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ESC approves 'Wildlife Connectivity' letter and allocates funds to support electric mower purchase
Summary
The committee approved a revised letter supporting town mapping of wildlife connectivity and agreed to allocate up to $1,500 from contingency funds to help the Conservation Commission replace a gasoline mower with an electric model; DPW reported the electric demo performed well but the up‑front price difference was estimated at $4,000–$5,000.
The Environmental Sustainability Committee approved a revised letter to town staff urging continued work on mapping wildlife connectivity and voted to contribute contingency funding toward an electric mower for conservation use.
Christina Christodoulopoulos, co‑chair, amended a draft letter (originally by Mac Hisey) to Ryan to recognize Sarah Wasserman’s mapping work and to keep the project on town staff’s radar. The committee agreed to rename the project "Wildlife Connectivity" to avoid the narrower ecological meaning of "corridor" and approved the letter by unanimous roll‑call vote.
On equipment, committee members said the Conservation Commission and DPW arranged a demonstration of an electric mower that impressed DPW staff. ESC discussed an estimated $4,000–$5,000 upfront price gap between gasoline and electric models and voted to allocate up to $1,500 from ESC contingency funds to enable the purchase.
Why it matters: the mapping effort aims to identify connectivity not captured in BioMap; approving the letter signals committee support and helps keep the topic on the town administrator’s priority list. The electric mower allocation is a small contingency contribution intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from grounds maintenance while leveraging DPW and Conservation Commission commitments.
Next steps: the approved letter will be sent to Ryan; ESC will release contingency funds as needed if DPW/ConsCom proceed with the electric mower purchase.
