By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Taking a closer look at this month’s notable city data—and interesting numbers. 

$2.33: That amount represents the cost per early voter for the city to offer early voting during the November 2016 election. In order to staff and coordinate early voting, the City spent a total of $38,278, but with the fourth highest turnout in the Commonwealth at 31 percent, Somerville’s early voting operations were much more cost effective than many of our neighbors (Boston spent $7.98 per early voter and Cambridge came in at $3.75). When comparing across the Commonwealth, higher spending  was not a strong predictor for larger turnout. We’re glad we helped set the bar on efficiency.

1,900: That’s the number of metric tons by which Somerville’s greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced every year thanks to residents who signed up for no-cost Mass Save® Home Energy Assessments and a variety of energy upgrades as a part of the City’s 2016 Be SEEN! program (Be Somerville Energy Efficient Now!). These residents are expected to also cumulatively save $118,000 annually on their energy bills going forward. This year we hope to surpass those numbers by striving to get residents to sign up for 1,500 home assessments and 743 cumulative energy upgrades. If we reach that goal, the City could receive up to $40,000 in grant money from the National Grid Community Initiative for meeting those goals and would be a step closer to achieving a carbon neutral Somerville by 2050. To learn more and sign up, visit www.somervillema.gov/beseen or contact the Environmental Housing Programs Office at 617-625-6600 ext. 2567.

412: That’s how many total volunteer hours were completed by 36 SomerServe volunteers in 2016. The SomerServe volunteer program matches volunteers with a variety of City departments and initiatives such as the City Archives, the Somerville Cares About Prevention initiative, and the English as a Second Language Program at the Somerville Public Library. Other placements include local non-profits like Project Soup, Community Action Agency of Somerville, and Come to the Table Community Meal. Residents interested in potential volunteer opportunities should contact Community Services Manager Chris Hosman at 617-625-6600 ext. 2406 or chosman@somervillema.gov.

8: That’s approximately the number of minutes needed to virtually tour the renovated Prospect Hill Tower. Because the tower is closed during cold months and the stairs make accessibility difficult for some, the Community Preservation Act funded a video to allow people to experience Prospect Hill Tower year round. The film provides viewers with a tour of the interior of the tower, views of Boston, Cambridge and Somerville from the top, and information about the history of Prospect Hill. It’s also closed captioned in English, Portuguese, and Spanish with Haitian Kreyol coming soon. To see the video, visit www.somervillema.gov/prospecthilltour.

Data-based decision making is at the core of how the City of Somerville develops policy and sets priorities. Every day we check the latest 311 stats, and throughout the week we meet for in-depth review of departmental data and city trends. The monthly Data Download column shares some of the data we’ve been reviewing recently. To see more Somerville Data, visit the online Somerville Data Farm at http://www.somervillema.gov/datafarm/.