City of Lowell - Office of the City Manager
DIVISION OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
JFK Civic Center/50 Arcand Drive Lowell, MA 01852
Adam Baacke, Assistant City Manager/DPD Director
Anne M. Barton, Deputy Director.


Green Building Commission Minutes
April 10, 2008 6:00 P.M.
Mayor’s Reception Room, Lowell City Hall
375 Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA


Note: These minutes are not completed verbatim; they are merely intended to provide a general
overview of the proceedings of the meeting.

Members Present

Others
David Turcotte, Chairman

Stephen Greene, Resident
Joy Onasch, Member
Paul Welcome, City of Lowell, Insp. Services
Will Arvidson, Member
Craig Thomas, Student, Umass Lowell
Fred Faust, Member
Mark Goldman, Resident
Richard Torpey, Member
Robert Gagnon, Member
Jay Mason, Member
Nick Sarris, Member


The following are the results of the April 10, 2008 Green Building Commission meeting held in the
Mayor’s Reception Room, City Hall, 375 Merrimack Street at 6:00 p.m.

Introductions

Sub-Committee Reports
Communications Committee
Each of the subcommittees were charged with the task of developing a list of long-term goals as
a starting point in developing goals the commission can ratify and provide direction for next
steps. The communications committee produced the following goals for the Commissions
review

1. Reinforce the goal stated in the City Council Resolution endorsing the U.S. Mayor’s
Climate Protection Agreement. At minimum meeting the target of reducing global
warming pollution levels by 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
2. Develop three collaborative projects with Umass, MCC, and local hospitals over the next
three years.
3. Develop a packet of information regarding available incentive programs to move green
building forward. (it was noted the Boston Department of Neighborhood Development
has an example of such a resource)
4. Visit neighborhood groups within the next year and follow up within the next two years.
Potential subject include conservation tips (including waste, water, and energy), overview
of green building, green house gas inventory, etc.

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Green Building Commission – April 10, 2008
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5. Develop recognition awarding projects showing outstanding achievement in green
building design. Three categories including commercial, institutional, and residential.
6. Develop a demonstration project or interactive roadshow display to help communicate
green building techniques and their benefits. (noted that a Umass Lowell professor Sarah
Kuhn) was developing a “green” doll house for display).

Policy Committee
1. Perform an analysis of the existing workforce in the commercial segments serving the
green building industry, identifying with the analysis areas in the workforce that need
enhancement.
2. Develop a comprehensive inventory of green house gas emissions and develop an action plan that
will include emission reduction targets.
3. Propose an ordinance change that will require recycling facilities be included in all new and
redevelopment commercial and large residential projects.
4. Develop and include a green building checklist to be included in the permitting process.
5. Identify and prioritize incentives for development that incorporates green building techniques.
(an example was noted from Country Wide mortgage company who has developed a green
mortgage program).
6. Develop a form of recognition for projects incorporating green building techniques.
7. Develop policies that encourage recycling of rain-water.

Technology Subcommittee
In their efforts to develop the green building checklist, and move it closer to a draft for
distribution the subcommittee did not develop a list of goals. Discussion turned to specifics of
the latest iteration of the checklist, R. Torpey walking through the layout pointing out that the
committee focused on keeping the document under three pages to reduce burden on developers
and contractors. He noted that the 6 primary categories from the Green Homes Northeast
checklist were maintained and the subcategories were removed (hidden in the spreadsheet) to
reduce the length of the document. R. Torpey also noted that the subcommittee altered some of
the point ratings so that they more closely responded to the City of Lowell and its unique
context. For example, under land use and site planning points were reduced, as most projects
taking place will automatically be near public transit or proximity to services and goods. He also
pointed out that there would be a supplemental document with greater detail for those
developers/ contractors interested in incorporating the elements into their project.

B. Gagnon had asked if each line item are rated with a point system or if they only needed to be
checked if applied to the project. R. Torpey confirmed that as of the current draft they were
rated with a score.

F. Faust questioned the need for elements that spoke to lifestyle choices such as proximity to
goods and services or proximity to public transit to be included in a green building checklist. He
felt this beyond the scope a green building. D. Turcotte pointed out that location choice does
impact such things as energy use (for transportation) and affects green house gas emissions; also
most green building rating systems including LEED include a section on land-use and project
siting.

N. Sarris pointed out that each element needed greater explanation, he felt that the checklist
would be too confusing for applicants and would either not be filled out or completed
incorrectly. F. Faust felt the point system was confusing and the checklist should be boiled down

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Green Building Commission – April 10, 2008
Page 3
to simple steps for contractor/ developer. B. Gagnon suggested an intro paragraph explaining
what the checklist is and how to fill it out and include a link to the web page with greater detail
and instructions.

D. Turcotte pointed out that there seemed to be some confusion between the green building
checklist and the 10 steps to energy conservation document. The former is intended to provide
some benchmarking of projects that may wish to incorporate green building techniques and the
ladder is intended to give homeowners some ideas to conserve energy. Although the checklist is
largely an educational tool, it is a way to encourage green building and determine what elements
are being incorporated in projects. He also concurred that the point system may be a bit
confusing, how does the applicant determine how many points they get for each element?

M. Goldman suggested that ordering each element by the number of points awarded may help
the layout.

It was noted that there may be some missing policy elements that will help the implementation of
the checklist and solve the issue of clarity such as:
Workshop for developers to introduce the checklist
Provide instructions on web page
Train staff to assist in completion

Other issues include the timing of implementation, prior to or after a series of workshops and
training and the level of implementation, projects that need a building permit or only those
requiring site plan review.

Next steps, the Policy Committee will review other similar programs that have been
implemented to learn challenges faced and how they were able to be successful in their
implementation.

Goal Development
The Commission developed a draft list of goals utilizing the goals developed and presented by the
subcommittees. Following are the draft set of goals:

1. Provide educational programs that create awareness, seeking recognition from the various target
markets and encourage their involvement.
2. Produce a comprehensive study inventorying citywide greenhouse has emissions and developing
an action plan to reduce emission identifying specific target reductions.
3. Develop and propose alternative recycling and waste disposal programs in order to increase the
rate of recycling citywide.
4. Encourage and nurture “green collar” jobs and employment within the City of Lowell.
5. Develop a program that recognizes projects that incorporate best practices in green building
design and construction and exhibit the best example of green building within the City of Lowell.
6. Develop and promote incentives within the City, tailored to the unique economic context of
Lowell.
7. Build partnerships with educational and non-profit institutions, including the National Park and
local government.
8. Develop informational media to convey the goals and initiatives of the Green Building
Commission.
9. Develop outreach programs and events to advance understanding of green building concepts
throughout the community.

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Green Building Commission – April 10, 2008
Page 4
10. Disseminate City of Lowell accomplishments, policy, and commitments to providing a clear
message towards sustainability.
11. Develop and initiate a demonstration project that will be utilized during special events or used for
community outreach.

Lowell Recycling Program
In response to City Manager Lynch’s observation that the City’s recycling program is costing the
City money and given the difficult fiscal climate, it may be difficult to continue to justify the
program J. Mason suggested the Commission take an active role in preserving the existing
program in the short term and provide a long-term solution that increases the recycling rate,
improves the fiscal impact of the program, and remains equitable for residents. He went on to
say that first of all it needed to be made clear that the current program is useful and that it is
difficult to advance the notion of sustainability in Lowell while simultaneously eliminating the
recycling program. He proposed two steps:

Hold a neighborhood meeting to muster support and develop suggestions for future
solutions.
Look at policy changes that will help improve the recycling rate within the City.

It was noted that currently only residential properties with 6 units or less may access the curbside
pick-up program and that there are not recycling drop off centers.

One option for a long term solution is the pay-as-you-through program where residents pay a fee
equal to the amount of waste the produce. An example is the City of Worcester that charges 50
cents for small trash bags and $1 for large bags. There currently is no incentive for Lowell
residents to recycle.

F. Faust motioned and J. Mason seconded to

Convey support to the Mayor, City Council and City administration of the
recycling program and strongly urges the Council to preserve it. The
Commission further resolves to assist the City to enhance the present recycling
program by increasing the tonnage of recycled materials collected, encourage
awareness, and educate citizens of the existing recycling options citywide.
Lastly, the Green Building Commission pledges to assist in the identification of
program enhancements that will solidify its long-term viability and improve its
fiscal impact on the City Budget.

The motioned passed with all attending members in agreement.

J. Mason offered to draft a letter to the City Council and the letter would be presented to
the Environmental Subcommittee meeting coming up in May.
_____________________________________________________
Aaron Clausen, Associate Planner/ Green Building Commission Administrator

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Document Outline

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