News-in-a-Letter Spring 2010
Dear Friend,
After a competitive mayor’s race – in which I threw my hat into the ring - the results did not fall my way. Instead, I was elected as Vice Mayor and I’m happy to have that honor. In addition, I have been named to chair the Cable TV, Telecommunications, and Public Utilities Committee and the Environment Committee. These two committees will offer me an excellent perch from which to initiate policy and work with my colleagues.
CITY BUDGET
Cuts from the State: Slight Increase in Budget The City Manager will be proposing a 6.3% budget increase and adding one new position in the next fiscal year. As in prior years, the bulk of the increase results from escalating health insurance costs. Despite a decrease in state aid, only a moderate increase is expected in the property tax, though that will not be determined until the fall. We remain the lowest taxed city in the state.
ENVIRONMENT
Climate Congress About 100 residents participated in Climate Congress meetings to set priorities to reinvigorate our sustainability efforts. Organized by citizens and held in cooperation with city government, the Congress also propelled a newly energized citizen effort to promote public awareness about climate matters. Three important recommendations emerged from the process: 1. Citizens should form a new citizens’ organization to respond urgently to climate change 2. City government should re-examine and re-calibrate the work it has done to set and monitor its goals to decrease carbon use 3. City government should appoint a sustainability officer and create a new board to oversee climate-related action. These recommendations will be under consideration by city administration, City Council, and members of the public.
Green Jobs Task Force Outcome After studying the need to train people for “green jobs,” the city has arranged for a training program for Cambridge residents in conjunction with the Asian American Civic Association in Boston. Open to all qualified individuals, the program, which has rolling admissions, will prepare 16 Cambridge residents for jobs making buildings more energy efficient. There are two training tracks - the more advanced training level includes a paid internship. For more information contact Pardis Saffari at the Community Development Department at 617-349-4654.
Growing Green in Cambridge Last year, I brought together residents, people who work in Cambridge, and city staff who were interested in promoting more gardening in the city, especially vegetable gardening. One outcome was the successful launch of the city’s first urban agricultural fair in conjunction with the Harvard Square Business Association. The second annual fair will take place on Sunday, September 19. Also as an outcome of earlier discussions, about 15 new garden plots are expected to be installed at the Riverside Press Park. The next Environment Committee meeting on this topic will be June 16 at 5:30 in the City Council chamber.
Container Gardening Land is scarce in Cambridge and unfortunately there is a waiting list for community garden plots. In response, the Commissioner of Public Works is encouraging an interest in container gardening. This year a session on container gardening will be held at the Senior Center on May 22 from 12-3p.m. Almost 200 people came to last year’s event.
Single Stream Recycling While waste is not the biggest portion of Cambridge’s carbon footprint (that honor goes to energy use in buildings), it is nonetheless important to address waste management issues, both to reduce adverse environmental impacts and to decrease the cost of rubbish disposal. The newest city proposal is single stream recycling. Used in many other U.S. communities, this system allows homeowners to place all recyclables in one large bin which are later sorted. If passed by the City Council, this fall the DPW will supply large, wheeled toters in which paper, cardboard, plastic, bottles and cans may be placed. Research elsewhere has shown that if people don’t have to sort, more goods are recycled. That’s good for the environment and good for the city budget.
CHILDREN, EDUCATION, AND FAMILIES
Middle School for Cambridge? This question, posed initially by the School Committee, has been put on hold by Superintendent Jeff Young. After a series of difficult meetings and discussions about the education of children in the middle grades, a proposal floated by the Superintendent to create a city-wide middle school for some students, was temporarily shelved. Instead, Superintendent Young will take a broad look at other measures that could affect student achievement in this age group.
Mental Health and Student Achievement As this year’s priority, the Healthy Children Task Force (HCTF) is evaluating the impact of mental health issues on student achievement. In a presentation Aida Ramos, director of the Special Education Department, said there is some capacity to help students with general emotional issues. Task Force members expressed interest in pursuing this topic further, especially to determine if some students whose problems are not especially visible are being bypassed for services. Of particular concern are children who have experienced trauma, estimated to be 15 to 20% of all Cambridge kindergartners!
Bullying Is there bullying in Cambridge schools? No doubt there is. The real question is whether there is adequate prevention and response to students feeling threatened in school. In May, the Healthy Children Task Force will hear a presentation about current measures. For more information contact my office at 617-349-4205.
AGING IN OUR COMMUNITY
Long-term Planning There are two important approaches to the issue of aging in our community. The first is to evaluate and establish programs for those who are now older: how are people who are now in their retirement years doing? The second is planning for future retirees. There are nearly as many people in Cambridge who are 55 to 65 as those who are 65 and older. The fact is there will be more older people in Cambridge in the coming years. Nearly two years ago the City Council set the goal of having a plan for aging in the community completed by this June. In response, the Community Development Department is studying existing senior housing, current gaps in service, and projecting for how these will play out in 10-20 years. Other aspects of the CDD study include analyzing the physical environment for suitability for an aging population. Look for a report out on this topic this fall.
Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) Adapts to Aging Residents At the March meeting of a coordinating committee, the Cambridge Aging in Community committee staffed by the Department of Human Services, Faith Marshall, CHA Deputy Director of Operations for the Elderly and Disabled, presented an impressive list of facility modifications to public housing. The modifications are designed to enable frail residents to stay at home rather than moving to nursing homes and range from improving existing units to designing entire assisted-living floors, staffed 24-hours a day. CHA units are open to all who meet income and asset guidelines, (no more than $46k in annual income and no more than $100k in assets excluding a primary residence). For more information call 617-864-3020.
CABLE TV, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, AND PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMITTEE
Cable TV, Telecommunications, and Public Utilities This mouthful is the name of one of the Council committees I chair. I expect to focus most of the committee’s attention on two topics: computer access and energy issues, especially energy efficiency in buildings. As for cable TV, the City Manager and his staff are now re-negotiating the Comcast contract. We’ve learned that Verizon Fios, a potential competitor for Comcast, has no plans to install its service in Cambridge soon.
Computer Access: The Digital Divide This is the divide between those who are routinely using both computers and the Internet and those who are not. Our society is depending more and more on computers and the Internet, yet some people are being left offline, a serious social and educational problem. Two years ago the city mounted a modest experiment: with a combination of computers, training, and tech support, 42 families from Newtowne Court housing became more adept at using computer and Internet tools for a range of important tasks, including homework for kids, and job hunting for adults. The Council may seek additional funds to see how we can further assist our residents to be connected. Of particular concern to me is that young people are required to turn in printed-out homework. Do they all have tools to accomplish that? Obviously the public library assists with that, but its hours are not scheduled to accommodate student homework assignments.
ENERGY AND BUILDINGS
Energy Efficiency and Cambridge It is the dawning of the age of serious energy efficiency. The federal government is offering incentives to use energy more efficiently, promoting the design and distribution of more energy-efficient appliances, for example. The state government is also promoting such programs. Public utilities, in our case NStar, are enhancing their energy efficiency programs with the goal of avoiding the building of more power plants. All this means more help for residents and businesses to tighten up their buildings and to use less power, especially less electricity, which is most often produced by polluting coal-fired plants.
Greening Our City Buildings City-owned buildings, which make up 3% of all Cambridge buildings, have already experienced some modest measures to decrease utility bills. However, much work remains to be done, including updating all elementary schools. For example, the Tobin School building is notorious for being all-electric. I’d like to see an accelerated energy efficiency plan for all school and city buildings. Even if the plan was executed immediately, it will take many years to bring all buildings up to date.
Cambridge Energy Alliance This public-private partnership was set up to assist homeowners, businesses and institutions to maximize clean energy use from energy efficiency and also from renewables, such as solar. The Alliance is one of a group of these new service organizations being set up across the country. In the case of CEA, its original business-financing plan did not materialize. Now, however, the Alliance hopes to re-emerge with additional funding from federal, state and NStar funds. For help with audits, contracting, and financing of all sorts of energy-efficiency measures, Cambridge NStar customers may request help from the Alliance energy advisor. Email eadvisor@cambridgeenergyalliance.org or call 617-491-0488.
Solar Energy Cambridge now hosts the largest residential solar array in the state at the Cambridge Housing Authority and more is on the way to the CHA. With members of the Climate Congress, I’ve begun promoting additional solar installations in our city. For information about residential small scale solar, an offshoot of the Climate Congress is sponsoring with CEA and other organizations two sessions called “Is Solar Right for My House?” Part one was at the Main Library at 6 p.m. on Earth Day, April 22. Part two will be on May 27 at 6:00 p.m. at 344 Broadway and will address the financing solar projects.
TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT
BU Bridge Reconstruction Last year the state notified Cambridge that it would begin accelerated renovation of the bridges that cross the Charles River. Already under construction are the BU Bridge and the Craigie Street drawbridge at the Museum of Science. The reconstruction of the BU Bridge is expected to take until December of 2012. At its completion, it will provide better passage for bicycles and pedestrians on the bridge and on its approaches. Also, soon to be under construction is the new Magazine Beach pedestrian bridge. To keep informed about all bridge construction projects, you may use this link: http://www.cambridgema.gov/cdd/et/infra/abp/index.html
River St. and Western Ave. Bridges Also to be reconstructed under the direction of MassDOT, these two critical bridges are slated for design and building in the next four years and must be completed by 2016. Two community meetings – one in Cambridge and one in Allston - have now been held to alert people that these projects are coming and to elicit comments. Meeting attendees, from bicycle riders to boaters, raised a range of construction safety issues. When completed, the bridges will likely look much as they look today. Still, bicycle and pedestrian advocates have proposed building underpasses along Memorial Drive to save bikers and pedestrians from crossing streets as they travel along the river. Planning is underway by a Cambridge CDD committee to improve the Western Ave. roadway and sidewalks.
Stormwater in the City Raging rains in March once again brought out concerns about some areas of the city that continue to be flooded. Especially hard hit was North Cambridge at the Arlington line where the Alewife Brook overtopped its banks and flooded nearby homes. This is not the first time this part of town has faced this type of flooding. The best solution is a regional one, probably involving changes to pumping at the Amelia Earhart Dam in Medford where the Mystic River flows toward Boston Harbor.
Central Square In 1995, the city launched a study of Central Square and added street and sidewalk improvements. Once again, Central Square has become the subject of study, this time focusing on improvements to the following: the retail mix, the physical ambiance, special events, marketing and public relations and human services. I certainly hear complaints about more and more banks and fewer and fewer places where shoppers can find something to purchase. The loss of Hollywood Express and Pearl Art is also disheartening. The City’s Economic Development Department has begun a series of community meetings. Check the city website for days and times.
HOUSING
Units Available CDD is currently accepting applications for some homeownership and some rental units from inclusionary developments. Construction was recently completed on 10 affordable units at 823 Main Street, offered for homeownership, and 24 rental units at 125 Harvard Street. Also, both buildings are environmentally sustainable and include photovoltaic solar panels. A few units at these developments are currently available. In addition, some re-sale units from other developments are available to new buyers.
Are You Eligible for Affordable Housing? For information about renting or owning an affordable unit, applying for available units, or to obtain information about Cambridge affordable housing in general, call the Community Development Department, Housing Division at 617-349-4622, or visit www.cambridgema.gov/cdd/hsg
Cambridge Housing Authority Improvements The CHA is revitalizing 45 units at the Jackson Gardens development and building 70 new “green” units at Lincoln Way. The efforts, which will soon be underway, are made possible with more than $7 million in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds.
Home Improvement Programs/Weatherization Home improvement funds are available to assist owner-occupants by offering low-interest and deferred loans as well as assistance in planning and managing rehab work. Interested owners should contact HRI at 617-868-4856 or Just A Start at 617-494-0444. Families of four earning up to $104k may be eligible for HIP funds. Another source of home improvement money related to energy efficiency (insulation, new refrigerators etc.) is the Weatherization Program (WAP). For more information contact the city’s Fuel Assistance Program at 617-349-6252.
SAVE THESE DATES
Plant Swap Saturday, May 1, 12−2pm, Fayette Park
Holocaust Commemoration Tuesday, May 4, at Temple Beth Shalom, 8 Tremont Street
Fresh Pond Day May 8, 10−2pm Fresh Pond and Maher Park, 650 Concord Ave. www.cambridgema.gov/CWD/Water_Week.cfm
DPW’s Container Gardening Workshop Saturday, May 22 12−3pm at Senior Center
Central Square Farmers’ Market Opening Monday, May 14 12-6pm on Bishop Allen Drive
Financing your Solar Project May 27, 6:00−8pm, City Hall Annex, 2nd Floor Meeting Room
New Riverside Neighborhood Park Opening Thursday, June 3 5pm
Cambridge River Festival Saturday, June 5, 12−6pm, rain or shine
City Dance Friday, June 25, 7−11pm In Mass. Ave, in front of City Hall
DCR and Gold Star Mothers’ Pool Openings June 28−August 29
Urban Ag Fair Sunday, September 19, 12−5pm, Harvard Square; followed by RiverSing
Danehy Park Day Saturday, September 25, 11−4
Cambridgeport History Day Saturday, October 2, Dana Park times tba
Sincerely,
