A student is dropped off by a new all-electric school bus. Photo by Jenevra Wetmore.
In 2020 Woodstock passed a Climate Emergency and Action Resolution, with a goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. This declaration meant that we as a town were taking climate change seriously and willing to put time, money, and energy into solving it. In the same year, Sustainable Woodstock advocated for a shared energy coordinator for the Town of Woodstock to help the town reach its energy goals. This position– originally called the Intermunicipal Regional Energy Coordinator or “IREC,” and now renamed the “Shared Energy Coordinator” or “SEC”– has existed since 2020. In 2024 Harry Falconer assumed this role, which is run through Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC). As we near the end of 2025, we would like to highlight the many accomplishments of the SEC position and look ahead to what is coming in 2026.
The SEC serves the Towns of Bradford, Norwich, Sharon, Strafford, Thetford, Fairlee, and Woodstock. Each town appoints a representative to the SEC steering committee, which guides the SEC’s focus. Sustainable Woodstock’s Executive Director Jenevra Wetmore serves on the committee for the Town of Woodstock. The work of the position is to lessen overall energy use, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and move to renewable generation of electricity, all while seeking long-term cost savings. Woodstock joined the SEC program in 2020, the program’s first year, and thanks to the ongoing support of Woodstock residents and the Selectboard, the SEC contract has been renewed each year since.
As a step toward reaching Woodstock’s net-zero by 2030 goal, the SEC developed a proposal to reduce emissions by 12.5% annually by installing new technologies such as heat pumps in municipal buildings and conducting weatherization measures. These upgrades were completed this past year and, as a result, the majority of town buildings no longer use fossil fuel as a primary heat source.
In addition to lowering building emissions, the SEC has also taken action to reduce transportation emissions, which are the biggest source of carbon emissions in Vermont. Three all-electric school buses, made possible by a successful application to the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, have been transporting Woodstock students to and from school for the past year. The SEC also applied for and received a grant for Level 3 electric vehicle fast chargers, which will be installed on the Woodstock side of the Bridgewater Mill in the next few months. Fast chargers can charge an EV battery to 80% capacity in 20 minutes on most vehicles. These chargers will provide an important place on the Route 4 corridor for electric vehicle drivers to recharge.
Most recently, the SEC applied for a Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) grant on behalf of the Town of Woodstock. In July the town was awarded $868,858.52. This grant will fund up to 50% of the cost of two key projects to upgrade Woodstock’s drinking water system: the design, permitting, and construction of a new well to replace of one of Woodstock’s municipal water supply wells, and the installation of a new water main suspended under the Elm Street bridge that will increase resilience to future flood events. The increased flow and pressure from this work will enable the water system to support hundreds of new units of housing and the creation of new local businesses.
What is next for the Shared Energy Coordinator? The current SEC, Harry Falconer, is working with the Planning Commission on a comprehensive strategy to encourage Smart Growth in the town’s East End. Smart Growth is a planning approach that aims to create dense, walkable, mixed-use communities by promoting infill development in areas that are already developed. The goal of these changes is to promote the creation of new housing stock, including workforce housing, that will also help to grow the town’s Grand List, making additional investments in public infrastructure more financially feasible.
Woodstock voters have shown again and again that climate action is a priority to our town. With your support, we hope to continue this important climate work with the invaluable help of the SEC position.