Fair Haven’s police and public works departments have been deemed the least energy efficient municipally-owned structures in town, according to a recent study by Columbia University graduate student Karen Kanan Corrêa.
By Allison Perrine
FAIR HAVEN – As the borough looks to upgrade some of its aging facilities, Fair Haven Green Team members are compiling ways it can move forward with more sustainable and environmentally conscious practices.
As discussed during a presentation at the council’s Sept. 27 meeting, solar panels and energy-efficient vehicular fleets are just some of the ideas that came out of recent green team meetings and evaluations by representatives of Sustainable Jersey – a nonprofit that helps towns become more environmentally friendly. It’s up to the town to decide what goals should be prioritized, said green team member Kelly Flanagan. The borough currently meets the requirements of a bronze certification, which according to Sustainable Jersey means that it “has made a commitment to sustainability and succeeded in implementing the first significant steps.” But there are several more steps it must take before it can qualify for a silver certification, which means a municipality “has made significant progress in a number of categories toward sustainability and is a statewide and national leader,” according to the Sustainable New Jersey website.
The bronze certification lands Fair Haven at 150 points, which it reached by taking several actions including the creation of the green team last year. To achieve silver status, it must amass at least 350 points using certain criteria. Through a Sustainable Jersey grant the borough obtained in the spring, Fair Haven was assigned Karen Kanan Corrêa, a trained graduate student from Columbia University who completed a 10-week fellowship researching ways the borough could meet its energy goals. She specifically studied four facilities in town – Bicentennial Hall, borough hall and the public works and police departments – and tracked their energy usage and management.
The facilities were scored on an Energy Star scale of 1-100 which assessed their individual energy efficiency compared to similar buildings nationwide, according to the report. It showed that Bicentennial Hall scored the highest at 94, followed by borough hall, 82; public works, 67; and the police department, 35The report also showed that Fair Haven’s annual energy trends cost on average $19,713 for electric and $9,687 for natural gas.
To address that, Kanan Corrêa suggested the borough could implement direct installation energy efficiency programs and save $1,362 annually, which could give the borough 10 points to- ward the silver certification status. She also noted that the borough could seek a Sustainable Jersey gardinier grant to support local energy projects or install onsite solar and seek It Pay$ to Plug In electric vehicle charging station grants, among other suggestions. Each measure could offer a varying score of points toward silver certification.
“Not only are we helping the environment, but we’re also saving money,” said councilman Michael McCue, a green team member. He noted that the borough will continue to follow this energy tracking and management data. IN OTHER NEWS, council president Christopher Rodriguez said the Fair Haven Republicans organization submitted the names of three candidates who could fill the mayoral seat, left vacant by Mayor Benjamin Lucarelli’s resignation Sept. 14. One of the three individuals will likely be selected at the borough’s next council meeting, set for Tuesday, Oct. 12.
The article originally appeared in the October 7 – 13, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
