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 notable city data – and interesting numbers.

254 residential accounts participating in Somerville Community Choice Electricity with 100 percent renewable energy: In July 2017, the City launched the Somerville Community Choice Electricity bulk buying program with a goal of increasing access to renewable energy and stabilizing energy costs. Of the more than 21,000 participating accounts, 254 residential accounts – along with 19 small commercial and industrial accounts – have chosen the option of 100 percent green, renewable energy.

Thanks to those participants and the more than 22,000 accounts with the standard 5 percent green energy designation, Somerville customers have avoided approximately 3 million pounds of carbon emissions in just eight months.

If you’ve been hesitant to make the switch to 100 percent green energy option due to cost, it’s lower than you may think. Using available data since the program’s installation (and making projections for the remaining few months), it’s estimated that the 100 percent green energy option will end up costing residential accounts only an additional nearly $50 for the entire first year of the program. Residential accounts with the standard 5 percent green energy product are anticipated to save about $65 for the first year.

For more information on Somerville Community Choice Electricity, visit http://bit.ly/SomervilleCEEE or join the City and Mass Energy for the Clean Energy at Home Event on April 23, during Sustainaville Week. Event information is available at http://bit.ly/GreenEnergyHome.

Up to 6 minutes of saved time on peak-hour bus trips: The region’s MBTA bus routes handle approximately 325,000 boardings each day (more than the Red Line and Orange Line rail systems at 280,000 and 200,000 daily boardings, respectively). We know people depend on buses to get to work, the grocery store, health care appointments, and a variety of other things, so working with the T to increase efficiency and reliability is an important component of our mobility goals.

Last year we took a big step toward that goal when Prospect Street was converted back to two-way traffic and the City’s first priority bus lane was created shortly after on the block between Somerville Avenue and Webster Avenue. By designating a bus lane on a busy street, we’re helping provide better run times for mass transit (early data from MBTA staff indicated up to six minutes being shaved off of some trips), giving our residents better choices to get around and helping reduce the City’s carbon footprint at the same time.

191 potholes filled since March 27: It’s no secret that after cold, snowy winters when roads have to be continuously salted and plowed, they’re not in the best shape (and that’s putting it lightly). That’s why in addition to responding to 311 requests, our DPW crews have been out proactively identifying pothole work that needs to be done. As of Tuesday, April 3, 191 internally generated work orders for pothole repairs have been completed in just the past seven days. Again, that’s just the number of potholes filled proactively. That doesn’t take into account the others that have been diligently addressed by DPW in response to requests registered via 311. So keep those reports coming, and help us ensure our roads are ready for the warmer weather.

Nearly 100 high school student participants the 2017 Mayor’s Summer Jobs Program: The goal of the Summer Jobs Program is to provide opportunities for youths in Somerville to work within the community while not in school during the summer months so that they can gain work experience and knowledge about the public and private sectors. In summer 2017, nearly 100 high school students participated in the program and gained essential employment experience. Applications are now available for this year’s Summer Jobs Program and are due no later than April 20, 2018. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/MayorsSummerJobs.

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, as well as interesting updates. To see more Somerville Data, visit the online Somerville Data Farm at www.somervillema.gov/datafarm.