Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com • Worcester Business Journal • 2 023 Economic Forecast 31 run their own businesses and operate various facilities in different capacities. Frisbie wants to install a slew of electric vehicle chargers to make the drive from New York City to Boston via EV easier for people whose cars don't have the range to do it. e travel stop will include charging stations and a gas station – because gas isn't going away for a long time, Frisbie said – and will cost $10 million to build, while the convention center will cost $7.5 million. Sturbridge has offered a 10-year tax exemption for the convention center, according to an article in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. e tax break will start at 100% and go down by 10% each subsequent year. Ameresco to build 131- acre solar array in Hawaii Ameresco, a renewable energy company based in Framingham, has begun construction on its new 131- acre solar energy plant in Hawaii. e Kūpono Solar Project facility is expected to produce 42 megawatts of clean energy, enough to power the equivalent of approximately 10,000 homes on the island of Oahu, reducing Hawaii's annual carbon dioxide emissions by over 50,000 tons. e project is a part of the joint venture started in 2021 by Ameresco and Phoenix-based Bright Canyon Energy to support the U.S. Department of Defense's long-term energy security program intending to bolster reliability and military capabilities of clean energy, as well as increase decarbonization. As such, the companies have entered a 37-year land lease agreement with the U.S. Navy. "Today, we are taking significant strides to strengthen our state's energy security and resilience, and thanks to the 'Ewa community, Navy, Hawaiian Electric, Ameresco and Bright Canyon Energy, we are now steps closer to reaching Hawaii's renewable energy vision of achieving 100% clean energy by 2045," Hawaii Lt. Governor Josh Green said in an Oct. 11 press release. e project is set to be completed in early 2024. Contractor fined for asbestos breach at Hanover Insurance Group HQ A Chelmsford-based firm has been fined for violations of asbestos regulations which occurred during work on e Hanover Insurance Group's headquarters on Lincoln Street in Worcester. Alpine Environmental, Inc. was fined $18,312 for its alleged violations, according to a March 21 press release from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental protection. MassDEP observed asbestos abatement work at the Worcester building had numerous large breaches, including rips in the air filtration unit, allowing air from the area to enter other areas of the building. is is against regulations, which require asbestos work to be completely contained and without leakage. "Asbestos is a known carcinogen, and by failing to follow required work practices, the company put workers, tenants, and the public at risk," said Mary Jude Pigsley, director of MassDEP's Central Regional Office in Worcester, in the press release. e work occurred at 440 Lincoln St. in Worcester, which is the 460,000-square-foot headquarters of e Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. It was not stated when the violations occurred. Jackson Restrepo learned the hard way how to succeed as both a landlord and real estate investor. The hard lessons he learned early in his c areer have paved the way toward prosperity today. Jackson studied the market, saved tenaciously, and built a partnership with Country Bank which has provided him with expert guidance every step of the way. C O U N T RY B A N K . C O M T HE Y ' V E BEEN PI VO TA L IN HOW W E' V E M A N AGED T O GR OW. " " JACKSON RESTREPO Woo City Property Management, Worcester Ameresco's solar array in Hawaii W Hanover Insurance Group's headquarters in Worcester

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