Energy Commission Minutes

Minutes of 3/12/2025

March 18th, 2025

Carroll Energy Commission Minutes
Meeting of March 12, 2025 @ 5:00 p.m.
Carroll Town Hall Conference Room
The Carroll Energy Commission mission is to advise, encourage, and facilitate energy conservation, energy efficiency, and clean energy solutions for public buildings and properties, businesses, and resident homes. The Committee shall provide leadership and direction for community education relating to energy and shall propose and explore funding for local energy projects.
These minutes of the Town of Carroll Energy Commission have been recorded by its Secretary. Though believed to be accurate and correct they are subject to additions, deletions, and corrections by the Energy Commission at its next meeting when the Commission votes its final approval of the minutes. They are being made available at this time to conform to the requirements of New Hampshire RSA 91-A:2.

Minutes recorded by Imre Szauter, Secretary

Commission members in attendance: Member Vern Amirault, Member John Greer, Member Karen Moran, Member and Select Board Representative Brian Mycko, Vice Chair and Secretary Imre Szauter, and Chair Bill Vecchio.

Members of the public in attendance in person or via Zoom: Melissa Elander, Clean Energy New Hampshire (CENH) North Country Energy Circuit Rider (in person).

The meeting was called to order at 5:01 p.m. by Chair Vecchio.

Chair Vecchio invited all attendees to rise and join in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Chair Vecchio recognized the Energy Commission’s newest member, Karen Moran and thanked her for her willingness to join and participate in the Commission’s work. He also welcomed Melissa Elander of CENH and thanked her for being part of the meeting.

Chair Vecchio stated he would entertain a motion on the Feb. 12, 2025 meeting minutes. Member Amirault motioned to accept the minutes as written. Member Mycko seconded the motion. With no discussion, the motion passed with 4 Ayes, 0 Nays, and 2 Abstentions. Member Greer was absent from the meeting and Member Moran was not yet a member of the Commission, although she attended the meeting as a guest.

Chair Vecchio stated he would entertain a motion on the Feb. 18, 2024 public hearing. Member Mycko motioned to accept the minutes as written. Member Moran seconded the motion. With no discussion, the motion passed with 5 Ayes, 0 Nays, and 1 Abstention. Member Greer was absent from the meeting.

Under New Business, Chair Vecchio formally welcomed Karen Moran to the Commission. He stated that Member Moran brings extensive financial and accounting expertise to the Commission and that all members look forward to working with her. Chair Vecchio also congratulated Member Mycko on his March 11 reelection to the Carroll Select Board and Member Amirault for his election as a Cemetery Trustee.

Under New Business, Chair Vecchio welcomed Melissa Elander of CENH and provided her the opportunity to present information on the USDA (US Dept. of Agriculture) Rural Community Development Initiative program and the USDA Assurance Agreement. Melissa Elander stated that as written in her Feb. 25, 2025 email, this USDA program allows CENH to bill her time spent assisting qualified towns pursue and complete municipal energy projects, as the Town of Carroll qualifies as a municipality which residents’ 2010 median household income below 80% of the state average.

In order for CENH to bill to the grant Melissa Elander’s time spent assisting the Town of Carroll, the town is required to sign and submit a USDA Form RD 400-4 (Rev. 08-22) Assurance Agreement. There is no cost incurred by the town in signing the agreement.

With no further questions for Melissa Elander, Member Mycko made a motion to recommend to the Carroll Select Board that the town sign the USDA Assurance Agreement as presented. Member Amirault seconded the motion. With no further discussion, the motion passed with 6 AYES and 0 NAYS. Chair Vecchio will create a letter of recommendation to the Select Board and submit it prior to the Select Board’s Mar. 25 meeting.

Under New Business, Chair Vecchio opened a discussion on the Mar. 11 Second Session (Town Vote) outcome. He noted that Member Mycko was elected to a 3-year term on the Carroll Select Board and Member Amirault was elected to a 3-year term as a Cemetery Trustee.

Chair Vecchio stated that Article 03 To purchase and install a Solar PV array on the Town Public Safety Building passed with 130 YES votes and 36 NO votes, yielding a 78% approval rating. Article 15, To put money in the Energy Efficiency CRF passed with 111 YES votes and 52 NO votes, yielding a 68% approval rating.

He congratulated members and supporters on the outcome of the vote, and thanked Melissa Elander for her and CENH’s support during the entire NH DOE (Dept. of Energy) Municipal Solar Grant program process, which began in June 2024.

Vice Chair Szauter provided some background on Town Vote day, including first use of the new VotingWorks system that replaced the AccuVote tabulator.

Under New Business, Chair Vecchio opened a discussion on the Feb. 18 public hearing, which was required as the Commission sought approval for an expenditure in excess of $500.00 for the Public Safety building roof structural analysis, as part of the NH DOE Municipal Solar Grant program requirements. He stated that following a short introduction of the requirement for the public hearing and details associated with obtaining the certified structural engineer’s letter, members voted unanimously to recommend to the Carroll Select Board that the town pay one-half of the total of $1,750.00 to Horizons Engineering on the first invoice submitted for work to date and one-half when the letter is received and the second invoice arrives.

Under New Business, Chair Vecchio opened a discussion on the (planned) Mar. 8 display at the transfer station to provide information on the solar PV array for the Public Safety building project. Due to weather conditions, members decided to cancel the display. Chair Vecchio asked if commission members felt the transfer station display, the post office presence, and the informational session should be considered for future Energy Commission projects; all members agreed they were worthwhile and a careful evaluation of future dates should take place when new initiatives are proposed. Member Moran suggested future informational sessions should take place on an evening other than Friday.

Under Old Business, Chair Vecchio opened a discussion on the Public Safety building roof analysis letter. Most of the information on this topic was already covered under New Business in the Feb. 18 public hearing review, other than that a voice mail message was left with Horizons Engineering requesting a status update on the letter.

Under Old Business, Chair Vecchio opened a discussion on the Affinity LED Lighting streetlight conversion program. Vice Chair Szauter reported the town is waiting for confirmation from Affinity LED Lighting that the supplemental installation contract has been accepted for $1,370.12 with Eversource Energy for installation of the remaining five LED lights. Also, the two shields ordered by the town still haven’t been received, so we can’t determine if installation of one of these shields will address the concern of excess light leakage raised by a town resident.

Vice Chair Szauter mentioned that the Feb. 2025 Eversource Energy streetlight invoice arrived and still lists a number of legacy streetlights the town is paying for. A copy of this invoice will be sent to Affinity LED Lighting with a request for reconciliation with the Jun. 2024 streetlight audit and their replacement documents of Dec. 2024. Five of the legacy streetlights are still to be replaced, and four of the legacy streetlights are on Rosebrook Dr. (a private road), but the others are unknown.

Under Old Business, Chair Vecchio opened a discussion on the NH DOE Municipal Solar Grant program progress. Several emails from Paige Relf at NH DOE were discussed, highlighting the delays in the required kick-off meetings and the uncertainty of grant funds being available.

Melissa Elander asked if the Energy Commission receives the weekly electronic NH DOE newsletter and if so, did they see the notice of opening of public comments for the Political Subdivision Solar Grant Program. Vice Chair Szauter acknowledged the Energy Commission’s email address (energycommission@townofcarroll.org) does receive the newsletters, but that he failed to pass the most recent one on to members. Melissa Elander thought the town might be interested in providing comments, given its experience with the NH DOE Municipal Solar Grant Program of Jun. 2024 that resulted in the awarding of a grant up to $86,236.00 as approved at the Nov. 2024 Governor and Executive Council meeting.

Under Old Business, Chair Vecchio opened a discussion on the promotional information developed to assist voters making an informed choice on the solar PV array warrant article. He credited Melissa Elander with providing several of the FAQs and stated that the handouts should be made available to anyone who requests more information when the project begins.

Under Other, Chair Vecchio asked if there were any other items to bring before the Commission. Vice Chair Szauter explained that Member Moran’s term on the Energy Commission is a three-year (2025-2027), but that she was sworn in in Mar. of 2025, for an actual term of 2 years and 8 months. It was agreed when the Energy Commission was created in Oct. 2023 that members’ terms would end in Oct. of the year listed by their names. Therefore, there are two members whose term ends in 2025, two in 2026, and two in 2027.

Chair Vecchio reported he was unable to obtain the amount spent on the Affinity LED Lighting project from the town treasurer, but this shouldn’t be an issue as the two invoices for the streetlight conversion project were paid in 2024.

Vice Chair Szauter asked about future projects and establishing priorities for them.

Chair Vecchio stated there were a few possible projects discussed during past meetings, including the CPCNH (Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire) proposal to become the town’s electricity supplier. The main issue for Commission members was the automatic ‘opt-in’ feature of the program. Members agree to keep the CPCNH proposal on the table for now.

Member Moran offered that many residents are not aware of competitive electricity suppliers that may offer rates that are better than the Eversource Energy default rate; she suggested this may be an educational opportunity for the Commission going forward. Members discussed preparing a handout on competitive energy suppliers and possibly setting up a display during the four scheduled town pancake breakfasts this year. Melissa Elander offered that NHSaves may have materials available for distribution on competitive energy suppliers.

Vice Chair Szauter stated that voters approved warrant Article 04 To upgrade the Town water system, which may provide opportunities for the Energy Commission to assist the Water Dept. with energy-efficiency considerations. A NH DES (Dept. of Environmental Services) audit during Oct. 2024 highlighted several areas where improvements could lead to greater reliability and efficiency, plus lower operational costs.

Chair Vecchio offered that additional solar installations to offset Eversource Energy electricity accounts could be another area for consideration. As the water system is the largest single consumer of energy, proposing a solar installation to service the pump house might be a good project. Additionally, a solar installation to offset transfer station usage on the 84+ acres of town land off New Straw Road could be tied into a future project of replacing the highway garage.

With no additional items for discussion, Chair Vecchio entertained a motion for adjournment. Member Mycko motioned to adjourn. Member Amirault seconded the motion. With no additional discussion, the motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at 6:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Imre Szauter, Vice Chair and Secretary

Carroll Energy Commission
Vern Amirault, Member, 2023-2025
John Greer, Member, 2023-2025
Karen Moran, Member, 2025-2027
Brian Mycko, Member and Select Board representative, 2023-2026
Imre Szauter, Vice Chair and Secretary, 2025-2027
Bill Vecchio, Chair, 2023-2026
Note: terms end in October of the listed year