TTC_03_17_21_Vol.17-No.21

Page 12 www.TheTownCommon.com
March 17, 2021
Community News
Town of Ipswich Purchases Electric Vehicle,
Continuing Green Energy Initiatives
IPSWICH - Town of Ipswich
has purchased a new electric police
vehicle, the latest effort to
increase the use of green energy
in town and to decrease municipal
government’s overall carbon
footprint.
The new Tesla Model Y will
be used by Chief Paul Nikas for
administrative duties. The Tesla
replaces a 2011 Ford Taurus
that was scheduled for replacement
this year in the town’s
Capital Plan.
This is the sixth electric vehicle
the town has purchased once
a municipal vehicle was scheduled
for replacement.
The Tesla’s cost has been offset
by a grant of $10,000 from
the Ipswich Electric Light Department
and a grant of $4,290
from the Green Community
Program. The grants reduce
the cost to taxpayers to about
$39,000, which is comparable
to gas-powered options and
slightly less than the amount
budgeted by the town.
The town estimates the Tesla
will cut carbon-dioxide emissions
by up to 87 percent compared
to a gas vehicle and anticipates
saving up to $13,000 in fuel and
maintenance costs over 10 years.
The town also anticipates a
health benefit from electric police
vehicles as gas cruisers often
idle for long periods.
Ipswich officials have taken
many steps in recent years to
reduce community use of fossil-based
fuels.
• The ELD has replaced five
late-model vehicles with electric
vehicles: an electric Hyster forklift
for the department garage;
Chevrolet Bolts for use by the department
engineer, town conservation
agent and town Building
and Health Department; and a
Toyota RAV4 Plug-in hybrid vehicle
for the ELD manager. ELD
estimates the electric vehicles have
reduced operating and maintenance
costs by several thousand
Photo Courtesy Town of Ipswich
Town of Ipswich's electric vehicles, from left, Dylan Lewellyn, Utilities Customer Services Manager, Ipswich Electric
Light Department; Police Chief Paul Nikas; Mike Johnson, Chair of the Climate Resiliency Committee, and Jon
Blair, Electric Light Manager. The Town also owns an electric forklift.
dollars and cut gasoline usage by
about 1,000 gallons.
• The town has installed electric
vehicle charging stations at
the parking lots on Elm Street
and Hammatt Street, Town
Hall, and the Utilities Department.
More charging stations
are planned as funding opportunities
become available.
• In February 2020, the state
certified the town as a “Green
Community” with the goal of
reducing municipal energy use
by 20 percent within five years.
• The Select Board and the
School Board recently adopted
a resolution developed by
the Town’s Climate Resiliency
Committee, which commits to
eliminating municipal use of
fossil fuels by 2040.
The town does not anticipate
purchasing another electric vehicle
in the near term but expects
that those purchases will
become standard town practice
as electric vehicles evolve.
Community Announcements,
from page 11
contagious variants of the virus
circulating throughout the U.S.,
now is not the time to let your
guard down or scale back on the
measures that we know will work
to prevent further illness and
deaths, such as wearing masks,
practicing physical distancing,
and washing hands.”
To protect yourself and your
loved ones, the AMA offers the
following guidance:
• At some point, likely in the
next few months, it will be your
turn to get the vaccine. Talk to
your physician about the vaccines,
and ask any questions you
may have.
• Any and all COVID-19 vaccines
authorized will meet the
highest standards of quality, safety
and effectiveness set by the
FDA’s rigorous regulatory review
process.
• Be prepared to get vaccinated.
Know that vaccines can have
minor side effects, including lethargy,
mild fever, body aches and
pains. When these side effects occur,
they typically last a few days.
If you have any questions or concerns
about side effects, contact
your physician.
• Understand that public health
measures like masks and physical
distancing will still be required
until the population is broadly
vaccinated.
• Science and ingenuity have
given us an opportunity to control
or even defeat COVID-19,
but wide acceptance of the vaccine
is necessary for it to be effective.
Encourage loved ones
who are eligible for the vaccine to
schedule an appointment.
For more information about
COVID-19 and getting vaccinated,
visit ama-assn.org or getvaccineanswers.org.
While the roll-out of the vaccine
is encouraging, doctors
say we’re not out of the woods
yet. Continuing to practice
COVID-19 safety measures and
getting vaccinated as soon as it’s
your turn will help protect you
and your loved ones from illness.
(StatePoint)
Rowley Pharmacy
announces free
counseling on
several health
topics
The Rowley Pharmacy in collaboration
with The Massachusetts
College of Pharmacy and
Health Sciences (MCPHS University)
will host free counselling
on the following subjects;
weight management, carbohydrate
counting, fasting diets,
strength training, resistance
bands and weights. The events
will be held on Thursday March
18 and 25 from 1:00PM to
5:00PM Brochures are available
at the pharmacy. Free consults
are offered by phone. More details
can be found at the pharmacy
located at 169 Main St.
Rowley
Community Announcements,
page 13
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The Ipswich Electric Light Department purchased electric Chevrolet Bolts for use by the department engineer, town
conservation agent and town Building and Health Department.