Environment

Town Council Considering Plastic Bag Ban in Watertown

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A Town Council subcommittee has begun wading into whether the town should have a ban retail stores using plastic bags in Watertown. The Rules & Ordinances Committee discussed a possible ban last week, but did not come up with any decisions, but the committee may start steps toward creating an ordinance, said committee Chairman and Councilor Ken Woodland. “We are forming a draft of an ordinance with the help of the town attorney and will review that draft at the next committee meeting,” said Woodland. “The next meeting is when we will work out the final details and make more concrete decisions.” Woodland said the next meeting is tentatively scheduled for March 3.

Environment

LETTER: Neighborhood Solar’s Thank You

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Now that Neighborhood Solar has drawn to a close, I wish to thank all who made this program a success. First thanks go to Ben Mayer of SunBug Solar and all of SunBug Solar for being willing to be Neighborhood Solar’s installer. 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 and thanks go to Gary Shaw, a LEED architect, who spent hours with me at SunBug headquarters planning the program and picking the equipment. My kitchen cabinet of Katherine Codega and Deb Hopper 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 lay-out for Neighborhood Solar’s cards. And her niece, Kathy Codega, designed our wonderful logo.  The enthusiasm and help of these neighbors made this project happen. Michael Fredrickson and Andy Compagna deserve thanks for hearing the details, offering advice, and having much patience and good humor throughout the program’s inception and duration. A thank you to Sophia Hecht, who used many community service hours, walked the streets with me, and handed out Neighborhood Solar literature and cards.

Entertainment

Come to an Evening of Film, Live Music, Desserts and Community!

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An evening full of activities, including a film about climate change, live music and tasty desserts will be on offer on Sunday, Jan. 11. Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the Environment will host the event at the Apartments at Coolidge School, 319 Arlington St., Watertown from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

At 6:30 p.m. there will be a showing of the film “The Wisdom to Survive: Climate Change, Capitalism and Community.”

A Potluck Sweet Feast will begin at 7:45 p.m. and following that attendees can enjoy live music provided by Old Time Music, beginning at 8:15 p.m.

See more at watertowncitizens.org or see the group’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/watertowncitizensPJE. For questions email watertowncitizens@gmail.com.

Environment

LETTER: Watertown Resident Joining Community Solar Program

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Dear Editor and Watertown Neighbors,

I know that many of you have received information about a current Watertown solar initiative called Neighborhood Solar. Recently, my husband, David Breakstone, and I decided to explore this option.  We had no idea what to expect. 

I attended one of the informational meetings and found Ben Mayer of SunBug well-organized, informative, and willing to answer all questions. The program and the process made sense, so David and I asked SunBug Solar, Neighborhood Solar’s installer, to do a site visit and give us a proposal. We thought we would not be good candidates because our roof is already partly covered with solar thermal panels for hot water. Ben Mayer’s site visit affirmed that we could indeed have solar photovoltaic panels.

Business

Beams from Demolished Watertown Building Have a Bright Future

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When the old Circle Supply building on Bacon Street was torn down, the demolition company found some diamonds among the rubble – old pine wood beams. 

While the wood looked in rough shape, it was just what Cambridge-based Longleaf Lumber wants. The beam are made from heart pine that came from the southern longleaf pine forest and was brought up to construct the building, said Marc Poirier, co-owner of Longleaf. “The building seems to go back to the 1920s, but the wood looks older,” Poirier said. “It is beautiful, dense beams. They have a lot of damage but we will saw off the waste and end up with the pearls inside.” The heart pine is prized because it is rot and insect resistance, but it has been harvested out of existence, except for some groves that have been preserved.

Around Town

See How the New Park Along the Charles River is Shaping Up

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The area along the Charles River, east of Watertown Square has a snazzy new look featuring places to sit, look over the river and to appreciated the natural surroundings. Travis Mazerall, the project designer from Sasaki Associates, recently led a tour of the park near the intersection of Charles River Road and Irving Street has been turned into place that can be enjoyed by everyone, including the blind and visually impaired. The path includes wires hung across posts every 20 feet, or so. “Some have indicator beads about the size of a fist, that tell the user what is around, such as if there is a bench across from it,” Mazerall said. The project is being built by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), but is funded by a mix of local non-profits, foundations and some money from the town.

Environment

LETTER: Watertown Can Participate in Local, State Solar Programs

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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Neighborhood Solar is very happy to pass along the following information:

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) would like to provide an important update regarding the Commonwealth Solar II rebate program. As MassCEC has previously indicated, the Commonwealth Solar II rebate program is scheduled to sunset permanently at the end of funding Block 20.  Launched in January 2010, the program has helped to jump-start the small-scale solar market in Massachusetts, and has grown along with this segment of the industry.  To date, the CSII Program has awarded over 10,000 rebate applications for over 62 MW of solar capacity, facilitating the investment in solar of over $314 million by home owners and business owners across Massachusetts. As a result of higher-than-anticipated demand associated with the end of this program, the $3 million that was initially allocated for Block 20 is fully subscribed as of today (October 30, 2014). Given the funding depletion has happened earlier than expected, MassCEC has today obtained approval from its Board of Directors for an additional $3 million in funding to ensure the orderly close-out of the program. 

This is the final funding allocation for the Commonwealth Solar II Rebate Program, which will sunset at the end of the fourth quarter 2014, or when the additional funds are fully reserved, whichever occurs earlier. So, in addition to the 20% discount that Neighborhood Solar is offering (through December 31, 2014), the 30% federal tax credit (through 2016), the 30% state tax credit capped at $1,000 (through June 2015), and the SRECS that are still in place although vulnerable, there is the above additional rebate program available on a first-come, first-serve basis (through December 31, 2014).  If there was ever a time to install solar, this is it.

Environment

Council Disbands Watertown Recycling Committee

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After 22 years, Watertown’s Recycling Advisory Committee has been dissolved. 

The decision to end the committee was made by the Town Council last week after the Public Works subcommittee recommended the move. The Recycling Committee and officials in the Watertown Department of Public Works have disagreed about the goal of the committee since Watertown went to a single-stream recycling program, according to Councilor Cecilia Lenk, chair of the Public Works subcommittee. Councilor Aaron Dushku worried about what will happen when issues around recycling arise. “I think we need a place where recycling issues will be discussed in town,” Dushku said. “We need some way to convene residents who want to discuss recycling issues.”