(1 seat available - 3 year term)
The board oversees the Department of Public Works (DPW), which consists of the following programs: Engineering, Park, Highway, Recycling & Disposal, Management Services, Water, and Sewer.
Scott Bender
Q1. As you know, Town Meeting passed the Select Board’s Resolution to Address the Impact of Climate Change in 2020. How do you envision this resolution being carried out by the Board of Public Works during your term?
A1. As a life-long Wellesley resident and engineer I am excited to advance technology integration to improve services. As a father and outdoor enthusiast I am committed to achieving the town’s environmental goals. Both can be achieved in a fiscally sound manner.Currently, I am the Chair of Wellesley’s Municipal Light Plant (MLP) Board and a member of the Department of Public Works (DPW) Board. All elected DPW positions serve on the MLP as well. Both are critical organizations on which, the 2020 Select Board’s Resolution to Address the Impact of Climate Change, depends.
In the short term, our Department of Public Works (DPW) and Municipal Light Plant (MLP) are both implementing residential “smart” electricity meters and water meters. These meters provide actionable information to customers. I am excited to work with the DPW and MLP management teams to use smart meter data to identify, communicate and incentivize opportunities for residents to save money implementing conservation and efficiency best practices.
Our longer term initiatives need continued investment to support other important actions outlined in Wellesley’s Climate Action Plan (CAP). Generally, the MLP needs to update our electric grid to keep pace with electrification of cars & home heating as well as facilitating grid connected solar generation and battery storage. Our town’s relatively low electricity rates make a favorable return on investment for purchase of electric vehicles and Heat Pumps. However, the same low rates make installation of solar panels and batteries less compelling. Increased resiliency requires MLP incentive programs to achieve the 100’s of system installations per year targeted in the CAP. Importantly, the Smart meters are critical for Time of Use electricity rates which help control peak load timing for EV charging and Heat pump operation.
For the DPW opportunities; Wellesley’s RDF has a long history of excellence in recycling, reusing and managing our waste. Residents already using our RDF likely know about our Food Waste Drop-off Program, but this relatively new and successful program is a unique opportunity for many who are less familiar with the wide array of waste management that our RDF has to offer. By separating food waste from our waste stream, residents can simultaneously reduce the tonnage headed for landfill by diverting food waste for energy generation. I believe that community outreach to promote this and other offerings at the RDF will add new users as well as increase food waste participation for those already using the RDF.
Our DPW also needs to invest in:
The past 3 years have been exciting and challenging and full of opportunities. I welcome input from the hearts and minds of anyone interested to contribute ideas and feedback. I hope that I have earned your support and vote in the upcoming election.
The board oversees the Department of Public Works (DPW), which consists of the following programs: Engineering, Park, Highway, Recycling & Disposal, Management Services, Water, and Sewer.
Scott Bender
Q1. As you know, Town Meeting passed the Select Board’s Resolution to Address the Impact of Climate Change in 2020. How do you envision this resolution being carried out by the Board of Public Works during your term?
A1. As a life-long Wellesley resident and engineer I am excited to advance technology integration to improve services. As a father and outdoor enthusiast I am committed to achieving the town’s environmental goals. Both can be achieved in a fiscally sound manner.Currently, I am the Chair of Wellesley’s Municipal Light Plant (MLP) Board and a member of the Department of Public Works (DPW) Board. All elected DPW positions serve on the MLP as well. Both are critical organizations on which, the 2020 Select Board’s Resolution to Address the Impact of Climate Change, depends.
In the short term, our Department of Public Works (DPW) and Municipal Light Plant (MLP) are both implementing residential “smart” electricity meters and water meters. These meters provide actionable information to customers. I am excited to work with the DPW and MLP management teams to use smart meter data to identify, communicate and incentivize opportunities for residents to save money implementing conservation and efficiency best practices.
Our longer term initiatives need continued investment to support other important actions outlined in Wellesley’s Climate Action Plan (CAP). Generally, the MLP needs to update our electric grid to keep pace with electrification of cars & home heating as well as facilitating grid connected solar generation and battery storage. Our town’s relatively low electricity rates make a favorable return on investment for purchase of electric vehicles and Heat Pumps. However, the same low rates make installation of solar panels and batteries less compelling. Increased resiliency requires MLP incentive programs to achieve the 100’s of system installations per year targeted in the CAP. Importantly, the Smart meters are critical for Time of Use electricity rates which help control peak load timing for EV charging and Heat pump operation.
For the DPW opportunities; Wellesley’s RDF has a long history of excellence in recycling, reusing and managing our waste. Residents already using our RDF likely know about our Food Waste Drop-off Program, but this relatively new and successful program is a unique opportunity for many who are less familiar with the wide array of waste management that our RDF has to offer. By separating food waste from our waste stream, residents can simultaneously reduce the tonnage headed for landfill by diverting food waste for energy generation. I believe that community outreach to promote this and other offerings at the RDF will add new users as well as increase food waste participation for those already using the RDF.
Our DPW also needs to invest in:
- our aging infrastructure for water distribution and stormwater management.
- improving our streets, sidewalks and trails in order to increase multimodal local mobility including walking, biking, scooting
- implementing water usage best practice as outlined in the EPA Watersense program
The past 3 years have been exciting and challenging and full of opportunities. I welcome input from the hearts and minds of anyone interested to contribute ideas and feedback. I hope that I have earned your support and vote in the upcoming election.