Upton Selectmen using triple bottom line approach to achieve sustainability

submitted by Ken Picard

Upton’s Board of Selectmen is using a triple bottom line approach to achieve sustainability within our local government.  There are three circles of sustainability that are interconnected, overlapping  and have a push and pull effect on each other; service delivery, economics, and transparency.

Our local government needs to concentrate on the intersection location to create value for our constituents.  When all three circles overlap together that is where maximum value is achieved.

The Board of Selectmen has or will be introducing the following initiatives that impact transparency, economics, and service delivery.

• Upton has become a Green Community and the Board of Selectmen has pledged to reduce your local government’s energy consumption by 20% over the next 5 years and received a $148,350 grant to implement this initiative.
• The Board is going to introduce a paperless meeting that will have full transparency on the web for the public. This initiative will be a beta test for all departments to use in the future.
• The Board and the Town Manger has implemented municipal agreements with other communities to share services and create revenue or savings.
  • 911 ring down with Hopedale, MA., approximate value of $54,810 over 3 years.
  • Conservation Agent with Ashland, MA., approximate value of $75,190 over 5 years.
  • A shared Town Nurse with Blackstone, MA., approximate value of $10,920 per year.
  • Stormwater Management Planning with 30 other towns, approximate value of $510,000 over 3 years.
• Roadway and intersection improvement from West Upton to the Hopkinton town line. Project is financed through a TIP grant.  Upton’s budgeted financial obligation $600,000 which is already appropriated.  The Federal government’s budgeted obligation $8,000,000.
• An economic development grant through Central Mass Regional Planning Commission to evaluate the Upton’s Main Street and town common areas.

For more information about the Selectman go to the Town web site or visit link:  http://www.uptonma.gov/Pages/UptonMA_BComm/bos/inde

Note from the editor: Ken Picard will be posting a series of related articles over the next three weeks as a resident of Upton. This article is his submission and is not from the Board of Selectmen. Upton Daily hopes Ken’s submissions are popular with readers as we would love to run something like this monthly.