Saugus awarded energy tech grant for climate change

SAUGUS – The town’s public safety building and senior center have been identified as safe havens in the event of a significant power disruption caused by natural disasters as a result of climate change.This designation occurred as a result of a technical assistance services grant, part of the state’s $40 million Community Clean Energy Resiliency Initiative administered by the Department of Energy Resources.Town Manager Scott Crabtree said the town applied for the grant to have access to clean energy resources and to fulfill the need for additional backup generators.”I thought this was a great opportunity for the town,” said Crabtree. “We’re excited; this puts us in the pipeline.”The town’s application was submitted at the beginning of the summer and was approved about a month later.”It was pretty quick,” he said.Crabtree explained that the public safety building was chosen because it houses the police and fire departments, emergency communications systems and the Saugus Emergency Management Agency.The senior center was selected for its ability to provide food and shelter “in a time of need.””These are the really crucial places to have power,” said Assistant Secretary Krista Selmi of the energy resources department’s communications and public affairs office.Crabtree agreed.”The technical assistance being provided to the town will enable Saugus to access the type of clean energy generation needed for both facilities to be operated in the event of a natural disaster.”He said the town is still in the exploratory stages to determine which emergency systems would be the best fit. Crabtree said, however, that the town is investigating the options of renewable electricity and thermal generation technology.Selmi added that Saugus has also expressed an interest in using an emergency energy grid known as islanable clean energy generation.”By tapping into new technologies, Saugus will be better prepared to help protect its residents from interruptions in energy services,” he said. “Clean energy technology is great for the environment and even better for power backup to Saugus’ critical facilities.”Although Crabtree said that a dollar amount is not yet in place, the energy resources department has listed a grant award maximum of $497,260 for the town.Selmi said that this is the total amount of funding that the town could use for project implementation. She said that the amount of money allocated to a community is based on its population and income per capita.Crabtree said that the next step in the process will be a feasibility study conducted by Cadmus, the energy department’s consultant in Waltham.To date, Selmi said, 27 cities and towns have applied for grants.”All 27 were awarded assistance at some level,” she said. “We want to help every municipality prepare for the effects of climate change.”Although the fire department has never been faced with a widespread emergency, Chief Donald McQuaid explained that the grant will ensure that his department and the public safety complex have full access to the resources needed in the event of an evacuation.”It is always better in the long run to build up the resiliency and reliability of the power into the public safety building,” he said.McQuaid added that he had a “very productive meeting” with Crabtree and Economic Development Officer Robert Luongo, who explained the details of the grant.”This is a very good thing for both police and fire along with the citizens of Saugus,” he said.Police Chief Domenic DiMella explained that the grant will allow the town’s emergency services to work in concert with each other during a crisis.”All radio communications would come from a centralized place and all of the major players would be together communicating,” he said. “This models the National Incident Command Management System, which is the best practice in these events.”