Wanted: volunteers' energy for energy task force

SHARON — First Selectman Malcolm Brown is looking for a few good men and women to form an energy task force.

At the Board of Selectmen’s last regular meeting on Tuesday, July 14, Brown said the state is looking to fund town projects through an Energy Efficiency and Conservation block grant.

The purpose of the grant is to fund energy-efficient projects that can help save energy, generate renewable energy and reduce greenhouse-gas consumption.

The town does not currently have a definitive project on the table, and so Brown wants to form a committee to come up with one. The deadline for the grant is Sept. 15.

“I spoke with Kent First Selectman Ruth Epstein about their energy committee and she said they have more members than she could count,� Brown said. “Sharon, however, is not as blessed as other towns and we’re still looking for members.�

Brown said one potential idea for a project is putting a solar panel to generate energy on the town’s new dog pound when it gets built.

“It’s a logical place to put a solar panel to heat the building and maybe heat the water,� Brown said. “But we need to have members for a committee to determine what project we should commit to.�

For more information on joining the committee, contact First Selectman Malcolm Brown at 860-364-5789.

And speaking of that dog pound, Brown said that, despite receiving a petition from residents in June, the town will go ahead with plans for a new dog pound on Sharon Station Road.

The petition, which was signed by 20 residents, asked the town not to build the new pound on Sharon Station Road, citing potential safety issues because Veterans Field is nearby. There were also concerns about noise.

“We have tried very hard and we [the town] felt that we have met their concerns,� Brown said. “The pound will be soundproofed as best as possible. Safety concerns will be addressed through double fencing. We are also looking at stockade fencing because dogs won’t be able to see out, which may mean they won’t bark as much.�

The pound is currently located in the town garage building at 29 Sharon Station Road. In May, voters at a town meeting approved the town’s five-year capital improvement plan, which allocated $235,000 for the construction of a new pound.

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