Beasley's 'homemade weather station' aims to help homeless people survive street life

For years, people at the Beasley Neighbourhood Association have been working on a homemade, tech-savvy, green-energy weather station in Hamilton's 'Listerine Alley.'

The alley, tucked away on Robert Street near John Street North and Cannon Street East, was a popular stop for homeless people in the city, marked by mattresses, litter, needles and empty bottles of mouthwash drank by people with addiction issues.

With the alley cleaned up after years of work from neighbours and money from the city, the weather station may be ready this spring.

While the efforts to beautify the path displaced many of the homeless people who used to live there, Charlie Mattina, a community activist who sat on the Beasley Neighbourhood Association for years, said he hopes the station will close Hamilton's "digital divide."

"Internet is not accessible to everybody, especially when you're poor," he told CBC.

"Instead of giving everything to the privileged people who can access the weather whenever they want, why not show the weather to the less fortunate who are more exposed and vulnerable."

The station, originally a collaboration with McMaster University to collect weather data, is built from recycled parts, full of valves and clamps for kids to play with and an umbrella to shield the visitors from rain.

The key piece of the station is its 11-foot-orange pipe. Inside is a gear box connected to a wind generator that can produce up to 300 watts of power.

As people crank the valve — which needs some work before it's finished — they will produce electricity.

"This is self-sustaining and it's green power," Mattina said, adding that homeless people feel the brunt of climate change.

All that's left to add on is a "robot head" that will house a battery to power a smart light.

As people crank the valve, the station's light will be connected to Internet and the Weather Network, changing colours depending on the weather and air quality.

"Blue is for extreme cold, red is for extreme heat, pink is for precipitation, orange is for bad air quality, purple is for a storm warning and yellow is for UVs," he said. 

"If it's a nice, clear day, you'll see green light ... but it gives (homeless people) time to figure out what to do."

Mattina also hopes the station serves as a reminder of the alley's progress and a tribute to those who helped redefine it.

"This gives a presence that people care," he said. "We want to make sure we recognize where the alley came from."