Now that Neighborhood Solar II has drawn to a close, I wish to thank all who made this program a success.
First thanks go to Quinton Zondervan of Green Cambridge, who asked that Neighborhood Solar be reopened so that the residents of Cambridge, as well as Watertown, could have the opportunity to take advantage of the program. A special thanks to Ben Mayer of SunBug Solar for his willingness to reopen the program and again be Neighborhood Solar’s installer. Danny Labbe of SunBug did a spectacular job of coordinating its response to inquiries from those wishing to participate. A solar program is only as good as its installer, and Neighborhood Solar was lucky enough to have the very, very best.
Next, Neighborhood Solar is truly a neighborhood endeavor. In addition to Quinton Zondervan, thanks go to Katherine Codega and Deb Hopper, who with open laptops, iPad, and good munchies made the website a possibility. A special thanks to Katherine for her design and maintenance of Neighborhood Solar’s website. She also designed the layout of the postcards for Neighborhood Solar and Green Cambridge. And her niece, Kathy Codega, designed the wonderful logo. The enthusiasm and help of these neighbors helped make this project successful.
A special thank you goes to Neighborhood Solar’s and Green Cambridge’s volunteers: Sue Donaldson, Paul Dvorkin, Dana Demetrio, John Pitkin, Susan Ringler, and Green Cambridge’s assistants, Carolyn Heaps and Nolan Kitts. They tirelessly walked the streets of their communities, talked with residents, and handed out literature and cards.
To all of Watertown’s elected officials who supported the program, a big thank-you. Special thanks go to Councilors Aaron Dushku and Tony Palomba, and to Representative Jon Hecht and Senator Will Brownsberger. They publicized the program in their email notices and on their websites. District B Councilor, Cecelia Lenk, and Councilor Aaron Dushku offered support by making referrals to the program.
Thanks to Barbara Ruskin of Sustainable Watertown and Rena Baskin of Belmont-Watertown Local First for all their support and publicizing of Neighborhood Solar.
Thank you to the many, many residents of Watertown and Cambridge and neighboring communities, who are truly interested, attended meetings or called us – only to discover that their roofs were not solar compatible because of incompatible roofing material (slate), wrong axis, or too much shade.
And a very, very special thanks to all of you who took that leap of faith, brought your time and money to the table, signed up, and committed yourselves to making our environment more sustainable and safe.
Thank you all and may you have a good summer.
Jocelyn Tager
Watertown Resident