Case Study on Resource Management Contracting
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has posted
a new fact sheet titled, "Resource
Management Contracting (RM) at the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital"
which highlights the first-year recycling successes of the 2002 RM contracting
pilot project. In a nutshell, the hospital has saved roughly $11,000
using this new contract.
For more information about RM contracting and projects in Massachusetts
go to: http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/files/rm/rmcontr.htm,
or contact Julia Wolfe.
Also, see the DEP business waste reduction website at: http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/business.htm.
State is Promoting Reuse for Municipalities
The state is working with Massachusetts municipalities to promote
reuse; one of the best ways to reduce waste and extend the useful life
of equipment. The state's surplus property office (SSPO) manages equipment
for all state agencies that are downsizing, relocating, or replacing
existing equipment. John Crisley of DEP's Municipal Waste Reduction
Program, in cooperation with Paul Guerino of the State Surplus Property
Office, send bi-weekly Email messages listing the availability of surplus
chairs, tables, office equipment, computers, and other used property.
Using this simple method has notified local managers about the availability
of state surplus.
"Reusing equipment and materials is the best way to conserve resources,
and this effort has the added benefit of saving cities and towns money
in these budget conscious times," said DEP Commissioner Robert
W. Golledge.
Ashland, Watertown, Dartmouth and a Chelmsford charter school have
received surplus equipment for their offices.
The Ashland Department of Public Works (DPW) obtained surplus office
cubicle partitions from the Turnpike Authority to help reorganize their
offices. David Miller, Management Analyst for the DPW, said "I
personally think that the DEP's Surplus Property Initiative is a great
opportunity to reuse/recycle usable equipment. We actually feel as though
we won the lottery when we got our hands on the cubicles; with the statewide
budget crunches we would not have been able to do this much needed redesign
to the DPW offices."
The Watertown library also obtained 24 surplus office cubicle partitions
also from the Turnpike Authority. The town library is undergoing a 2-year
renovation. Beverly Shank, the Library Director, said "We're using
the 24 divider panels to set up department and office space in our temporary
quarters on the ground floor of a vacant school building. Finding these
surplus panels meant one less expense in our overall project budget".
The Murdoch Charter School in Chelmsford obtained 15, Dell Pentium
III desktop computers. Mara Gorden, Murdoch's Director of Technology
and Development, was able to expand a language lab for Spanish classes
using these surplus computer from the MA Department of Revenue. Ms.
Gorden said "As a charter school our budget tends to be smaller
and therefore we need to stretch our dollars. The option of surplus
has enabled to acquire equipment we would not have otherwise been able
to get". Murdoch also obtained overhead projectors from State Surplus
Property Office with DEP's assistance.
 |
| Murdoch Charter School in Chelmsford
used 15 surplus computers to expand a Spanish language lab. |
The Town of Dartmouth obtained 2 lap-top computers (mid 1990's models)
from the Executive Office of Public Safety for secretaries to take minutes
at public meetings. Michael Gagne, Executive Administrator, said "…it
is great to be able to get a piece of equipment the Town needs and not
have to buy new and pay the price of new". The units originally retailed
for $500.00 each in the mid-90's but were obtained for a nominal $10.00
administrative fee through the state surplus system.
The DEP's Municipal Waste Reduction Program has distributed a "wish
list" to enable communities to fax in a list of needed equipment
for town offices and get help finding it from state agency inventories.
For more information contact John Crisley at the DEP's Boston office
at 617-556-1021 or john.crisley@state.ma.us.
For information on the State Surplus Property Office contact Paul Guerino,
the state surplus property manager, at 617-720-3146. (paul.guerino@osd.state.ma.us)
DEP & OSD Receive State Sustainability Grant
The State Surplus Office at the Operational Services Division (OSD)
and DEP's Municipal Waste Reduction Program are a joint award recipient
of a State Sustainability Program grant from Executive Office of Environmental
Affairs (EOEA). The grant will help pay for the development of an OSD
database to better manage state surplus property between agencies and
other public entities, and to improve the means of advertising surplus
on the OSD web site. The State Surplus Property Office manages both
state vehicle auctions and the surplusing of office equipment, furniture,
computers and electronics, and other related items. John Crisley of
DEP and Paul Guerino, the surplus property manager, will be working
together on the project. The grant award is for a maximum of $10,000.
For more information contact John Crisley at 617-556-1021 or john.crisley@state.ma.us.
DEP Announces Rain Barrel Grant Awards
DEP has awarded discounts for discounts on 1,204 total rain barrels
to 24 municipalities through its FY05 Municipal Recycling Grant Program.
This new program teams up state and local recycling and water departments
to help residents conserve water, save money and reduce stormwater run-off.
A rain barrel collects water from the roof when it rains and stores
it for use during dry weather to water outside plantings or wash a car.
This helps replenish groundwater and benefits our water supply. A one-inch
rainfall on a 1,000 square foot roof yields 562 gallons of water. Using
rain barrels is an excellent way to save some of this water and take
pressure off our water supply and stormwater management systems. Run-off
from a quarter-inch rainfall will easily fill a barrel. Five rainy days
can provide 275 gallons of free water. Collected rainfall is especially
valuable during droughts or dry conditions. It contains more nutrients
and less salts than tap water, so it's great for plants.There are two
types of barrels available through the DEP program. Both are 55-gallon
recycled barrels that are placed under a downspout to collect run-off.
They both have screened openings to keep mosquitoes, other insects and
debris out. Through the grant program, they will be available for $47-$55,
a $10 discount off the municipal bulk purchase price and nearly 50%
off the retail price. Residents prepay for the barrels and pick them
up on a specified pick-up day. Check with your municipality to see if
they offer rain barrels and how to place an order.
DEP Offers Healthy Lawns & Landscapes Workshops Throughout Massachusetts
Over 30 Massachusetts municipalities requested Healthy Lawns and
Landscapes Workshops on their FY2005 DEP Municipal Recycling Grant applications.
DEP is providing 9 regional workshops this spring. Residents from any
municipality may attend a workshop.
These workshops can help municipalities meet the public outreach and
education component of their Nonpoint Source Discharge Elimination System
Phase II stormwater management plans, required of all communities by
EPA under the Clean Water Act.
- Encourage your residents to attend a free workshop to learn how
to have beautiful yards without using chemicals that may harm children,
pets and our environment. Homeowners, landscapers and municipal staff
are welcome to attend and should call the contact person listed to
register. The workshops cover:
- Health effects of pesticides;
- How to create healthy soil for lawns and landscapes;
- Simple steps to healthy lawns;
- Alternatives to lawns (flowers, shrubs, trees, vegetables, groundcovers);
- Alternatives to pesticides and chemical fertilizers
All attendees will receive a gift and a chance to win a compost bin.
Refreshments will be served.
March 28, 7-9 pm
Newton Free Library
Intersection Walnut and Homer St., Newton
Contact: Barbara Herson, 617-964-7463
March 30, 6:30-8:30 pm
Leominster City Hall Auditorium
25 West St., Leominster
Contact: Rose, 978-534-7590 x501
April 2, 9-11 am
West Parish Church
Rte. 133 at Reservation Rd., Andover
Contact Joyce Ringleb, 978-475-3490
April 3, 2-4 pm
Newbury Firemen's Memorial Hall
3 Morgan Ave. (behind firehouse), Newbury
Contact: Abby Gindele, 978-499-3898 or Kay Halloran, 978-499-0413
April 7, 7-9 pm
Great Falls Discovery Center
2 Avenue A, Turners Falls
Contact: Franklin County Solid Waste Management District: 413-772-2438
April 26, 7-9 pm
Agawam Public Library
750 Cooper St., Agawam
Contact: Tracy DeMaio, 413-786-0400 x 286 or Mike Pattavina, 413-263-3234
April 28, 6:30-8:30 pm
South Hadley Town Hall
116 Main St., South Hadley
Contact: Jane Southworth, 413-538-5033
Water Conservation Kits - a New DEP Grant
The Department of Environmental Protection has developed a new element
in its Municipal Grant Program: assisting communities with promoting
residential water conservation. This fiscal year, DEP has awarded 17
communities with grants of household water conservation "kits"
consisting of water efficient showerheads and kitchen faucet aerators,
and toilet leak detection dye tablets. Municipalities can distribute
these devices individually, as requested by householders, or package
them as "kits." Additionally, grantees can receive optional
outdoor water saving devices, including rain gauges, to determine supplemental
yard watering needs, and garden hose nozzles, to prevent hoses from
being left on. To better serve municipalities in the future, DEP is
requiring grantees to gather feedback from 10% of recipients of these
water conservation devices to determine if the devices are being used
and to gauge residents' satisfaction with them. This information will
be used to inform decisions on future year's grant programs. For more
information on this program, please call Lori Segall at 617-292-5704
or Peggy Harlow at 617-292-5861 or peggy.Harlow@state.ma.us.
DEP Job Posting For HHP Position
Mass DEP is seeking applicants for the position of Household Hazardous
Waste Reduction Planner. This is a contract position at DEP's Boston
Office in the Bureau of Waste Prevention, Municipal Recycling Branch.
This position is currently held by Lori Segall. Unfortunately, Lori
has decided to leave DEP at the end of June, 2005, to pursue new directions
in the environmental field. DEP's loss will be someone else's gain.
The position description and an application can be obtained by going
to http://www.mass.gov/dep
and clicking on Jobs. Then scroll down to "Vacancies Open to All
Applicants" and select "Planners" under the Official
Job Title column.
The application period is currently scheduled to close on March 29,
2005 however this is likely to be extended an additional 2 weeks.
