Gay to mayor: Show some respect
By George P. Hassett

   A simple crack going up the side of an abandoned School Street building caused a deeper crack in the relationship of the past two Somerville mayors this week.

                 Donald Gay looks up at the building he hates.

   The building at the corner of Avon and School Streets is owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and has fallen into disrepair since it was closed thirty years ago. The building sports a visible crack on its side, and a broken fa√ßade overhead. In the 1980‚Äôs it was used as a ‚Äúshooting gallery‚Äù for heroin addicts.
In October the MBTA promised they would demolish the building. Little has happened since, said the Superintendent of Inspectional Services George Landers.

   When the sidewalk around the building was blocked off with yellow tape with no explanation given to neighbors, Kelly Gay became offended at what she perceived as a snub from Curtatone.
   ‚ÄúI‚Äôm incensed. I‚Äôm the closest abutter and I‚Äôm the former mayor ‚Äì I think that merits a call when my home and my family are in the most danger. We would be the ones harmed if this building were to fall to pieces,‚Äù she said. ‚ÄúAnd by the looks of it, that may not be too soon.‚Äù
    Kelly Gay said because of her involvement in city politics, neighbors rely on her to find out what is occurring in the neighborhood.
    ‚ÄúI couldn‚Äôt answer any of my neighbors questions, and when I tried to find out for myself, no one at City Hall had any answers,‚Äù she said. ‚ÄúI will be the first to admit I was not a perfect mayor, but I would have at least called someone in a neighborhood where there is a crumbling building and let them know what is going on.‚Äù
    Officials from the MBTA said they had placed the yellow tape around the building and were working to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
    Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Graney said the structural damage had not been remedied in an efficient manner but the MBTA was beginning to come around.
    ‚ÄúI expect they will get right on this now,‚Äù he said.
    For the Gay family, a solution can‚Äôt come quick enough.
    Donald Gay, son of Dorothy, said children from the nearby Cummings School walk beneath a safety hazard on their walk to school each day.
   ‚ÄúOur biggest fear is that a kid from the Cummings could be harmed. A falling piece of the fa√ßade almost caught a kid a few years ago,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúWe would like to have a park here and put the space to positive use, but the MBTA continues to yes us to death and do nothing.‚Äù
    MBTA officials admitted the injured building could cause damage to the Gay‚Äôs or their property and decided to take away a parking space on the street to ensure their safety. The parking space belonged to Donald Gay.