Hometown Projects [2006-2007]

The following projects are being conducted by City Lab as part of the Hometown Initiative from September 2006 until May 2007.

1. Spencer – development of a comprehensive plan for the preservation of the rural character of Spencer
(ODIS, Planning Board, Conservation Commission)

The town of Spencer released its Master Plan in 2003. One of the key objectives contained in the plan was the mandate from the citizens “to preserve the rural character” of the town. Recently, the town has been experiencing growing development pressures, including Chapter 40B developments which leverage the insufficient levels of affordable housing in Spencer, according to State measurements. The primary target of development are large parcels, so this project will start by focusing on parcels larger than 5 or 10 acres. Particular attention will be paid to Chapter 61, 61A and 61B land that has been designated for use as Forestry, Agriculture or Recreation respectively, and on ways in which the town could exercise the “rights of first refusal” option when these lands change their protected status. In order to justify such a purchase, the team will investigate the upcoming Open Space Plan, which will be updating the 2001 plan and identify which tracts of land might be most suitable for conservation, because of their natural features or because of their contiguity with existing parks or because of their potential as natural corridors connecting protected land. The project will also characterize the scenic vistas available from Spencer roads and use viewshed analysis as an additional factor for the prioritization of parcels to be protected in Spencer. Once these valuable natural parcels are identified, the students will explore what options may exist in order to preserve them, including, but not limited to, the development of informational brochures for owners of large parcels, pointing out the tax benefits of Chapter 61, 61A and 61B designation, as well as other incentives. The team will prepare all necessary documents to make sure that Spencer will be ready to act on a “rights of first refusal” option if and when one of the identified priority parcels should come up for sale (or change of use). A parallel task will be the development of a Cost of Community Services (COCS) estimate for Spencer which will assist in justifying the financial advantages of the preservation of rural land. To fend off future unfriendly 40B proposals, the team will finally explore the current status of affordable housing in Spencer, using both the State’s method of assessing affordability (based on 30-year covenants), but also using more “realistic” measurements, such as MIT’s Affordability Index. Based on all of the available information, the team will develop a multi-pronged approach to satisfy the state’s requirement for at least 10% of housing to be dedicated to low-to-moderate income families. Other specific tasks will be identified in the course of the project’s implementation. More official documents can be found on the State’s DHCD web pages (scroll down to Spencer).

2. Boylston – creation of an online repository of information for Boylston Municipal Light

The town of Boylston has its own Electric Department which provides electricity to the town’s residents. This project will assist the town in computerizing all the information about the power distribution system in Boylston, including, but not limited to: light poles, electric cables, transformers, switching stations, relays, home connections, and meters. The team will peruse the existing paper records and develop a system for archiving all the necessary information on WPI’s own LOUIS system. City Lab support will be provided as needed to deal with technical issues. The goal is to offer an online system that will be used daily by the Electric Company staff to add new customers, manage the system, plan maintenance and analyze the system’s performance.

3. Grafton – development of an information system to manage and maintain Grafton roads (DPW and Planning Department)

The town of Grafton has not yet complied with the GASB-34 requirements which mandate that each town in Massachusetts should develop an accounting report that estimates the current value of all its infrastructural assets. Based on existing GIS layers, aerial photos, paper records and field surveys, the team will computerize all the information about roads and related assets such as guardrails, traffic signs, catchbasisns, sidewalks and the like. Prior projects in Spencer and Boxborough completed similar inventories. The team will develop a system for archiving all the necessary information on WPI’s own LOUIS system. City Lab support will be provided as needed to deal with technical issues. The goal is to offer an online system that will be used daily by the Department of Public Works staff to add new roads (as a consequence of new subdivision developments), driveways, signs, guardrails, and catchbasisns and to assist in their ordinary and extraordinary maintenance. One of the main deliverables will be a GASB-34 analysis of the value of all these infrastructure assets.

4. Grafton – development of an information system to manage and maintain Grafton sewers (Sewer Department)

The town of Grafton has not yet complied with the GASB-34 requirements with respect to all its sewer infrastructure assets either. Based on existing GIS layers, aerial photos (possibly), paper records and field surveys, the team will computerize all the information about sewers and related assets such as pipes, lift stations, manholes, grinders and the like. The closest projects to this have been carried out in for the West Boylston (2005 and 2006) and Boylston Water Districts, but only in regards to drinking water as opposed to waste water. The team will develop a system for archiving all the necessary information on WPI’s own LOUIS system. City Lab support will be provided as needed to deal with technical issues. The goal is to offer an online system that will be used daily by the Sewer Department staff to add new hookups (as a consequence of new construction), pipes (as a consequence of new subdivisions) and to assist in their ordinary and extraordinary maintenance. One of the main deliverables will be a GASB-34 analysis of the value of all these infrastructure assets.

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