State funds energy-efficient lighting at Leo J. Martin Golf Course and Ski Track

Members of FOLJMS attended today's announcement by DCR Commissioner Carol Sanchez and Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton on funding for the installation of new lighting and the upgrade of electrical systems at the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Leo J. Martin Golf Course and Ski Track.  The project, which is a collaboration between DCR and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), is part of a larger effort to upgrade and install energy efficient lighting at DCR facilities across the state.

“Massachusetts has long been at the forefront of energy conservation and environmentally responsible improvement efforts,”  Governor Charlie Baker said in a press release following the event. “Program initiatives, like the Leo J. Martin Golf Course and Ski Track’s energy efficiency project, will allow the Commonwealth to reduce its carbon footprint, save taxpayers money, and create an overall better experience for the public.”

“By installing new lighting and electrical systems at public facilities like the Leo J. Martin Golf Course and Ski Track, the Baker-Polito Administration is providing yet another example of its efforts to reduce electricity consumption, energy costs, and greenhouse gas emissions at state-owned facilities,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “Through this administration’s leadership, Massachusetts will continue to serve as a model for the rest of the nation in energy efficiency.”

The project is part of a larger statewide, $6 million, initiative to replace traditional lights with light-emitting diode (LED) lights at DCR facilities. This second phase will replace approximately 2,200 lights at over 90 DCR properties across Massachusetts, with expected savings of approximately $200,000 annually. Upgrades at other DCR facilities also include wireless control systems to provide dimming, energy monitoring, and real time alert control. 

“The upgrades to the lighting and electrical systems will not only be energy efficient, but will also create improved, outdoor recreational opportunities for all visitors of the Leo J. Martin Golf Course and Ski Track,” said DCR Commissioner Carol Sanchez. “These important upgrades will benefit both golfers and skiers by providing improved lighting for the driving range and ski track, and will also assist in a more efficient snow making operation this winter.”

In addition to cost savings of using less energy, the LED lights lower the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas emissions and offer greater public safety through improved light quality. Automated controls make street lights dimmable at dusk, dawn, or long periods of the night when there is little or no use, reducing overall energy demand. 

In the DCR's press release, State Representative Kay Khan (D-Newton) added: “It is wonderful to see the continued improvements to the Leo J. Martin Golf Course coming to fruition. I will continue to work with the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the local community to ensure that this great resource can reach its maximum potential operating standards for the area golfers and skiers.”

State Representative Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley) added:  “I’m pleased that the Department of Conservation and Recreation is making the conversion at the Leo J. Martin Golf Course from traditional lights to energy efficient LED’s, such transitions help foster the Commonwealth’s goals to reduce cost and conserve energy.” 

The project to install energy efficient lighting at the Leo J. Martin Golf Course and Ski Track, which comes on the heels of Massachusetts being named the most energy efficient state in the nation for the fifth consecutive year by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE), is expected to be completed by December 15, 2015.