On Saturday, March 25, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Somerville Teachers Association will be having an “alumni tour” of the old high school. This is a chance to see and walk through the old corridors once again before the school is torn down to make room for the new one. No admission fee is being charged, but donations to the STA scholarship fund will be gladly accepted. It’s a great opportunity to reminisce about your days at the old high school. Parking is available around the school in various lots. Please enter at the main entrance of the school.

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Happy birthday this week to the following: Happy birthday to the well-known Sean Fitzgerald, who is celebrating this week. We wish Sean a good day. A big happy eighth birthday to Ella McGlashing, who is celebrating this week. Happy birthday to Nancy Trane, a great lady. We hope she has a great day for herself as well, and hopefully Bob either cooks for the day or takes her out! Happy birthday to a wonderful person from a great family, Christine Resmini. We hope she has a great day as well. Happy birthday to Steven Buckley of East Somerville, a great guy from a large family that goes way back. We hope Steve has a great day. Happy birthday to good guy and friend Eamon Fee, who celebrates this week. Happy birthday to another good guy, Rod Kreimeyer, who is absolutely enjoying his retirement, and we think that’s great. We hope Rod has a great day. Happy birthday to David Mangan. We hope David has a great day for himself as well. To all those that are also celebrating this week, we wish a happy birthday.

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Have you noticed more and more potholes in the streets lately? We’d say call your alderman but they will only refer to you 311. The days when you could call an alderman and get things done in the ward seem to be over. Maybe one should call the DPW directly and ask for Commissioner Koty.

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We have city elections every two years, the majority win. Now the mayor wants to appoint a committee for Board positions. He’s looking for recommendations from the BOA. Now, why have elections if you’re going to appoint people to make recommendations? These people are not accountable and can be purely political. Board of Alderman members receive $40K a year for a so-called part time job. The mayor receives over $183K and they want to appoint to a committee to get recommendations. Why not just have people submit resumes to the Personnel Department? The Director of Personnel by now SHOULD have a college degree, don’t you think?

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Somerville Rotary is having their annual Giggles Comedy Night at Giggles Comedy Club, Rt. 1 in Saugus, on March 29, at 6:00 p.m. It’s a great event and lots of fun. Professional comedians, plus an auction and raffles throughout the night. Proceeds to benefit the many local Somerville charities. The ticket price is $30. Contact Donald Norton at 617-623-6600 for tickets (also at the door) or for further information.

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We hear that Tony Albrandi is sort of back at the barber shop after his long time absence due to heart surgery. Drop in and say hi.

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Join Somerville Recreation for its 4th Annual Rec Kickoff Fair on Saturday, March 3, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Somerville High School Field House. This year they are celebrating 100 Years of Recreation. Come learn about all the programs and opportunities Recreation has to offer. Enjoy demonstrations from vendors, face painting, balloon animals, bounce house and much more. Come and reminisce on the past 100 years of Rec with old pictures, videos, and playground games. There’s something for everyone at the Rec Fair.

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Demets Donuts in Medford is getting very busy, but those donuts and the large variety are like the old Day’s Donuts, huge and tasty. Almost a sin facing you when you come in for just coffee. It’s hard to not get that jelly or lemon, not to mention the coconut donuts. The Somerville Times is available every Wednesday at the donut shop. Stop in, get a coffee and few of those delicious donuts, or maybe the real – and we mean real – egg sandwiches, from real eggs.

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Don’t forget, if you miss the Board of Aldermen meetings on Somerville City Cable (Comcast 22, RCN 13) or online at https://www.somervillema.gov/video every other Thursday night, you can view them in their entirety by going to http://somervillecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens. Watch your city at work and see how these dedicated members of our community are serving you, the public.

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The mayor wants to institute a transfer tax on those wishing to sell their homes, anywhere from 1% to 2%. which will go to the City Treasury (probably to buy some more city vehicles – doesn’t it seem like everyone working for the city has one?). Did you know the city already gets a piece of the sales tax? Check that DD slip next time you get a cup of coffee. We hear that the new current Board is excited to pass this tax on to us, the taxpayers. It seems like the city has never done a tax cut, not even once, but looks like it is in the hands of the Board of Aldermen. One wonders about the constitutionality of it.

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Another thing to watch and make sure your voice is heard is the new zoning proposal as this Board of Aldermen is taking another look at the proposed changes. They will affect everyone in the city in all parts of the city. You can go online to the city website and view the suggested changes. We will keep you notified of the public hearings. As of now, March 3 at City Hall is the next scheduled public hearing. We ran a story on it a few weeks ago, so go back and read it if you haven’t already.

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Join Ward 2 Alderman JT Scott, Ward 3 Alderman Ben Ewen-Campen, and the city’s Capital Projects & Planning Department for a community meeting on Wednesday, March 14, to discuss upcoming construction on Somerville Ave. as part of the Somerville Ave. Utility and Streetscape Improvements Project. The meeting will be held in the Academy Room of the Public Safety Building, 220 Washington St., beginning at 6:30 p.m. The project funding was approved on December 14, 2017. The project is currently in construction bid phase. Construction will begin in April 2018, and addresses legacy storm water flooding issues in and around Union Square as well as streetscape improvements on Somerville Ave. between the Bow St./Washington St. intersection and Medford St. For more information, please visit www.somervillema.gov/somervilleave.