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Home My WebLink About2022-02-23 Climate Advisory Committee Minutes� fq Town of Reading TOWNCLERK RECEIVED Meeting Minutes TOWN a to iG RK y '�•%Iry(OPfOP 2023 MAR -8 PM 3: I, Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Climate Advisory Committee Date: 2022-02-23 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Berger Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: Bi -monthly meeting Attendees: Members - Present: David Zeek, Chair; Ray Porter, Secretary; Jeff Everson, Member; Celeste Kracke, Member; Walt Talbot, Associate Member; Travis Estes, Associate Member; Members - Not Present: Genady Pilyaysky, Member Others Present: Cathy Zeek. Community Garden Gina Snyder, Member Emeritus Simone Payment, Food Pantry Volunteer Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Ray Porter Topics of Discussion: Meeting was held via a Zoom Conference Call Welcome to Members and Guests Review minutes, vote on acceptance None Community Garden Update - Celeste • Approval given by the Conservation Commission - unanimous • An issue about fencing and how to control critters • Select Board approval not needed • Garden considered an educational Improvement • DPW improvements to be made including a water line, tree removal, cart path. • Prep work to be completed by May 1 • Gardener bed installation to be installed the first week of May (volunteers welcome) • Applications for gardeners being readied • Planting to be started between May 15 and June 1 • Interest in planting pollinator garden • Chuck is the Garden Administrator with others doing the day to day activity • Looking to form a 501(3)c organization to manage it • Looking to create a "Friends of Community Garden" structure to similar to other organizations in Town Page I 1 Town of Reading - Meeting Minutes Green Sense Article to be timed to Community Garden Opening Town Friends and Family Day (lune 11) • Side by Side tables with Community Garden TerraCycle — Simone • TerraCycle is a recycling service that collects items the Town Service does not. • Is a branding program for items not otherwise recyclable • Companies using their logo can claim that their item is recyclable. • Salem has used their service. It would be good to know how they liked it. • Uncertainty about how much is actually recycled • Suggestion to have a informational campaign about how Reading recycles its waste • Could improve bylaws or regulations to minimize the use of single use plastic • Further action postponed for about 6 months to see how Salem's program is progressing. Subcommittee for Outreach Activity • Do a demonstration for induction stoves and heat pumps or other electric appliances, possible teaming with companies to be held at the Reading Library or RMLD • Demonstration project for solar panels and battery technology Town Energy Survey Assessment • Genady scanned 40 surveys and had an 80% success rate based on the way the survey forms are marked • Dave will presort surveys to improve the capture efficiency • Survey forms with comments will be set aside for further evaluation Green Communities Status • Reading is ineligible to be a Green Community because it does not pay into the Renewable Energy Trust • Legislation to allow Reading to become a Green Community is still in process • Should we promote the hiring of a Sustainability Director if status as a Green Community would not happen before the end of the year • Other funding sources could be sought by a Sustainability Director • Could have Town Meeting pass an instructional motion to assess the benefit for having a Sustainability Director • Dave to talk with Fidel and Finance Committee Utility Incentive Update • Natural Gas customers eligible for heat pump incentives • RMLD may offer increased incentive • RMLD graduated rates are also now available. Next meeting 3/09/2022 at 7:00 pm P"'Iz