BY DAVE CHOATE

To New Boston Town Administrator Burton Reynolds, energy conservation starts with one question.

“I have to ask, what can I do as just me to make a difference?” he said.

That’s the spirit behind New Boston’s new energy conservation policy, voted into effect after the selectmen’s meeting. The effort began as a warrant article proposed by a town resident and was passed after the selectmen’s meeting on July 2.
Reynolds said the policy is part of a larger shift to energy-saving methods and conciousness in towns across the country.

The policy is still a work in progress at this point. Reynolds and fellow town officials are looking for practical ways to save energy and still stay within the town’s means, a search that starts with looking at what other towns across the nation have done.

“What we’ve done is linked to the Carbon Coalition Web site, which is sharing what communities are doing. We’re thinking about that and what we can do practically,” he said.

He noted that larger cities have more energy use and more options at their disposal, but that New Boston’s administration will look to effect change in ways that work for the town and its residents.

“We’re so small, here. If we build a new fire station or something of that nature, we’d want to build it to be an energy-saving building,” Reynolds said. “We’ll keep in contact with the site and residents, and if someone comes up with a great idea we’ll run with it.”