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Home My WebLink About2016-09-14 RMLD Citizens Advisory Board Minutes0�p OrR a �O Town of Reading �a Meeting Minutes ' •,xmcvorv` Board - Committee - Commission - Council: RMLD Citizens Advisory Board Date: 2016-09-14 Building: Reading Municipal Light Building Address: 230 Ash Street Purpose: General Business Attendees: Members - Present: Time: 6:30 PM 1. RECEIVED TOWN CLERK ,READING. MASS. _ 1016 NOV -1 A Of t91 Location: Winfred Spurr Audio Visual Room Session: General Session Mr. George Hooper, Chair (Wilmington); Mr. David Nelson, Vice Chair (Lynnfield); Mr. Dennis Kelley, Secretary (Wilmington); Mr. Mark Chrisos (North Reading) Members - Not Present: Others Present: Ms. Coleen O'Brien, Mr. Hamid Jaffari, Ms. Kathleen Rybak Minutes Respectfully submitted By: Mr. Dennis Kelley, Secretary Topics of Discussion: 1. Call Meeting to Order - G. Hooper, Chair Chair Hooper called the meeting of the Citizens' Advisory Board to order at 6:30 pm and noted that the meeting was being audio recorded. 2. General Manager's Report - C. O'Brien, General Manager Materials: Flyer for Support EV with RMLD event; RMLD LED Street Light Upgrade Project summary; Flyer for Public Power Open House (hand-out) Ms. O'Brien provided an update on a number of topics. The FY16 Audit was completed in August; everything was completed timely and efficiently. The actuarial on the Pension Fund, which is completed in conjunction with the Town, is pending completion. As soon as that is complete, the final numbers will be released. The results will be presented to the Board on October 20�h. In celebration of Public Power Week (October 3-7), which celebrates the benefits of publicly -owned power companies, RMLD will hold an Open House on October 6'h from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. As part of the 5th Annual Drive Electric Week, RMLD will hold a "Support EV with RMLD" event, sponsored by Plug -in -America, on Saturday, September 17, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The group discussed the Installation of electric charging stations in the service area and some of the initiatives that RMLD is taking to promote the use of electric vehicles. The Reading Town Meeting is scheduled to begin November 141h. Ms. O'Brien will be presenting the RMLD Annual Report. The message for this year's Annual Report will continue to focus on the peak. Page 1 1 -i • This year, RMLD will sponsor an art competition within the schools in place of the T - Shirt contest. The artwork will be displayed at the RMLD offices. a Meetings with Town Managers/Administrators will be scheduled for late fall followed by presentation to the Selectmen. Staff will present a preliminary rate analysis at these meetings. A cost of service analysis will be performed for presentation in the spring. • The LED Street Light Project is moving forward. Ms. O'Brien reviewed the provided spreadsheet, which outlines the progress on installation to date. There are 400 shut- offs in North Reading, and a decision on whether to replace those is still pending. Ms. O'Brien noted that the savings is less than anticipated because the previous rate did not capture the capital cost, and therefore, the towns were only being charged the energy cost. The new rate does include the capital cost. Ms. O'Brien agreed to forward the updated analysis to the CAB. Mr. Chrisos asked for an update on the distributed generator project (DG) and to address, specifically, the Town's request for paving upgrades at the site, and the public forum that was held in July. Mr. Chrisos commented that the project is moving fine from the Town's perspective. Mr. Chrisos noted that he was disappointed in the article regarding the informational forum. He did not feel the article, which spoke about shaving the peak, was clear that the intent of the forum was to allow neighbors who would be impacted by this project to come and talk about it. Mr. laffari provided an update on the progress of the project. National Grid street work has been completed and RMLD has agreed to pay the cost of the DPW driveway paving upgrades. The contract to build the DG unit has been awarded and installation of the unit is scheduled for the end of April. The unit should be operational by mid-May. Mr. Chrisos asked for clarification on the rates/savings for the Solar Choice Program as described in the September edition of InBrief. Mr. laffari responded that a participation fee is paid each month for the ten-year term. Solar credits begin the second year of the program. The net savings (credit minus the participation fee) over ten years is estimated to be $300. Ms. O'Brien confirmed that the program will first be offered to Green Choice participants and then opened up to other customers (in order to reach the 500 participants). 3. NEPPA Annual Conference Presentation - M. Chrisos Mr. Chrisos reviewed the key points of his presentation on solar development in Massachusetts, which he gave at the August Conference in Lake Placid, New York. 4. Public Comment - G. Hooper, Chair No public comment was made. S. Next Meeting - G. Hooper, Chair The next meeting of the CAB was schedule for October 12, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. 6. Adjournment - G. Hooper, Chair Mr. Nelson made a motion to adjourn the Citizens' Advisory Board meeting, seconded by Mr. Kelley. Hearing no further discussion, Motion carried 4:0:0 (4 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 absent). The Citizens' Advisory Board Meeting adjourned at 7:39 pm. As approved on October 12, 2016. Page 1 2 rtnuent RMLD Reading eg Municipal .o.g6'eD...an 7M Celebrate National Public Power Week with as. • We put safety first. • We are proudly driven by public service, not profit. Loyalty to our customers, not stockholders. • We serve you, our fellow citizens, friends and neighbors, and we are accountable to you. • We provide Reading, North Reading, Wilmington and Lynnfield reliable power and prompt service. • We are committed to educating our communities on sustainable energy, electric safety and the benefits of local ownership and governance. LD Open µouse October 6 Dont miss itl Public Power Open House A fun learning experience for all ages Thursday, October 6, 2-5 p.m. RMLD Garage and Tent Public Power An American Tradition 218 Ash St., Reading pr• i o�o,or,�, free • Bucket Truck Rides+ sqo • Lineman Dress -up and Demos r' • Face Painting and Games off�ei • Decorate Pumpkins • Learn about Transmission and Wires • Safety and Conservation Tips • Learn about Electric Meters HANDOUT September 14, 2016, CAB Meeting