Can we call the meeting to order at 400 pm? Okay, I move we open the meeting. Michael, meeting is open. Michael and Ron here. I do not see
anyone else held here yet. Um, previous meeting minutes. Have you had a chance to look at them the minutes from the previous meetings? I Yes, you have. Okay. Do them both. Well, okay. Um, I will need a motion to consider the
minutes of the uh 8:27 meeting for approval. You you move. Okay. Yes, I move to. And I second it. Um, discussion on the motion none. Michael, do you approve? Yes.
I approve. Yes. Yes. We have recorded that approval. know uh the I I I created quick minutes for the U 9, you know, CAP meeting cuz you were all there and stuff.
Um you saw those and um so we make a motion to approve those minutes, please. I'll make a motion to approve minutes. I second that motion. Second that motion. I don't think we need to discuss it further. Um um all those in favor, Michael. Yes.
that is approved. Uh next item on the agenda is the PR police department uh discussion regarding the uh controls of uh user manual uh LED controls and user manual uh user manual PDFs.
Uh, as stated in the in the agenda, I I brought up last time that we we we'd have handled the police department, but it occurred to me that the uh schools may also benefit from having uh some
controls. Uh hello, I recognize Michelle has arrived. How do you do? Hello. Okay, we got we got audio. Thank you. Um the um
so I I offered in August to to check to see if the schools wanted them and uh next item on the agenda. Yes, schools goals suggest a local control would help them use more effective. Um so now we got to kind of backtrack and figure out which models and stuff
have been installed. Uh I'm not quite sure how to do that. I've just begun trying to research it. I guess I would try to figure out well from rise where he sends the bills and are they itemized you know stuff like that if they are then we'll we'll trace them that way. Um
I'll continue work on this but uh but Dave was also hearing for the first time that a new grandfather in Brook will begin scheduling soon. He asked for copy of the work scope which I have not sent him yet. He's going to be attending the kickoff meeting uh which we have which which uh Kelly trying to
schedule. Did you pick up? I saw that. I saw the email. I think um you you forwarded it. I sent back I I returned an email because uh the facilities managers for either school were were not on the list of so
I made tried to make sure that they get I didn't know who to send it to. Uh could have could have made that request to Kelly. could have I don't know usually she's familiar with the facilities manager at the schools either. So uh I asked uh Nelson to deal with it.
Kelly got it and told me that she already covered this with uh with uh Gary. Um all right. So, uh, continuing on, uh, agenda page two, any any more discussion of that install
schools related to that process? I think it's worth doing because if they can use them properly, maybe they will actually save up money. It doesn't it's hard to tell that they have. Um, the uh, next item on the agenda is the climate action plan next steps.
Michelle, uh we we uh we had all three members at that meeting and uh on the 9th uh we I I don't know did you see the minutes that we produced for that minute that meeting? I think I thought I sent them to you. I produced the minutes for the for the September 9th meeting because we were all there, you know, and
I I just so I I I hopefully I sent those to you. Um yes, I did get the minutes. Um so yeah, thank you for for passing those along. Um, I think I also sent out just like a summary of what was discussed as well.
Um, I just combined the uh what was discussed in like the pre uh meeting before our meeting um with volunteers. Um, right. I kind of combined everything together. Um, so I I think I sent that out to to
you guys as well. I don't re recall seeing it, but I can look for it or you could send it again. And I mark here that it's coming if you would like. Yeah, I can send a uh I can uh send that out. Yep. I don't remember seeing it. And and I I
have just been through a terrible period of getting texts and messages from family and stuff. I just got lost so I may not have seen it yet, but if you send it again, I'll be looking for it. Okay. Okay. Yep. Sorry that that's where I am. All right.
Um the um so I I guess um we're into in discussion of the uh actions that town could pursue. Uh you used in your message to me about what you wanted to talk about
at this meeting that was there. So uh what do we have? Yeah. So I um you know a lot of this is kind of data gathering and and uh talking to a lot of different people and um different resources. So what I'm
planning to do and I've started to do is kind of just have all of this a list of actions kind of in one place. um considering that we we want to have um either like another public forum kind of just informing people of finalized
actions. Um so I've been kind of compiling that together. Um I've I've reached out to a few people that were um kind of mentioned or recommended after the staff focus groups. Um especially
people in kind of like the waste sector. Um, but I I I just wanted to kind of also get your thoughts on maybe if you had like additional recommendations you'd like to see in the plan. Um, especially as they kind of relate to energy. Um, or, you know, other people
maybe I should kind of reach out to and and talk to as well. All right. Well, Michael, do you have anything you wanted? No, nothing that I formulated. Maybe maybe you'll think of something while I'm I'm talking. Uh you know, we you
started the meeting off by talking about the goal which was zero at 2050. Yeah. Um when we talk about goals, you know, you're trying to get it more specific to down to townsen kind of
level goals instead of just a big, you know, statement. No. Um I understand that. Um but I I think along the way you'll run into some people who say that this is all unnecessary because you know there is no
such thing as global warming or or uh professor shrink down in uh you know east east wherever says that uh you know you got to get people who have a contrary opinion to even if it's necessary to talk about. Yeah. Um, I think I think what's what
what may have been missing to me in the opening statement was was that uh I don't know if maybe if you're prepared in the background if this thing come if this comes up. I'm not I'm pretty sure it will uh around here. you you um
you've um uh are prepared to answer with you know a a a fairly concise you know address that's been prepared for that particular thing because I I think he can anticipate it and uh even even closer to that you know
people questioning how we how we reached our conclusions and and uh the methodology and stuff like that could come under question. So I I just wanted to kind of prepare us for for that possibility and uh we still be open to
you know discussion of uh other thoughts um and and um and receive them but be prepared to uh answer them and be be well uh versed in how to how to approach uh uh that that resistance um which can
come at any level. I mean, you know, you know, we decide, uh, for example, that the town needs to, uh, um, get equipment to decarburize town hall. Well, later on becomes, you know, do we
want to spend the money for for that because, you know, the debate on on on the funding becomes another point where you can end up with the same arguments again, same same resistance. Yeah. I don't know how much um how much
energy, excuse the ter the term energy you want to devote. I mean the you know there's a subset of population that doesn't accept science. I'm sort of personally I'm kind of finished arguing
with people about it. You know it's just um they don't accept science period. And yes, if any if somebody gen genuinely wanted to um understand what it's all about, uh I would be happy to explain it to the best of my ability. Um but I
don't think it's productive to um you know argue with people or debate because it's not based on you know it's it's not a debate really. It's that they no matter what you would say they won't accept it. You know it's I mean in general I mean a debate that is it but you have to have the
debate. They have to have the debate the rules call. They have to have the debate. They have to leave it open to talk about it. Oh, sure. Um and um you know the the uh the the direction the country is going is a little bit different from you know
what what we're looking for and you know recognize that we don't sell oil here in Donald and uh you know all that but um the climate issue just just breaking that out having a lot of people enthusiastic about addressing it you
know doing something about it is where we are and I just wanted to make sure we're prepared to feel the little bumps, you know, which may be major bumps on the way. Yeah. Yeah. I mean looking at the survey results like there are some people that
say like why are we doing this or you know putting it a little more uh some some comments were you know as you can imagine some of them were saying um but you know I mean like uh I'm glad you have a a broad range of
input you know that's yeah I mean yeah I mean it's kind of like you just sort of like okay thanks for that input carry on kind of thing. Um, but I I mean I do think, you know, in the plan we kind of want to make sure
that we're kind of explaining, you know, background information, basics of um and and not getting like in too much detail, but, you know, here's what climate change is, here's what Massachusetts is
doing, and and I was kind of thinking about that as well. You know, I know the state has kind of the the net zero goal for 2050, but I mean, we I've seen other climate action plans that kind of incorporate other goals as well related
to sustainability and and you know, um so maybe kind of incorporating that language as well might kind of help with some of that. Um, but yeah, I I do think you're still going to get people who are
like, "Why are we doing this?" or, you know, um, I think they they might not realize too that it's like a grant kind of funded effort. So, it's not, you know, it's not like the town is spending money currently on producing
this plan sort of thing. Um, but but yeah. Oh, I'm sorry. That's okay. Uh the other um as a as a goal I mean I you ask us what what our goal would be and my my
ultimate dream goal that's I think that's where you go to to accomplish something is you say is the ultimate thing I would like to do and it may not get to the ultimate thing but you know you're headed in that direction would be uh that uh we can uh decarborize this downtown area
and have um renewable energy coming in from, you know, either on the lines of that we create here um and have the downtown area be available as a disaster zone, you know, and and also the Hawthorne Brook School, they already have a generator over there.
Mhm. um you know an area where where people can come for assistance in the case of a fire or you know uh um uh energy um uh shortage that you know we come to get fed and uh all that you know that's
the center towards the center of town center maybe maybe we would even include the towns house because it's a restaurant you have ability to feed a lot of people uh make that hole a uh an area that is uh unique and isolated uh has its own has
its own built-in um resilience and uh provide the people a place to go and set of communications. Um you don't want to have it all in one one place because because a tornado could just wipe it out, you know. But um yeah, have it have it two to have the the
police station uh library of Hawthorne Brook is one center and and over here is another where we provide local power. I that's a dream but um probably a long time coming if it ever happens but um that that's that's
a goal that I would be looking for but you can only do it like one building at a time and uh u hopefully along the way uh create sources of energy that are not polluted. Yeah. Yeah. And I think you touched on,
you know, another aspect that should be included in in the climate action plan is that sort of resiliency. Um, you know, making sure that people know where they can go during an emergency. Um, cooling centers, things things like that
um should also be kind of incorporated and I think important to um consider as well. Um, that actually reminds me, are there designated like cooling centers or anything like that within town?
I've never needed one. I've never heard of the obviously we have heat waves. Uh, that happens. You know, library uh and senior center I I I think of right away as the place I would go if
you know if I need it. Yeah. Yeah. typically I think like yeah like libraries are usually kind of the go-to place. Um yeah. Yeah. I wasn't sure if there's like a an official kind of designation or or anything like that. Um
I heard of one. Good question. Yeah. But yeah. Yeah. Essentially, you know, we can have kind of the the net zero goal. Um, but I I I think also, you know, there's other sort of related
goals, reducing energy, um, usage. Um, and then like the ones you you listed as well, kind of, um, promoting resiliency and and sustainability and, um, I think can also kind of be incorporated into
that, um, sort of vision. And maybe, you know, it might, again, if people kind of focus on the net zero, maybe it'll kind of help with some of the the people who are, you know, kind
of against that because I I I feel like people really respond to things like, you know, um you reducing waste and and, you know, um preserving natural lands like Um,
all right guys. Um, still here. All right. So, um, that's what that's what we got for now. Is there another uh meeting plan another uh u place where you you'll be getting uh
groups together? Um so I was uh I know in the scope of work there is um a public forum um for like a finalized kind of list of actions
just informing them about that. Um considering like that we had to kind of switch to the focus group with like municipal staff and volunteers. Um we might have to kind of do that format for
it. um or we could try to maybe get more kind of public input. Um but that's sort of what's what's on the horizon for that um kind of into the winter. All right. So it uh right now if someone
were to go uh were to uh hit the button on on u the uh QR code that you we saw last week, what what do they what what do they got? What do they get? So it goes to a survey platform. um basically just hosts surveys. Um so the
one we use is called Survey Monkey. Um basically yeah they'll go it gives them kind of like an introduction and then um they can fill out the survey and then I can look and see like who what the responses are and like the number of
people who um respond to the survey. Okay. So, that's another thing, too. Like, um, we're at, I think, around 55 responses. Um, the one thing I wasn't able to do is kind of like in-person
flyers and and stuff like that. Um, I'm wondering, would you be able to like post them at like a Um, I think one restaurant I went to was the one you mentioned. They have like a bulletin board. um
kind of out where you first walk in. There are a few restaurants in town. I I could ask I would ask permission. Uh I'd want to try to do something less than than 8 and a half, you know, but probably a seven by a 5 by seven or something like that. They're both,
you know, it's not too intrusive. Uh but, you know, at the entrances some places might may actually get us something. And uh Yeah, I I would be willing to try to uh you know to talk to managers and owners
and stuff and try to get that posted. You know, probably half a dozen or so that we could do easily. Yeah. Yeah. Cuz I I with the p when the forum was going to be public, I uh reached out to a few places and they they said, "Yeah, you can just like go
and post stuff." They didn't really need anything to be like reviewed. Um I guess but um but yeah. Yeah. That's kind of the one thing, you know, being that I'm like in Cambridge, it's it's a little difficult to kind of do that um from
down here, but um try to let's set a goal of getting another, you know, at least 100 responses, you know, set a goal of 100 responses. That's Yeah, I think I think that would be, you know, pretty pretty good. Um this is running to the end of October.
Is that correct? Yeah. Yeah. So, end of October. Um, I'm thinking like maybe we could extend it a little bit into November, but I don't think I want to kind of continue having it open like into the winter and um
All right. So, if you produce it, I'll try to bring it out to people. Okay, great. Thank you. And I can print I have a color printer. I can print that if you, you know, want me to do that. I a color printer will work. you know, if if you have color, it might work better.
Okay. Yeah. Thanks. All right. So, um thank you for that. Is there any further uh to be discussed on the climate action plan? No, I think once I kind of get that list and um spreadsheet completed, I can share it
with you and um we can kind of look into preparing for like a public forum or um kind of how we want to maybe present some of those um those findings. All right. Um
end of that. Um okay. Next item on our agenda is the master plan activity. Uh last meeting we uh Michael was still working with the uh uh planning board regarding the master plan to accommodate
the energy topic and I would like to try to update us on what's going on with that. Yeah, I met um I believe it was September 2nd. I met with Beth Faxton who's the staff person for the planning board. Um yeah, we just went over the
changes. Um it's pretty short meeting. Um originally there was a discussion that they would they would put in our suggested changes well I should say our suggested changes have been approved by the planning board. So the only question
was exactly how are we going to change the document and originally it was going to be well we'll put some sort of thing at the uh a little section at the beginning that will just have all the changes and we talked about it and I said why don't we just have a new document you know that incorporates the
changes. So, we decided that made the most sense. And um the only thing I'm I'm uncertain about is I think the we the way we left it was that Beth would would try to produce a new document, but that I would help her. And I actually
just called her to have her remind me, you know, what help she needs. I mean, if it's a question of um editing a word document um you know, or whatever it is, I could easily do it. So, I'll work with Beth and I mean we could have this done.
It's, you know, any pretty quickly just it hasn't happened yet, but I think before the next meeting, I'm pretty confident we'll You don't think it'll take too much of your time then when you're No, I don't think at this point. Okay. So, now now we're trying to next step next thing on the if we're done
with that for now. Um the next step uh on the agenda was the uh the web page update. Um, we have a few our links that we could use, but it it's already taken word. Um,
okay. So, you you have time and and wonder if you're willing to work on this uh this webpage update with me. I I I think we got to try to bring it up to speed uh in a number of ways, but uh if people are going to stop
looking at it. Yeah. We we we got to have it represent where where we are. Yeah. I mean, I can I can give some thought to what we might want to say on a web. I I don't actually know how you update a web page. I mean, do we do we
was there a question as to maybe there's somebody somebody in the town who does that? I don't know. Um, so so how far did uh how far did you get uh with the um
Well, I just address this question to Michelle. How far did you get with Nelson regarding, you know, helping us with those whip? So, I know they updated a little bit with the um
uh like climate action plan. Uh they put the link to the survey. Um I'm not sure about like the actual like energy um committee page if they've made any of those updates. It doesn't look
like they did. Um but but yeah. All right. So there's an effort being talked about, but there's nothing really happening is what we're saying, you know. Okay. So yeah, that's that's unfortunately what it what it seems. It seems like they
they really like for as far as like municipal capacity goes, they can just kind of add pages and then like links and stuff, but um it it doesn't seem like they can do very um I'm not really
sure like what the word is like uh a total like revamping I guess of of the the page, right? We don't know whether they have a cont. I think there's a contractor for this, but they know they're right.
All right. Um, and sorry, sorry. Oh, I would like to I think we should go ahead and try to develop uh what we would like that page to look like. And uh present that and then it's up to
them to actually do what we ask. Yeah. ask for permission to make make their webc look like it should. Um, all right. So, I just wanted to start you and I both come up with um kind of suggestion outline of, you know,
maybe in a little bit more detail than I did before, which is an outline overhead topic, but uh and uh next meeting we'll we'll try to spend 15 minutes on that. Okay. Yeah, I think we uh So, what's your name? Hi, I'm Jack Corey. We have the
assistant sit down with Hi. Um, I was just closing up and I heard you talking about the website. Yeah. Um, so I just wanted to let you know the clerk's office, we sort of are acting as the web masters for the town right now. So, um, if you give us anything to
update on the website, we'd be happy to do that. Okay, good. We're we're in an edit process now. And, uh, Nelson was telling us there's no budget for us, but you have the ability to do it in the day. Yes. In other words, I could give some thought to what I what what would be nice to have on the web page or whether
it's text or some sort of well at that point we want to sort of outline I think and then then we'd work on the specific text right what we want to do but yeah I wouldn't have any idea how you turn that into you know a web page updated web
but I think we come to the ideas first and then in a little uh brainstorm that thank you uh yep whatever you want to send to us we'd be happy to put all this in All right. Thank you. Sorry to storm your meeting. I appreciate that. I'm glad it's a rare occasion we have.
All right. Thank you. All right. All right. So, that's for um for next meeting. All right. Uh yeah, I I brought this subject back. uh the minute status. I've been I've been
spending a lot I was spending a lot of time trying to organize find first of all missing minutes that were prior for my thing my and organize all the minutes with the same kind of name format so they would sort you know probably because it drives
me crazy when you have a meeting from one year and then next next meeting you read in the sequences meeting from four years ago and the next meeting I I don't like that so I was trying to make those changes to the names of the files so they automatically sort
and I'm giving up on that cuz I'm I'm just going to do the most recent three meetings at a time and kind of go backwards until I run into something that I got to work with. So my meetings are all in there but I have to we send them only like three at a time.
You go to the website mean we a lot of them are are not there and you can't find minutes of previous meetings. You can find meeting for a previous meeting, but if you if you scroll backwards, if you're supposed to be scrolling backwards to to an older meeting, older meeting, older meeting. Yeah. And every once in a while, you get a new meeting
and the old and that the way they they they they came to to lay out. And I asked him asked Jack uh a week ago as to Tom Clark's office and asked him uh you know, if they needed to have it
that done a certain way, so problem. He said, "Oh, no. So I I don't know what that I I don't to what detail they they will look at it, but I've already re the ones that I produced the last couple years are all named in the same format. So going backwards a couple years,
that's all people really I mean file names. It's easy to do 2025- 10-01. That's exactly what I did, you know. That's what I did. Yeah. Yeah. But some of some of them had no date and particularly the older ones, you
know. But I'll I'll be start sending those through and you know the just the lot going in with my family this week. I never got a chance to send any this week but I will do that talk not reasonably expected 48 hours before the meeting. I wrote none there,
but I'm gonna take it out. and uh say that that uh let's see I just got a note uh email from copy from uh Karen Chapman MRPC and she asks is
Townsen going to use the $3,000 we got for administrative costs going to be used for MRPC or Kieran H our own. Now I don't know I I I don't
know why there's even a question but apparently there's not a lot of good communication over what can and can't do. He's only he has a 15 hours a week employee. So I don't know and you know it's like
the um the certainly has been some confusion because the uh the contract uh came in like August 12th and it was sent directly to Nelson who is our
designated contact or contract and a month later it hadn't been signed or anything done with it. I don't know what he was waiting for. Um, but he did finally sign it, get it through and then then now
Karen Karen Kiri got involved somehow in there and Karen knew that. So her question is is is he doing it or am I doing it? I mean it's first logical question and uh I think she sent she addressed that question to Nelson.
So my what I'm adding here is it just brings to to bear the the fact that I don't think Townsen has a wellorganized system for dealing with this stuff. People don't know their responsibility.
Yeah. and and these these uh MRPC contracts, these grants are competitive. Not not only getting the contract, but getting the work done quickly as can because you can't go again until you've done, right? So, I will I'm I'm I'm intending to uh
attend the kickoff meeting and I will make sure that everybody understand that I consider timeliness a uh a part of being competitive. So you get it done. That's all. And we love both facilities managers there as
well as uh rise. Um that that's all I have. It it just been upsetting to me to us for for as long as it's been here that at the end of these things it's always goes to crap. You have to like manually pull it together and it's
because they have no system of dealing with the school. I don't or some issue. I don't know. But I I'd like them to address that. Maybe Karen can spend four hours of his 15 to design a uh plus a system.
All right. Uh open forum. None. And uh we're scheduled next meeting. I'm going to propose November 19th, 4:00 p.m. on the Wednesday the 19th. Yeah. I have not made any room reservations or anything, but it looked like a day that was in between holidays
and Yeah, it's a week I assume that's the week before Thanksg. Yes. Yep. All right. Um I'll put that in the calendar. Oh, you can do that. Okay. Yeah, Wednesday. I can do Wednesday for
I'm just going to double check my my calendar, too, but Yep. Look okay. Looks good. All right. If there's nothing else, I would uh ask for a motion to adjurnn. I make a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Okay, I second the motion. Michael, yes. Ron, yes. We'll adjourn 4:35