Logan Brill Cover Letter — File 26-0380

Logan Brill, EIT Dear Commissioner Drayton, I hope to join the Somerville Conservation Commission to support the city in pollution prevention, environmental protection, and green space planning efforts. I go to the Winter Farmer’s Market every Saturday that I can, and one of the community organization tables recommended joining a board or commission as another way to get involved in my community. I am interested in the Commission because I am passionate about low-impact design and green infrastructure. Somerville’s green spaces, gardening, and sustainability programs are my favorite things about living here. In the 10 years I’ve lived in Somerville, Medford, and Cambridge, I have gardened and attended events at the South Street farm, the Community Growing Center, Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville (MAMAS) gardens, and the Davis Square Bikeway Community Garden. I would bring 7 years of experience with regulatory analysis, environmental compliance, and stormwater pollution prevention from my work at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center since 2017. I have supported multiple teams on a wide range of environmental topics, including writing reports for both public and technical audiences and producing the relevant summary tables, graphics, and drawings. My primary team at the Volpe Center performs site visits, inspections, and compliance assessments for Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans, which includes developing a map and conceptual site model for each facility, showing the pathways to possible leaks or spills polluting the stormwater system or directly polluting the soil or bodies of water. To stay up-to-date on other topics, I volunteer for annual Rebuilding America's Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant application reviews and for the steering committee of Volpe’s cross-departmental Climate Change Best Practices education group. As a project evaluator for RAISE, my role was ensuring each project appropriately addressed the program’s technical merit criteria, including environmental sustainability and climate change. For three seasons, I have reviewed dozens of transportation planning and capital projects on their ability to meet regulatory criteria and on the strength of the data supporting their claims. The wide range of projects, from redoing roads to building bus or rail stations, has helped me develop an eye for what truly makes a good public works project and what indicates a need for more planning or preparation. Other than public transit, my main interest and focus of my studies at Tufts was bioremediation and nature-based solutions, including rain gardens and other green infrastructure. I hope to put my skills to use to help Somerville preserve and enhance its water resources and green spaces, and to learn more about local projects. Thank you for considering me for the commission. Sincerely, Logan Brill