Norwalk council joins Global Covenant of Mayors; resident urges heat pumps and net-zero planning for West Avenue fire station

The Norwalk Common Council voted unanimously to join the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, a voluntary international initiative to help cities measure emissions, assess climate risks and share best practices.

The vote places Norwalk in a global network that members say improves access to technical resources and funding opportunities for local climate work. Council member Lopez, who presented the item, said the covenant "connects thousands of municipalities across the globe" and retains local control over implementation.

During the meeting's public participation period, Diane Loracella, who identified herself as a Norwalk resident of 21 Little Fox Lane, asked the council to go "further" than the covenant by explicitly including heat pumps and net-zero planning in upcoming design work for city firehouses. "Solar and storage is great, and it's something I've asked for for many years," she said, adding that she hoped the West Avenue Fire Station design would include heat pumps for HVAC and that the city take net-zero planning "at the beginning" of design and renovation.

The council had already approved a broad consent calendar earlier in the meeting that included a design services contract with Antonacci Associates PC for the West Avenue Fire Station renovation and expansion (Station No. 4) for a total not to exceed $311,200, with a design contingency of $31,120. Those items were approved as part of the consent calendar, which carried unanimously.

Council members thanked Jody Trendler, the city's sustainability director, who was in the chamber, for her work charting the city's climate course. Lopez said several of the covenant's technical steps — greenhouse-gas inventories, resilience assessments and climate action planning — were already underway or had been implemented in part.

No follow-up motion specifically requiring heat-pump analysis or net-zero certification was made during the meeting. Council members and staff did not commit to a directive beyond the adopted covenant and the previously approved Antonacci design contract; however, multiple speakers acknowledged grant opportunities and existing tax incentives that may support additional clean-energy measures. Diane Loracella noted that some tax incentives were due to expire in "a month or two" and urged the council to consider them in design decisions.

The covenant adoption was passed by unanimous voice vote; the consent approval that included the Antonacci contract likewise passed unanimously earlier in the meeting. Council members said staff will continue to pursue grants and technical resources and that the sustainability office will continue to coordinate climate-related planning.