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Needham company joins the war on rats

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Needham company joins the war on rats

New York City’s war on rats is getting an assist from a Needham company.
 
The city has signed a contract with Bigbelly Solar to place the company’s newest product --- new smart composting bins – across all five city boroughs.
Big Belly compost bin
The new bins join Bigbelly’s line of solar-powered regular trash compactors and those for collecting recyclables.
 
The bins will collect food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste which is turned into renewable energy, biosolids, and compost that will be made available to residents.
 
“This is a win for New Yorkers. It’s a win for all of us,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said last week in announcing the program.
 
?“The only one that loses are rats.”
 
Founded in 2003, Bigbelly (a chamber member) was briefly headquartered in Newton and is now located on A Street in Needham where its bins are designed and tested.
 
The company’s products are deployed in all 50 states and over 60 countries, with over 70,000 units worldwide.
 
And rats hate them.  
 
Business Leaders of Color list deadline extended
 
Thanks to everyone who submitted nominations for our spring publication list of the “50 Most Influential Business Leaders of Color in Greater Boston’s Western Suburbs” as well the “Emerging Business Leaders of Color” list.
 
By yesterday afternoon, we received well over 100 nominations.
 
But we’ve also had some requests for a little more time to submit nominations. So we’re extending the deadline by one week, to next Tuesday, Feb. 14.
 
To qualify, nominees must work at and/or sit on a board for a business or nonprofit that is physically located in Newton, Needham, Watertown, Waltham, Wellesley, Natick, or Framingham. Emerging leaders must also be under the age of 40.
 
 
Watertown rolls out proposed affordable housing fee
 
Watertown City Manager George Proakis is proposing charging commercial developers a linkage fee of $11.12 per SF on new developments over 30,000 SF to support affordable housing.
 
The city had been authorized by Beacon Hill to charge up to $18 per SF. Likely out of a desire to keep Watertown competitive, amidst high-interest rates and soaring building costs, Proakis choose a lower rate.
 
The proposed zoning amendment allows the rate to be adjusted for inflation each January.
 
Boston currently charges a $15.39 per SF linkage fee. But Mayor Michelle Wu has proposed raising it to $30.78 per SF for new labs and $23.09 for other new commercial development. Cambridge recently imposed a $33.34 per SF fee.
 
And while Boston's and Cambridge's much higher fees should continue to make Watertown enticing to biotech and other commercial projects, Watertown's city leaders should be cognizant of competition from neighboring suburban communities where there are no linkage programs.
 
 
Proakis' proposal will go to the planning board for a public hearing on March 8 at 7 p.m. before returning to the city council for final approval. While it will take some time to approve the linkage fee, the fees apply only to newly permitted commercial projects over 30,000 SF, retroactive to when the notice of the linkage fee was published. 
 
 
Nevermind where George Washington slept
 
It’s now possible to spend the weekend at Mitt Romney’s former home in Belmont 
 
Marketing firm shows love for shopping locally
 
All Over Newton, the marketing firm that’s hyper-focused on supporting the city’s small merchants, has launched Newton LoveFEST,” a week-long effort encouraging the community to shop local.
 
“The goal of LoveFEST is to increase local dollars flowing into Newton’s small, independent businesses, ensuring they keep their lights on and doors open,” said Lauren Berman of ALL Over Newton.
 
“Lots of shops are still feeling the effects of the pandemic as buying habits shifted, with more people continuing to make online purchases, while inflation and labor shortages pile on to small business owners’ woes.” 
 
“But we can all make a big difference to these little shops, by simply shopping local,” she said.
 
Other need to knows
 
  • Back in 1973 a Suffolk University School of Law student was offered a locally-made bagel during a late-night study session. “I can do better,” he told his friends. Fifty years later Rosenfeld’s Bagels is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
 
  • JLL is now the leasing agent of one of Watertown’s iconic Charles River mill buildings: The Riverworks complex is comprised of three interconnected buildings totaling 202,000 SF of brick and beam. (Boston Real Estate Times.)
 
  • Loyal Companion, the pet shop-plus business with locations in Wellesley Hills and on Needham Street in Newton is closing all its stores.
 
  • The Watertown Business Coalition hosts a networking event at the Armenian Museum of America and will discuss the future of Watertown Square on Feb. 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. RSVP.
 
  • Newton-based WS Development has entered an agreement to purchase energy from Direct Energy Business, allowing the real estate developer to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for WS’s New England energy portfolio – including the Street at Chestnut Hill -- to zero.  (Real Estate Weekly)
 
  • Dr. Xiaoyan Qin, owner of Newton’s Union Pharmacy will be Congressman Jake Auchincloss’ guest at President Biden’s State of the Union address tonight (Fig City News)
 
 
 
Peisch bill would help defray child care costs
 
At a time when so many employees are struggling with some of the nation’s highest childcare costs, Wellesley state Rep. Alice Peisch (who chairs the Joint Committee on Education) has filed a bill designed to help employers help employees with child care.
 
"An Act to encourage employer-supported childcare” would create a fund that would provide a 1:1 match of public and employer funds for employer-early childcare programs to employees of participating employers. 
 
It would also establish a special legislative commission to consider additional public-private partnership models for employer-supported childcare. 
 
... While Rausch's bill may leave parents scrambling for sitters
 
In contrast, Needham state Sen. Becca Rausch just filed a bill that would allow public school teachers and some other public employees to strike.
 
Rausch was properly schooled by Globe editorial board for suggesting teachers should be given the right to strike because teacher strikes are already occurring.
 
?“But that rationale makes violating the law a justification for changing the law,” editors responded.
 
In the same editorial, the Globe challenged the Mass Teachers Association's claims that teachers strike “out of love for their students and out of public service” as “… simply untrue.”
 
Our meal insecurity program resumes
 
Finally this morning, round three of our program that purchases meals from independent restaurants and distributes them to those facing food insecurity kicked off last week in Newton with drop-offs from Walnut Grille, Inna's Kitchen, and Jake’s Falafel Corner to the Newton Food Pantry. 
 
The Nourishing Newton initiative will deliver about 200 meals per week to food pantries and other service organizations through the spring. The program is funded by a state earmark secured by State Sen. Cindy Creem and coordinated in partnership with our friends at the Rotary Club of Newton.
 
Nourishing Wellesley, also supported by the same funding, will relaunch soon too. Independent restaurants in either community interested in becoming a restaurant partner should contact Katherine Herer
 
And a reminder that 30 restaurants across our four communities are collecting new sweatshirts, sweatpants, t-shirts, and other items to be distributed by Circle of Hope to homeless children, women, and men at 25 local shelters and health clinics.
 
 
 
 
That’s your Need to Knows for today, unless you need to know that you too can smell like a dead dinosaur, a skunk, or a funeral home.
 
Be back later this week.
 
 
Greg Reibman (he, him)
President
617.244.1688
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