Mayor Curtatone spoke at last week’s ResiStat meeting, covering various issues confronting the city in general and Ward 3 specifically. — Photo by Donald Norton

By Donald Norton

On Tuesday, May 26, the Ward 3 ResiStat meeting was held at the SHS cafeteria. Approximately 80-90 area residents showed up to hear what is happening in the city as a whole, and in particular Ward 3.

The first to speak was Ward 3 Alderman Bob McWatters, who welcomed attendees and assured everyone present that he would be there throughout the evening for questions.

McWatters then introduced retiring Ward 3 School Committee member Adam Sweeting, who spoke briefly on his tenure serving on the board and how he hopes to finish out the year. Sweeting mentioned a new superintendent would be taking over and that he was looking forward to that transition.

Sweeting also mentioned that Somerville High School was ranked “level one” for two years as a top urban performing district in the state.

Sweeting then thanked everyone for supporting him over the years, and received a round of applause from everyone present.

Mayor Curtatone then addressed the gathering, focusing primarily on the budget that he was submitting to the Board of Aldermen for the next fiscal year, as well as the money spent this past February on cleaning up after the severe storms. The mayor said that the city had spent about $9.5 million and that because it was hopefully a once in a lifetime storm the city could write it off for over few years time, while getting monies from state and federal agencies.

The staff spoke on the status of the Prospect Hill tower renovation, indicating that a $500K budget was recommended for it, to be voted on by the Board of Aldermen. Work on the exterior of the tower is scheduled to begin this summer, with an estimated date of completion by September.

It was reported that a meeting took place at the Post Office on June 1 for Somerville by Design’s long-term view of what Union Square will look like.

The mayor, while receiving questions from the audience, mentioned that the city was hiring a full time arborist. He also updated attendees on the Green Line project and the progress it was making in coming to Union Square.