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
November 26, 2007 6:00 P.M.
Arthur Hammer Conference Room, DPD
City of Lowell, 50 Arcand Drive, 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
Mark Young, Regional Waste Water Utility
Joy Onasch, Member
Gunther Wellentstein, Solid Waste & Recycling
Fred Faust, Member
Stephen Greene, Resident
Marc Horne, Member
Adam Baacke, City of Lowell, DPD
Will Arvidson, Member
Lisa DeMeo, City of Lowell, Engineer
Richard Torpey, Member
T. J. McCarthy, City of Lowell, DPW
Robert Gagnon, Member
Paul Welcome, City of Lowell, Insp. Services
Nick Sarris, Member
Mark Goldman, Community Activist
Jay Mason, Member


The following are the results of the November 26, 2007 Green Building Commission meeting held in the
Arthur Hammer Conference Room, Division of Planning and Development at 6:00 p.m.

Introductions
Determination of meeting frequency was moved to later in the meeting to allow the commission to better
determine the scope of work outlined in its proposed Mission and Activities.

A recommendation was made by Adam Baacke to elect a chairperson in order to lead the meetings, noting
that the Commission is a citizen advisory group created in order to guide the City of Lowell in its efforts
to encourage Green Building practices. The commission should be lead by a member of the Commission
and not by City staff.

A request for nominees was made with Marc Horne moving to nominate David Turcotte, with Jay Mason
seconding. The motion passed with all Commission Members voting in favor.

Overview of Green Building Commission’s Role
D. Turcotte requested a reading of the Commission’s Mission and proposed Activities developed for the
proposal to create a Green Building Commission presented to the City Council environmental
Subcommittee by A. Baacke, D. Turcotte, and J. Mason.

During discussion of the Mission and Activities it was suggested and agreed upon by the Commission to
include Water Conservation and Low Impact Design techniques for capturing storm water runoff to be
included into the list of Activities.

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Green Building Commission – November 26, 2007
Page 2
Building Sectors

Discussion took place as to which building sectors the Commission may target in order to fashion specific
programs and incentives that will prove most effective in encouraging the adoption of green building
practices. By developing distinct market segments the Commission will be able to identify which sectors
provide the greatest opportunity for early adoption of Green Building technology, as well as sectors that
may have the greatest impact on the environment and therefore would best serve the community by
adopting Green Building practices.

Some sectors noted include:
♦ Home Owners
♦ Developers
♦ Property Owners/Management Firms
♦ Commercial Businesses
♦ Industrial
♦ Public Facilities: i.e. schools, libraries, administration buildings

It was also noted that new development and redevelopment projects would be a good way to target
development as they are required to pursue permits from the City, whether through Inspectional
Services or the Planning Board. Information on green building and ‘green’ checklists could be
required with the submit ion of an application.

Organizational Structure

Organizational structure, specifically subcommittees, could be formed in two ways:
1. Focusing on sectors as mentioned above. For example, a committee would be created to
research and develop programs that would target homeowners while another would focus on the
development community.
2. Focus on Commission actions. For example, a committee would be formed to take on
education, another incentives, another voluntary or regulatory programs, and lastly one on
information dissemination and marketing.

A. Baacke made a recommendation that the Commission focus on the private market as several City
Departments are looking at ways to incorporate green building technology into development and asset
management of City owned and operated facilities. The hope is to avoid duplication of efforts and
provide a complement to what the City is doing. He also suggested the Commission may wish to focus
on the residential market as that is the sector the City has seen the most activity in recent years.

It was generally agreed that the Commission delay the development of its structure until a greater
understanding of knowledge and experience offered by members, as it is likely the composition of the
Commission will guide its structure. The delay will also give the Commission an opportunity to
brainstorm ideas under the general heading of “activities” as identified in the Proposed Green Building
Commission Memo.

How the Commission is expected to interact with City Departments, Council, and Boards
The primary point of contact for the Commission and the City will be DPD staff supporting the GBC,
Aaron Clausen. Staff will act as a liaison between departments and the Division of Planning and
Development. Proposals and programs would be reviewed by staff at DPD and then proposed to City
Council’s environmental subcommittee.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts open meeting laws will guide the running of Commission
meetings. Generally these laws require meetings to be open to the public, that adequate notice of the

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Green Building Commission – November 26, 2007
Page 3
meeting is posted, and accurate recording of the proceedings are taken. A. Clausen will coordinate the
posting of public notice of meetings, develop minutes of the meeting, and make them available to the
public. A copy of “Open Meeting Law Guidelines” will be forwarded to members for their review.

G. Wellenstein offered space in his “Wastelines” article that appears in the Lowell Sun every 2nd
Monday of the month, and in the quarterly newsletter sent out with the tax bill in order to raise
awareness of the GBC, projects, programs, and other milestones. A. Clausen will provide language to
be included with the approval of the Commission.

Expertise & Interests
Members took turns in describing professional background and expertise offered to the Commission.
Goals and interests were touched upon as well. Members will have the opportunity to provide greater
definition to the subject matter as the Commission evolves.

The following are some specific goals or interests that resulted from the discussion:
Wind energy is an opportunity, especially along the Merrimack River.
Green roofs an opportunity, particularly on the mill buildings due to the flat roof.
Green house technology could also be explored on top of mill buildings.
Incorporating green building techniques into historic preservation projects.
Develop a greater understanding of cost savings for operations and management of buildings.
Look at projects through the prism of life-cycle costs, long-term benefits.
Develop green building knowledge base – dispel myths on cost
Education and outreach
Identify and develop demonstration projects
Develop voluntary programs for homeowners
Focus on simple improvements to conserve energy
Green building as economic development tool

Educational Priorities
Target groups were identified as possibilities to gear educational efforts, the following were identified:
City Council/ Appointed Gvt. Boards
Public Schools/School Committees
Colleges and Universities
Building Professionals – includes developers, contractors, property owners, and property
mgmt. firms.
Design Professions
Home Owners

Discussion veered to other activities that the Commission may wish to look at. W. Arvidson pointed
out the need to develop incentives for developers, homeowners and property owners to incorporate
these projects. It was pointed out that businesses and developers are currently developing properties
without much public incentive. Two projects currently underway in the City that will be seeking
LEED certification without assistance from the City. There is a growing recognition from the private
sector of benefits of going “green”, particularly reduction in cost for building operations as well as
branding and marketing opportunities. It was generally agreed that the economic benefits of Green
Building techniques need to be accentuated in order to build interest by local building professionals to
incorporate them into their projects.

F. Faust described his vision of the Commission’s role, broken down into three categories: educate,
facilitate, and legislate. Furthermore, an appropriate mix of ‘carrots’ and ‘sticks’ need to be
formulated to strike the right balance in order for the private sector to adopt “green building” practices
without hampering development or placing undo hardship on the building professions.

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Green Building Commission – November 26, 2007
Page 4
Some other educational opportunities for raising awareness of the GBC, and green building were
discussed, including:

Developing a presentation to take on a “road-show” to the various neighborhood groups.
Meet and coordinate with other non-profit organizations such as the Coalition for a Better
Acre, and the Lowell Housing Authority.
Develop a pamphlet that will describe the GBC, its mission, and contact information, etc.
Develop a web page as a clearinghouse of information regarding green building.

Educational Needs of GBC

Distribution of “Open Meeting Guidelines”
Member presentations to develop baseline knowledge set to work from and help identify areas
requiring research.
“Field Trips” to green buildings and other physical resources such as the EPA building in
Chelmsford, or Nexus in Boston (www.nexusboston.com).
Greater understanding of City Ordinances relating to development, including the zoning code
and subdivision regulations.
Information on what the State and Federal Governments are doing.
Conferences: Smart Growth Symposium, or Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
(www.nesea.org) GreenBuilding Conference; March 11-13.

Next Steps
The Commissioned discussed next steps, which member presentations for the group in order to build a
knowledge base from which to work with, determine areas where knowledge gain is needed, and help
develop an organizational structure.

A vote was taken on the meeting frequency with a majority voting for once per month, M. Horne and
W. Arvidson voting for meetings to be held twice a month. The next meeting was scheduled for
Thursday, Dec. 13 at 6:00PM. The meeting place is to be determined. Meetings will be scheduled the
2nd Thursday of each month.

_____________________________________________________
Aaron Clausen, Associate Planner/ Green Building Commission Administrator

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Document Outline

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