Monthly Archives: October 2017

TWO posts on PATCH today re Sunday’s Library Celebration….

From Colleen Sullivan –

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TWO posts on PATCH today re Sunday’s Library Celebration….

Celebrating 100 Years of the Memorial Public Library!

 

 

 library 100th

Celebrating 100 Years of the Memorial Public Library!

A great turnout at the Library on Sunday afternoon to watch the 100 year ceremony on the front steps and enjoy t…

More Photos from Library Centennial – Gallery #2…

 

 

 library 100-2

More Photos from Library Centennial – Gallery #2…

In case you couldn’t be there, here are more photos from the 10/1/17 event marking 100 years for our Memoria…

TSARC looking for members

This from Rachel Brown of the town’s Transfer Station and Recycling Committee –

Transfer Station sign - Copy

The Medfield Transfer Station and Recycling Committee (TSARC) is looking for up to 3 additional members.  The committee works to minimize the amount of trash incinerated and also to reduce costs while encouraging the principals of “reduce, reuse and recycle.”  The committee meets monthly, usually on the second Monday of the month at 10am.

 

This year the committee will work on three initiatives in addition to the topics that are regularly on our agenda such as recycling rates, organics collection and the swap.

 

The first is to explore the option of curb-side pick up in town.  This is taking a priority this year as nearly half of the residents indicated that they would like to know more about this when they completed the transfer station sticker renewal survey.     There are many areas to think through on this topic!   If you have questions about this, join us!

 

The second project is to look into the options for getting recycling barrels placed next to trash barrels at public spaces in town.

 

The third project is to see if we can keep mattress recycling at the transfer station once the MassDEP grant that is currently funding that program has ended (1/31/18).

 

As you can see we have a variety of important topics on our agenda this year and could use residents’ help.   If residents are interested but don’t want to formally join the committee, there is a role for you too!

 

For more information or to express your interest, contact Megan Sullivan, TSARC Chair, at mbsul@comcast.net.  The next meeting of the TSARC is Monday October 16th.

Megan B. Sullivan

36 Whichita Rd, Medfield

(508) 359-8274

Philip St. bridge in spring

philip st bridge

DPW Director Maruice Goulet confirmed in an email this morning his Tuesday report to the Board of Selectmen that the Philips Street bridge will only be replaced come spring, due to the fact that it will take 16 weeks to fabricate the replacement decking.  Moe says to expect a February or March delivery of the prefabricated bridge.

MEC on 9/29

MEC

DRAFT September 28, 2017 Medfield Energy Committee Meeting minutes

Attendees: Fred Davis, Jerry McCarty, Marie Nolan, Lee Alinsky and Cynthia Greene

  1. Meeting minutes from June 7 were reviewed.  Fred requested a change to the recusal information.  It was noted that since the minutes there is new information about the Blake Middle school hot water heater.  Minutes were accepted and Lee will determine who should receive them at Town Hall so that they are posted on the Medfield Town Website and he will post them on the MEC google docs.
  2. Update on Blake – DOER said that Blake Middle School domestic hot water heater ASHRAE audit for $7,875 is not needed.
  3. We discussed who was officially on the Committee and what constituted a quorum. Lee will check in with Town Hall to determine.
  4. Google documents – Lee could not manipulate the documents. Marie will look at how to give Lee administrative rights.
  5. LED street lights. Fred Davis emphasized that he has recused himself from a specific bid on the LED street lights for Medfield, but he is allowed to help advise us on the process, but not the purchase.

Jerry gave us an email from Light Smart with the status on the project

  • The field audit has been completed
  • Looking at preliminary design
  • Expect a document with the preliminary design in a week.
  • At the next meeting the committee has to approve whether to go with MAPC and receive a 30% incentive from DOER (for Medfield that is $22,400) or to go through an independent process. Light Smart indicated that if we went independently it would be faster as MAPC is doing bundling of town requests.

Fred Davis explained that the process at the MAPC is evolving, that DOER thinks that bundling is better.  The faster we do the work the more time for savings.   The estimated annual savings for the Medfield project is $32,600.  Unless we were significantly delayed (10months or more) it is more cost effective to go with MAPC, although we do not know how much transactional costs there will be with MAPC vs going independently with Light Smart.

The Town must decide on the types of lights and fixtures.   There are two kinds of lights being sold now.   In the past the lights were 5,000 Calvin that emitted a blueish light.   The options now are for 3,000 Calvin, a warmer, yellower light or 4,000 Calvin a neutral, but blueish light.   Medfield could do a pilot as was done in Cambridge and Northampton, to see which light color the community members like.  The way to do this would be for committee members to observe and then let the community know and take opinions.   Northampton did this, but the results were not conclusive.  We also discussed that Westwood and Cambridge have smart controls on their lights, but that is more upfront costs.   Westwood and Cambridge have 4,000 Calvin lights.   Both lights are the same price.

Cambridge video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq2nATNFW7M

Fact sheet  http://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/electricaldepartment/LED-Conversion-Fact-Sheet_FINAL.pdf

Website http://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/Electrical

Northampton http://www.northamptonma.gov/1706/LED-Streetlights

  1. Green Communities.  Jerry handed out an email received on 9/26/17 with questions from DOER on our May submittal.   Jerry and Axum Teferra, from MAPC, will be discussing the comments.  Jerry will then take the questions to RISE Engineering.  We do not know how long RISE will take to answer and then for DOER to approve the answers and the project.  Jerry will discuss with Axum the timeframe on spending these funds.   The funds have to be spent before the town can apply for further Green Communities grants.  The cost of the retro commissioning for the energy management systems is $117,000 for both schools.   The grant is for $138,000.  Jerry has a $70K request in the Capitol budget  for new software to replace the 1996 version that is currently running in the schools.
  2. DPW roof. Jerry has a contract with Solect engineers to look at the roof and to see if it is structurally adequate for PV.  The engineer’s site visit is next week.  Once Jerry has their report he will give it to the Building inspector to see if the roof is viable for a solar installation or it first would need modifications.
  3. Public safety building. The PV system is up and running.  The dashboard is being worked on.  We will try to meet at the public safety building so we can see the dashboard.

Future Work for the committee.   Lee outlined some of his ideas and others added ideas and all were discussed.

  1. Microgrids for the town buildings.   Cynthia explained that microgrids cannot cross public ways in MA, but that the hospital development might be a good location for a microgrid.  There are state incentives for microgrids.  We all want to be better educated on microgrids.

Sources https://www.energy.gov/articles/how-microgrids-work

http://www.microgridinstitute.org/about-microgrids.html

https://ilsr.org/report-mighty-microgrids/

MA microgrids http://www.masscec.com/microgrids

  1. Use of the landfill site for PV array.  Lee would like us to get MA DEP’s current advice on this as Solar Design has already given us specifications for an array at this location.  If a study is needed to determine the adequacy of the landfill closure for PV, we could investigate if we could use the Green Communities funds to do the study.
  2. Solar canopies at the Middle and High School parking lots with EV charging stations. The town could potentially take advantage of the EV charging station incentives.  Fred suggested that we invite the energy managers from Westwood and Wayland to speak with us as they have done a lot of work in energy improvements, Wayland doing them all at once including PV at their town hall parking lot.  We discussed other places with parking lot PV canopies – REI, Walden Pond, and Logan Airport.

Walden Pond http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/conservation/planning-and-resource-protection/projects/walden-pond-visitor-center-project.html

 

Lincoln http://www.lincolntown.org/DocumentCenter/View/26877

 

  1. Net Zero planning. Fred Davis would like us to consider this at a future meeting.   There is a MAPC Oct 11 meeting on getting to net zero and a 45 minute MAPC webinar.  Concord passed a net zero article at their Town Meeting.

Concord http://www.concordma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1604

 

Meeting adjourned 9:15 pm.

Next meeting – Tuesday Oct 17 at 7:30 pm (hopefully at the Public Safety Building.)

Respectfully submitted by Cynthia Greene

Library’s 100th

library 100-2

How many selectmen does it take to cut a ribbon?  Two, because . . . (please submit your answers).

The full and accurate story on the library centennial below from Colleen Sullivan –

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Hi Pete,

So glad you enjoyed the Centennial Celebration!  This was truly a group effort and the Library Centennial Committee consisted of Library Director, Kris Chin, Board of Trustees, Maura McNicholas, Lauren Feeney,  Geena Matuson and myself, as well as Library staff member, Terri Wickham, and Friends of the bookstore President, Carol Wasserman.

 

Each of us took on a task to make yesterday’s event, memorable and fun!  We are so thankful to those who participated, like yourself and Selectman Marcucci, as well as having our Town Historian, Richard DeSorgher return to recite many interesting facts regarding life in 1917.

 

In wanting this celebration to encompass all ages of the Medfield community, we were thrilled to show a wonderful Medfield TV production, created by Brett Poirier of previous Library Staff and long time residents of Medfield as they were interviewed by Director Chin, as well as offering a Children’s program with well known and beloved storyteller, Kurt Jackson.

 

As a community, we have so many talented and kind people here in Medfield, and having the acting skills of Steve Small as “Granville Dailey” and Cynthia Small as his elder daughter “May Belle Dailey” added greatly to the entire event.

 

We are thankful to all who attended and enjoyed this very special 100 year celebration of our town’s library.

Best,

Colleen

Library celebrates its 100th

library 100th.JPG

Re-enactment yesterday of the town selectmen accepting the key to the Medfield Memorial Library in 1917 from Granville Dailey and his oldest daughter, Maebelle.

I learned from Richard DeSorgher’s remarks that (1) Mr. Dailey gave $74,000 to the town for the library, which must have been a huge sum at that time, and (2) that the Medfield Memorial Library was built only 24 years after the Boston Public Library.  Impressive facts for what was then a town with 1,700 residents (and 1,900 patients at the Medfield State Hospital).

Photo by Colleen Sullivan.  Re-enactment event by Colleen Sullivan and her library 100th committee.  In the photo are Cynthia Small and Steve Small as the Dailey’s and Mike Marcucci and me as the selectmen.  This was my email to Colleen Sullivan this morning –

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Colleen,

Congratulations to the Medfield Memorial Library and to you for a great event.

Long ago I concluded that our quality of life in Town of Medfield is composed of the sum of the many such events as you orchestrated Sunday, so thank you for making Medfield a better place for all of us!

Best,  Pete