Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/837686
18 Hartford Business Journal • June 19, 2017 www.HartfordBusiness.com grassroots group, Access Agency's Windham Area Hour Exchange and the First Congregational Church of Willimantic. The first Connecticut Repair Cafe was held in 2014 at the Willimantic church. It encourages sustainability and re-use/ recycling of materials by teaching attendees how to repair items, with the goal of keeping goods in use and out of waste streams and incinerators. With little advertising, 120 individuals, including 88 senior citizens, attended the repair event last year. Of the 152 items they brought with them, 71 percent were successfully repaired and 14 percent were partially repaired. WINNER: Joseph E. Newsome, Omni Development Corp. Town: Waterbury Sector: Government/Institutional Sustainability Components: Facility-wide initiatives; energy and climate change; and water The Warner Gardens Co-Op Apartments (now renamed Davis Gardens Apartments) in Waterbury were once debili- tated and facing a foreclosure sale. Omni Development Corp. has since acquired the property, and working with Eversource and Energize Connecticut's new construction program, rebuilt the 58-unit complex to achieve Energy Star certification. The project's energy efficient components include: • High-performance natural gas furnaces and tankless on- demand water heaters • High-performance central air conditioning • Comprehensive water management system to protect roofs, walls and foundations • Energy Star windows and lighting to achieve opera- tional savings • Quiet, efficient bath fans and air-quality control for healthier air, reduced moisture, improved comfort All tenants pay their own utilities and will see an estimated $810 in annual savings per unit as a result of the energy effi- ciency upgrades. WINNER: Town of North Haven's Clean Energy Task Force Town: North Haven Sector: Government/Institutional, School, Individual/Group Sustainability Components: Facility-wide initiatives; energy and climate change; innovation; civic improvements; and water The town of North Haven and its Clean Energy Task Force worked with United Illuminating and Johnson Con- trols to implement $6 million in town-wide energy improve- ments. The town will repay the cost for the work over the next 18 years using money saved by the upgrades. North Haven received a rebate check of $864,242 for the energy-saving incentives it has undertaken, and has pledged to reduce its energy consumption by 20 percent and increase its use of renewable energy by 20 percent by 2018. The work included new steam traps at Montowese School; new high-efficient exhaust fans, dehumidification units, unit ven- tilators and a new water-cooled chiller at Clintonville School; and unit ventilators at Green Acres School. All of the local schools got a new web-based, temperature-control system and new lighting. The town hall and town hall annex got new temperature sensors, a temperature-control system and lighting, and the police department, about to undergo an extensive renova- tion project, will have two new boilers installed, as well as a temperature-control system and new lighting. Among several other efforts, North Haven has replaced all the bulbs in its 3,700 streetlights with LED lights and pur- chased and is installing free electric car charging stations. North Haven has also embraced the use of solar panels on its landfill. In addition, 24 percent of the homes in town have had a free energy audit and have made energy improvements. The town has also installed a cogeneration system in the town pool, which produces electricity and uses the waste heat to heat the pool and showers. WINNER: City of Meriden Town: Meriden Sector: Government/Institutional Sustainability Components: Material management/ recycling; civic improvements; and water The city of Meriden has experienced flooding associated with its Harbor Brook since the mid-1800s. In the mid-1990s, the city decided to address the problem after experiencing over $25 million in flood damages in its downtown. The city council formed the Flood Control Implementa- tion Agency to develop and implement improvements along the 3.5 mile length of Harbor Brook and they pushed for the construction of two stormwater detention basins, including one built in the heart of downtown on a brownfield site. Work on the 14-acre site, known as the Meriden Green, included managing over 80,000 tons of urban fill, removing hazardous waste and creating a green space with walking trails for use during non-flooding times. Today, the site includes walking trails, an amphitheater, a 300-foot long bridge that crosses the parcel from east to west, two low bridges that cross Harbor Brook just above the water surface elevation, site lighting, irrigation and a wide variety of trees and plants. To date, ducklings and killdeer birds have been born on the site and fish can be seen in the new channel. The project aimed to address the flood issues while also spurring economic development. It has led to the completion of a $40 million mixed-use development and there are several other projects in the pipeline. WINNER: Wolcott Public Schools and ECSU's Institute for Sustainable Energy Town: Wolcott Sector: School Sustainability Components: Facility-wide initiatives; energy and climate change; and material management/recycling Wolcott Public Schools began an energy efficiency initia- tive in 2012 that has led to a savings of more than $200,000 a year between 2012 and 2016, and total electric savings of more than 16 million kilowatt hours. Wolcott is moving toward being a Green LEAF school, which is a sustainability program in which schools teach environmental and sustainability education. The school district's 2016 achievements include: • Hosting a district-wide "Tools for Schools" refresher course to help maintain indoor air quality in buildings • Completing Energy Star Portfolio Manager Benchmarking for all schools working with the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) • Applying for Energy Star certification for all five schools • Installing new outdoor LED lighting at the high school and Alcott Elementary school, including pole light fix- tures, wall packs and rear spot lights • Installing new LED lighting in the high school auditorium, converting 45, 400 watt fixtures to 18 watt fixtures, greatly reducing kilowatt load from 18,000 to 810 watts. n JUDGES Sharon Lewis, Executive Director, Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice Jack Looney, Staff Attorney, Connecticut Fund for the Environment Matt Hart, Manager, Town of Mansfield Faith Gavin Kuhn, Owner, FGK Communications LLC Adam Ney, Outreach & Engagement Team, Connecticut Business and Industry Association GreenCircle Awards A view across Harbor Brook of a new amphitheater in Meriden. P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D Wolcott students participate in an electronics recycling day. P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D A temperature control system in a North Haven government building. P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D Phase one of Davis Gardens Apartments in Waterbury. P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D Linkesh Diwan fixes a wobbly chair at a repair cafe event. P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D