Carbondale environmental board reviews town building electrification, water stress, composting plans; board recommends new member

Carbondale trustees and staff on an environmental board meeting reviewed progress on a state electrification grant for Town Hall, retro‑commissioning work at the recreation center, a proposed path toward “net zero” building measures, early results from a smart water‑meter pilot and several utility projects tied to a strained 2025 water year. The board also heard an extended presentation from Evergreen 0 Waste on expanding composting and voted to recommend resident Beth Schumaker for appointment to the environmental board.

The meeting opened with a buildings update presented by a CLEAR contractor working under the town contract. The contractor said the state energy office had executed a large electrification grant for Town Hall and that Lauren Gister would transition the project; staff still must repair structural roof issues before new mechanical equipment can be installed. The contractor said the grant is a multiyear award the town must spend within two years and described it as “over a hundred thousand dollars.”

The contractor reported separate work at the recreation center: Trane will install new HVAC controls and provide staff training to reduce energy and demand charges. Staff said better control of ventilation and mechanical schedules could move the rec center off a higher Excel demand rate and potentially save the town “$30,000 or more a year” for that building if successful.

Board members discussed training and contractor capacity in the valley. The CLEAR contractor said two technical workshops on air‑source heat pumps had reached dozens of local contractors (one session drew roughly 48 attendees, another about 25) and that further webinars…