Upcoming Precinct 7 & Town Council Meetings August

Cotuit Fire Commissioner’s Meeting – Tuesday August 1, 5:30pm, Freedom Hall

Cotuit Prudential Committee Meeting – Wednesday August 2, 9am,  Freedom Hall

Cotuit Water Commissioner’s Meeting – Wednesday August 2, 9am, Freedom Hall

Town Council Committee to Assess Homelessness – Monday August 7, 6pm, Town Hall

Cotuit Fire Commissioner’s Meeting – Tuesday August 8, 5:30pm & 6:15pm, Freedom Hall

Precinct 7 Monthly Meeting – Wednesday August 9, 3-5pm, Cotuit Library

Cotuit Prudential Committee Meeting – Tuesday August 15, 4pm,  Town Hall

Town Council Appointments Committee – Tuesday August 15, 5:30pm, Town Hall

Cotuit/Santuit Civic Association Village Meeting – Tuesday August 15, 7:30pm, Freedom Hall

Cotuit Water Commissioner’s Meeting – Wednesday August 16, 6pm Freedom Hall

Town Council Asset Management Advisory Committee – Thursday August 17, 6pm, Town Hall Cancelled

Town Council Meeting – Thursday August 17, 7pm, Town Hall

Cotuit Prudential Committee Meeting – Monday August 28, 6pm, Freedom Hall

Tomorrow is Unity Day in Barnstable

Barnstable Unity Day “Celebrating Unity in Our Community”

Hyannis, MA Following on the success of last year’s event, People of Action, the Barnstable Police Department and the Town of Barnstable will present Barnstable Unity Day at the Hyannis Village Green on Friday, July 28, 2017, from 4-7 p.m.  The event is open to all and is intended to engage the community and local police together in a celebration including free food, music, children’s activities and raffles.  Please bring your own lawn chairs and blankets. For more information or if you are interested in helping with this event you may contact Andre Barboza at 347-638-0206 or the Barnstable Police Department at 508-778-3800.  See you there!

Bikes & People Planning

UNITED KINGDOM – JULY 14, 1896: Charles Stewart Rolls (1877-1910). Rolls (right) is pictured riding a tandem with his friend Legard while they were students at Cambridge University. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)

Please assist MassDOT in developing their statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.

HERE is a link to direct you to a web site where you can map your bike and pedestrian projects. This mapping will assist MassDOT in developing priorities for their future bicycle and pedestrian projects.

Update on Cotuit Fire District’s Solar Project

Restoration Plan for Cotuit Fire District Land

The winning bidder in the Cotuit Water Department’s planned solar farm development, Borrego Solar  (BS),  was responsible for nine of eighteen test pits that were performed outside the development area for the once proposed solar project. The land clearing and test pit digging came close to the abutting residential neighborhood of Mariner Circle that resulted in the company issuing a letter of apology; view HERE  The error also sounded the alarm that the project was to include the clearcutting of 30+ acres of forested land.   The project was soundly rejected by the villagers and the item subsequently withdrawn from the Town Council agenda.

As the responsible party, BS has proposed a land restoration plan that may be viewed HERE

 

Public Drinking Water Report

New Database Details Pollutants in Virtually all U.S. Public Water Systems. Starting today, the vast majority of Americans can learn about every potentially harmful chemical in their drinking water and what scientists say are the safe levels of those contaminants. The Environmental Working Group (EWG’s) new national Tap Water Database is the most complete source available on the quality of U.S. drinking water, aggregating and analyzing data from almost 50,000 public water systems in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.


View Cotuit’s Report HERE

View COMM’s Report HERE

Electric Rate Increase Proposed

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On January 17, 2017 Eversource filed a rate case with the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) which is going to increase everyone’s electric bills starting in January on the distribution side of the electric bill. This is the first fully litigated rate case since the 80’s. Eversource then filed revisions to their proposal on June 1st which is proposing to shift $30 million in costs from Western MA electric customers to Eastern MA residential customers (which includes the Cape and Vineyard). The proposal also includes shifting costs from Eastern MA commercial customers to Eastern MA residential customers. Cape Light Compact is opposed to this as the costs borne by those customers should be paid for by those customers and not subsidized by other customers.

The DPU has reopened the public comment period through August 31, and will be holding a public hearing on Wednesday August 2 at 7pm at Cape Cod Community College – Tilden Arts Center.

If you are able to attend that would be great, but at a minimum we are encouraging you to submit written comments either by mail or email to the DPU opposing this shift in costs. If you are able to attend the hearing, your comments will not be made part of the record unless you are sworn in (just to keep that in mind). To submit via email you may send it to: dpu.efiling@state.ma.us and marc.tassone@state.ma.us. To submit via US mail, please visit our website to see filing instructions outlined in the Notice.

HERE are some talking points that you may use for the public hearing or for submitting written comments. Feel free to add additional information to the letter that you feel is necessary.

For more information and for the notice of filing you may visit our website www.capelightcompact.org/ratecase

Please send this information along to everyone you know who has Eversource for electricity. I know that the majority of people in Eversource’s territory are not even aware that this is going on, as the media has hardly covered it, so it is important for people to speak up in opposition to these increases.

If you have any questions, please contact Lindsay Henderson

Lindsay Henderson
Communications & Energy Efficiency Analyst 
Cape Light Compact JPE
508-375-6889 (office)
508-221-0200 (cell)

www.capelightcompact.org