By Josh Stilts, Sentinel Staff
Published in The Keene Sentinel: Friday, April 30, 2010

A group of college students has plans for how to beautify Gilbo Avenue in Keene’s downtown.

Students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst have been studying the street as part of their landscape architecture class led by instructor Jeffrey L. Goller of Swanzey.

The assignment was to develop plans for how to provide “green” areas, such as gardens and parks, within proposed developments along Gilbo Avenue and create environmentally responsible solutions for stormwater runoff from the street.

Class members will present their ideas to the Keene City Council in late May, City Manager John A. MacLean said.

MacLean, who critiqued the class presentations Tuesday, said the ideas could provide a good starting point in developing Gilbo Avenue responsibly.

Providing a route for stormwater to flow through Gilbo, using plant life and grasses, could be one of many ideas adopted when plans for the street are finalized, MacLean said.

Most people agree Gilbo is prime for development, both commercially and residentially, but finalizing which plans will best serve the area is still up for debate, he said.

Some of the class ideas for the street include building rooftop gardens or rain gardens — to absorb the carbon dioxide and counter the effects of pollutants — parks and planting native species, which can significantly affect the volume of polluted water flowing into storm drains, Goller said.

“The gardens and parks can act as a filtration system and can soak up a lot of water that would normally just go down into the sewer,” he said.

Along with green areas, the class designs incorporate bike trails, loading docks for businesses, parking spaces and a potential parking structure, Goller said.

“These designs can appeal to everyone in some facet,” he said.

City Councilor James P. Duffy said the ideas will fit in perfectly.

“Any city Keene’s size needs to have green space,” he said. “Something even half the size of Ashuelot park would be great.”

Flooding in the Gilbo Avenue parking lots has been one of the concerns of the class and Duffy.

Ensuring whatever materials are used in development, whether in buildings or pavement, are permeable and able to let water absorb into the ground, is just one of the ideas the class had to solve flooding, Goller said.

The class also took into consideration some of the other proposals for Gilbo, including the Sustainable Energy Efficient Development (SEED) district — an area providing tax incentives for developers to use environmentally friendly building practices and materials — and an expo center, Goller said.

The class was split into two groups; one had to incorporate the expo center, the other had to develop another project for the area, which students decided could be an outdoor amphitheater for concerts and festivals.

Using ideas from the SEED district proposal, both groups incorporated mixed-use buildings, with retail business on the first floor, and housing on the second and third floors, to get the most out of each structure, Goller said.

The ideas for Gilbo Avenue aren’t to have a carbon copy of Main Street, but to provide an extension of downtown, Duffy said.

After the class met with members of the Historical Society of Cheshire County, the city planning department and public works department, Goller let the students loose.

“I asked the students to be conscious of historical and social design and to take into consideration everything from snow removal to sidewalk length,” he said.

Before starting their designs the class took a field trip to Gilbo Avenue and studied the layout and conditions, Goller said. Then, using design software, the students made 3-D models of what they thought should be used to landscape the street.

Mary F. Dehais, a graduate student in Goller’s class, said having an effect on Gilbo Avenue using landscape architecture can be as simple as planting a tree.

Grasses, plants and trees can absorb water into the ground and use the natural filtration system of the water table, she said.

“We pick vegetation that will flourish and clean as much of the pollutants as possible,” she said.

Duffy said he’s excited to see the presentation.

“It’s good to have people study what types of impact development can have on an area,” he said. “We need to know what would be environmentally responsible.”

Josh Stilts can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1433, or jstilts@keenesentinel.com

Don’t we have the most beautiful Christmas tree this year?  Well done, Keene, I think that this is the best looking town tree we’ve had in the square in a long time.  It’s beautifully shaped, full throughout, and doesn’t seem to menace traffic by leering over it as it rolls around the circle.  I seem to remember some trees looking overly-large and/or unstable in the past. 

Did you get to the lighting ceremony?  If you didn't, Steve Hooper did and managed to shoot some video of the event.  Click below to watch it.

[Link to video of the tree lighting ceremony]

 The square downtown is a unique place.  I'm delighted that it has survived the commercial growth in West Keene, and hasn't slowly lost it's life as the center of town.  If you're having a public celebration, you do it there.  Concerts, picnics, festivals, parades: they all happen there.  If you've got something to say, you go and say it there.  Supporters and protestors of all causes sign up for time slots to project their message from the square.  Teenagers defiantly smoke pot in the square.  Politicians often alight there.  And so does our Christmas tree, and the dozens of families who turned out to see it lit.  Santas wandered through the crowd shaking hands, firetrucks flashed their lights, and diners poked their heads from the doors of restaurants to shout, "CALL US WHEN THEY START THE COUNT-DOWN!".  Even the grown-ups don't want to miss this.

Word on the street is that the city workers who obtained and erected the tree where pretty proud of it, too.

What do you think about this year’s tree?   And what do you think about the Square?  'Tis the season for sticky nostalgia. Go ahead. Cut loose--

When you are going through your closets, attics and garages in preparation for winter - instead of throwing out your old stuff at the curb - or worse yet, paying to throw out your old stuff at the dump - check out these sites for ideas on how to donate your "junk" to a worthy cause. 

The Humane Society frequently needs blankets, towels and linens to use in cages as well as always being in need of old pet items - pet carriers, food bowls, leashes, anything you have lying around - check out the local shelter first at www.monadpets.org - you can also find other shelters that might need different types of things by going to www.pets911.com

Used furniture can find a new home through the local chapter of the National Furniture Bank Association - www.nationalfurniturebank..org
This org donates furniture to victims of floods, hurricanes and also families living below the poverty level and woman fleeing violent homes.

Clothing and business wear that no longer fits can find a home through the local org - Linda's Closet   There are also national organizations for woenn at www.dressforsuccess.org and a program for men at www.careergear.org

A really great newer organizations (new to me at least) is Brides Against Breast Cancer www.bridesagainstbreastcancer.org They accept gowns, slips and veils and sell them across the country.  All the proceeds go to www.MakingMemories.org a foundation that grants final wishes to women who have terminal cancer. 

Pantagonia has a great program called www.pantagonia.com for worn-out fleece clothing - Patagonia's Common Threads Carment Recycling program.  You can drop off the cloths at a local Patagonia store and they will recycle the clothing.

The charity www.soles4souls.org (love the name) started after the tsunami hit Southeast Asia in 2004  It provides gently used footwear to people in need of shoes here and around the world.

Kids outgrow and outuse sports equipment faster than we can buy it - the site www.sportsgift.org will take any type of sporting equipment as well as old team uniforms.  They use the donations to create sports programs for underprivileged children around the world.

Another great one for kids items is www.iLoveSchools.com on this site teachers post wish lists for items they need that are beyond their budgets.

One of my favorites is The Mr. Hollands Opus Foundation inspired by the movie and the man - they refurbish used instruments for underfunded school music programs - visit www.mmhopus.org for info.

I would really love to keep posting sites as I find them - I hope others will follow and share any great local and/or national organizations that do good work.

Is it just me or does it seem like really poor timing for the latest moon play-date?  While getting ready for work this morning, I heard the anchors on GMA oohing and aahhing over infra-red photos of a moon explosion.  At first I was alarmed - I thought they were talking about some horrific moon-quake-type-event - that was shattering the moon's surface.  No, it was planned.  NASA dropped a rocket hull onto the surface of the moon - to intentionally cause damage.  Their hope was to document a large "splash" of lunar ice.  Huh?  Scientists were quoted as saying they were disappointed that they didn't see the "flash or sparks" that they had hoped for. 

I have been checking articles about this event to see exactly how much it cost to not see this event (the photos were fuzzy and anti-climactic).

Does anybody else out there share my anger that in these hard economic times - no jobs, no healthcare, foreclosures, etc. - there was money for this?!?!  And beyond that - I find it infuriating that government powers can get together and easily agree to spend who-knows how many billions to do this - but no one in government can get together to agree to spend money on a revised healthcare system.

 What kind of priorities do we have for our government spending??

There are a few moments in history where we share our memories of an event - the day Kennedy was shot, the day Martin Luther King was assasinated, the day Lennon was killed - but few of these shared memories are pleasant. 

Then there is the day we landed and then walked on the moon.  Anyone who was alive on that day can still remember what they were doing, who they were with and what it meant to them. 

Beginning Thursday morning, SentinelSource will post a live interactive from We Choose The Moon.org that will cover the days leading up to the landing in real time.  Culminating in the Sentinel's coverage of the event on Sunday - when they track the meaning of this day from a historical and local perspective.

In the meantime, share what you remember and read what your neighbors have to say on Talk Back's Moon Landing Anniversary. 

In the Sentinel's Health section today is an article entitled "France vs. the U.S. - Two very different health systems have problems, benefits"  The article, by Jim Landers, McClatchy News Services features a graphic of the major areas of concern for most people - how healthy they are and who pays for them to stay that way.

The comparison shows France as a much healthier nation overall - in spite of a higher number of smokers among adults (yet a lower number of obesity among adults).  It shows a higher number of physicians despite a lower income and by far much less spent on tests such as MRIs and cardiac surgical procedures - not to mention less pharmaceutical expenditures.

The numbers that really jump out at you though - are the higher life expectancies across the board in France compared to the far greater dollars spent in out-of-pocket spending per capita in the U.S. and the far greater amounts spent on U.S. health care. 

The French seem to go to the doctor more often - which may explain the life expectancy increase and the less need for cardiac surgery.  After all, we know that with any disease, the sooner it is treated the better the outcome.

In reading the article, you are hard pressed to find any significant down-side to the French way of treating its citizens and their illnesses.  So what is our problem?

Other than finding a way to keep the pharmaceutical companies, the health insurance companies and the lawyers all in business - can it really be so tough to find a solution that would work for all us sick, obese Americans?

In general we think of migration to the United States as the yellow brick road for the rest of the world - and depending on the issues in other countries that is still generally true.  However, if as a nation we can't find a better way to care for the least fortunate amongst us - are we really doing all that great a job?

What would you do to change the way we handle health care in this country?

In today's Sentinel there is a news brief about tonight's meeting at Heberten Hall to discuss how Keene can nourish a vibrant, creative arts and cultural community through the development of what is being called the "Master Plan". 

An assembled panel, called "Keene Voices", consists of members of Keene State College, Antioch University, Stonewall Farm & Art Alive.  The promise is that the discussion will center around the "Creative, Learning Culture" as a focus for the group.

The group's goals are worthwhile certainly - to encourage diversity in Keene, to promote reasonably cost art activities and to provide more educational choices for Keene residents.

Not only are these goals noble - but they are goals that can be achieved - but not without the participation of Keene's citizens.

It will take more than educators, business owners and groups that are already focused on the arts to pull this off.  It will take the "voice" of Keene's people to really make a difference.

A program that is developed for children, for instance, aimed at providing an art education workshop at a reasonable cost - should and could be planned and executed - at least partly - based on the very parents who would most likely be interested in enrolling their children.

This plan needs to encompass the voices of the residents who are not currently heard - not already involved.  To be truly effective they need to reach out to the demographic groups that are on the fringes of the city and are more hesitant to participate in group or community functions. Isn't that part of what "diversity" seeks to establish?

For anyone who is interested in attending, the meeting is tonight. If you read this blog and it has already happened - then stay tuned for the highlights as they are reported.

In the meantime, if you are one of those families who has not been involved in the community - think about stepping forward now - and having your voice heard.  You are guaranteed to find a more rewarding series of programs available if you do.

Check out the brief and the info in the Sentinel article for the specifics about the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting is to gather information about how residents feel the utility performed during the storm - sounds like a good idea.  But how would residents feel about being left without power for days at a time during the holidays?  Everyone was inconvenienced, many people had to leave their homes altogether and no matter how fast your power was restored, it felt like it was too late.

I find it interesting that the Peterborough meeting drew only a handful of residents.  Considering that the Peterborough area was one of the hardest hit areas and their residents were without power for the longest length of time, you would expect that this meeting would have been packed with irate residents.

So is the low attendance a sign that maybe residents feel that although it was a terrible thing to go through and they would like any reason to bash the utility company - in the end, it was a natural disaster - an act of the "gods".  And while they feel that PSNH could and should have communicated the status of the repairs in a more realistic manner - they did have their hands full after all.

Or is it just another sign of human nature?   The first opportunity that residents have had to confront PSNH on their performance has just come a little too late.  As we are poised to start spring - watching the last of the snow melt under our feet - who wants to think about ice storms?  As we move further and further away from the event that caused us so much grief - we hate the thought of travelling back in time to re-experience the disaster.  Maybe.. or maybe it was just the first meeting - maybe the next one will be full.

I, for one, think that most public organizations do a poor job of communication most of the time.  In the case of the December storm, PSNH seemed to be moving as fast as they could to restore power.  One of the residents interviewed on wmur made the point that he thought the utility sent "far too many tree people and far too few line men"   Maybe.  That's not a call I would want to make - or even try and judge.  Whether to cut down a tree laying on a limb first or repair the lines first - who knows?  We just want our power right?

It will be interesting to hear how most residents feel about the responsiveness of PSNH.  My thought is that it would have been great to have better communication and a better plan from PSNH regarding how we were going to get our power back - but the real issue in December was all that darn ice.

So do we blame PSNH or not?

I keep hearing the commercials on TV, radio, online - even in print - that Hyundai dealerships all over the country have introduced a program that allows people in need of a car, to buy one without any risk.  Can this really be true?

The commercials say that you can buy a new Hyundai and if you lose your job, they will PAY your load installment for three months - if after three months, you still can't afford the car - they will take it back - WITH NO NEGATIVE HIT TO YOUR CREDIT REPORT!

Call me suspicious but what is in it for them? Obviously it is meant to encourage people who are terrified of entering into any long term commitments in this economy.  And, obviously they get the car back.  But doesn't it seem like an awful lot of risk to them? Unless the small print on the contract says it must be returned in "perfect" condition - but even then, that doesn't cover them for paying out three months of installments.  I mean if I buy a car that is used everyday to transport the kids, the dog, the groceries and my incontinent grandmother - and then I lose my job - they can't have anything to say about the condition of the car can they?  I mean in most instances I would imagine that the job seeker would need the car and plan on being able to keep it after the three month free ride on Hyundai.  So where is their benefit?

I hope it is on the up-and-up - and it really is just a really creative way to try and get people to feel secure in an insecure world.

Anybody out there signed one of these deals?

From a recent Keene Sentinel article "Food shopping becomes an art" by Jessica Arriens - the following list of online resources were published as a help guide for surviving in these hard economic times.  Here are the resources again for those who may have missed them the first time around.

http://www.cheapcooking.com/ articles, receipes and tips for cheap cooking.

http://www.cheaphealthy-good.blogspot.com/ combines ways to save money with tips for healthy eating

http://www.budget101.com/ frugal tips for all aspects of life.

http://www.thriftyfun.com/ people shareing tips on saving money

http://www.miserlymoms.com/ focus is on how to help moms save money, in any way possible

http://www.gorcerysavingtips.com/ an offshoot of betterbudgeting.com advice on how to use grocery coupons - includes a section where you can print out weekly coupons (for free)

http://www.couponmom.com/ the founder of this site, Steephanie Nelson, has shared her money-saving advice everywhere from the "today" show to "oprah"

The original article that appeared in the Sentinel is available through their archives but we will gladly repost it here if anyone wants the whole article.