Green Worcester Advisory Committee

CITY OF WORCESTER Meeting Minutes Green Worcester Advisory Committee Monday, April 7, 2025, 5:30 p.m. Location: Levi Lincoln Room, City Hall, 455 Main St. Committee Members Mary Knittle, Chair Evelyn Herwitz, Vice Chair Meeting called to order at 5:34pm Patricia Austin Ted Conna Present: Mary Leovich Mary Knittle Evelyn Herwitz Stephen McCauley Patricia Austin Deirdra Murphy Ted Conna (Arrived at 5:37) Stephen McCauley (Arrived at 5:36) Contacting the Committee Deirdra Murphy (online) Department of Sustainability and Resilience Address: 51 Sever St. Room 310, Worcester, MA 01609 (by appointment) Absent: Email: GreenWorcester@worcesterma.gov Mary Leovich Website: www.WorcesterMA.gov/DSR Staff: Sarah Mount Dept of Sustainability and Resilience John Odell Our Mission: 1. Welcome and Meeting Rules To implement the ambitious and urgent goals of the Green Worcester Sustainability 2. Approval of Minutes – March 10, 2025 (Attachment A) and Resilience Strategic Plan (GWP), a Motion to approve made by Vice Chair Herwitz, seconded roadmap for making Worcester the greenest by Member Conna and unanimously approved (Member mid-size city in the country. Leovich absent). Our Staff: 3. New Business John Odell, Chief Jessica Davis, Project Manager 4. Continued Business Gabrielle Hajos, Energy Advocate a. Approval of Second Green Worcester Annual Report Miranda Hotham, Zero Waste Coordinator (Attachment B) Katie Liming, Lakes & Ponds Coordinator Chair Knittle noted that a letter from the City Manager will be Amy Magiera, Administrative Assistant added to the report, and that the letter from Green Worcester Sarah Mount, Energy Analyst Advisory Committee (GWAC) was included in the attachments. Nick Pagan, Senior Environmental Analyst Mr. Odell shared that the report will be designed and shared Luba Zhaurova, Director of Projects with City Council. He anticipates the report being posted online near the end of April. Accessibility The GWAC is committed to ensuring that Member Conna made a motion to approve the its public meetings are accessible to all. Committee’s letter, which was seconded Vice Chair Should you require interpretation, auxiliary aids, services, translations, written materials Herwitz. On a roll call vote, the letter was approved in other formats, or reasonable unanimously by the members present (Member modifications in policies and procedures, Leovich was absent). please contact the DSR a minimum of 48 hours in advance of the scheduled meeting. 5. Public Participation/Community Engagement Paul Popinchalk, a Worcester resident, asked if the public can have Translations the opportunity to see the attachments that go to GWAC members Hay disponibles servicios de interpretación with the meeting agenda. Mr. Odell responded that at the completion y otras adaptaciones con solicitud previa. of the meeting any agenda attachments are available upon request. Avisanos por The Green Worcester Plan Annual Report will be posted online in a greenworcester@worcesterma.gov few weeks, but if anyone wants to access the draft now, it is available upon request. 1  Mr. Popinchalk asked if there has been any update about the funding for the PV systems at Doherty. Mr. Odell replied that the Doherty solar array has been installed and is waiting for interconnection by National Grid. Mr. Popinchalk also shared his concern about a recent presidential executive order declaring an energy emergency in New England and in California due to the use of wind and solar. The order included suspending any further leasing of offshore wind sites and eliminating all incentives for solar. He asked how that might affect plans the city has to apply further renewable resources to municipal buildings. Mr. Odell shared that he doesn’t expect this to affect the city in the near term and that it probably won’t be an issue in the long term. Neither the city nor the department currently have any contracts with proposed wind or solar farms. 6. Standing Item - GWAC Task Force Updates a. Decarbonization benchmarks and goals (Chair Knittle, Members Conna and Leovich). Member Conna noted that he sent committee members a Science Magazine article from June 2023 titled “Credibility Gap in Net Zero Climate Targets Leaves World at High Risk”. The article notes that while many countries have made very optimistic, aspirational goals, some of the goals are more credible than others. The authors of the article “identify and evaluate three characteristics of individual net zero targets. Whether the target is legally binding, whether there is a credible policy plan guiding its implementation and whether a country's near-term policies already put emissions on a downward path over the next decade.” The article notes that when projecting future climate by considering only the most credible net zero commitments, there’s no way to meet the climate targets and keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. The Green Worcester Plan has a target goal for mid-century as well as intermediate goals. Member Conna stated that Worcester is doing the best it can with the available resources and is making good progress, but it's not clear that we're on target to hit the final goal. He questioned whether Worcester’s plan meets the three characteristics outlined in this Science Magazine article and stated he believes that it may partially meet the first two criteria, and that it does appear to meet the third. He requested input from Mr. Odell on how the city measures up to the criteria outlined in the article Chair Knittle suggested that this topic should be taken to the task force where it can be discussed and broken down a bit before the committee asks the city to give a full report, unless Mr. Odell had a very quick answer to the points Member Conna wanted clarified. Mr. Odell did not have a quick answer to these questions. Member Conna had a few more points from the article that he wanted to share with the committee, in particular the following passage: “implementation plans help to clarify which changes are needed at the sector and sub sector level to achieve net zero emissions and can also identify necessary resources and assign responsibility for action. Implementation plans should identify an emission pathway towards the target year, set key emission reduction measures to reach net zero and include sector specific details.” He thought it would be useful for the task force to think about addressing how the key findings in the article can apply to Worcester. He noted that using this framework could clarify implementation plans for some of the heavier lifts including how to decarbonize a city full of old building stock when the only legally binding building regulations the city has apply only to new construction. Member Conna suggested that this could become an academic study that Clark or WPI might be interested in pursuing. Chair Knittle suggested that the task force connect soon to discuss this topic and prepare it for the full committee. b. Sustainability in Worcester Public Schools (Vice Chair Herwitz, Members Austin and Murphy). Vice Chair Herwitz shared that the task force recently had a great discussion with DSR, Dave Magnus of the Worcester Public Schools, and the team from the STEM Education Center at WPI. It resulted in identifying some city data that could be embedded in the curriculum. One such opportunity is with the City’s storm water study, which was just submitted to the Commonwealth’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant program for further of funding. On behalf of the task force, Member Herwitz shared that she and Member Austin submitted a letter of recommendation in support the grant providing funds for the incorporation of the stormwater data into the Worcester Public Schools K-12 curriculum. 7. DSR Project Updates a. Zero Waste 2  i. Zero Waste Master Plan and Waste Characterization Study and the upcoming public survey– Status Update Mr. Odell shared that the department is hosting the first of several listening sessions for the Zero Waste Master Plan on April 16 at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. The master plan consultants, Abbe and Associates, will be in town the week of April 14 for tours and meetings with key stakeholders. The waste characterization study is in process and the consultants, Diversion Designers, are in Worcester through April 17 gathering data to be analyzed. A public survey asking residents to share their opinions on waste management in Worcester went live last week and has already received a good response. The survey takes approximately ten minutes to complete and will help the City understand how folks feel about existing programs. It will also help inform and shape the services that are currently offered and identify opportunities for improvements in policy and service. Member McCauley asked if the department knows when the waste characterization study results will be ready and if they will be publicly available. Mr. Odell responded that he doesn’t have a specific date but believes the results will likely be available toward the end of June. The results are not intended to be publicly available on their own, but they will be made public as part of the Zero Waste Master Plan. ii. Public Waste Bins Project – Status Update The dual stream bins have all been purchased. DSR expects to have the first delivery of bins by the end of April and will then launch a pilot program placing thirty bins on streets, likely in parts of Green Island and Grafton Street. The pilot will run for about two months and help the City understand the collection needs and address any unexpected issues that need to be fixed before the full roll out. Immediately following the pilot, the City will begin the full implementation of bins with two additional shipments of bins in early/mid- July and late July. DSR anticipates that all 150 bins will be in use by the end of July. b. Energy i. Smart Energy Advice Office Hours – Status Update (Attachment C) The smart energy advice office hours are going well. Appointments can be booked online for virtual sessions as well as in-person sessions at the Library and Senior Center. If people can’t find a time within the office hours that work for them, they can always reach out to schedule a separate one-on-one conversation. Vice Chair Herwitz asked if the latest executive order halting funding for fuel assistance programs is impacting the smart energy advice program. Mr. Odell stated that the department is still trying to determine the impact of that order to the Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC), which is the entity that serves lower income folks in Worcester. The Energy Advocate will continue to refer folks to WCAC. Chair Knittle noted that the grant WCAC receives is typically on a calendar year that starts in October. This federal fiscal year (oct 2025 – Sept 2026) the funds should be safe and have already been distributed for the most part, however next year will be more concerning. ii. Electric Vehicle Charging Stations - Pricing Update Mr. Odell shared that he expects the pricing update for the electric vehicle charging stations will be implemented later in April. c. Lakes and Ponds i. Project Blue Worcester, Watershed-Based Plans – Status Update (Attachments D & E) Mr. Odell noted that the Project Blue Worcester watershed master planning effort held the first of three meetings. It was very well attended with over thirty-five people. The remaining meetings will be on April 15 at 6pm at 140 Shore Drive and April 24 at 7pm at 181 Lake Avenue. Member Conna asked what else is planned on the ground for the watershed plans. He’s trying to understand how the plan is being prepared, including how much ground-truthing will be done to ensure that the model is accurate. Mr. Odell responded that he would refer some of the details of Member Conna’s question to Katie Liming, DSR’s Lakes and Ponds Coordinator, but that he can provide a general overview. The consultant has received all the data that the Lakes and Ponds Program collected over the last several years, as well as data that has 3  been provided by the state and the City’s water department. That data is currently being reviewed. Following the review, the consultants will go into the field to do spot testing in certain areas to confirm that the data still holds true. Some of the data is a little bit older and the consultants need to make sure it's consistent with what's going on today. This data, along with additional volunteer data, will provide the basis for the report and the model. The model will then be used to understand where nutrient pollution is coming from and how that can be addressed. The model will have to be tweaked on a regular basis as inputs change. This is not something that's one and done, it is something that will constantly need to be fine-tuned as more and more data becomes available. Member Conna asked if the watershed plans will provide an opportunity to address community concerns about the City’s use of aquatic chemicals to reduce invasive weeds in the lakes and ponds. Mr. Odell responded that how the City treats and manages our lakes is not specifically part of the watershed master plan, but it is indirectly impacted. When the nutrient load is reduced, the need for chemical treatments and physical removal of invasive species should go down. Unrelated to the master plan, this year the department is anticipating a fifty-fifty total cost split between physical removal and chemical treatment of invasives. The physical removals will include both hand pulling and mechanical work. At Coes Reservoir, the chemical treatments have been effective enough that remaining invasives can now be managed by physical treatments going forward. The hope is that we can do that for other city-managed water bodies. There are a lot of waterbodies the City does not manage, and we’re hopeful that the watershed-based plans goal of reducing the amount of inputs will allow those who do manage those waterbodies to limit the need for chemical treatments. Member Conna asked if the Lakes and Ponds Program is putting more effort into nonchemical treatments because they’re getting ahead of the game, in response to community concerns, or a little bit of both? Mr. Odell responded that it’s a little of both. Member Austin shared that the City originally tried to treat invasives in lakes and ponds with just mechanical treatment and it failed. The City attempted this for two to three years and there was a lot of criticism. There was also two to three years of trying to reduce the weeds by lowering the reservoir level, which did not work. Mr. Odell shared that one of the main reasons the Lakes and Ponds Program was created was to have an effective, comprehensive management team to manage City owned waterbodies. The program actively tries to mitigate the use of chemicals, while balancing the obligation to keep the lakes healthy for recreational activities in a cost-effective manner. Member Austin shared that her watershed group greatly appreciates the Lakes and Ponds Program because the group was on its last legs and working cooperatively with the Lakes and Ponds Program and Worcester State has helped reinvigorate the group. Member Conna noted that while chemical treatments can be more cost effective on the front end of the equation, we may not know whether there's a deleterious effect of using a chemical and what that might cost us in the future. He also asked about the relative balance of watershed-based plan strategies between infrastructure improvements and public education to reduce pollution. Mr. Odell replied that balance is still to be determined. Both issues will be addressed, but the balance will depend on where the analysis recommends focusing. Member Austin noted that this is what the plan is supposed to do, allow the program to take a step back and create a model that will help manage the waterbodies holistically. The department is working to coordinate this work with the storm water work focused on flooding, that also affects the waterbodies. Right now, the Lakes and Ponds Program works year by year focusing on putting out fires and this plan will provide a needed opportunity to step back and look at the system. ii. Worcester Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative - 2024 Data Summit on April 10, and new volunteer recruitment (Attachment F) 4  Mr. Odell informed the committee that the Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative data summit will be on Thursday, April 10 and noted that new volunteers are welcome to join the collaborative throughout the season. iii. Rain Barrels Pre-orders Live, May 15 Event (Attachment G) Preorders are live for rain barrels until May 4 and the barrels will be distributed on May 15 at the Blackstone Visitor Center. d. Miyawaki Forests – Project Updates Mr. Odell shared that there will be several volunteer events at the Miyawaki Forests this spring and summer. On May 8 from 4:00 – 5:00pm there will be a “Explore a Miyawaki Forest in Worcester” presentation with Vice Chair Evelyn Herwitz and Luba Zhaurova. This summer there will be more opportunities including tours and speaking events in person and online. As the department confirms these events, the committee will be notified. Vice Chair Herwitz noted that the May 8 event is part of the Jane Walks program which is coordinated by the Planning Division. Jane Walks was named for Jane Jacobs, who wrote urban planning books about walkable cities. There’s also a plan to create audio content by interviewing one of the consultants, Caseylee Bastien, about the project. e. Staff Postings i. Senior Manager of Energy Services (Attachment H) Mr. Odell shared that the posting for this position is online, and that if the committee members know of anyone who's interested, please encourage them to apply as soon as possible. ii. Lakes and Ponds Intern (Attachment I) iii. Zero Waste Community Outreach Intern (Attachment J) Mr. Odell noted that the department is drafting two intern positions, one for Lakes and Ponds and one for Zero Waste. DSR will let the committee know when these positions are posted so they can share the opportunities with their networks. Both positions will be paid at $17.50/hour. 8. Standing Items a. Items to be considered for placements on the next agenda Member Conna asked if there’s any reason why someone who wanted to see the agenda packet attachments before the meeting couldn’t receive those documents. Mr. Odell responded that in general the department doesn’t provide access to all the attachments because some are not finalized prior to the meeting, such as the committee letter for the Annual Report. If the department were to provide access to an item while it’s still in flux, an inaccurate document might be shared. Member Conna asked for confirmation that committee members would be able to share items with the public in advance if they’re not coming to the committee for consideration, discussion, and approval. In particular, he asked for confirmation that informational items like job descriptions or flyers could be shared, to which Mr. Odell replied yes. Member McCauley asked who would make the distinction of whether an item is in process or finalized. Mr. Odell replied that he would be the person to make that distinction. Most documents are in finished form - if the job description hadn't been finalized, it would not have been included in the packet. Vice Chair Herwitz asked if committee members should check with Mr. Odell before sharing any agenda attachments. Mr. Odell replied that it would be preferable. Member Conna suggested that he may want the article he referenced earlier on a future agenda with a focus on how it applies to Worcester. He also wanted to make sure that the following items aren’t missed: inviting John Westerling (Member Herwitz also supported this request); inviting young people to meet with the committee; and an update on the implementation of the Specialized Stretch Code. Member Conna noted that there was recently a newpaper article about the Human Rights Commission, which was upset with the city because they had a statement they wanted to make, and it didn't happen. [Note: Member Conna incorrectly referred to the Human Rights Commission as another advisory board, when in fact it is an executive board.] The article mentioned that the city’s Law Department is working to develop a policy on 5  statements from committees like GWAC. Member Conna noted that he wrote to the City Manager to request a conversation with whoever is developing the policy, with no response as yet. He noted that GWAC is an advisory committee and that no one has to listen to its advice, but he’s concerned that the City should not be dictating what statements of advice its advisory committees could create. Although he does not think this is ready to be an agenda item, since we have nothing to respond to yet, if a new policy is enacted it could be added to an upcoming agenda as a discussion of city policy on statements from advisory boards. b. Upcoming Events (not DSR organized) i. UMass Chan Trash Pickup Event at Bell Hill, 4/23 ii. Arbor Day Event - April 25 at 10am Location TBD iii. Member Conna shared that the Reginal Environmental Council (REC) will be organizing Earth Day Clean ups and Chair Knittle confirmed that the event will be on April 26. Motion to adjourn the meeting made by Vice Chair Herwitz, seconded by Member Conna and unanimously approved (Member Leovich absent). Meeting adjourned at 6:59pm. Attachments Attachment A: March 10, 2025, Meeting Minutes Attachment B: Second Green Worcester Plan Annual Report Attachment C: Smart Energy Advice Office Hours Flyer Attachment D: Project Blue Worcester, Mill Brook Watershed Community Meeting Attachment E: Project Blue Worcester, Quinsigamond Watershed Community Meeting Attachment F: WCMC Data Summit Flyer Attachment G: Rain Barrel Pre-Orders Flyer Attachment H: Senior Manager of Energy Services Job Posting Attachment I: Lakes and Ponds Intern Job Posting Attachment J: Zero Waste Community Outreach Intern Job Posting 6