Mayor Joe Curtatone met with a wide cross section of Somerville residents March 29 at his office hours in Ball Square coffee shop True Grounds. ~Photo by Andrew Firestone

Residents call for cleaner streets, better business

By Andrew Firestone

Mayor Joe Curtatone met with a wide cross section of Somerville residents March 29 at his office hours in Ball Square coffee shop True Grounds, fielding questions about education and flicking cigarette butts in the street.

“Are you an attorney, Mr. Mayor?” asked C. Bill Best.

“I am by education,” Curtatone said. “I don’t practice anymore. You pay me to do something else.”

Best was joined by a small collective of Lexington Avenue residents, all neighbors, who shared their various complaints and concerns with Curtatone.  Best’s brother, Carlos, was worried, as the developer of the property had recently written him.

“[He] conducted some kind of survey,” said Carlos Best. They received a notice from a lawyer of the developer that their would need to cede immediately some of the property adjacent to the development site. The developer claimed Best’s fence as well as the neighbor’s, was encroaching on their planned driveway.

“Three feet on our side, and two feet on the neighbor’s,” said Best.

Curtatone recalled case law from his education at New England School of Law that stated active possession of property can lead to legitimate claims after 20 years.

“Let’s say that you had a fence 10 feet over my property and you were paying your property’s assess with an extra ten feet on your tax for 20 years and you had it in your possession,” he said, “you’ve taken it.” He remembered an issue involving public property he’d had to deal with years before.

Best added that his brother was short of the 20 year mark, having bought the land in 1993, but Curtatone told him that that might not necessarily spell the end.

While Curtatone said he would look into the legitimacy of the developer’s claims, he told Best that he would not have to move his fence immediately.

“I would never ignore a legal letter,” said Curtatone, “You need to respond, whether to tell them to go to hell, or we’ll talk, you have to respond in some avenue.” He advised Best to consult his legal counsel, and said that he would confer with his staff to facilitate appropriate action. “First thing in the morning, I will be on it.”

Curtatone was then joined by Genevieve Walsh a professor of mathematics at Tufts University. Walsh was flanked by her husband and two-year-old son.

“We just moved here two years ago, and we’re just so excited about Somerville, and Ball Square, love it,” said Walsh. “We love our neighborhood, and we love the, like, neighborhoodiness of it, and the community.” However, she said, the untidiness of her street bothered her. “There’s trash all over the streets.”

“We have rules,” said Curtatone, “we have regulations about how you store your trash and put it out, we’re very aggressive.”

She also inquired about dead branches which she said posed a danger to cars and houses on her street. Curtatone said these problems could be readily handled by using the 3-1-1 system, and even offered to place the call himself. He also said she could go on the website. “That’s awesome,” she said.

When conversation turned to the Green Line, the Mayor assured the family that the MBTA was legally bound to complete the project, which would reach Ball Square by 2015.

“Do you own [your house], Genevieve?” asked the Mayor.

“Yeah,” she replied.

“Never sell,” he said.

When Walsh asked about the public school system for her young son, Curtatone was able to indulge one of his favorite topics. With four children of his own in public schools Curtatone lauded the work of Superintendent Tony Pierentozzi and Music Director Rick Saunders.

“We’re investing in our schools, not just building, we’re investing in our kids,” said Curtatone.

“I can tell you’re really passionate about that and I really appreciate that,” said Walsh.

Developing the school system was part of his larger plan, said Curtatone. “If the schools are top-notch, nobody can compete with us, because we can compete and blow everybody away on everything else.”

Activist Courtney O’Keefe dropped by to discuss Magoun Square, as well as various trouble spots around the city, including the White Sport restaurant.

“I was at an event at White Sport, someone opens the door, flicks a cigarette,” said Curtatone, who was piqued. He recalled saying to the gentleman, “We invest millions of dollars to fix your neighborhood. We come here and sweep your sidewalks. You gotta give us responsibility, because you know what? ISD is coming down here tomorrow. It pisses me off,” he said. “White Sport’s a disaster.”

The conversation drifted over to the plight of retail in Union Square, awaiting the Green Line to unlock its potential.

“It’d be great if we had some business ideas going up [to the community meeting] because we just have an intense turnover rate,” said O’Keefe. “The retail stores, they’re just not working.”

Curtatone sighed, “we need an anchor like that,” he said. “A breakfast-lunch place.”

“They’re in-and-out in, like, three months.”

Finally was young David Smikle, a recent arrival in the city. “I’m interested in getting more involved.”

Curtatone, tired now from his bombardment, was still enthusiastic. “I’ll send you some of the committees we have available,” he said. “And also, we have Young Somerville. They’re looking for young leaders I’ll give you a ton of stuff.”

“I can’t do it without you,” said the Mayor.