===PAGE 1=== Town of Lunenburg GREEN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE Lunenburg, MA 01462 David Blatt, Chair David Passios, Vice Chair Kim Duffy, Clerk Matt Snyder, Member Chris Holden, Member Meeting Minutes GREEN COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE Monday, April 7, 2025, 7:00 PM Zoom Meeting Attendance: Members Present (Remote): David Blatt, Kim Duffy, Chris Holden, Matt Snyder, Dave Passios Other Attendees: Town: Kate Burnham (Lunenburg School Superintendent), Susan Gilson (Lunenburg School Director of Administration and Finance), Chris Stevens (Lunenburg Facilities Manager) Utility: Matt O’Keefe (Unitil) and Ilsa McIntyre (Mass Save – Heat Pump Support Team Program Manager), Alex Briggs (Heat Pump Support Team Specialist), Justin Bates (Heat Pump Support Team) Call to Order: 7:01 pm Agenda Discussion Review and approve any pending meeting minutes Matt Snyder made a motion to approve the minutes from the following meeting: March 3, 2025. David Blatt seconded. Approved by roll call vote. Public Comment None Heat Pump Consultation Services Matt O’Keefe (Unitil) and Ilsa McIntyre (Mass Save – Heat Pump Support Team Program Manager), Alex Briggs (Heat Pump Support Team Specialist), Justin Bates (Heat Pump Support Team) Dave Blatt: Lunenburg needs to complete the Energy Audit for Turkey Hill Elementary School (129 Northfield Road) and Public Safety Building (655 Massachusetts Avenue) to continue with weatherization and HVAC upgrades. Ilsa McIntyre: Explains MassSave Energy Consultation (HVAC/heat pumps, weatherization) for municipal buildings. Alex Briggs: Presents Consultation Report – copy will be provided. Suggest geothermal might be better for Turkey Hill vs mini-splits. Temperature imbalances could be remediated by weatherization. Asks about currently energy pull/heat load. Dave Blatt: 106,000 kW Chris Holden: Asks about a comparative analysis of the various system types (mini-splits/air source heat pumps, variable refrigerant heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps) ===PAGE 2=== Dave Blatt requests timelines. Matt O’Keefe and Ilsa McIntyre ask about town processes for approvals. Dave Passios describes capital planning process – Town Manager coordinates projects and funding. Matt O’Keefe describes the fastest turnaround would be estimates by August, ready for October grant cycle, next year for project initiation. Weatherization is not required for Mass Save funding, but is required for Green Communities Competitive Grants. Dave Blatt asks what next steps are. Ilsa McIntyre can contact National Grid to get energy assessment, can help find a contractor to get quotes (3 recommended), then determination of which system is best. Dave Blatt questions contractor selection prior to system assessment and weatherization determination. Ilsa McIntyre says National Grid will determine weatherization improvement during energy assessment. Weatherization improvements could impact the system selection/efficacy and 70% covered by Utility. Styrofoam program update No update – grant search still in progress. School HVAC Upgrade Project and Grant Green Communities Competitive Grant fully approved for 2025. Kate Burnham: Held emergency meeting with School Committee to vote to amend capital planning projects to utilize funds for Lunenburg Primary School HVAC improvements (approved). Town Meeting will also need to approve funds. Costs for projects might come in higher than approved funds. Dave Passios asks about vendor commitment to quote and what if the grant/approved funds fall short. Kate Burnham explains additional funds are limited and vendor is reluctant to lock-in cost for project. Project would need to be completed prior to late August. Dave Blatt asks about solar panels on Turkey Hill. Kate Burnham says the solar company went bankrupt and no one currently owns the panels or knows if they are properly net metering. Need to re-allocate solar credits to other buildings. Dave Passios suggests that Chris Stevens connects with George Woodbury from LightSmart Energy Consulting. If the new quote exceeds maximum budget (170k), committee might need to re-consider project and withdraw so other grants can be applied for. Grant writing services was returned to budget by Town Manager. Committee Make-Up Alternate vs associate members. Currently associate member spots but would like to change them to alternates. Need Select Board approvals. Timeline for Next Meeting May 5, 2025 via Zoom Meeting Adjourned: Matt Snyder made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Dave Passios seconded. Approved by roll call vote to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:31pm.