MARION — 

It’s not much of a stretch to say Marion might be close to receiving designation as a “Green Community.”

The state’s Green Community program provides access to grants for cities and towns to fund clean energy projects. Joining the program requires voters at the upcoming Oct. 22 Town Meeting to adopt the Stretch Energy Code, a set of building requirements aimed at minimizing energy costs in new construction.

Marion Energy Management Committee members are urging voters to adopt the code. On Monday, the group held a public forum on the code, a mandatory component of the Green Community designation.

Green Community Coordinator Seth Pickering and expert Michael Berry gave a presentation on the new code requirements. 

The code only applies to new residential construction, not renovations or additions, and to commercial construction larger than 100,000 square feet. 

New buildings will need to have a certain amount of energy efficiency features to comply with the Stretch Code. This will be measured by the Home Energy Rating System, which assigns a numerical rating to the efficiency of the building depending on its size. Scoring at or below the required rating will allow buildings to pass. 

Pickering said that though initial construction costs for compliance to the code will be higher than without it, possible rebates and energy savings over time will make up for losses. 

“The stretch code is no longer that much of a stretch,” said Berry. “It costs builders a lot less now to complete the Stretch Code than it did in 2008.”

Committee members expressed confidence that the stretch code won’t be difficult to pass. 

Resident Ted North objected to the adoption of a Stretch Code and the designation as Green Community, saying that the Energy Management Committee has not considered the total financial cost of the program. 

North suggested that increased building and insurance costs have not been fully considered. North said that there is not guarantee the town will receive any of the grants promised by Pickering and Berry. Committee members adamantly opposed the suggestions made by North during the meeting.  

In addition to the Stretch Code, the committee also has an agenda item for a $55,000 appropriation to purchase four electric vehicles which are currently under lease by the town. The vehicles were acquired through grants in 2016, as part of the Green Community designation which requires the town have a plan to replace vehicles with energy efficient ones.

Chair David Pierce said that he hopes to tap into some of the money made from the First Generation Wind project for future energy projects, which has brought in about $170,000.