December 9, 2025
Members present: Kara Rogers Marshall, Zach Donais, Kent McCord, Will Madsen, David Desiderato.
Farm Leases
The commission, in partnership with the Granby Agriculture Commission, prepared recommendations for town owned land leased to farmers. Marshall reviewed the recommendations in November with Town Manager Mike Walsh and First Selectman Mark Fiorentino. The recommendations are to be published with the meeting minutes on the town website.
Energy Conservation and Renewables on Town Property
Marshall pointed out the potential for the appearance of a conflict of interest on energy conservation issues as a result of her employment with Eversource.
McCord described how conservation, efficiency and renewable efforts in town and school facilities must be seen in the context of the large number of renovations needed, especially in the middle school, including bathroom and kitchen fixtures, security system, sprinklers and room layout, as well as the need for low- or no-interest loans to finance energy improvements. The commission has gathered and forwarded energy usage and equipment data to Eversource and are waiting to hear back.
Desiderato noted that the housing law just enacted, HB 8002, includes incentives in the form of increased state reimbursement rates for school construction costs for towns that take certain actions on housing.
Composting
Madsen met with SustainableCT staff and learned about the potential for modest funding support for town composting efforts. He listed ways to increase composting: encouraging residents to compost on their own; encouraging residents to sign up for Blue Earth’s food waste pickup service; and establishing compost collection sites in several locations around town, such as the transfer station and Holcomb Farm. He plans to attend the conference of the CT Composting Alliance in March.