To the editor:
We are writing to express our enthusiastic support that Marblehead maintain the position of the town Sustainability Coordinator. This position was established in 2023 to both oversee the complex challenges of implementing our town’s 2040 Net Zero plan, as well as to obtain outside aid to accomplish these efforts. Marblehead should be pleased to be a community that has had the foresight to vote to hire a sustainability coordinator, as our investment in this position has already produced substantive sustainability results for our community while helping to reduce taxpayers tax burden.
The creation of the Sustainability Coordinator was supported by Becky Curran Cutting, our former town planner, because of the following issues: higher future costs to the town for municipal gas, oil, and fuel, more stringent state standards for energy efficiency for homes/buildings, crumbling seawalls, aging municipal buildings.
In just one year, our current coordinator, Logan Casey, has helped secure $458,000 in grants for the State Street Landing/Harbormaster’s Office Resiliency Project, Smith Street to Pleasant Street Rail Trail improvements, Marblehead Comprehensive Master Plan, Devereux Beach ADA Improvement Project, technical assistance planning for EV chargers and Five Corners Intersection and School Street parking lot redesign.
Logan has also helped implement the following projects:
Moses Pickett House (town owned building with two apartments): Logan obtained a Mass Save audit and is working with the Building Department to secure rebates to insulate the building further and upgrade the heating and cooling system.
State Landing restrooms: Town Meeting voted to keep this open year-round, which necessitated a heating system. Logan obtained a local contractor who is installing a heat pump system.
Mary Alley Building heating and cooling issues: Logan is assisting the project manager, LeftField Project Management, with ensuring the new HVAC system is in line with Marblehead’s larger goals (Net Zero), and providing the project managers with the building’s energy data. This improvement effort for Mary Alley Building is being jointly advanced by the Community Development & Planning Dept., Finance Dept., Building Dept. and LeftField Project Management. The plan for Mary Alley Building will be presented at Town Meeting.
We look forward to seeing the success of Logan’s future projects that will include: working on obtaining Green Communities Status for Marblehead, which would provide $140,000 in grants the first year and could provide $175,000 each subsequent years; developing a town-wide public EV charging plan emphasizing charging locations near rental properties, condos and without driveways; and incorporating energy efficiency and decarbonization into the town Master Plan for capital expenditures.
Our sustainability coordinator plays an important role in interdepartmental coordination, works with different departments to bridge the gaps in planning, looks for the most energy efficient and lower carbon emitting solutions to town problems. He creates partnerships and liaisons among town departments.
We support the continuation of this position and are impressed by what Logan Casey has accomplished in just one year of employment in our town.
Eileen Haley Mathieu, Longview Drive
Michele Bell, Ocean Avenue
The letter writers co-chair Sustainable Marblehead’s Clean Energy and Public Policy Working Group.
