Fairfield wants a green plan as city focuses on sustainability

Sue Kiesewetter
·2 min read

Fairfield, Ohio ‒ What exactly does sustainability look like? And how much money should be invested in the short term and in the long term?Those are questions Fairfield City Council will be wrestling with over the next 12-18 months as the city puts together a comprehensive sustainability plan that addresses five topics:

  • Air quality and climate change.

  • Community health and safety.

  • Energy conservation and efficiency.

  • Going green.

  • Water quality.

“Our efforts will impact all aspects of city operations,’’ said Scott Timmer, city manager. “We’re still very much in the early stages.”

A 15-member team with representatives from all departments will lead the effort which will be divided into city operations, headed by Adam Sackenheim, public utilities director; and citywide sustainability, headed by Erin Lynn, planning manager.

There will be opportunities throughout the process for community input.

The city has been addressing sustainability but doesn’t yet have a comprehensive plan that ties in with specific capital improvement projects and funding, Timmer said.

Few communities, he said, have a formal sustainability plan in place. Most, like Fairfield, have done ‘green’ things.

Green initiatives in Fairfield

  • Installation of efficient lighting and mechanical systems in city buildings, including replacing street lights with LED lighting systems.

  • Placement of an EV charging station for electric vehicles at the Community Arts Center.

  • Joined the Hamilton to New Baltimore Ground Water Consortium.

  • Participation in the Tree City USA program.

  • Use of 100 percent renewable energy at all city facilities.

  • Entering into a lime recycling agreement with Dayton, Ohio.

  • Creating community gardens at Huffman Park and using a wind turbine to power the park’s pond aeration system.

Money for the study, consultants, and some projects will come from the American Rescue Plan. When completed, the plan will tie in with city goals, projects, and capital improvement projects. There will also be a monitoring component.

“There are some hard decisions that have to be made ...” said Councilman Tim Meyers. “We may never be carbon zero … this is not going away.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Fairfield developing comprehensive sustainability plan