Snowmass Village, Colo.—The Community Office for Resource Efficiency and the Town of Snowmass Village have selected a steering committee to provide oversight on a request for a proposal to determine what creative and cost-effective efficiency and renewable energy solutions exist to reduce the Town’s energy costs of its municipal facilities.
The committee consists of stakeholders from government, business, and energy sectors uniquely positioned to provide valuable input throughout the process of issuing and reviewing the RFP.
Holy Cross Energy and the Snowmass Town Council have approved the use of Community Enhancement funds to pay for a contract with CORE to issue the RFP. The fund, created by Holy Cross Energy in April, 2000, identifies seven community benefit programs, one of which is energy conservation projects.
The RFP will allow for an “apples to apples” comparison between renewable technologies and energy efficiency measures, and mitigates the need for the Town to conduct costly feasibility studies.
“This group’s diverse skill set will ensure that this is not just a theoretical exercise, and leads to proposals that are actionable and financially beneficial.” said Mona Newton, CORE executive director.
The steering committee consists of:
- Mona Newton, Executive Director, Community Office for Resource Efficiency
- Diana Golis, Sr. Manager Power Supply and Contracts, Holy Cross Energy
- Joani Matranga, Policy, Regulatory and Outreach Associate - Western Slope, Colo. Energy Office
- Auden Schendler, Vice President of Sustainability, Aspen Skiing Company
- Dan Seif, Principal, Rocky Mountain Institute
- Jesse Morris, Consultant, Rocky Mountain Institute
- Nick Reitter, Facilities Maintenance Superintendent, Town of Snowmass Village
- Russ Forrest, Town Manager, Town of Snowmass Village
- Kelly Vaughn, Director of Communications, Town of Snowmass Village
- Lindsay Palardy, Environmental Advisory Board member, Town of Snowmass Village
- Debbie Shore, Environmental Advisory Board member, Town of Snowmass Village
Snowmass Town Council has set a goal to reduce carbon emissions from Town operations 20 percent by 2020 over a 2009 baseline. To date, efforts to reduce energy use and cut emissions have been led by Town staff, CORE, the Environmental Advisory Board, and innovative local businesses. To achieve this goal a significant and coordinated commitment is needed.
“This fact-finding mission is an important step in bringing viable options to the community for input,” said Kelly Vaughn, TOSV director of communications. “We will ensure that all solutions align with the community’s values and priorities, and create a long-term source of revenue that can fund other important projects in the future.”
On April 10, 2013 at 5:30 pm at Council Chambers in Snowmass Village Town Hall, CORE and the Town will host an open house: "Efficiency and Renewables: What Makes Cents for Snowmass?" to introduce the steering committee, answer questions about the intent of the RFP, share information on potential solutions, and solicit feedback.
