Maynard Awarded Second Major Grant in Three Years for Green Initiatives

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 978-841-9948
Email: john@jgpr.net

Maynard Awarded Second Major Grant in Three Years for Green Initiatives

MAYNARD — Town Administrator Kevin Sweet is pleased to announce that Maynard has been awarded a grant in the amount of $102,233 from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Green Communities Division.

This award was accepted by Town Administrator Sweet and Maynard Facilities Manager Greg Lefterwas at a ceremony Monday at Ashland Town Hall, along with other grant recipients. The state awarded $7.9 million in grant funding to 43 municipalities across Massachusetts.

“We are very excited about this award. It will allow us to increase the sustainability and energy efficiency of the town and to devote more resources to our green initiatives in Maynard,” Town Administrator Sweet said. “This grant is a testimonial to Maynard’s standout status as a town with a top-to-bottom commitment to efficiency and green initiatives.”

The list of projects funded through this grant are:

• $26,180 Fowler School – Weatherization
• $3,258 Police Station – Weatherization
• $3,808.90 Fire Station – Exterior lighting
• $4,761.07 Fowler School – Exterior lighting
• $15,217 Town Library – Exterior lighting
• $9,654.30 Police Station and Town Hall – Exterior lighting
• $3,269.38 Public Works Building – Exterior lighting
• $23,508 Water Treatment Plant – Exterior lighting
• $6,382.34 Green Meadow School – Exterior lighting
• $3,061.86 Rockland Ave. Pump House – Exterior lighting
• $3,132.15 Well #4 Building – Exterior lighting

DOER’s Green Communities Competitive Grants are awarded to designated Green Communities that have successfully invested their previously-awarded Green Communities grants. Awards are capped at $250,000 per municipality.

The Town of Maynard was awarded designation as a Green Community on December 20, 2011 and was previously awarded a grant of $160,025 with the official designation.

“Thanks in part to the work done in cities and towns across the Commonwealth, Massachusetts has changed its whole approach to obtaining and using energy,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett. “This funding will allow these communities to continue the good work they have already begun.”

With this designation, the Town of Maynard is considered an energy leader in Massachusetts. With funding through the Green Communities Designation and Grant Program, the Town can implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects to further reduce its energy costs and improve our local environment. The Town was previously awarded a grant of $160,025 with the official designation.

The Massachusetts Green Communities Division provides technical assistance and financial support for municipal initiatives to improve energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy in public buildings, facilities and schools.

There are five criteria to be a Green Community. Meeting this criterion qualifies towns for funding to increase their efforts. They are:

• Provide as-of-right siting in designated locations for renewable/alternative energy generation, research & development, or manufacturing facilities.
• Adopt an expedited application and permit process for as-of-right energy facilities.
• Establish an energy use baseline and develop a plan to reduce energy use by twenty percent (20%) within five (5) years.
• Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles.
• Set requirements to minimize life-cycle energy costs for new construction; one way to meet these requirements is to adopt the new Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) Stretch Code.

To find out more about this program, visit http://www.mass.gov/eea/energy-utilities-clean-tech/green-communities/.

Maynard’s Green Community Committee assists the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator in developing programs and projects to foster energy conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy generation and sustainability planning. The Green Communities Committee normally meets at 8:30 a.m. on the 2nd Wednesday of each month in the training room at the Maynard Police Station.

This committee gathers, studies, and evaluates information that will help determine various approaches for improving the energy efficiency of operating town, school buildings, and vehicles. They also investigate alternatives for energy technologies and identify funding opportunities to help the Town achieve its energy and sustainability goals.

You can find out more about the Committee’s work here: http://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/gov/committees/green/.

###