RamaSchneider/test huggingface dataset:
The United Federated Church donated a building and all three churches donated financial and/or in-kind help. The Williamstown Community Food Shelf opened the first Saturday of December in 2013. Both the Town and town residents has been very supportive financially and in donating foods. Many town businesses have donated materials and foods generously. The Food Shelf helps approximately 50 families a month. The Food Shelf is open every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 47 Methodist Lane.
The town also contains a number of membership organizations, including : Brownies, 4H Club, Garden Club, Girl Scouts, Happy Moments Club, Historical Society, Masons, Boonie Club, Moon- Shiners Club, SADD Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, Dog River Horse Club, and Rebekahs.
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 66
Community, Utilities, Facilities, Services & Organization: Goals, Policies, & Tasks
Goal 1: Guide the physical Development of Williamstown in a manner conducive to Community pride, social interaction and identity.
A.Develop a capitol budget; 5 to 15 year Capitol Investment Plan (CIP) as a means to plan for expenses and/or anticipated requirements
B.Survey municipally owned buildings to get a better understanding of future demand, identify funds required, and to prioritize future funding.
C.Survey Foxville residents to determine interest and future need for village development
D.Digitize town records
Goal 2: Protect the quality and quantity of the water in public
A.Educate residents about where the village drinking water comes from and how to protect the aquifer recharge area Collect, update and disseminate information on Williamstown's current and future groundwater supplies for drinking water and fire safety on a regular and needed basis
B.Ensure that new development and land use activities do not create undue adverse impacts on groundwater quality, or exceed the capacity to supply adequate groundwater yields to existing and future residences and businesses
C.Encourage water projects in the village areas or areas to maximize efficiency and effectiveness
D.Conduct hydrant testing of the Williamstown water system to update the ISO rating
E.Request on-site municipal assistance from the Environmental Compliance Assistance Program , as needed, to identify and recommend corrective action regarding compliance with environmental regulations
Goal 3: To ensure Williamstown's wastewater system has the capacity to serve its residents and protect the safety of its residents and environment.
A. Robar Road and part of Graniteville Road should be studied because of failed, on- site, septic systems; poor soils and high water tables, and for extensions to the service area Ensure that infrastructure sewer projects comply with ANR's sewer funding rule and all projects should obtain Act 250 permits where applicable
B. Ensure that public funds are used for sewer expansion in the village area
Goal 4: To maximize efficiency and minimize environmental damage through sound solid waste management
A. To maximize efficiency and minimize environmental damage through sound solid waste management
B. Promote waste reduction, re-use, recycling, proper management and disposal of town solid waste programs and opportunities
C. Continue offering disposal services for other types of items/materials as needed
D. Encourage volunteers to participate in Vermont Green-up -Day to keep roadsides clean
E. Offer learning opportunities on composting and recycling through a partnership with solid waste businesses
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Goal 5: Preserve the character, appearance, and natural resources of the town while allowing adequate telecommunication services to be developed
A. Discourage ridge-line development or conspicuous development on locally prominent landscape/scenic features unless maximally screened, or clearly in the best interest of the general public
B. Encourage adequate setback and health effects by locating telecommunication services away from sensitive areas such as schools, hospitals, teen centers, and childcare facilities
C. Work with the community to draft a Model Wireless Telecommunications Facilities ordinance to protect our scenic, historic, environmental, natural resources, and other sensitive areas like the schools and childcare facilities
Goal 6: Revitalize the sense of community by recognizing the role played by the historic sites, landmarks, and symbols
A. Encourage the preservation, restoration use of historic sites and community landmarks to foster community identity
B. Place outstanding historic buildings on the National Register of Historic buildings
C. Strive to keep all town owned historical buildings preserved to keep their historical significance and beauty
D. Ensure adequate funding arrangements for long-term maintenance of all historical buildings owned by the Town by putting funds into a capital reserve fund
E. Seek private and public funds to study and preserve historic buildings
F. Ensure adequate funding arrangements for long-term care of town maintained cemeteries
Goal 7: Promote and enhance quality childcare opportunities to families with young children
A. Support the expansion/ enhancement of the preschool program at Williamstown elementary School, to include a three year old program
B. Support the expansion/ enhancement of childcare facilities
C. Encourage businesses to offer assisted childcare centers
D. Encourage childcare centers to seek national childcare credentialing by completing the Certified Childcare Professional certification and other educational opportunities
E. Encourage unregistered childcare operations to become registered or licensed facilities
F. Conduct a community survey of local businesses, childcare providers and young families to ascertain childcare needs and deficiencies
G. Support after school childcare programs
Goal 8: To protect and preserve our historical buildings, barns, and cultural resources
Goal 8 Tasks:
A. Seek historic preservation grants for educational, preservation and rehabilitative purposes
B. Encourage understanding of our historical and cultural resources
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 68
Chapter VII. Energy
QUICK FACTS Last Updated: May 21, 2015
With the permanent shut down of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant at the end of 2014, Vermont lost 55% of its electricity generating capacity and the source of more than 70% of its net generation in recent years. In 2014, 27% of Vermont's net electricity generation was produced by renewable energy, including hydroelectric, biomass, wind, and solar resources. Vermont has a voluntary goal of obtaining 25% of electricity consumed in the state from renewable energy resources by 2017; the resources must have begun operating after 2004. Vermont's Clean Energy Development Fund is promoting winter heating with high-efficiency wood combustion technologies and fuel from sustainable forest ecosystems. All new electricity generating capacity added to Vermont's grid in 2014 was solar-powered.
Source: State Energy Data System
During the past decade, the cost, reliability and access to traditional energy sources had been challenging. It is imperative that Williamstown develop economical and environmentally conscious alternatives to produce energy. In 2013 a 2.1 mega-watt solar power farm was built on Route 64 by I-89. New solar farm sites have been smaller, privately owned systems. These and other forms of alternative energy resources need to be developed.
B. Energy Sources
Although analyses of energy demand by fuel and by sector are not available for Williamstown, data generated by the state can be interpolated for planning at the local level. In Williamstown, the primary sources of energy are fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal and liquid petroleum gas), local and imported hydro- electricity, and biomass (fuel wood). Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind currently account for only a negligible proportion of total energy use. Fossil fuels are used primarily for transportation and heating and out of state hydro-power (supplied by facilities in New York State and Quebec) provide for the lion's share of our electricity demand.
Transportation stands as the sector where energy use has grown substantially during the past 30 years. The current 41% rate of energy consumption in the transportation sector will grow to a possible 97% primarily due to increased commercial and industrial uses. The transportation sector now accounts for 41% of all energy, and approximately 77% of all fossil fuels, consumed in Vermont.
As shown in the tables at the end of this chapter, fossil fuels account for a vast majority energy consumed in Vermont. In Williamstown fossil fuels are used primarily to power vehicles and heat homes and businesses. In 2014, about 27% of the petroleum consumed by the United States (11) was imported from foreign countries, the lowest level since 1985.
(11) Based on net petroleum imports; final data, Energy Information Administration
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The top five source countries of U.S. petroleum imports in 2014 were Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Iraq. The country rankings vary based on gross petroleum imports or net petroleum imports (gross imports minus exports). The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects that the moderating trend in U.S. oil- import dependence to go on in the next decade. But the mix of factors responsible for it looks likely to evolve. In particular, EIA projects that continued improvements in energy efficiency, driven in part by tighter fuel economy standards, will prove increasingly important in moderating future demand growth.
1960 Vermont used 931 thousand barrels of petroleum in the industrial sector; in 1995, 1,058 thousand barrels were used; in 2005, 1,419 thousand barrels were used and in 2013, 967 thousand barrels of petroleum were consumed. Total petroleum consumption for all sectors was 15,291 thousands of barrels in 2013.(12)
The combustion of fossil fuels is by far the largest contributor of atmospheric "greenhouse gases" (primarily carbon dioxide). There is strong consensus in the scientific community that continued accumulation of "greenhouse gases" within the earth's atmosphere is creating a warming of the atmosphere, or "greenhouse effect". Such warming could cause severe coastal flooding and unpredictable climate shifts, threatening the viability of the earth's most significant urban and agricultural centers. In Vermont, significant warming could cause irreparable harm to the State's largest industry, tourism. Reduced snowfall and a die-off of sugar maples could spell disaster for ski areas, syrup producers, and our fall foliage season. Further, fossil fuel combustion is directly linked to the acidification of rivers, lakes and soil, and human health hazards resulting from declining air quality. Even if its use grew less, coal is still the No.1 source of net generation each year in the United States, followed by natural gas. The numbers for these two sources still dwarf the totals for all renewable sources combined.
For reasons highlighted above, and because fossil fuels are an exhaustible natural resource, Williamstown should strive to reduce fossil fuel consumption.
2. Hydro-power
Currently, Williamstown gets about half of its energy from hydro- power, primarily from Hydro-Quebec and New York Power Authority. The Vermont Public Service Board in 2011 approved a contract for Vermont utilities to buy power from Hydro-Québec for 20 years. The new contract will supply about 20% of Vermont's power needs, bringing 225 MW of power into Vermont to replace an expiring contract for 310 MW.
It is estimated that Vermont has at least 174,000 KW of undeveloped hydroelectric potential. This represents about 22% of current use. Most of the sites constituting this additional capacity are classified a "mini-hydro" (under 1000KW) developable at existing, but unused, hydro power resources. Any hydroelectric development in Williamstown will require a balancing of priorities.
(12) Tables C6 and F16 Industrial Energy Consumption Estimates, Selected Years 1960-2013 US Dept. of Energy
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While the benefits of generating electricity from local, renewable resources are evident, they are not without associate costs. The power output captured from a given stream must be moderated by environmental considerations. A minimum stream flow, adequate to support aquatic life forms, must be maintained and impoundments must be designed with water quality and land use/recreation dam sites.
Forest land covers approximately three-quarters of Williamstown's total land area. The generation of heat (and even electricity) from biomass is a strategy that may hold the potential to benefit the town. Under proper management and replacing fossil fuel combustion, the use of biomass fuels could reduce greenhouse emissions. Importantly, this could also stimulate the local economy, as estimates show that approximately 80% of each dollar spent on wood remains in the state while only 20% of each dollar spent on nonrenewable energy sources remains in the state.
Currently, about 15 % of Williamstown residents use wood and wood pellets as a heat source. Increased use of wood for heating would stimulate local economies and, if harvest and burning is executed in an environmentally sound manner, would decrease the environmental impacts of existing patterns of energy consumption. New technology is expanding the potential for implementing high -- efficiency wood burning in buildings as a primary heat source. While wood burning does contribute a large proportion of atmospheric particulate pollution directly associated with respiratory damage new wood burning technology and stricter EPA emissions standards are resulting in increased efficiency and reduced particulate emissions.
In Vermont, schools have taken the lead in the use of biomass fuels. Increasingly Vermont's students attend buildings heated by wood chips. The Williamstown Middle/High School was retrofitted with a biomass heating system in 2007 and the Public Safety Building is heated with wood pellets.
Biofuels are renewable, agriculturally derived liquid fuels that can be used to run vehicles and heat buildings. They include biodiesel, ethanol, and even straight vegetable oils. Some estimates show that by 2025, Vermont could be producing sustainable biofuels to meet up to 30% of current demand of gasoline.(13) With no corn-based ethanol production in the state, Vermont's first efforts to reduce fossil fuel consumption were to establish biodiesel as a "mainstream" additive or replacement to diesel fuels and heating oil. Now, oilseed crops are being cultivated on over a dozen Vermont farms for their fuel, feed and food value, with much of it being converted to biodiesel on and for the farms that produce the oilseeds. There are still no large commercial biodiesel producers in the state. Biodiesel, can be used in many existing vehicles and furnaces with minimal equipment modification. One concern is the loss of farmland, however if farms can produce their own fuel they may remain sustainable for years to come. There is a lot of research and development of biofuels in the State with the push for renewable energy sources.
(13) Renewable Energy VT, Building Our Renewable Energy Future
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 71
5. Wind-power
Essentially a form of solar power, created by pressure and temperature differences across our planet, wind-power is one of the oldest and most environmentally benign sources of energy. In recent years it has experienced resurgence in its application which is certain to continue. Now, a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration finds that the electricity generated from wind and solar grew a lot faster than electricity generated by fossil fuels last year. In fact, solar more than doubled, and wind outgrew all other sources.
In fact, it is the fastest growing energy source in the world. Wind turbines are among the most economical of contemporary renewable energy technologies, and have become cost competitive with most conventional electricity sources (especially when indirect, avoided costs are factored in).
Although Vermont has potential for wind power, it is estimated that only 10 to 15% of Vermont's electrical power could be generated by wind because of its intermittent nature. Furthermore, Williamstown probably does not have viable sites for industrial scale wind generation (generally at elevations between 2,500 and 3,500 feet). It should be noted that advances in small scale wind turbine technology figure to make them an increasingly viable option for private individuals or groups of individuals.
State law restricts the regulation through zoning of turbines with blades less than 20 feet in diameter. Furthermore, any small scale turbine that returns energy to the power grid is exempt from local bylaws and is instead reviewed by the Public Service Board under Act 248.
6. Solar-power
Solar energy has tremendous potential for providing clean, reliable and safe energy, even in Williamstown's climate. The application of both active (systems which collect, store and distribute solar energy within a building) and passive (systems which utilize a building's structure to trap sunlight and store it as heat) solar technologies have demonstrated their cost effectiveness in Vermont. Solar-tempered buildings are buildings that have their long axis oriented within 30 degrees of true south and have an unobstructed net south facing window area equal to at least 7% of the total floor area. Solar- tempering coupled with proper insulating can offset heat costs in a building by 40%.
Contemporary solar technologies have proven their value in Vermont, particularly in rural areas. As the technologies improve and costs decrease, solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic (technologies which can convert sunlight to electricity) will become more competitive in the marketplace even in less remote areas. As the power source of solar technologies is inexhaustible, and solar energy neither contributes pollutants to the atmosphere nor to our reliance on foreign energy suppliers, strategies should be developed to encourage its use in Williamstown.
Siting of solar projects should be sensitive to our Town's rural, agricultural culture and should be built to have little impact on the Town's scenic views and property values. Vermont S.48; setback and screening requirements for solar generation plants (Mullin; 2),a bill introduced in March 2015 would authorize municipalities to adopt bylaws establishing setback and screening requirements for solar that apply notwithstanding any contrary provision if passed. The bylaws may not have the effect of prohibiting the installation of a solar project or interfering with its intended use. Screening may include landscaping, vegetation, fencing, and topographic features.
C. Conservation
In 1990 the Public Service Board required the state's regulated utilities to carry out Least Cost Integrated Planning and implement Demand Side Management programs. In Central Vermont those utilities are investor owned municipal and cooperative electric utilities. Least Cost Integrated Planning requires that each utility " ... meet the needs of its customers at the lowest total long term cost and do so by giving equal consideration to all generation, transmission and energy efficiency options ... ".
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Demand Side Management programs promote the conservation of energy as an energy source available for future demand. Through their Demand Side Management programs, the region's utilities provide various incentives including financing and partial payment of certain efficiency improvements, energy audits and design services. As the creation of excess generating capacity can be used to meet future electrical needs for Vermont, conservation must continue to be viewed as a source of electricity. Conservation is our least expensive and most environmentally benign source of electricity. Demand Side Management is part of Efficiency Vermont.
According to the 2011 Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan, the transportation sector uses 41% of the total energy demand for fossil fuels in Vermont.The transportation sector posted the largest increase in state energy demand, increasing 27% between 1990 and 2011. Growing at 1.3% per annum, the transportation sector is Vermont's fastest growing end-use energy sector.
As discussed in previous pages, this situation imposes a tremendous economic and ecological detriment. Environmental degradation resulting from heavy petroleum use is well documented, as is the fact that the lion's share of money spent on fuel and automobiles leaves the state, thus undermining the local economy. Vermont, however, stands at a moment of substantial opportunity for continued jobs creation in the energy sector.
The state is in a position to maintain leadership in the environmental arena through the mix of energy sources used by its residents and is showing others the path forward to reduced greenhouse gas emissions.(14)
The rural character and decentralized settlement patterns of Central Vermont, the very qualities which render our area an extraordinary living environment, create difficult circumstances in which to minimize the consumption of traditional fuels in the transportation sector. Nevertheless, there are strategies which can be employed at the local, regional and state levels which will bear influence within this context. Improved access to, and increased use of, alternative and public transportation options such as rail, bus, van-pooling, ride- sharing and bicycling, will not only decrease energy consumption, but will also reduce the infrastructure expenditures that are associated with the "car culture."
Another strategy by which the demand for transportation can be reduced is through encouraging settlement patterns which require less physical travel. The concentration of employment opportunities, housing and social services, the expansion of telecommunications potential, and the increased use of local resources may help achieve this objective.
Residential energy demand has increased a total of 14% since 1990, a growth rate of only 0.7% per year despite the net increase in households. Notable is the declining trend in residential energy demand per household; demand has declined 0.28% annually since 1990.
According to the 2011 Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan, approximately 33% of the total amount of energy consumed in Vermont is used for residential purposes. The Plan shows that growth in energy demand in the residential sector will be driven by increases in population and housing, and a corresponding increase in demand for space and water heating. This demand, when considered with the energy demand associated with the space and water heating requirements of commercial and industrial buildings, represents tremendous potential energy savings.
Investments in energy efficiency improvements in new and existing buildings and appropriate site design in new development will result in the realization of this savings, and will demonstrate a significant impact on total energy demand. Ultimately, such investments will reduce the percent of income residents spend on energy, per capita energy consumption and environmental degradation.
(14) Vermont's Comprehensive Energy Plan; Facts, Analysis and Recommendations Volume 2011
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D. Energy Programs and Resources
A variety of organizations and programs exist to provide assistance to citizens and local governments in the realm of energy conservation and development. A partially list of Vermont based resources follows:
Efficiency Vermont : Financial and technical assistance for energy savings. EnergySmart home energy analysis.
www.efficiencyvermont.org
https://www.efficiencyvermont.com/blog/blog/2015/06/01/should-you-go-ductless-this-summer
Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network
To get contact info for any energy committee, either click a marker on the map, or scroll through the list of committees. To learn more about starting an energy committee click here: http://www.vecan.net/index.php/energy-committees/
Williamstown Energy Committee
Contact: Wally Roberts
Email: wroberts@sover.net
Phone #: 802-433-1329