The official list was announced by former district Rep. Eric Turkington last week at the State House in Boston. The former Representative chaired the 1,000 Great Places Commission responsible for identifying and recognizing the 1,000 most special places in the Commonwealth in order to celebrate pride in our history and culture, increase knowledge of our natural surroundings, and encourage regional and international tourism.

 The 1,000 Great Places program is administered through a partnership of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development; the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism and its regional tourism councils; and the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). The goal is to celebrate what is unique about the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, its communities, and its people. It aims to boost visitation to Massachusetts as well as give local residents the opportunity to visit known and unknown historic sites, cultural venues, and natural landscapes.

“I am proud to represent and support these local treasures that enrich our lives and contribute to the vitality of our communities,” said Representative Timothy R. Madden. 

 A complete list of the 1,000 Great Places can be found on the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism’s (MOTT) website: http://www.massvacation.com.

Comments with the subject line of “RE: Massachusetts Electric Company and Nantucket Electric Company d/b/a National Grid Agreement with Cape Wind Associates, LLC (D.P.U. 10-54)” can be sent to:

Mark D. Marini, Secretary

CC: Laura Bickel, Hearing Office

Department of Public Utilities

One South Station, Second Floor

Boston, MA 02110

Carlisle and Rep. Madden outide the House Chamber

BOSTON: State Representative Tim Madden would like to congratulate Carlisle Jenson for being elected delegate to represent Nantucket High School in the 63^nd Annual Student Government Day at the State House in Boston on April 9^th. She joined over 300 of her peers from around the state in participating in a unique hands-on educational opportunity.

Students were assigned seats as constitutional officers, court justice or member of the General Court. Ms. Jenson was assigned to Representative Madden’s seat in the House Chamber.

Representative Madden met up with her in the chamber and later commented “I was delighted to see Carlisle is as quick on her feet politically as she is on the soccer field. It was a pleasure to see her seated at my desk and it seemed to suit her well”.

Delphine Garneau was elected as the alternate for Student Government Day from Nantucket High School.

This award will be combined with $8 million in state and regional funding for a $40 million investment in the region. OpenCape’s project will create over 400 jobs, fostering economic development and long-term regional growth.

“This is terrific news for the Cape. We are grateful to the Obama Administration and our Congressional delegation for supporting this critical economic development initiative for the Cape,” said Governor Patrick. “In addition to supporting the important work OpenCape and its partners are doing to bring new economic opportunity to the Cape and the Islands, we are re-doubling our efforts to deliver high-speed Internet connectivity to thousands of individuals and businesses in western Massachusetts. We will not stop until every region of the state has the building blocks in place to compete in the 21st century economy.”

The Cape and Islands have a different set of needs than those of rural areas, such as western Massachusetts, or major metropolitan areas, such as Boston. It has some minimal services that are not available in rural areas, but it does not have the robust telecommunications infrastructure it needs to support the economic, educational, public safety and governmental needs of the region.

With this federal award, OpenCape will provide critical middle-mile capacity for the Cape Cod region by building a 350-mile fiber-optic backbone, wireless microwave network and regional data center. This open-access broadband network will create opportunities for jobs, economic diversification and regional efficiencies in government, and will connect over 60 anchor institutions – including schools, libraries, colleges, heath centers and public safety facilities – on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. It will also enable last-mile providers to reach underserved residents, allow health care facilities to meet complex networking and archiving needs, and create emergency redundancy in the hurricane-vulnerable region.

“This is very good news. These broadband services are vital to the growth of our excellent institutions in Woods Hole. We find that fast and dependable access to technology via the internet has become essential to continue the important research being done at these institutions. In today’s world, everyone needs rapid and reliable access to the internet,” said Representative Timothy R. Madden.

This legislation creates a five member Board of Health on Nantucket which will be separate from any other board or commission of the town, having all the powers, duties and responsibilities granted to Boards of Health throughout the Commonwealth.

“I am happy to see that the Governor signed this bill into law,” said Rep. Madden. “For a number of years many in Town have been looking to do this, and at the last town meeting they moved to have the legislation put forward. This will alleviate the Board of Selectman from splitting time between issues of the Board of Heath and their own. A separate Board of Health will allow its members the adequate time that these issues require.” 

This Board of Health will differ from a typical health board created under the General Laws in that it identities certain membership for those with different qualifications, especially members with healthcare backgrounds (if available).

Community-Scale Initiative

The goal of the Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program is to assist responsibly-sited wind energy projects of all scales in achieving successful and timely installations, while also supporting Governor Patrick’s goal of having 2,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity installed in the Commonwealth by 2020.  The Community-Scale Initiative awards feasibility study and design and construction grants for qualifying wind projects with a nameplate capacity greater than or equal to 100 kW. A project is eligible for funding if it is located at a commercial, industrial, institutional, or public site.

Feasibility Study Grant, Block 2