COHASSET — In a meeting ironically interrupted by a severe thunderstorm and a town-wide power outage, the Alternative Energy Committee charted a course for two major public initiatives on Thursday night: a detailed new plan to achieve "Climate Leader" status and a proposed electric vehicle parade to rally community enthusiasm.

The meeting began with a review of recent data, where Assistant Town Planner Julia Gillis reported that the town's solar landfill array had surpassed a significant milestone, generating over $500,000 in energy savings for Cohasset as of June. The committee approved its July meeting minutes after a member made a motion. Motion Made by Martha Gangemi to approve the July 10, 2025, meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Barbara Russell and Passed, with Thomas Daley abstaining.

Committee member Debbie Cook introduced the idea of a town EV parade, tentatively planned for October. "I feel like we need to really build some enthusiasm for EVs in our town," Cook stated. The proposal to pair modern electric vehicles with antique cars to draw a larger crowd sparked a thoughtful debate. "My only issue with it is that I love antique cars, but they're major polluters," said member Martha Gangemi. "I just get a little concerned when I think about bringing those stink pots on the road with our fabulous EVs." Associate Member Doran Hole suggested a way to broaden the event's appeal, asking, "I wonder if it's possible to include... electric bikes... to kind of pull together to sort of increase the... draw."

The committee also unveiled a comprehensive project management plan, developed by Gillis, to organize the town's complex effort to become a state-designated Climate Leader community. Cook admitted that before the plan, "I felt like we were just I was spinning my wheels... we need an organizational tool." Gillis explained the new system, a detailed workbook to track progress on state requirements. "We basically took each of the program requirements and made it an individual Google Sheets tab," she said. To accelerate the process, members volunteered to research successful strategies from other designated towns. "I would volunteer to take Lexington... since I know it pretty well," offered Barbara Russell.

Updates on other town projects were also discussed. Thomas Daley reported that progress on the new Public Safety Building has been slow. "I get the impression there that there's not a lot going on right now in the summer," Daley said, noting the committee was in a "holding pattern" waiting to engage with the project's working group. Gillis also announced a shift in the town's Green Communities grant strategy; due to delays with the Town Hall HVAC project, the town will now pursue funding for energy efficiency upgrades at the Paul Pratt Memorial Library, the DPW building, and Osgood School to avoid missing the grant cycle. The meeting was adjourned at 8:36 PM.