City planning staff reported to the council’s ad hoc energy efficiency and renewable energy committee on Oct. 23 that Peabody has made progress on projects funded through its Green Communities designation and on work to implement the city’s net‑zero roadmap.

According to the director of community development and planning, the city has spent most of the original $271,000 designation grant; 16 of 19 projects are complete and roughly $73,000 of the designation grant remains to be spent. Staff said the $271,000 originally awarded was combined with approximately $195,000 from National Grid and $14,000 in city funds, yielding roughly $480,000 spent on projects across municipal facilities.

Officials told the committee that the city must spend the remaining designation grant funds before becoming eligible for the Green Communities competitive grant rounds in spring and fall. Staff said procurement rules and staffing changes slowed completion of some projects but that the remaining items are expected to finish by year-end.

Committee members also discussed the Climate Leader Community designation. Staff described six criteria, including one year in good standing as a Green Community and the adoption of a municipal decarbonization commitment, a decarbonization roadmap (the city’s net‑zero roadmap may serve with an addendum), a zero‑emission vehicle policy, and adoption of specialized stretch codes. If attained, Climate Leader Communities are eligible for two additional funding sources: decarbonization technical support grants (up to $150,000) and decarbonization accelerator grants (up to $1 million).

The committee received a progress update on the net‑zero roadmap across five categories: buildings, mobility, energy, natural systems and other. Highlights included the city’s PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) adoption, six EV chargers installed in a downtown lot, work to secure a $110,000 federal pedestrian/bike planning grant currently on hold, and consideration of incentives to encourage net‑zero construction for municipal and private development. Staff also described outreach partnerships with local conservation organizations and noted the city has purchased open space and is exploring air-quality monitoring pilots.

No motions were taken; the discussion was reported as progress to the council.