Stephenville town council continues quest for energy savings

STEPHENVILLE, N.L. — Frank Gale
The Western Star

STEPHENVILLE, N.L. – Mayor Tom Rose is encouraged by the strides Stephenville has made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and he's prepared to continue the battle.
Town council recently agreed to have Stephenville participate in the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Transition 2050 partnership grant project. It's administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Rose said previous Stephenville town councils have done different things in line with reducing emissions and those initiatives are continuing to be worked on by council and administration at the town.
Stephenville is currently in negotiations with a developer of a seniors’ facility, the mayor said, who is looking at incorporating solar energy into that project.
Ted Gracie, director of municipal services, said a full emissions inventory is being carried out to see where they stand. As they work towards 2050 they will be looking at reductions they’ve made.
He said Stephenville is one of six communities in the province to sign on to this program, done in partnership with the Newfoundland Environmental Industry Association. In addition to Stephenville, they include: Bauline, Paradise, Baie Verte, Channel/Port aux Basques and Torbay.
Gracie said one area Stephenville is well ahead is that it is fully compliant with its waste-water discharge and has been for some time.
He said the town is serious about reducing fuel consumption and has been since before 2000. When the town purchases a piece of equipment, the lowest litre per hour consumption is a big consideration.
Rose said being a mayor who has put his signature to the Municipalities for Climate Innovation agreement, he is also personally wearing greenhouse gas reductions on his sleeve by living in a farmhouse that is off the grid and powered by solar energy.
In fact, on Aug. 11, he and wife Joanne Rose held an open house for anyone who was interested in doing something like they had done on their off-grid farm with respect to solar energy use.

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Measures for reduced greenhouse gas emissions by Town of Stephenville:

• LED Lighting – Stephenville Dome, Town Office, Public Works Depot and all Warehouse Buildings, Regional Aquatic Centre, Bay St. George YMCA, Street Lights on Main Street and the Stephenville Industrial Facility, which is using one-10th the power consumption for 10 times the light provided.
• Heat Recovery System – currently being installed at Stephenville Dome.
• Air Change System – in place at the Regional Aquatic Centre.
• Renewal of light vehicles for more efficient fleet.
• Bike lanes – incorporation of bikes lanes on some streets to encourage pedalling rather than motorized vehicles.
• Leak Detection – More monitoring and latest equipment to reduce water consumption.
• Sludge Beds and Wastewater System – Town of Stephenville is one of several in the province meeting the federal guidelines for disposal of wastewater, earning it a bunch of carbon credits.
• Approval for Fire Hall and Emergency Response Building – Town will do whatever it can to make the facility a modern efficient building using the latest technology to be as green as possible.
• Future Plans – change some of the “brown and black” (gravel and pavement) areas in the town into more green areas.

Source: Mayor and Administration at Town of Stephenville