Making Rehoboth More Energy Efficient

Rehoboth has been designated as a Green Energy Community and was awarded a total of $148,380 to fund energy conservation projects for town facilities.

“The work that has been done to upgrade the energy efficiency of Rehoboth Town buildings has been funded with grant funds from the Massachusetts Dept. of Energy Resources,” said Carolyn Panofsky, Chair of the Green Energy Committee.

Selectmen Chair Skip Vadnais objected to using town funds to upgrade Goff Hall.

“We don’t own the building,” Vadnais said at the July 10 meeting. “It’s owned by the Antiquarians and they’re a private group. There’s nothing we can do about that.”

Panofsky said that according to the state's funding guidelines, facilities such as libraries and historical societies that are privately owned but operated for the public with funding from a town are eligible for inclusion in the state's Green Communities Program, under the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources.

“It is under such guidelines that energy improvements have been made in the past at Goff Hall which houses Rehoboth's Blanding Public Library,” Panofsky added. “At the current time, the only projects that are planned are energy improvements to be made to the fire stations in south and north Rehoboth, with grant funds from the Green Communities program.”