Jaffrey Energy Committee

Minutes of Meeting – 4/30/2009

Present: Dick Ames, Margaret Dillon, Ed Surprenant, Steve Dark, Doug Clayton, Rob Stephenson, Andy Jones, Bonnie Mitchell, Harry Young, Sarah Harpster (guest)

Absent: Doug Starr

Tne 4/30/09 minutes were reviewed, corrected to show that Steve Dark was in attendance, and approved.

The following announcements were made: on June 20, 2009, an all-day “Local Energy Solutions 2009” conference, organized by the Carbon Coalition and Clean Air- Cool Planet as the “First Annual Local Energy Committees Conference” will be held in Concord at the Grappone Center; on May 20, 2009, the Cool Monadnock Project of Clean Air – Cool Planet will convene a “From Data to Action” working meeting in Keene of local energy committees; and on 7/17/09, Ted Leach will be the Amos Fortune Forum speaker at 8 PM at the Jaffrey Meetinghouse on the subject of “Responding to the Climate Change Challenge: Too Little, Too Late?”

The status of the Streetlight Committee’s Plan was again discussed. Public listening sessions were held on March 31 and April 2. The sessions were sparsely attended. The issues raised at these sessions have been carefully considered by and responded to by the Committee. The Committee has concluded that no changes are needed in the Plan. The next step is for the Selectmen to consider and take action on the Plan. Dates for the Selectmen’s review are still in flux.

There has been no response so far to the Town’s two proposals for funding from the NH Public Utility Commission’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fund.

The Selectmen have announced a bond hearing and have called a special town meeting at which the Town’s voters will be asked to approve funding for the pellet boiler that has been proposed for the wastewater treatment facility. In a 3/26/09 letter to the Board of Selectmen, Dick Ames had conveyed the support of the Energy Committee for this proposal (as part of a larger bond proposal). New dates for the bond hearing and special town meeting are expected to be announced next week.

The Committee renewed its discussion of the need for a baseline energy usage inventory. Sarah Harpster of the Cool Monadnock project at Antioch in Keene offered to help with this. Margaret Dillon will send her some baseline data that has already been collected. Dick Ames will facilitate coordination between Sarah and the Town, particularly with Doug Starr.

The next meeting was scheduled for 7 PM, Thursday, June 4, 2009, at the Town Library.