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Morrisville says it hit early solar and recycling targets and outlines next MSP steps
Summary
Sustainability coordinator Kimberly Connolly reported the town has exceeded its 2026 targets for rooftop solar (now 267 kW) and electricity reduction (11% vs. 2019 baseline), raised recycling participation to 68.3%, diverted about 27,000 pounds of food from landfill in a pilot, and is pursuing grants including a $250,000 congressional award matched by town funds for town facility solar.
Kimberly Connolly, Morrisville’s sustainability coordinator, told the Town Council that the town’s Master Sustainability Plan (adopted June 2022) is on track in several key metrics and described a set of actions for fiscal year 2026–28.
“We are currently at an 11% reduction” in electricity consumption against the 2019 baseline, Connolly said, and reported the town has achieved 267 kW of on‑site solar generation — surpassing the MSP’s original 200 kW goal ahead of schedule. She said procured electricity is down 20% because the town now generates more of its own power.
The presentation highlighted progress across the MSP’s 11 goals: recycling participation rose from a 57.7% baseline to 68.3% (an 18% increase in participation), a textile‑recycling pilot and a food‑waste pilot (in partnership with Compost Now) have diverted nearly 27,000 pounds of food from landfill, and the town has completed actions to support native plant inclusion and is developing a canopy implementation plan. Connolly said Fire Station 3 and other facilities incorporated solar and energy‑efficiency measures, and the team is piloting LEED‑adjacent standards on town projects.
Funding note: Connolly said the Connector solar project used $250,000 in Congressional directed spending from Representative Deborah Ross matched by $250,000 in town funds to create a $500,000 solar project. She said the town is preliminarily approved for a Clean Fuel Advanced Technology (CFAT) grant to fund chargers at the Church Street Southern lot (Federal Highway Administration approval pending), received a $10,000 Duke Energy Foundation grant and a $37,500 nonprofit rebate for town hall solar, and has used federal elective pay incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act for recent projects.
Intern and outreach: sustainability intern Miranda Zwack described outreach work (a student art poster contest, preparation for Arbor Day on April 4 at Morrisville Dog Park, and a stakeholder survey to inform canopy planning). Connolly said the town applied to be a Tree City USA designee and reported that designation had been awarded.
Council members asked about transportation‑fuel goals (gasoline use is up ~30% vs. baseline, driven in part by increased events and fleet changes) and suggested exploring different normalizations for that metric; they also discussed using solar streetlights on greenways and ways to coordinate textile and food‑waste collection at community hubs. Connolly said the team will continue to refine metrics and seek consultant support for the next MSP iteration beginning in FY27.
Next steps: staff will bring a revised five‑year canopy implementation plan, pursue remaining grant approvals, continue the food‑waste pilot (which may add a third pickup), and return with proposed consultant RFQ language as the town scopes a next‑generation sustainability plan.
