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Date: 2/28/2023
NORTHAMPTON — In a monumental move, the Northampton City Council voted to institute a Climate Action and Project Administration (CAPA) Department within the city during their Feb. 16 meeting.
With the creation of this department, the city takes a major step in its climate action goals articulated in its Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan – Resilience and Regeneration Plan from 2021.
The city is continuing its pursuit of making all city-owned buildings carbon-neutral by 2030, and there is hope that they will reach a target of zero carbon emissions citywide by 2050. The creation of this department is another significant step in that direction.
“I agree that a department-head-level position that reports directly to the city’s chief executive officer has the highest potential to succeed in bringing about the changes necessary to meet the city’s environmental goals,” wrote Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, in a memo sent out to the City Council. “Further, I have identified a need to add project management principles with a sustainability lens to all city projects.”
Sciarra first presented this administrative order during a Feb. 2 meeting, and then the council conducted a public hearing on the matter during their Feb. 16 meeting before unanimously approving it.
According to Sciarra’s order, the CAPA “establishes, maintains and governs standards for project management across the city of Northampton. It combines strategic planning for the city’s sustainability and climate change goals, project management outcomes and adds a sustainability focus to resource procurement.”
The CAPA Department will also be responsible for aligning with the city’s key objectives outlined in sustainability and other planning documents.
According to Sciarra, the newly-formed department will interact with other city departments in myriad ways involving climate action.
Background
During the Feb. 16 meeting, Sciarra expressed gratitude for the Northampton Climate Emergency Coalition, which is a group of committed residents who have been working with the city over the past year to create a director-led position that will guide the city’s efforts to realize the climate goals outlined in the city’s comprehensive plan.
“I am so grateful for [the coalition’s] advocacy and their research and assistance, which has been truly remarkable,” said Sciarra. “It’s truly been a privilege to work with [them] on this.”
Reminder Publishing reported on an Energy & Sustainability Commission meeting and a city Finance Committee meeting back in the fall where the Northampton Climate Emergency Coalition advocated for a climate crisis director position.
“We need to rise to the moment that we’re living in right now,” said Susan Theberge, a representative of the coalition. “This means looking at everything we’re doing through the lens of the climate emergency.”
Joyce Rosenfeld, another representative of the coalition, said the climate director would be one person in the city government who would consider the implications of the climate crisis on all policies and practices and work with city departments to identify and implement urgent and necessary measures. The person in the position would also directly report to the mayor.
The coalition also found that the position would participate in department director meetings and coordinate relevant municipal efforts and develop metrics to regularly assess progress on climate goals, as well as establish measurable goals for Northampton’s Climate Resilience and Regeneration Plan.
Theberge said the coalition met with multiple people at the city level and also gave a presentation to Climate Action NOW, a Western Massachusetts grassroots group of volunteers dedicated to the climate justice movement.
Feb. 16 meeting
The coalition’s vision has now come into fruition on an even larger scale. And now, with a new department in place, new changes are also implemented on an organizational level.
Two existing positions in the city, the energy & sustainability officer from the Central Services Department – and the chief procurement officer from the Auditor’s Office – will now serve under the CAPA department, and after months of activism from the Climate Emergency Coalition, a new director position will helm this department.
“My directive since I have been mayor has been that all projects, procurement planning, and undertaking of new or upgraded equipment and infrastructure be evaluated for their contribution to helping us achieve our decarbonization goals,” said Sciarra. “By bringing procurement into this [CAPA] department, I really want to send the message to all city departments and the community that this is the priority, and all projects will be viewed through this lens.”
After working with the city for 34 years, many of which as the chief procurement officer, Joe Cook announced his retirement earlier this month.
As a result, Northampton hired William Coffey as the city’s first chief procurement officer to work under the CAPA department.
The city, however, is in the process of searching for a viable candidate for the director position and energy & sustainability officer position. Chris Mason, who helmed the latter in Northampton, recently left to help other communities regionally as a state green communities coordinator for Western Mass. Mason was the first energy & sustainability officer in the commonwealth.
The creation of this department comes a few weeks after the City Council approved the establishment of the Climate Change Mitigation Stabilization Fund to help advance the city’s climate change initiatives.
Concurrently, the council approved the allocation of $3 million to this fund from their Free Cash account, which will be used to implement changes and address the city’s resilience and regeneration plans for mitigating climate change, including design and strategic planning.
“For me, this climate fund signifies that climate action is a priority, not just for my administration, but as a city priority,” said Sciarra, during the city’s Finance Committee meeting on Jan. 3. “This stabilization fund is a way of solidifying that city priority.”