Lakeville EAC discusses grant timing, building audits, electric equipment procurement and community outreach

Town of Lakeville — In operational business on Feb. 9 the Energy Advisory Committee reviewed the status of open grants, potential reuses of remaining funds for weatherization projects, and whether to pursue higher-detail building audits to support future competitive funding.

Animal shelter and Loon Pond Lodge: The chair reported that an outstanding competitive grant tied to an animal shelter project must be closed before applying for another competitive award. Committee members said they are exploring a repurpose of remaining funds to complete weatherization or related enhancements at Loon Pond Lodge; staff estimated those projects are roughly 95% complete and will follow up with a repurpose request to the Green Communities division at DOER if appropriate.

Audits and technical assistance: Members discussed state-funded ASHRAE level-2 audits (state-funded) versus level-3 audits (more detailed and costlier). The committee asked Prism Energy to provide a nonbinding estimate for a level-3 audit to understand cost per square foot and to evaluate whether a separate municipal technical-assistance grant (~$12,500 referenced in discussion) could be used to upgrade to a level-3 study with local matching funds.

Procurement and equipment: The committee considered a 'zero-emission first' procurement policy as part of climate-leader criteria. One member described finding a 52" battery-powered zero-turn mower with a list price near $6,000–7,000 (six batteries included) and an aggregate example that two units could be ~$14,000 after utility rebates versus a $28,000 gas alternative. Committee members suggested vendor demonstrations and DPW testing prior to any procurement change.

Library and schools outreach: The committee noted a $30,000 lighting capital request at the library and discussed pursuing utility commercial lighting rebates; members agreed to seek a liaison from the regional school district and to offer EAC assistance on lighting and other building-efficiency projects.

Public outreach: Members accepted an invitation to participate in a Sustainable Middleborough fair on March 21 and discussed using demonstrations such as Google’s Project Sunroof to show solar potential to residents.

Next steps: Staff and members will follow up on the Loon Pond Lodge repurpose, seek Prism Energy pricing for a level-3 audit (informational), finalize plans for library and school contact, and consider vendor demos for electric equipment. The committee will meet again March 9 to review a draft resolution and the survey questions.

Note: Several dollar amounts and the count of climate-leader communities were cited in discussion and should be verified in documents; the committee asked Lisa Sullivan to provide the list of certified communities and contact names.