[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6367547,"mediaKeyId","2158524-6b80d237a26d38e93c079964e4bcc9dc","parentId",2158524,"title","Carmel committee reviews municipal energy updates; asks for clearer carbon and cost metrics","audioSeconds",321,"startMs",709000,"endMs",1030000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158524-6b80d237a26d38e93c079964e4bcc9dc&start=709&end=1030","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158524-6b80d237a26d38e93c079964e4bcc9dc/thumbnail_709000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6367547/Carmel/Hamilton-County/Indiana/Carmel-committee-reviews-municipal-energy-updates-asks-for-clearer-carbon-and-cost-metrics","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6367547-bcc27633b8c994059b2043c8dcab04d5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771185296&Signature=Qoqy9Cgru8OyXvaLgbpO29CtPHA~tWYwCU60gzMJyzUcMk5tcKivnHEuI8twNM9cqwBe196hBuK4K4FQA3b84uK1W2YRgTyOqHSqxXk75DaIrzjkbb6f1EANHLhCP~lyyiKGhe5aVCNJbL5qSJBKTx1YPj3~ssOnRquDAAYMTara7~IE2H7MK52fYtwUJGETd4D7JAAWCe8JzXqo40UZJSjS9m6AbcwvCP79pCFOUseCa9BeHUg3Tj31V10QUWKJwKZF7BJ5~FAdfVwTRaXvbVFYWr9zogEYeoBr9sJ2HDMtj38G2kMjFPm3vUMhmSJVQvgEPvTQI6LkfjrIV4EC4A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Carmel IN","date","2025-01-27T23:37:41Z","article","A meeting of the Carmel Climate Action Advisory Committee on Jan. 28 reviewed 2024 updates to the city’s public dashboard and discussed next steps to report energy savings and greenhouse-gas reductions from municipal projects.

Committee members and city staff reported that a guaranteed energy-savings contract for the community center’s HVAC work was completed in 2024 and that the city’s east-side solar installation produced roughly 325,000 kilowatt-hours last year. The committee also noted a published estimate of about 909 tons of CO2 avoided from that solar output and asked staff to confirm the calculation method before reposting it to the public dashboard.

Why this matters: committee members said translating performance into common units — metric tons of CO2 and dollar savings — will help the public track progress against the Climate Action Plan and support requests for additional resources.

Key details and requests
- Staff said the HVAC retrofit work is complete and that utility and performance tracking should allow reporting of cost and energy savings over the coming year. The committee asked that those results be added to the dashboard as they become available.
- Members requested that staff convert the city’s performance measures into metric tons of CO2 equivalents and, where feasible, annual dollar savings or return-on-investment estimates. Committee discussion acknowledged that dollar-saved figures require accounting for upfront costs and payback periods (example cited: typical solar payback timelines of about 12–15 years), while CO2 conversions are more straightforward once energy-use data are available.
- The committee asked utilities (Duke and AES were discussed as data sources) for building-level meter readings for 2024 to support a Scope 2 municipal emissions analysis. Staff said they have utility account representatives and can request interval or roll-up reports per building.

Context and next steps
Committee members agreed to ask city staff to (a) request meter-read and interval data from utility account representatives, (b) produce CO2-equivalent conversions from 2024 energy data for municipal buildings, and (c) add verified kilowatt-hour, CO2 and (where feasible) dollar-saved figures to the public dashboard. Members said they expect initial results to appear in the dashboard update in the coming weeks.

Ending
The committee will follow up at its Feb. 25 meeting to review progress on obtaining utility meter data and the initial CO2- and dollar-savings calculations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Climate Action Advisory - January 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A meeting of the Carmel Climate Action Advisory Committee on Jan. 28 reviewed 2024 updates to the city’s public dashboard and discussed next steps to report energy savings and greenhouse-gas reductions from municipal projects.","taxTitle","Carmel, Hamilton County, Indiana","taxId",3929,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6367532,"Committee discusses composting vendor transition, rainwater reuse and reclaimed-water options",457,3246000,3703000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158524-6b80d237a26d38e93c079964e4bcc9dc&start=3246&end=3703","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158524-6b80d237a26d38e93c079964e4bcc9dc/thumbnail_3246000.jpg","/articles/6367532/Carmel/Hamilton-County/Indiana/Committee-discusses-composting-vendor-transition-rainwater-reuse-and-reclaimed-water-options","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6367532-45d8582aa8db9777c3574222d3be20ac/orig.mp4?Expires=1771185296&Signature=HYS8N572REFSMaURB59mubIH7EXdbRpLOJO0~SUlaKH4Zssv9dE8OJ6pP9f4XMeDbQ1LB8EhXmaAVkaiiWV2ejLVVmysQcqhDnzqPAj85MAHbskmsWwFvdLTJez~dByuRFN806EkGy7WBllmsIyU9eij04MGQJV8MFsJFD9mRpodP67FW5UeCSYev1g4bDhl4xPNI96zVjVlOL2n801-ypXZL~ut0SKpZVBnw8vwMZbbA7WeGld3bM~EuUFZCWcjl4YwBL59-DaEYGlytibCgQSES-vhp8lfSSxILPhxBuitBD~2HPnqsyfterkAu6Q3nraf5l1yEwcOY63RMbSokw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Carmel’s climate advisory committee covered waste, composting and water-reuse ideas at its Jan. 28 meeting, including next steps after a personnel change at Republic Services and a description of local pilot ideas for rainwater capture.

Composting and Republic Services
Committee members noted prior conversations with Republic about expanding curbside or municipal composting. Staff said a long-time Republic contact had passed away and that the vendor’s new contact will need to be engaged to continue discussions; committee members offered to help with Republic contacts.

Rainwater capture and reclaimed water
Members raised several low-cost demonstration ideas to display water reuse and to reduce irrigation demand, including selling rain barrels through a local vendor and installing a cistern under a solar-panel parking canopy to collect runoff for park and median irrigation. Staff cautioned these ideas are likely to be more demonstrative than transformational because city irrigation for large spaces is currently supplied from hydrant/utility sources and the volumes needed are substantial; nevertheless, members said showpiece projects could help public education and lead-by-example messaging.

Reclaimed-water systems
Committee members also discussed a broader reclaimed-water option for city green space irrigation and wastewater‑side improvements; staff said wastewater treatment upgrades and existing data could support calculations of carbon impacts if reclaimed systems were pursued.

Next steps
Staff will reinitiate Republic discussions with the vendor’s replacement contact, track composting pilot opportunities, and return with feasibility notes on a rainwater-capture demonstration and reclaimed-water options.","Members reviewed status of composting discussions with Republic (service vendor), reported a personnel loss at Republic requiring renewed contact, and raised low-cost pilot ideas such as rain-barrel or cistern capture from solar carports for irrigation reuse.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6367535,"Parks department outlines native-planting, orchard and Bear Creek funding updates",1881,2395000,4276000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158524-6b80d237a26d38e93c079964e4bcc9dc&start=2395&end=4276","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158524-6b80d237a26d38e93c079964e4bcc9dc/thumbnail_2395000.jpg","/articles/6367535/Carmel/Hamilton-County/Indiana/Parks-department-outlines-native-planting-orchard-and-Bear-Creek-funding-updates","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6367535-f702b8a1c7650e1c18e6f7e2e6c02c98/orig.mp4?Expires=1771185296&Signature=EtLzTRO8IAlxRUaaTiyO8SfdaBGmSpI7r0gWel-ayNye2qYSqruit7fIqKKxxKsKLmOpCkHKzsr69TqBnMRKtJSUIPedofCodFvcqHw4PQq3pIDsULvsa4gJDsQnc6VJCz-m6prBB5WtzZt20c01N6vG~qpaeU8y92~gwIB3tdMHcpu6m7VA~fJMs0btx0tez6T1g7cwkW9vDUtwcoUgAG-rGKCMMyeNKqZI-lnlAChEBTMLxXUTw4Isgxi3kl1quJEY0Ppay8fSVBMk9f5XspxKHMsjO8KH0CeBX4yVdFxpAq-ydfq4IHZU9EfSFBa83T7oFz2nlEM2HMxgbKy1dw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Parks department staff updated the Carmel Climate Action Advisory Committee on native-planting initiatives, orchard plantings and grant status for Bear Creek Park during the Jan. 28 meeting.

Key updates
- The parks department said it planted about 100 fruit and nut trees at Founders Park and has applied for additional grants to expand orchards on the city’s west side at Bear Creek or West Park.
- Staff asked the advisory committee to link the parks web page and Bear Creek master-plan materials to the climate-action dashboard so residents can find park-specific updates; committee members supported the request.
- The parks department said it applied for a Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant requesting about $1,000,000 to help develop Bear Creek Park; staff said the state-level DNR process delayed notifications and the award decision remained pending as of the meeting.
- City council has allocated $8,000,000 in bonds toward Bear Creek’s phase‑one development, and parks staff said they are preparing schematic designs for that phase.

Why this matters: parks naturalization and tree-planting were discussed as drought-resilient landscape practices that reduce mowing and irrigation, provide habitat, and can lower maintenance carbon emissions. Staff noted converting turf and medians to native plantings is a larger citywide initiative that may require public outreach and coordination with elected officials.

Next steps
Parks staff will add links and content to the dashboard highlighting tree-planting and mitigation projects, provide percentage estimates of naturalized park acreage versus turf, and return to the committee with more project-level details.","Carmel parks staff described multiple native-planting initiatives, orchard plantings and pending grant applications, and asked the climate committee to link dashboard items to the parks project pages; council approved $8 million in bonds for Bear Creek park development.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6367540,"Advisory committee urges baseline fleet data to measure shifts to hybrids and EVs",495,1694000,2189000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2158524-6b80d237a26d38e93c079964e4bcc9dc&start=1694&end=2189","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2158524-6b80d237a26d38e93c079964e4bcc9dc/thumbnail_1694000.jpg","/articles/6367540/Carmel/Hamilton-County/Indiana/Advisory-committee-urges-baseline-fleet-data-to-measure-shifts-to-hybrids-and-EVs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6367540-fd86e120f780004a8a7bd5c49caa4be9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771185296&Signature=McYRmcDWCwNVeijVjcQJ0UKz~Al5ihg3amtewZmD~6rPeg~P9HVQ4RoEXNFwBXSYTy~jxqPV~iEDa8ZDG18lDHqwtbdyynHAOMITeftTT8w5qMIYBYf92XDLXx7E4TQr5P~jnsU7iQIvs8wCQaVbg5iVotALMtuY5VZFa1cCUWoaSNfpmjWPEl~zMgAd~O2QoLXqJ00xotOnmEqa64oU~Ic76M-Ky~Rc~nGGOAPDK-YW59X-r8zcfD7UOfYnxM6mLXIHGhVXn1YBN8194znA3R3PeMP~yyctFMpNvwnRMyYyvu1t-npgqCe-NJeiKG4FKHnM~~rtsG9cN6kuUYeYPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Carmel Climate Action Advisory Committee on Jan. 28 discussed municipal fleet reporting and recommended a short, citywide data push to establish a baseline for fuel use and miles driven.

Committee members said collecting total gallons purchased and annual miles driven per department (or citywide totals if per-vehicle data are not available) would allow the city to estimate fleet carbon emissions and to compare changes over time as hybrids and electric vehicles enter the fleet. Members noted some departments may already keep good records (the street department was cited as an example) while others may require staff time to compile older records.

Why this matters: the committee’s Climate Action Plan sets long‑term reduction goals; accurate baseline fuel and mileage data were described as essential to measure progress and to evaluate whether fleet changes are reducing fuel use per mile.

Key points
- The committee recommended starting with a request for total gallons purchased by department and total miles driven, rather than per-vehicle detail, to accelerate analysis.
- Members discussed distinguishing diesel from gasoline usage because emissions factors differ; committee members also raised particulate-matter co‑benefits from diesel reductions.
- Centralizing fleet management (currently managed by individual departments) has been discussed by city administration and could simplify ongoing reporting; staff said the city’s fiscal team has reviewed centralization options.

Next steps
The committee decided to start with the street department as a pilot data request, then expand to other departments. Staff agreed to contact relevant departments and return baseline estimates at the next meeting.","Committee members recommended collecting gallons‑purchased and miles-driven data across city departments to create a fleet emissions baseline and to track impacts of hybrid/EV replacements, noting centralization of fleet management is under discussion.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Carmel committee reviews municipal energy updates; asks for clearer carbon and cost metrics

Committee discusses composting vendor transition, rainwater reuse and reclaimed-water options

Parks department outlines native-planting, orchard and Bear Creek funding updates

Advisory committee urges baseline fleet data to measure shifts to hybrids and EVs