The Massachusetts Municipal Association annually gives awards to innovative municipal programs. Today I got the MMA email (inserted below) encouraging towns to submit entries for this year, and what I thought was interesting was to review the past winners list. Massachusetts has 351 municipalities all trying to solve the same issues, and we can learn a lot from one another, which is the basic assumption behind the MMA. Let me know if you see one that you think Medfield should be pursuing.
The following are recent winners of the MMA’s Pickard Innovation Award:
2018
Arlington: Property registry addresses commercial vacancies
Harwich: Municipal pet cemetery provides service while raising revenue
Orleans: Project uses shellfish to reduce water nitrogen levels
2017
Leominster: Creating an autism-friendly city and community
Salem: ‘Park Your Butts’ retools to improve cigarette waste recycling
Adams: Board unites artists, local government to spur creative economy
Scituate: Standard procedures, templates streamline emergency news dissemination
2016
Danvers: Incentive program reduces peak electricity use and costs
Everett: City-run center offers low-cost exercise classes and equipment
Leverett: Town builds high-speed fiber optic Internet network
2015
Chatham: Cloud provides access to meeting video archives
Deerfield, Sunderland, Whately: Emergency medical service improves response times
Springfield: After tornado, city promoted tree planting
2014
Arlington: ‘Visual Budget’ illuminates how taxes are spent
Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Chelmsford, Lowell: Communities collaborate on economic development
Melrose: ‘Our City’ exercise helped sharpen civic goals
2013
Braintree, Weymouth: Collaboration bears fruit in Landing district
‘HarborWalk’ reveals Gloucester’s riches
Medford broadens its ‘Go Green’ initiative
2012
Bedford, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Sudbury, Weston: Towns formed coalition to monitor affordable housing
Danvers: Summer program created for homeless kids
Leominster: Effort to revive historic district nears fruition
2011
Fairhaven: Anaerobic digestion to offset energy costs
Hamilton-Wenham: Organic waste pick-up program nears goal
Wilmington: Land purchase led to library bookstore
2010
Bedford: Coordination boosts parent-education series
Dedham: Partnership helps alleviate foreclosure pain
Medford: Wind turbine marks progress in sustainability campaign
2009
Dennis: Blog spreads awareness of planning process
Natick shapes strategic planning to fit town government
Worcester moved quickly to confront foreclosure crisis
