by The Publisher
11/1/2018

Environmental Efforts (EE)

Recommendations:

Holliston is one of 351 Green cities in the State of Massachusetts and was designated as a green community in 2015. The lofty goal to reduce energy consumption of the town by 20% in 5 years is admirable and is a great goal to work towards. We recommend encouraging more of the citizens of Holliston to reduce their energy usage. Sponsor an energy audit for residences and circulate the information to the citizens by posting information on the city website and Facebook page. Make it easy for them to have an energy audit conducted! What they learn just might inspire them to save energy and money! The new Bee Garden that Girl Scout Troop 72253 created in front of the Community Garden and Butterfly Aviary is another excellent example of successful volunteerism in Holliston. We recommend that the girl scouts make name labels for the plants so visitors to the site can learn more about the type of plants that butterflies need. They might try to make garden label markers from old spoons as part of their project. Example of spoon garden markers. The addition of two electric vehicles and two charging stations is a very positive initiative for Holliston

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The Carnegie Library rear parking area offers an excellent location for expansion of this program. As an environmental effort at this location, we recommend considering installation of a shaded/protected parking cover by installing solar arrays on posts over the parking lanes. This would become an excellent site for paid electric vehicle charging stations for visitors/tourists. Perhaps expand the idea to Town Hall electric vehicle charging stations.

The completion of the Rail Trail and the Seven Arch Bridge by the Friends of the Rail Trail Association is an endeavor to celebrate. The recent Fourth of July laser light show was a fitting and stunning way to celebrate that success. Residents are now able to walk, bike and run along the trail system.

However, the judges noticed there was a discernable lack of trash, recycling and pet waste receptacles on the trail. With close access to the Department of Public Works, it seems like it would not be difficult to add receptacles to the trail to prevent litter from marring the beauty of the trail system  We recommend adding trash, recycling and pet waste receptacles along ail trail to make it easy for folks not to litter.

While traveling across the rail train system the need for cross walks at road crossings was made apparent. A truck almost hit the judges who were riding in a golf court while crossing the road near Blair Square. We highly recommend installing a cross walk for pedestrians and bicyclers at every road crossing. This is a matter of life safety. https://www.railstotrails.org/build -trails/trail -building-toolbox/design/crossings/

Although the judges did not see a lot of litter along the rail trail, we learned that a few volunteers from the Friends of the Rail Trail Association have been patrolling and picking up the litter. To make this less of a burden for the Association consider beginning an “Adopt a Section of the Rail Trail” program. You might try getting folks who live in proximity to the Trail or local civic groups to adopt a section. Volunteers would derive a great deal of satisfaction and pride in knowing that they are responsible for a segment of trail. It could be as simple as going out once a month to trim back limbs and brush remove small branches and deadfall, and pick up and report any major problems. 

The Holliston Community Farm was a delight to visit! The mission of the Community Farm is to provide financial support, public outreach, education programs and advocacy for farming and horticulture. The Community Farm was able to renovate a barn on the property We recommend researching the possibility of adding a green roof to the lower section of the roof on the barn. An example of a green roof can be found at the Visitor Center at the Ohiopyle State Park www.dcrn.pa.gov/StateParks/ in Pennsylvania. The Visitor Center at Ohiopyle State Park has utilized a strong commitment to conservation and sustainable design which is exhibited throughout its visitor center building, leading to long-term efficiency and responsible management. It was designed and constructed to United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines for new construction. In 2015, the building was awarded USGBC LEED Gold Certification and a USGBC Forever Green Award This might be a way to introduce the concept of LEED certified building concepts in Holliston.