By George P. Hassett

In the winter they don’t shovel. And in the spring, they don’t clean up. That, according to Ward One Alderman Bill Roche, is how the MBTA keeps up their property in East Somerville.

‚ÄúThere is no cooperation,‚Äù he said of the MBTA’s response to neighborhood complaints about how they maintain their property. ‚Äú[Getting them to respond] is like pulling teeth.‚Äù

Roche submitted an order at last week’s Board of Aldermen meeting asking the MBTA
to clean up debris around the tracks near the Cross St. bridge. He said people use the area as an illegal dump, making the views from Chester Avenue and Tufts Street homes unsightly.

Nearby, an underpass owned by the MBTA and used by Somerville residents to get from Broadway to Sullivan Station is dark, dirty and dangerous. East Somerville resident Ellin Reisner said after rainy days when ice accumulates on the walkway she must hold on to the chain link fence to keep from falling. She has seen elderly pedestrians forced to walk in the street to avoid the ice, she said.

‚ÄúWhen I saw a little old lady forced to walk in the street I thought this is obscene,‚Äù Reisner said. But for years, she said community members could not get a straight answer about who was responsible for the walkway’s upkeep.

In March Reisner wrote a letter to the Globe about the problem and the MBTA admitted it was their land. She said the area has been cleaned up since then but remains dark, even during the day.

“[The sidewalk from Broadway to Maffa Way] is a huge entry point to Somerville. This would never be tolerated in the Back Bay,” she said.

A phone call to the MBTA before the News’ deadline was not immediately returned.