PEABODY, MA — The long and winding road toward having Peabody designated as a state “Green Community” — making it eligible for funding for environmental and climate initiatives — got a boost in momentum Thursday night with the City Council’s approval to advertise a “stretch code” ordinance for energy-efficient new buildings and extensive renovations in the city.
Peabody Director of Community Development Curt Bellavance told the City Council Committee on Legal Affairs that meeting the state criteria as a “Green Community” — including the stretch code ordinance — “opens the door for hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant funding.”
He said upon designation the city will receive a grant for $125,000 plus an additional estimated $250,000 based on the city’s population.
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More than 300 of the 351 Massachusetts cities and towns — encompassing 90 percent of the state’s population — have adopted the code introduced in 2009.
“This is really the key piece to us becoming a Green Community,” Bellavance said, “and basically getting on the road for more energy reduction in regards to city properties.”
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City Councilor Peter McGinn said the term “stretch” is a misnomer for the code that has become the standard in the state over the past decade-plus.
“We are actually the outliers in the state having not adopted this,” he said. “Beyond adopting this for the very positive reasons of trying to make our buildings more energy efficient we also need this to satisfy one of the Green Communities criteria. It’s critical that we do that.”
Bellavance said the city has nearly completed all five criteria necessary to apply for the designation with an outstanding requirement being a baseline energy audit of all municipal buildings and putting together a five-year energy reduction plan. He said that additional zoning changes should not be required.
He said the extended deadline for this year’s designation is Dec. 29 with the opportunity to apply for additional competitive grants in the program if the City Council approves a “Green Communities” application by Oct. 20.
McGinn said he has already asked Bellavance to identify projects to apply for funding for in advance of the designation.
“I believe there are plenty of projects we can pick from,” Bellavance said.
The Legal Affairs Committee and the full City Council passed advertising the ordinance for final approval by a unanimous vote.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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