STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FUNDING

Article 10 on the warrant for the 2012 Annual Town Meeting again requests funding for a stormwater management program.  The purpose of this article is to comply with the required elements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Last year, Town Meeting approved borrowing $400,000 for this program, but it was defeated at Town Election. Since then, we have taken steps to significantly reduce this amount by limiting its provisions to the minimum area of Town (the “urbanized area”) required by federal law. The requested amount now is $160,000.

Also, we have done a significant amount of the required mapping of the drainage systems within the urbanized area in-house. We also plan to continue the in-house mapping and supplement it with the purchase of a GPS unit to allow us to map the drainage system in areas where we do not possess paper maps as well as to help improve the accuracy of the maps. And finally, the Assessor’s Office was able to use a different state program to update the Assessor’s Maps (which was originally part of this program) at no cost to the Town.

The funding will be used for a number of projects. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

•    Mapping -- The existing Town-owned stormwater management system (i.e. catch basins, manholes, culverts, detention basins, leaching galleys, etc.) will be mapped in Geographic Information System format.

•    Inspections -- All elements of the Town system will be inspected to determine its condition and to identify possible illicit discharges.

•    Sampling -- The water discharged from all outfalls will be sampled in both dry and wet conditions. This will help determine where additional treatment or system upgrades are necessary.

•    Pollution Prevention -- A stormwater pollution prevention plan will be prepared for all regulated Town facilities including the Police and Fire Stations, CMD Garage, Town Hall, and Library.

•    Operation and Maintenance -- An operation and maintenance plan for the stormwater system will be developed.

•    Phosphorus Management -- Phosphorus has become a pollutant of increasing concern because it encourages excessive plant growth and results in an imbalance in surface water ecosystems. A plan to address phosphorus discharges will be prepared.

•    Identify Grants -- Grants may be available to help offset the costs of the program and/or to fund improvements to the stormwater management system. Such grants will be identified as part of the program.

·       Public Information – At a minimum, at least two brochures or flyers per year for five years must be prepared and distributed to the public explaining various aspects of the stormwater management program, including what individuals can do to minimize its impacts.

It should be noted that the contracted amount is a maximum and that charges will be billed on a time and materials basis. We will continue to do as much as possible in-house in order to keep these costs to a minimum.

Protection of both surface and groundwater resources is critical to the future of Sherborn, and has therefore always been a high priority. Last year, Town Meeting approved a new stormwater management bylaw. This program is the next step in our ongoing effort to protect these resources.

MORE ENERGY INITIATIVES!

Sherborn is continuing its efforts to pursue energy efficiency as well as renewable and alternative energy. Last year, we participated in a regional solicitation through Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) for an energy services company. The Request for Qualifications resulted in 8 very good proposals. After an intensive evaluation process, the firm of Ameresco, based in Framingham, was selected.

The program consists of two phases. The first phase is to conduct "investment grade audits" of Town buildings. This process involves reviewing energy bills, occupancy patterns and conducting a comprehensive physical examination of Town buildings. The result is a list of recommended physical improvements, including the cost of the improvements and an estimate of the the energy cost savings that will result. As a result of this solicitation, we are able to get the audits done for 4.5 cents per square foot.

The second phase, which is optional, allows us to contract with Ameresco to implement a package of some or all of the recommended improvements. The contract would include a guarantee by Ameresco of a certain level of savings that will result. The cost of the improvements would then be paid for using the resulting savings. The Town can choose to use its normal bonding capacity to finance the improvements, enter into a lease purchase agreement or other mechanism, but whatever is chosen will be backed by the guaranteed savings.Since we have funding from our Green Communities grant, we can fold that funding into the program to enhance the level of capital improvements we can make through this program. Conversely, if we decide not to pursue a contract with Ameresco, we still have the series of improvements that we are funding with our grant.

Another effort, which is actually part of our Green Communities grant, is the installation of a "Big Belly" solar trash compactor. The unit was delivered to the Community Maintenance and Development recently and will shortly be installed near the concession stand at Jameson Fields. In addition to using solar energy to compact the trash, it also can send an automatic email when it is nearing capacity to indicate that it will soon need to be emptied. Thus, the compacting reduces the number of trips needed to empty it and the email notification further ensures that trips are not made needlessly when the unit is not nearly full.

Third, in a program similar to the ESCO solicitation, we have indicated our interest in working with MAPC again on a regional solicitation to develop a solar photovoltaic facility at our landfill site. Joining with other Towns in a regional solicitation is likely to generate more interest and a more beneficial  proposal than going it alone. We also have indicated an interest in a regional solicitation for the purchase of LED street lights, though no decision has yet been made on whether to pursue that.

SHERBORN RECEIVES GREEN COMMUNITIES GRANT

Thanks to the initiative of the Board of Selectmen, the strong support of the Planning Board, and the exceptional hard work of the Energy Committee, Sherborn has been awarded $137,450 from the Massachusetts Green Communities program to implement energy efficiency improvements in Town buildings and vehicles. The improvements will, in turn, save more money for the Town while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

GREEN COMMUNITY GRANT APPROVED!

Sherborn has been awarded a grant in the amount of $137,450 as a direct result of its attainment of status as a designated Green Community. The funds will be used for improvements in lighting, insulation, environmental controls, etc. at Town buildings including Pine Hill School, Town Hall, and the Fire and Police Stations. It also includes funds for anti-idling devices for certain Town vehicles. The great thing is that, in addition to the grant funding these improvements, the improvements themselves will reduce energy use thus resulting in more savings!

In addition to the funds, the Town will also receive road signs indicating its status as a Green Community and a "Big Belly" trash barrel with a solar-powered compactor to reduce the frequency of emptying.

SHERBORN:AT A CROSSROADS - A PLANNING BOARD REPORT ON THE TOWN CENTER

The Planning Board has been spending several months on studying the Town Center and preparing a report on its existing conditions and potential impacts of changes under two different scenarios. The report includes information on the following:

• Previous Town Center Improvement Efforts, including the major zoning changes, proposed road reconstruction plans and previous studies including the 1958, 1975 and 2001 Master Plans, the 1971 Town Center Study, the 1981 Zoning Study Committee report, the 1989 Town Center Master Plan,  the 2001 Livability Charrette, the 2001 General Plan, the 2004 Community Development Plan and the 2007 Final Report of the Town Center Water District Workgroup 

• Documentation of Existing Conditions, including existing lot areas, building space, parking spaces and other information regarding the Primary Commercial Area and other areas within the Town Center 

• Resident Survey and Citizen Input, including the results of a citizens survey conducted in 2008, and input from a set of public forums conducted in June and October of 2008 

• Estimates of Future Development, based on alternative assumptions and visions 

• An Evaluation of the Impacts of Alternatives, including fiscal impacts

The report does not yet include recommendations. The Planning Board has drafted a set of potential recommendations that span a wide range of options. Its plan is to present the report without recommendations in order to receive feedback and input from other boards and commissions as well as the general public before committing to specific recommendations. It is intended to be an inclusive process in an effort to achieve consensus on the actions the Town should pursue.

This report is the first step toward an update of the 2001 General Plan. Following the finalization of the the Town Center report, the Planning Board will begin to update the other elements of the General Plan. The full draft report is available here.

SHERBORN IS A GREEN COMMUNITY!

I am very happy to announce that Sherborn has officially been designated a Green Community! We are now eligible to receive a grant in the amount of $137,450 to be used for energy efficiency improvements in Town facilities. The grant is subject to successful submission of an application indicating what the funds will be used for. Most of it will consist of projects that have been identified in the Energy Reduction Plan which was one of the five components of our application for designation.The other four criteria that we had to meet were to allow an alternative energy facility to be developed by right (accomplished by creating a solar photovoltaics overlay district at the Town landfill via a Zoning Bylaw amendment approved at Town Meeting in April), allow such a facility to be allowed through an expedited permitting process of 12 months or less (we provided for 6 months), to adopt a fuel efficient vehicle policy (ours was adopted by both the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee) and to adopt of the Stretch Energy Code (this optional building code section that requires a higher standard of energy efficiency was also adopted at Town Meeting in April).

In addition to the grant funds, the Town will receive a solar trash compactor with a recycling attachment, as well as four  street signs indicating that the town is a Green Community.

Perhaps the biggest benefit is that energy efficiency improvements made with the grant funds will results in lower energy costs in the future. This will save the Town additional money while also reducing carbon emissions that contribute to global climate change.

It should be noted that the source of funds for Green Community grants is not state tax revenues, but rather it is proceeds from the carbon credits purchased though auctions by emitters of carbon through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in which Massachusetts participates along with other New England and Mid-Atlantic states.

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT BYLAW AND FUNDING

Last week, Town Meeting voters approved both the new Stormwater Management Bylaw and funding up to $400,000 through the State Revolving Fund (SRF) at a 2% interest rate. The state loan had been approved subject to Town approval at Town Meeting and then at Town Election. Both of these are required elements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Town Election is Tuesday, May 10.

The SRF funding will be used for a number of projects. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Mapping -- The existing Town-owned stormwater management system (i.e. catch basins, manholes, culverts, detention basins, leaching galleys, etc.) will be mapped in Geographic Information System format. In the process of creating these maps, an added benefit will be the creation of a new set of Assessor's Maps. 
• Inspections -- All elements of the Town system will be inspected to determine its condition and to identify possible illicit discharges.
• Sampling --  The water discharged from all outfalls will be sampled in both dry and wet conditions. This will help determine where additional treatment or system upgrades are necessary.
• Pollution Prevention --  A stormwater pollution prevention plan will be prepared for all regulated Town facilities including the Police and Fire Stations, CMD Garage, Town Hall, and Library.
• Operation and Maintenance -- An operation and maintenance plan for the stormwater system will be developed.
• Phosphorus Management -- Phosphorus has become a pollutant of increasing concern because it encourages excessive plant growth and results in an imbalance in surface water ecosystems. A plan to address phosphorus discharges will be prepared.
• Identify Grants -- Grants may be available to help offset the costs of the program and/or to fund improvements to the stormwater management system. Such grants will be identified as part of the program.

Protection of both surface and groundwater resources is critical to the future of Sherborn, and has therefore always been a high priority. This program is the next step in our ongoing effort to protect these resources.