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CLEAR staff briefs board on building-code adoption, small efficiency fund and state grant for EV chargers
Summary
CLEAR staff updated the environmental board about recent adoption of 2021 model building codes, a simplified green-building checklist and a small town efficiency fund under $100,000; staff also reported a state grant award for electric vehicle chargers that will fund about 10 chargers.
Lauren Servier, a CLEAR program staffer, summarized recent trustee action on building codes and related climate guidance documents. She said the town adopted the 2021 model building code, and the prior local green-building checklist was simplified as part of that update. "The green building checklist was simplified… that went away. That's actually a real help to the building community," Lauren said, adding the move reduces duplicate requirements for builders.
Lauren described a small town efficiency fund made up of fees previously collected under the green-building program and said staff are drafting guidelines so the money can be used for small rebates such as heat pump incentives or additional solar rebates. She characterized the fund as "small — less than $100,000" and said the trustees expect to approve guidelines by the end of the year.
On regional mobility funding, Lauren said CLEAR staff and partners applied for two grants and were notified that they were awarded funding to install about 10 new EV charging stations paid for by the state. "That will be paid for at the state," she said, and staff are coordinating placement and deployment planning with town staff and police administration.
Lauren also summarized the Path to Net Zero advisory document (an advisory, voluntary framework rather than a code change) and said trustees urged a pause to consider which voluntary or beyond-code targets are practical and measurable for the community. She noted CLEAR will update the town’s greenhouse-gas inventory this year using new utility data to produce a current baseline for future policy choices.
Board members asked whether the efficiency fund would be available this year; Lauren said staff aim to have it approved by year-end. Several members raised measurement and budget concerns for beyond-code measures; Lauren and other staff said resource constraints (time and budget) limit how much modeling and tracking the town can perform without additional funding.
No formal vote was taken on these informational items; staff said specific proposals, contracts or rebate guidelines will return to trustees for formal approval.
