda.
Old Business – none
All Other Business
- There is a showing of the documentary, Common Ground, the sequel to Kiss the Ground
on Saturday, September 14. Karen and Jenny distributed flyers around town for Earth
Matters, who are hosting the film. Mary Anne Holmes is planning to attend. - Also on Saturday, Tim Duclos, Conservation Ecologist at Audubon VT, and manager of
the Woods, Wildlife, and Warblers program, will host a 90-minute walk and talk through
an active logging operation at Merck Forest. This recent forest management activity is
helping to creature future old growth forest conditions for the benefit of birds and greater
biodiversity, climate change resiliency, and carbon sequestration. Jenny and Karen plan
to attend. - Since both great and relevant events are a schedule conflict, committee members who
attend each will report back at the next meeting.
Motion to Adjourn: Mary Anne Holmes moved; Joan seconded; none opposed. Adjourned at
7:13 PM