2025-04-02 Building & Energy Committee Minutes


Warwick Building and Energy Committee – April 2, 2025

Present: Janice Kurkoski (Chair), Jack Cadwell, Dan Dibble, Mary Humphries, Jared Kain-Woods, Steve Kurkoski, and Emily Rosen

Meeting opened: 4:33 p.m.

The minutes of our last meeting on March 19th were approved unanimously.

Announcements & Reports:

  1. Selectboard signed the GC decarbonization Assistance application. This assistance will be in planning the roadmap to decarbonize our town buildings. JK submitted it on 3/25.
  2. WBEC meeting minutes are now on the Town Website from 2023 to the present.

Topics for Discussion:

Town Meeting Prep (May 5th)

We need to work on the wording for the Town Meeting article on the Super Stretch Code. This is due in early April. JK is working with DY on this. Janice followed up on Articles 18 &19. Committee reviewed what DY sent to us which looked fine.

JK and Chris Mason are still working together. Actions/articles may be rescinded. Discussion of the statement written by Mrs. Osterman. JK will check with Chris on this statement. JC suggested that it would be helpful to read the transcript from Ashfield’s meeting. See page 16 for language on the commitment letter. Chris’ slides are mostly for commercial purposes.

The committee voted unanimously to accept the articles written by DY.

Annual Report

The annual report draft for FY 2024 is on Google Docs website. It needs approval and is due now. Discussion and minor edits. Thanks to ER and DD for reviewing and editing. Voted “Yes as amended!”

Styrofoam Collection & PR for Public Forum

Discussion of a handout on the Super Stretch Code to be handed out at the Styrofoam collection Saturdays in April. Emily brought it up for us to see. The table is from Chris’ slides. It was decided to use this as the handout, printing 50 pages with two charts per page. ER will set it up and send to MH for printing.

PR prior to the Public Forum which is at WCS on April 23rd at 6:00 p.m. Handouts will be available there. JKW suggested that a sheet of “FAQs” can be helpful. Discussion on forum management. JKW said we should be prepared for objections. Ashfield and Chris’ slides have good info to use for the handout. The chart and FAQ should address cost issues. JKW offered to do a flier or handout, with a draft in two weeks (4/16/25) This committee will meet on 4/16 to approve JKW flier.

(Jared left the meeting at 5:26 p.m.)

We have almost no styrofoam collection volunteers. JK to resend the “how to” video to ER and MH. More discussion of the (lack of) coverage for this event. JK stated that styrofoam recycling won’t take place next year unless a different person heads up the event.

Green Corner

Ideas include using the April 23rd prep document, and JC had the idea of rerunning the 2016 article on Mass Save.

Meeting adjourned 5:52 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Mary Humphries