Could the town be seeing more green?

Marion’s potential to becoming a “Green Community” was discussed Tuesday evening at the Board of Selectmen meeting. The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resource’s Green Communities Divisions presented the town with a program to conserve and efficiently use energy with hopes of also qualifying for a grant program.

Seth Pickering of the DOER explained at the meeting the ways the town could improve and track its energy use while saving money over a five-year span. He also said the grant program could reward the town with around $150,000. With the help of the DOER the town could receive and use this money to explore new possibilities in energy use.

Pickering said 74 towns of the 351 applying have been selected for the grant program.

To be applicable for the grant, the town must adopt a new real estate construction bylaw for special areas of land as well as purchase of fuel-efficient vehicles and establish an energy baseline for buildings. This code would require energy efficiency for new buildings or construction to homes. Pickering indicated up-front costs would increase but the payback from energy savings would be significant.

Some residents, however, questioned the criteria of the program.

“It sounds to me like a lot of gray area for a one-shot deal of $150,000,” said Ted North of the Planning Board. He also voiced concern over the time it would take to complete the application process and questioned if the town would even be eligible after going through it.

Resident Leon Navickas agreed.

“Can’t the town do these things on its own?” he asked. “The cost for homeowners doesn’t seem worth it.”

However, vice-chairman Roger Blanchette believed the best thing to do was look at the town’s options and begin talks on the costs and benefits of the program.

“The number one thing to determine,” he said, “is whether or not this is going to be good for the town.”

For more information on the Green Communities division of the Department of Energy Resources, visit www.mass/gov/energy/greencommunities