Kennebunk energy committee approves minutes, sets Feb. 5 meeting and advances solar, composting and school-efficiency plans

The Town of Kennebunk Energy Efficiency & Sustainability Committee approved its Dec. 11, 2025 minutes, set its next meeting for Feb. 5 and spent much of its Jan. 8 meeting mapping outreach and pilot projects on solar, school efficiency and composting.

Why it matters: The committee’s discussions could affect how the town supports school-based energy projects, the size and feasibility of local community solar farms if state legislation changes, and the launch and siting of a household composting pilot that would affect waste handling and resident participation.

Vice Chair Tom Schenck said the committee is still waiting for results of a Community Action Grant application and that he and committee member Wayne Berry plan to meet with Mark Jago about another project grant. Schenck said repeated outreach to RSU 21’s superintendent has not produced a reply, and he suggested working through student groups if the district does not engage directly on solar, composting and other green initiatives.

Wayne Berry raised a proposal pending at the state level to raise the community-solar cap from 100 kilowatts to 5 megawatts. "If that passed, it would make solar farms more feasible," Berry said, while also flagging safety questions about ensuring solar installations are isolated from the grid during outages to protect fire and utility workers. Berry said committee members are awaiting reactions from lobbyists and noted that any change "would still need to go through KLP," as referenced in the meeting.

Committee members also discussed energy-efficiency work at town facilities and in local schools. Karen Plattes, the Select Board liaison, said she had scheduled a meeting with Lisa (the Climate Action Committee liaison) to coordinate efforts and avoid duplication. Ian Murphy and David Morrison said they are involved in supporting RSU 21’s possible participation in the Maine Green Schools Initiative, and Murphy expressed interest in coordinating with facilities staff and Chris Osterrieder on energy audits and higher-performance window options.

Joe Wolfson said the committee has started installing "No Idling" signs at several locations and planned to place more signs after the spring thaw.

On composting, Leah Ingram announced that Brian Laverriere had reviewed the town's funding schedule and given the go-ahead to launch a Composting Pilot Program with Garbage to Garden in early spring. The committee generated questions for the vendor and discussed potential drop-off locations, including Town Hall, the library, the bowling alley and private/volunteer locations mentioned in the meeting; Linda Miller Cleary said she would speak with Hannaford’s about a possible partner or site.

Actions and next steps: Chair Tony Dater moved to approve the Dec. 11, 2025 minutes; Tom Schenck seconded and the committee approved them unanimously. Dater later moved to change the committee's next meeting to Feb. 5 with an emphasis on the upcoming budget; Schenck seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The committee adjourned at 7:00 p.m.

What’s next: The committee will reconvene Feb. 5 with a budget focus and follow up on RSU 21 outreach, the Community Action Grant results, potential state action on community solar sizing and planning for the composting pilot.