Becoming Green; What does becoming a Green Community mean for Washington?

Tracks’ Insight Team thought our neighbors should know about our Town’s efforts to qualify as a Green Community.

In 2008, Massachusetts legislature passed the Green Communities Act, intended to help municipalities become more sustainable by controlling energy costs while also creating an environment for clean energy technologies. The legislation as intended would put our communities and the Commonwealth at the center of the clean energy economy.

The benefits of such a program are painfully clear today. Massachusetts was the first state to implement such a plan and it has become a model for other states. Of the 351 communities in the Commonwealth, there are now 280  Green Communities, including our neighbors in Becket, Middlefield, and Peru. Soon we hope Washington will be one of them!

“Surprisingly, this is one government program that seems to have no downside,” says Peter Matson, member of our local Green Committee, adding: “The Commonwealth gives us a grant which the town uses to save money on energy.  The extensive paperwork we were required to supply is well worth it.”

That extensive paperwork outlines the steps communities must take, and it often takes years to complete. According to Dave Drugman, Chairman of Washington’s Green Committee, the process requires “patience and perseverance.”

Dave supplies a bit of history. “The initial Green Committee work in Washington was spearheaded by former Select Board Chair Jim Huebner in 2012 when he proposed adoption of the Stretch Energy Building Code bylaw, which is one of the criteria necessary to obtain GC status. It was voted down at a town meeting The Stretch Code aims to ensure greater energy efficiency in new building in the town. In May of 2018, it was brought up again and finally passed.

But our first application for Green Community designation submitted in 2018 did not. Despite this, over the past ten years the town has worked to reduce energy usage. Windows and doors have been replaced at the Town Hall, and more efficient lighting and heating have been installed. At the Town Garage better insulated bay doors are in place and Tom Johnson is strict about not leaving doors open in the cold, and not leaving  vehicles idling more than necessary.

Frustrated by the slow process and the rejection of this first application, in 2019, Jim Huebner appointed Dave Drugman to chair the Green Committee and to sort out the deficiencies in the original plan and to submit a new application. Dave then sought out members of the community to help. Tina Hayward, Peter Matson and Susan Colgan volunteered.

“It has been a long process that all the committee members worked diligently on,” Dave emphasizes, “including the amendment to our Solar Photovoltaic Bylaw, and several attempts to complete the energy audits which are the basis for the Energy Reduction Plan.”

Finally, on July 18, 2022, at a Select Board meeting, Kent Lew motioned to approve our revised Energy Reduction Plan. With a letter from Town Council the plan will go to Mark Rabinsky, Western Regional Coordinator for Green Communities at the Department of Energy Resources or DOER. He will review the application before it goes to DOER in Boston for—we hope—approval.

Once we achieve Green Community status, we will qualify for a $125,000 initial grant to pay for energy-efficient upgrades. This will save the town money over the short and the long term. Municipal governments such as ours and all others in the state are substantial consumers of fossil fuels for buildings and vehicles.

Emily Lang of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission helped us this spring to chart a roadmap for reducing our energy by the required 20 percent over the next 5 years. She had the invaluable input from Energy Resources USA who performed energy audits of the Town Hall and Garage in the fall of 2021.          

Here are some of the Energy Conservation measures we are proposing in our Energy Reduction Plan:

• In the Town Hall four propane fired boilers will be replaced with heat pumps. And insulation will be upgraded, replaced, or added throughout the building. Existing lighting will be upgraded to LED.

• The Town Garage’s propane fired boilers will be replaced with heat pumps, and insulation will be supplemented or upgraded throughout the building. Existing lighting will also be upgraded to LED. And employees will be required to participate in workshops to aid in energy efficient habits like idle free driving and other energy conservation initiatives.

• We hope to purchase a hybrid police cruiser when the current cruiser is retired.

Once the town has achieved designation as a Green Community other grant opportunities will open up allowing us to further reduce our energy costs. One goal is, within five years, to install electric charging stations at the garage and at the Town Hall.

According to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, “The projects funded by these grants will allow cities and towns across the Commonwealth to reinvest their energy savings in vital public services like schools, public safety, and local infrastructure.”

Here Here!

If you are interested in a more detailed look at Washington’s Energy Reduction Plan you can go to here.