MARION — The Marion Energy Management Committee wants Marion to become a “Green Community.”

Members David Pierce and Christian Ingerslav came before Selectmen recently to discuss fall Town Meeting articles that would help make it so by adopting the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards’ “Stretch Code,” requiring buildings to meet strict energy efficiency standards. 

 Pierce noted that more than 240 of the state’s 351 cities and towns have already adopted the strict code.

“We already have 210 Green Communities,”, Pierce said. “This is not a new concept.”

He noted that the town already meets the five basic requirements for the designation, including siting a place for solar power at the Benson Brook Road transfer station and leasing four electric powered vehicles.

Pierce said then Energy Management Committee supports becoming a Green Community because “it can bring tens of thousands of dollars in grant money to Marion for energy-related projects.”

In an overview of the town’s efforts to go green, Pierce reported:

— The company that had signed on to install a solar array on top of the Benson Brook landfill has pulled out due to delays because Eversource maintains that the grid can’t currently handle the expected additional power to be generated there. Pierce said the town will seek a new solar provider once the Eversouce issue is resolved.

– The Energy Management Committee is investigating having the town switch to LED street lighting. “We are waiting for a purchase price for the current street lights owned by Eversource,” he said. “We are hopeful that this number might be under $10,000.”

He said funding may be able to come from the proceeds of the First Generation Wind project, “which to date has brought in about $167,000 to Marion.” The energy producing turbines can be seen on Route 25, on the way to Bourne.

— The town has four electric-powered vehicles with leases expire on July 1, 2019. The leases were paid using state grant money.

— Recharging stations are located around town and are free to the public. There are two in front of the Harbormaster’s office on Island Wharf, two behind the Town House, two at the Marion Council on Aging building (formerly the VFW on Route 6), two at the waste water treatment facility on Benson Brook Road, and two at the former Recreation Department building, off Wells Road.

Pierce said some of the charging wires are starting to show wear and will need to be replaced at some point.

One resident had issue with providing free electricity to the public.

“I understood that we had electric chargers for the vehicles that the town owns. I wasn’t aware it was a free-for-all,” said Chris Collings of River Road. “Who pays for that?”

“The Town of Marion,” Pierce answered — with a portion of the $167,000 the town has received from the turbine energy.

“Back up. We haven’t gotten to that yet,’ Collings said. “What I’m trying to understand is when we pinch pennies and tell people all around town that we don’t have money for this project or that project, how is it that we then turn around and justify free electricity for vehicles owned by people who are the last people who need free electricity?”

Selectman Chairman Norm Hills noted that a condition of getting the grants for the electric chargers is that they have to be available to the public.

Pierce said there will be a public meeting on Marion’s proposed stretch code article on Monday, Sept. 24, in the Marion Music Hall, 164 Front St.