This past week state officials from the Department of Energy Resources notified Planning Director Bill Clark that Milton was now designated a “Green Community under the Green Communities Act. As such Milton is eligible for $157,088 in grant money according to Mr. Clark. The town still needs to apply for these funds. Exactly how they are allocated is not known; but it will be to improve energy efficiency in municipal buildings and services.
Milton is now 1 of 53 communities in the state to receive the designation (map of communities). To receive the designation a community needs to meet five criteria:
- Provide as of right siting in designated locations for renewable/alternative energy generation
- Adopt an expedited application and permit process for as-of-right facilities
- Establish benchmark for energy use and develop a plan to reduce baseline energy use by 20%
- Purchase fuel efficient vehicles
- Adopt the Board of Building Regulations and Standards Stretch Code
The last received some push back from Town Meeting Members at Special Town Meeting but an article adopting the code passed.You can find a comprehensive QA on the stretch code here. you can find coverage of the town meeting session here.
The Milton Alternate Energy Committee chaired by Henry MacLean worked on the application for the Green Community status. It was an arduous effort that required a great deal of fact gathering and working with various town departments. You can view the baseline report that was submitted to the DOER below.
In a recent conversation Mr. MacLean said that the town was already close to realizing the 20% energy savings. He believes the town can improve to as much as 23% short term and up to 30% by 2013. He also explained that the amount of funding a town is eligible for is determined by community size and its relative affluence. Mr. MacLean is passionate about energy convservation for two reasons. It represents a strategy for the town to realize significant cost savings and “it is the right thing to do.”