The town will pay a consultant $175,000 to help draft a climate action plan. 

The Barrington Town Council approved the expenditure during its meeting on Monday, Jan. 8. The approval included a contract of $150,000 for the Boston-based firm Kim Lundgren Associates. The vote also included an extra $25,000 as contingency for additional public engagement and outreach products if deemed necessary during the planning process.

Teresa Crean, the Director of Planning, Building and Resiliency in Barrington, requested the expenditure. Crean told Council members that the town has several initiatives that are aimed at reducing its carbon footprint and adapting to climate change. She said the purpose of the plan would be to bring all the different initiatives under a single umbrella, and increase public awareness and community engagement. 

Crean said the town issued a request for proposals a while back and received responses from eight firms. A team of volunteers including officials from the Barrington Energy and Resilience Committee (Magnus Thorsson and Hans Scholl) and Conservation Commission (David Boyes and Ted Myatt) helped town officials review the proposals and narrow down the field to two finalists. The town then selected KLA, or Kim Lundgren Associates. 

Barrington Town Council Vice President Rob Humm thanked Crean, adding that this effort was incredibly important work. 

Janine Wolf felt differently. 

During the public comment portion of the discussion, Wolf opposed the expenditure of town funds for climate action. The Barrington resident said officials were relying on assumptions that have not been proven — she said “climate variation” has been the norm over time. 

Wolf asked: Shouldn’t a problem be proven to exist before we, the town, spend any money on it?

Wolf said that she supports Barrington’s efforts toward energy resiliency and conservation, but called climate action a scam that was based on two unproven claims. She said the first was that people are causing the negative climate impacts, and the second is that there are actions people can take to mitigate the harm.

Wolf asked the Council to send the request back to the Planning, Building and Resiliency department.

Wolf’s comments drew no response from the Council members. 

Annelise Conway made a motion to have the town contract with KLA for the climate action plan. Humm seconded the motion, and the Council voted 5-0 to approve it. 

Climate action plan details

Crean said there is no state requirement for the town to draft a climate action plan, but added that the town, upon its passage of its Resilient Future Resolution in 2021, began discussing the need for a plan. She said the plan would help manage projects that focus on risk reduction from natural hazards, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Crean said the plan will help coordinate and prioritize projects by different boards and commissions in Barrington, as well as leverage grant money. 

The RFP — request for proposals — issued by the town for the climate action plan details the scope of services that will be included in the consultant’s work. It includes:

• Complete an assessment of potential impacts, including physical and financial, of projected sea-level rise and coastal flooding risk on publicly-owned buildings and sites, roads, stormwater systems, and other utilities. Include an assessment of the cost of inaction. 

• Clearly articulate Barrington’s challenges and opportunities in meeting climate mitigation (such as a greenhouse gas reduction target) goals.

• A concise evaluation of the top climate actions/initiatives.

• Identify and prioritize strategies for risk reduction and adaptation to changing climate conditions across sectors of town including each element of the Comprehensive Community Plan: housing, economic development, circulation, community services and facilities, natural and cultural resources, outdoor recreation, energy, natural hazards, and land use.

• A recommended process and report format for annual updates measuring progress on achieving greenhouse has reduction goals, incorporated in the annual municipal and school budget process.

• Identify opportunities to leverage relationships, including funding, with potential outside partners including the state and federal government, non-governmental organizations, and universities.

“…the plan should identify the most impactful things we can do in Barrington within 10 years to mitigate our emissions and adapt to our changing climate, as well as prioritize long-term actions for the town and schools to implement over the next 10 to 25 years,” stated the RFP.

Money from the town’s Climate Mitigation Capital Reserve account will pay for the contract with KLA. Climate Mitigation Capital Reserve account has also been used support match requirements for grants supporting projects at Walker Farm, Latham Park, and Hazard Mitigation/FEMA grants.

In an email to the Barrington Times, Crean wrote that this project will have a heavy emphasis on community engagement.