Town Administrator Bill Keegan was one of a handful of municipal leaders invited to a gubernatorial press conference at the Statehouse yesterday.The Earth Day event was to celebrate the launch of the Green Communities Program, which will help municipalities cut energy bills through greater efficiency and locally generated power.
“Obviously this shows we are on the map,” Keegan said.“We are doing a lot more than many other communities.”
Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles said Dedham was asked to participate in the launch due to the level of excitement and energy the Town has shown in promoting renewable energy and sustainable practices.The Sustainability Advisory Committee and the Town’s willingness to explore performance contracting were cited as examples of Dedham’s leadership in the area.
Performance contracting allows municipalities to pay for projects with the energy savings that will result.The Environmental Department has requested funding in the upcoming budget to place solar panels on several Town buildings.The Capital Expenditures Committee voted not to fund the project after Keegan told them he was looking at performance contracting as a way to pay for them, as opposed to traditional sources of funding such as bonding.
“I’m excited about being recognized because it shows Dedham is in the forefront of sustainable practices,” said Carmen Dello Iacono, chairman of the Sustainability Advisory Committee.“We knew the governor was watching Dedham.I’m hoping that other communities will be able to see what we have accomplished in a relatively short amount of time and learn from us.”
The Sustainability Advisory Committee hosted Mark Silvia, the Director of the Program, at their meeting on April 8.Silvia, the former Town Manager in Plymouth, is a longtime friend of Keegan’s.
“You should all be very proud of what you have accomplished because you have been aggressive in a positive way,” Silvia said of Dedham.
The Green Communities Program is funded with $10 million per year from the proceeds of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative allowance auctions.The auctions are better known as cap and trade.
The program will assist municipalities by helping them qualify for state funding by adopting local by laws and regulations that facilitate the placement and permitting of renewable energy facilities, benchmarking municipal energy use and reducing energy consumption, purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles for municipal fleets, and taking steps to reduce lifecycle energy costs for new buildings.
