Peabody energy committee reviews $230,000 green-communities grant, net‑zero roadmap and next steps

The Peabody City Council ad hoc committee on energy efficiency and renewable energy heard an update Tuesday on the city’s participation in the state Green Communities program, progress on a citywide net‑zero roadmap and preliminary discussion of applying for a higher-tier Climate Leader Community designation.

Kurt Bellavance, director of planning and community development, told the committee the city received a Green Communities participation grant of about $230,000 and identified 19 projects in an energy audit. "We received that grant for approximately $230,000," Bellavance said, adding that 16 of the 19 projects are complete and that about $73,000 of the original grant remains unspent.

The leftover funds will be cleared by the state before the city can spend them, Bellavance said. He said the city has spent about $157,000 and has leveraged roughly $180,000 more from other incentives, including programs run by National Grid. "We typically look at the payback for repairs and the age of the building," he said, noting some investments were deferred where buildings may be replaced in the near term.

Why it matters: completing the first‑year work and filing the Green Communities annual report are prerequisites to applying for the Green Communities competitive grant rounds, which award larger sums for higher‑cost projects (for example, boiler replacements). Committee members pressed staff on the timetable after Peabody missed earlier competitive rounds.

Committee questions and procurement delays

Committee members raised why progress slowed after a December 2024 update that expected 18 projects to be finished by January. Bellavance blamed a combination of factors, including an…