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Date: 11/27/2023
EASTHAMPTON — The city of Easthampton’s final Climate Action Plan Development Community Workshop will take place on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. on the second floor Meeting Room at City Hall, 50 Payson Ave. The focus of this workshop will be getting peoples’ input on the actual actions to be in the final plan.
The consultant Weston & Sampson will give a presentation on what they’ve found so far and what those actions are. Then, the floor will open for folks to give their opinions on the actions listed, how they would prioritize them and if they have suggestions for other things the city can do.
Conservation Agent Cassie Tragert said, “This will be the last public workshop that we do before we present the plan to the City Council. We’re hoping that people will come prepared to learn, but then also to give us their feedback and thoughts.”
The Climate Action Plan is a collaboration between the mayor’s office, the Planning Department and the Energy Advisory Committee to reduce the use of fossil fuels and carbon emissions in the city as a whole. It will serve as a roadmap for local businesses, residents and the municipal offices to achieve a cleaner, net-zero carbon emitting city; examining the work they’ve already done and identify what city offices, residents and local businesses can do next to make the most of the coming state and federal incentives to support these improvements.
Tragert told Reminder Publishing the need to pursue a project such as this has been known for some time. Specifically when the City Council issued their resolution establishing that there is a climate emergency for the city back in 2021. This plan will evaluate and incorporate the numerous on-going projects towards combating climate change already underway. This includes the Honeywell energy efficiency improvements, implementation of the Green Infrastructure Master Plan including improvements to Cherry Street and Emerald Place, the development of a citywide pollinator plan, and pursuit of conversion of the city’s fleet to electric vehicles.
“We want to know how these actions that are listed can best be helpful to residents to take on some of these green changes,” Tragert said. “We also want to make sure that the community likes these changes and believe they are a good direction for us to achieve this goal.”
The virtual link for the workshop is: https://meet.google.com/nma-kmck-qpk. The dial in number is 1-702-930-9848, the pin to enter is 337 984 440.