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This Sunday, September 30, 12:00 to 5:00 p.m., it’s the very first “A Ball for Squares” block party in Ball Square. Join all the merchants of Ball Square in celebrating Somerville’s bounciest square for a beer garden from The Pub, food from all of Ball Square’s wonderful restaurants, crafts, activities, bands, and more. Sponsored by the Ball Square Business Association and Mayor Joe Curtatone. More information to come as time goes by. It’s going to be a great day here in the square and city.
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If you would like to subscribe to receive a digital edition of our paper, go directly online to our website – www.thesomervilletimes.com – over to the right side and fill out your email address to receive a free, full PDF copy of the paper. By the way, if you scroll further down, a link to former editions of the paper are online as well, and all recent legal ads have been online for anyone who needs the legal ad they just ran.
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We attended the latest neighborhood meeting regarding the closing of the Ball Square Bridge, held at St. Clements Hall. About 75 residents and business people attended. Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang spoke about the bridge closing and what keeps him up at night regarding the various detours and how it’s going to work out. He indicated he would be watching how the traffic flow was going to be and how much police presence is needed to help out. The spokesman from the T was very ineffective in explaining how the various routes would get around the closed bridge. One neighbor in the audience, former DPW commissioner under Mayor Ralph, Kevin Oliver, made some credible suggestions for the T and generally how the detours could work more effectively. The meetings will continue, but we noticed not a lot of business owners were present. One reason for that is people work hard and some get to work early in the morning, and when they close they run right home. A suggestion that maybe a direct meeting in the square with the various businesses might be a good idea, explaining how the traffic flow – or lack of it – is going to work. That’s our suggestion, a general meeting during the day, convenient to the business, not City Hall or the T or GLX people, but to the businesses themselves.
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Did you hear about the street utility pole that fell over this past Sunday? We heard that exact pole was reported to utility company officials two years ago. They said then that it was fine and nothing was going to happen. Well, now it fell over as predicted. Area residents lost electrical power and Belmont St. was blocked off. How many other utility poles are leaning over and will fall before the electric company fixes them?
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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to one of Somerville’s nicest and friendliest ladies, Joan O’Meara. What a nice lady. We wish her a special birthday to celebrate all week long. Happy birthday to the now retired SHC director who is always around the city, Mark Alston-Follansbee. A nice guy and we wish him the very best. Happy birthday to another lifelong resident, great guy Wayne Snow. We wish him the very best as well. Happy birthday to Richard Mangan. We wish him a very happy birthday as well. Happy birthday to Frank Ricardo, an old friend and a good guy. This week, our former publisher and friend Bob Publicover would have been celebrating. We hope he’s doing that up in heaven. Again, Happy birthday to all the other locals and former locals who are celebrating this week. We wish every one of them a very happy birthday.
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Someone sent us some documents – about 40 pages or so – concerning the Winter Hill Yacht Club, their lease and membership list. We’re going over it and will present an update over the next few weeks. But again, we think it’s a shame all that beautiful land and docks, and most especially the club house, is being used by those that don’t even live here in the city. A vast majority – we hear 80% or more – live outside of the city. It’s state owned land (belongs to the people) and they pay rent, but are they current? What is the amount they pay to the state? What benefit does Somerville get from it now? We know that some former criminals are members there, actually we heard someone say the other day “if your indicted your invited.” Go by and check it out.
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Are you retired and looking for part time work, and you’re experienced in sales? Give us a call here at The Somerville Times at 617-666-4010. We are looking for advertising telemarketers.
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The Board of Aldermen Committee on Open Space, Environment and Energy invites all interested community members to a Public Hearing on Trees. The hearing will take place on Wednesday, October 3, at 6:00 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chambers, City Hall, 2nd Floor, 93 Highland Ave. The Committee will discuss and invite brief public testimony on a range of issues relating to public trees and the city’s overall tree canopy including the tree planting schedule, tree canopy development, the coming new Urban Forestry Committee, the drafting of a Native Tree and Plantings ordinance, Green Line Extension-required tree removals, and potential tree plantings for Junction Park.
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The City of Somerville is seeking candidates for the its next Poet Laureate to enhance the profile of poets and poetry in Somerville and surrounding communities. The Poet Laureate is expected to help expand access to poetry in parts of the community that traditionally have less exposure to it like older adults and youth. The Poet Laureate, a position appointed by the mayor, will serve a two-year term beginning in January 2019 and will be provided an honorarium of $2,000 per year. The Poet Laureate will be chosen based on a series of criteria, including excellence in craftsmanship, professional achievement, and creating a vision for the position. To download the guidelines and application, please visit www.somervilleartscouncil.org/poet. Applications are due by Monday, November 5 at the close of business. For more information, please contact Arts Council Director Gregory Jenkins by email at gjenkins@somervilllema.gov or by calling 617-625-6600 ext. 2985. Since 2015, the City of Somerville has supported a Poet Laureate. Nicole Terez Dutton served as the first poet in 2015 and 2016. The term of the second poet, Gloria Mendock, will expire in December 2018. Both poets have provided readings for city inaugurals, worked with local schools, and hosted public readings with other poets.
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The Somerville City Club is looking to increase its membership. For the time being membership is open to any resident here in the city It’s a great organization that has been around a long time, with lots of activities that support local charitable groups here. Contact the club on Innerbelt Road across from Holiday Inn for more details.
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To my fellow residents of Ward 5. Do not be fooled by the fake outrage of your Ward Alderman (Mark Niedergang) over the inevitable Broadway Bridge closer. Mark knew at least 1 year ago that the bridge closure was happening, and he conspicuously sat on that secret while doing nothing to advocate for an alternative approach to closing the entire bridge. When you are angrily sitting in insurmountable traffic caused by his lack of effort to fight for your quality of life, make sure to remember Mark Niedergang is directly responsible for this boondoggle.
Mark could care less about your outrage and the negative impacts to the local Ball Square businesses. All Mark cares about is pushing forward his personal agenda. Currently, Mark is the Puppet Master within the BOA. President Ballantyne might have the title, but it’s Alderman Niedergang who is driving the divisive issues throughout our community. It’s his pet projects (transfer fee, right of first refusal, etc.) that are sucking up all the time of the BOA, all the while going nowhere… Zoning overhaul, who needs that? We as a City have Mark Niedergang submitting resolutions (#19464) calling to “Prevent Nuclear War, urging the US government to take steps to avoid nuclear war, such as renouncing the first use of nuclear weapons, taking nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert, and ending the unchecked authority of the President to launch a nuclear attack.” I think we can all agree nuclear war is bad, but if Mark’s focus is on nuclear war instead of the current issues impacting Somerville (which he was elected to represent) then he needs to run for Congress.
He is a long-time established politician regardless of the BS he speaks in public, he is old, white and out of touch just like Capuano. Mark’s time has run the course. It’s now time to go Mark, you’re as stale as two day-old bread at Market Basket. Ward 5 needs new ideas and fresh representation.
Just remember, Mark’s fake outrage with the Broadway bridge closure will soon become your day-to-day outrage when your quality of life comes to a screeching halt.
Dear Irate, spot on.
I am glad that people are beginning to see Mr. Niedergang’s true colors. It was very obvious when he nonchalantly announced the bridge closure as if he were announcing that today is Thursday. It wasn’t until people responded in anger that he began to speak about looking for other solutions. I feel bad for all those in Ward 6 who will be impacted negatively because they don’t even have the pleasure of voting against him. He has hid his history within the city, with the help of lots of our old-time politicians.
I have heard from someone in HR that the Treasurer/Collector position, which is open, only received two resumes. This has resulted in the town hiring an expensive consultant.