State, city, Cape Wind continue discussions

A Cape Wind official said Wednesday the project's developers are in ongoing discussions with the city about using New Bedford as a staging port for the project and hope to make a formal announcement soon.

"I'll tell you, that's an announcement we want to make, and we're working very hard with (the city) to make that a reality," said Mark Rodgers, communications director for Cape Wind.

Rodgers spoke in New Bedford during a seminar on offshore wind projects held during the opening day of the Commercial Marine Expo, a major marine trade show being held in the city this year for the first time.

The two-day event at State Pier is expected to attract several thousand visitors to the city.

Cape Wind Associates LLC is proposing to build 130 wind turbines over a 25-mile stretch of Nantucket Sound; once operational, the wind farm will produce enough power to cover about three-quarters of the electricity demands of Cape Cod and the Islands... [read more]
 

 Downtown Marriott opens ahead of schedule

The much anticipated Fairfield Inn & Suites New Bedford is taking reservations after opening Thursday [May 26]. What the soft kickoff lacked in fanfare it made up for in enthusiasm as staff celebrated the first hotel to open in downtown New Bedford in more than four decades.

"We're all excited to be here," general manager Shelly Perry said less than one hour after Marriott gave the official go-ahead to allow the infant inn to accept reservations for that night and begin taking guests.

"We have over 3,000 group rooms booked for the rest of 2010," said Tim Burkhardt, vice president of hotel operations for developer Lafrance Hospitality Co. "We probably have close to 1,000 transient rooms on the book."

By about 1:30 p.m. Thursday, the five-story hotel on the waterfront at 185 MacArthur Drive had about 25 reservations for the first night, according to Perry... [read more]
 

 Sold out commercial marine trade expo puts city on conference and trade show map

The Commercial Marine Expo, a major marine trade show, had a successful debut this week at State Pier, bringing thousands of people to the city and winning rave reviews from attendees.

"They thought New Bedford was perfectly suited to the show," said Ted Hugger, the show director. "People kept saying this is where it ought to be. ... You look out at any of the doors here and all you see is fishing boats."

The exhibition, formerly named the Fish Expo Atlantic, relocated to New Bedford for the first time this year after being held in Providence for a number of years.

The show sold out its exhibit space — a first in the show's history — and attracted between 2,500 and 3,000 attendees, an increase over past shows that Hugger attributed in part to the new location.

"Just being here in New Bedford and on the waterfront ... it made it very easy for the people we needed to see to visit us," he said... [read more]
 

 New rowing program popular at Voc Tech and high school gymnasiums

NEW BEDFORD - Carolyn McGonagle is passionate about rowing - and as the new director of New Bedford’s Community Rowing program, she wants to spread her love for the sport to as many people as possible.

“I didn’t get exposed to rowing in high school,” she recently told a group of students at Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School. “We want to make sure you guys are exposed and have the opportunity. … It’s a sport for life.”

The rowing program is a collaboration between Brighton-based Community Rowing Inc. (CRI), the city, the Harbor Development Commission, the New Bedford Economic Development Council and Community Boating of New Bedford, according to McGonagle.

“It’s exciting to get people out into the Acushnet River again, and something that we really think will lead to a tremendous enhancement of quality of life in this city,” Mayor Scott W. Lang said.

The initial focus of the New Bedford effort will be on a learn-to-row program for high school students that will start next month, but eventually McGonagle hopes to have competitive teams and classes for adults, as well.

“We’re basically going to follow the model that CRI has in place … (but) I want to make sure we’re building the program for how it’s appropriate for the area,” she said... [read more]

 New Bedford solar company goes Net-Zero

Beaumont Solar, after helping its customers reduce or eliminate their electricity bills since 2007, finally decided late last year to do something about its own power bills.
"If we're doing this for our customers, we really have to do it for ourselves," said Phil Cavallo, owner of Beaumont Solar.

The 23-kilowatt, 72-panel solar photovoltaic system on the roof of the company's building at 200 North St. went live on Jan 1. and just five months later, it is generating more than enough electricity to power the entire building, according to Cavallo.

By mid-May, the system was generating enough electricity to power the North Street building with some left over that Cavallo's house on Cape Cod can use, according to Cavallo.

Between Jan. 1 and May 27, the system had generated about 11,700 kilowatt hours, or more power than two single-family residences would use in an entire year, said Cavallo.

The system cost about $165,000, and Cavallo was able to take advantage of different state and federal incentives that covered essentially the entire cost... [read more]
 

 Wal-Mart awards city $300,000 for leadership in green jobs training

Mayor Scott Lang was among three mayors honored at the 78th Annual Conference of Mayors held in Oklahoma City for their leadership in green jobs training.

Lang's distinction means that People Acting in Community Endeavors' "Youth Build Green Energy Solutions" program will receive $300,000 through the Wal-Mart Foundation from the conference. The conference chose nonprofit groups in the cities of the mayors honored to receive grants. The grants are intended to support and expand green jobs training.

PACE's program will provide residential and commercial energy efficiency training. The program trains local contractors, experienced construction workers and inexperienced residents interested in entering the green technology sector.

"Energy, climate protection and green jobs have been top priorities in our work with mayors, Congress and the administration, specifically our efforts to enact a new energy block grant program and the Green Jobs Act," Tom Cochran, chief executive officer and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said through a statement... [read more]