Deerfield Energy Committee Pursues Battery Storage Grant Ahead of January Deadline

DEERFIELD — December 18, 2025 — Deerfield's Energy Conservation Committee is pursuing a state battery storage feasibility grant with a January 23 deadline. At the December 18 meeting, committee member Ryan Kingston outlined a Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources community resilience program that would fund a pre-construction feasibility study — covering site visits, electrical infrastructure review, and a preliminary battery design — at a critical facility such as Frontier Regional School. The committee assigned members to contact Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness chair Carolyn Ness and other town officials before approaching the Select Board about applying. Members also flagged a separate Green School Works grant, with awards of $50,000 to $5 million and a February 13 deadline, as a parallel avenue for energy upgrades at Deerfield Elementary School. The bulk of the meeting was consumed by a frank postmortem on the failed specialized stretch building code vote at the last town meeting, with members saying confusion about the measure's scope — it applies only to new construction — cost them votes and that one-on-one community conversations would replace large public presentations ahead of a possible May 2026 town meeting attempt.