DALTON, Mass. — The town's Climate Action Plan needs to consider funding sources and collaboration with large businesses, said Steering Committee members at their first meeting last week. 

 

Over the course of about 10 months, volunteers will be working with the consultant Blue Strike Environmental to develop a plan in an attempt to achieve net zero by 2050, in line with the state's goal. 

 

The plan will consider the town's needs and capabilities and seek strategies to decrease its dependence on fossil fuels for homes, businesses, municipal facilities, and vehicles. 

 

The Steering Committee consists of individuals ranging in age and expertise. At key points throughout the project, it will meet with Blue Strike. 

 

Committee members present at last week's meeting were School Committee member Richard Lacatell, Dalton Community Recreation Association Executive Director Alison Peters, Planning Board member Robert Collins, Wahconah Regional High School student Jackson Crow, and a number of Green Committee members. 

 

The town's Green Committee will be serving as the plan's project team which will work in developing the plan.

 

The role of the Steering Committee is to review this work, provide additional input that may not have been considered, and act as a bridge to town leadership. 

 

It is also meant to help ensure the climate action plan reflects the needs and interests of the full Dalton community, not just the Green Committee.

 

During the meeting, the Blue Strike consultants introduced themselves and demonstrated their expertise ranging in economics, corporate sustainability, climate science, geology, data analytics, and community outreach. 

 

The plan's development is divided into three main phases, each taking approximately three months to complete. The specific timeline may vary based on scheduling and data availability. 

 

"Sometimes, for example, data collection, we're a little bit at the at the whims of either the utility or people who are gathering the data and stuff, and so sometimes there's a little bit of push and pull," Senior Project Manager Rich Swanson said. 

 

"... With the engagement stuff, we want to make sure that we are using the calendar with as much shrewdness as possible. So, we're not trying to do big outreach pushes, for example, in December when nobody's available, or during vacation weeks in the summer, or things like that." 

 

Phase one involves gathering data and establishing a baseline greenhouse gas inventory and forecast. Phase two entails conducting stakeholder engagement and gathering community input. In contrast, phase three involves co-creating emission reduction strategies and developing an actionable implementation plan.

 

In phase one, they will create a baseline emissions profile for the town, which measures its current greenhouse gas emissions and attempts to predict any future emissions. 

 

The two main sources of emission in the United States are energy and transportation, Blue Strike technical lead Daianne Starr said. 

 

"So, this is what we would expect in the town, to be the biggest emission sources, but it can be different depending on the composition of the city, if there's industries or heavy reliance, for example, in natural gas and so forth," Starr said. 

 

The data is usually classified as residential, commercial, and industrial. 

 

"Then we have, for example, megawatts, and we use the U.S. community protocols, and the EPA standards to convert this usage into emissions, and we do the same for natural gas," she said. 

 

Town Planner Janko Tomasic has already started working with Blue Strike Environmental on the initial work of the data collection and greenhouse gas inventory for the plan. 

 

"The utilities have to keep track of that information. In Massachusetts, as I mentioned, it's quite straightforward. In other places, the utility is very resistant to sharing that information, but here, through various legislative acts and policies and stuff, it's become quite transparent," Swanson said. 

 

During the project's development, it is important to collaborate with the largest businesses in town, including Crane Currency and Ashuelot Park tenants, because their energy usage and emissions could significantly impact the town's overall greenhouse gas profile, Collins said. 

 

During Phase 2, they will engage with stakeholders through Steering Committee meetings, virtual community meetings, and surveys to gather input on the community's concerns, interests, and priorities related to climate action. 

 

They will create channels for two-way communication to encourage conversations and foster a sense of community ownership over the climate action plan, Starr said. 

 

Crow asked what amount of youth involvement Blue Strike intends to incorporate during this process.  

 

"We want, actually, ideally, all different sectors of the Dalton population would be involved, and our plan would represent the collective voices of different demographics that include age, but it is paramount to have the input of younger people," Starr said. 

 

One thing they can do is work with Crow to develop engagement strategies that specifically target younger community members, such as through high school programs and social media outreach.

 

"There's a lot of different tools we can use to try to bring attention to the issue, but ideally, we want to have as much as possible participation in a very simplistic answer," she said.

 

"And if you, as a representative of this part of the population, have thoughts [and] opinions, especially being part of listening to this presentation, our emails are always open, and we are very eager to get feedback and suggestions. Feel free to reach out to us at any time."

 

During the third and final phase, they will combine the community input with the data to develop emission reduction strategies, implement a plan, and create ways to measure progress. 

 

They will also find funding sources and produce a clear roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the next 10 to 12 years.

 

Funding was a big concern raised by a number of members. Dalton is a small town of about 6,330 residents, and funding is limited for climate action initiatives. 

 

"We understand Dalton is a, you know, it's a small community, and we feel very privileged to be able to work with you because I know that just per capita the CAP itself is a big undertaking for the town," Swanson said. 

 

In Massachusetts, several programs are available for communities to participate in to receive additional funding. These programs have specific participation criteria, and some offer benefits such as tax credits, he said. 

 

He said that although some challenges may arise, alternative strategies exist to secure funding for various action steps. 

 

"It's not so much the size of the town that we've found [that are left in the wayside for funding]. It's really kind of the engagement with the funders that matters, and sometimes, there are small towns where the capacity or the enthusiasm just isn't quite there to kind of go after funds," Swanson said