CHA is currently making important updates to its database system. During this time, waiting list information will not be available. An announcement regarding the availability of this information will be posted on this web site as soon as the system is again operational. We apologize for any inconvenience.
On their January 23, 2012 meeting the CHA's Board of Commissioners approved the agency's FY 2013 MTW Annual Plan.
The Annual Plan is now awaiting final approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The House Appropriations Committee released details on the budget agreement reached by the President and Congressional leaders on Friday that averted a government shutdown. The budget cuts spending at almost every federal agency, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
CHA is proposing revisions to its Admissions & Continued Occupancy Policy for Federal Public Housing (ACOP) and the agency wide Reasonable Accommodations policy. CHA is accepting public comments on the proposed policy revisions from 12:00 noon on March 2, 2011 through 12:00 noon on April 4, 2011.
This presentation was made at the public meeting held on Thursday June 23, 2011 with updates to the redevelopment plan for the 5 Western Avenue site (formerly Cambridge Police Headquarters.
$1.9 million project features rooftop solar PV system, pays for itself in energy savings
Framingham, MA – July 12, 2011 – Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy
efficiency and renewable energy company, announced today that it has completed the
construction of the second phase of an energy performance contract with the
Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA). The $1.9 million project expands on a previous
effort that is now expected to deliver approximately $300,000 a year in utility cost
savings.
The Ameresco project focuses on energy conservation measures at the 196-unit Daniel
F. Burns Apartments in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The recently completed upgrades
include water saving retrofits, lighting efficiency improvements, roof replacement, and
installation of a new, highly efficient heat and hot water plant. The project also features
a 46 kW grid-connected rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system.
“In this latest effort at Burns Apartments, we have rekindled an existing relationship with
Ameresco in order to leverage additional conservation improvements and clean,
renewable technologies,” said Greg Russ, CHA’s Executive Director. “This second
phase significantly expands our conservation efforts, provides capital improvements to
the property and also adds renewable energy technology in the rooftop solar
photovoltaics. Overall, the program pays for itself, improves the performance of the
building and creates good paying local jobs, all of which are priorities for CHA.”
Ameresco began working with CHA in 1997 to convert the building’s heat and hot water
from electricity to natural gas, and to implement basic energy efficiency needs in the
Daniel F. Burns Apartments. Together the two phases are expected to save the
equivalent of 745 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. The reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions is roughly equivalent to 1,733 barrels of oil burned or 90 households
powered for an entire year.
“Ameresco is pleased to be working with Cambridge Housing Authority to maximize the
value of its energy performance contracting program at Daniel F. Burns Apartments,”
said David J. Anderson, Executive Vice President of Ameresco. “The program’s
recently completed improvements extend the value of energy savings components that
were initiated more than a decade ago. This allows the Authority to invest in new and
improved efficiency and renewable energy technologies by leveraging energy programs
available in the Commonwealth.”
Ameresco’s Public Housing Group focuses exclusively on publicly assisted multi-family
housing facilities of 50 apartments or more, which includes more than 14 million U.S.
households. By leveraging energy performance contracting, a practice pioneered by
Ameresco staff to address what HUD spends on public housing energy bills each year,
the company has helped to reduce utility costs using a performance-oriented approach
that strategically addresses equipment and systems, energy management and resident
education.
With more than 25 years of experience, Ameresco’s affordable housing energy
specialists have executed performance contracts with project capital exceeding $450
million, more than any other North American energy services company in this sector.
As of today, Ameresco’s contracts impact over 125,000 households under performancebased
energy and water services contracts.
About Ameresco, Inc.
Ameresco, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in April 2000 and is a leading
independent provider of comprehensive energy efficiency and renewable energy
solutions for facilities throughout North America. Ameresco’s solutions include
upgrades to a facility’s energy infrastructure, and the development, construction, and
operation of renewable energy plants. With corporate headquarters located in
Framingham, MA, Ameresco has 56 offices in 29 states and five Canadian provinces.
For more information, visit
www.ameresco.com.
Download the PDF here.
Members of Local 4 of the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) have been picketing at 116 Norfolk Street and are expected to begin picketing at F.J. Manning Apartments as elevator work begins there this week. The union is protesting the selection of a non-union contractor, United States Elevator, Inc., to do work at the two sites. CHA is respectful of the union’s right to disagree on the employ of US Elevator however we feel it is important to clarify statements about the process CHA used to select the contractor. Please find CHA’s point-by-point response to each allegation made against us with respect to the selection process following this statement.
US Elevator is the only contractor that submitted bids for the elevator work at the two developments. No union contractors or contractors based in Massachusetts submitted bids for the work. In January 2010, the Cambridge Housing Authority invited contractors to bid for elevator modernization work at the two public housing developments. CHA received no bids in response to the initial invitation to bid.
In February 2010, CHA issued revised bid documents. Only one bid was received for each development, both were from United States Elevator, Inc. At that time CHA also received information that raised questions around US Elevator’s ability to work in Massachusetts as well as allegations that deficiencies in our bid documents were the reason no local companies responded to CHA’s bid invitation. In response to the latter allegation, CHA had our bid documents reviewed by an independent engineering firm. The independent consultant rejected the allegation and confirmed the acceptability of the specifications included in our original invitation to bid.
With respect to issues raised about the ability of US Elevator to work in Massachusetts, the Commonwealth’s Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) issued US Elevator a stop work order related to another job. The order resulted in the firm’s debarment in Massachusetts and prevented US Elevators from immediately moving forward with its CHA contract.
After administrative appeals and court intervention, it was found that the disbarment was erroneous. US Elevator was reimbursed for fines assessed by the Commonwealth, the stop work order was rescinded and US Elevator was removed from the DIA Debarment list.
CHA is a public agency and is required under Chapter 149 of state law to publicly bid all construction work over $25,000. All contractors are required to be pre-qualified by the Commonwealth’s Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM). At the time of the bid, US Elevator was (and remains) a pre-qualified contractor by DCAM with a rating of 91% out of 100. A score of 80% or higher is required to be eligible to publicly bid in Massachusetts. Additionally, CHA did its own independent reference checks and received satisfactory results. Any issues with US Elevator’s qualifications for the two CHA jobs, or any other jobs in Massachusetts, should be addressed to DCAM.
CHA’s Board of Commissioners awarded a construction contract for each project to US Elevator Corporation with a total budget of $1,093,770. CHA is satisfied that it followed the law, used due diligence and awarded the contract to the lowest responsible bidder in its selection of United States Elevator, Inc. for the work at 116 Norfolk St. and F.J. Manning Apartments.
*This statement is a revised version of CHA’s
April 5, 2011 statement on this same issue.
Please direct any inquiries to:
Joshua R. Meehan
Director of Communications & Policy
P: 617-520-6408
E: jmeehan@cambridge-housing.org