By Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Last week was an important milestone in the most recent chapter of the Green Line Extension story. The state’s new project management team hosted an open house event to update the public and share their preliminary efforts to save money and get the project back on track. Once again, our community rose to the occasion admirably. Hundreds filled the Arts at the Armory. The message Somerville residents sent was clear and unmistakable: Find a way to get this done. Finish what you’ve started. Build the Green Line.

It can be frustrating to think about the fact that the Green Line Extension was supposed to be finished years ago, and many Somerville residents are just wondering when it will start. The silver lining here is that the project is already underway. MassDOT just published an analysis showing that the Commonwealth has already invested more than $700 million in the project.  You can see the evidence at the Ball Square bridge; the drainage pipes behind Joy Street, and many other locations up and down the project corridor.

Remember that the project budget is made up of two major sources: $1 billion in competitive grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration, and $1 billion in state special transit bonds.  With $700 million in “sunk costs” already spent, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollock has wisely framed our choice as follows: if we can get our project budget back in line and move the GLX forward again, we’re not just honoring and leveraging the $1 billion in federal funds that so many worked so hard to win.  We’re honoring and leveraging the $700 million that the Commonwealth has already spent.

At last week’s meeting, our residents, our neighbors and our regional allies articulated a dozen important reasons to complete the Green Line Extension: cleaner air; reduced traffic; economic growth; increased mobility; environmental justice; legal commitments. Many folks said it reminded them of 2004, when 700 of us missed the historic Red Sox-Yankees Game 4 of the the American League Championship Series to demonstrate solidarity around the Green Line.

The past few months have been difficult, as our region and our Commonwealth have collectively tried to understand what went wrong, and how we might fix it keep the Green Line moving forward. I’ve heard people wonder whether our grassroots, mom-and-pop advocates were so jaded and cynical by this point that they wouldn’t mobilize. What we saw last week was the people of Somerville and our neighboring communities send the message that they will not give up.

Don’t get me wrong, our community appreciates the need for fiscal responsibility.  Since September, we’ve always said that we commend Governor Baker and his team for working to get costs under control. But responsibility doesn’t need to mean austerity. Residents who made comments at the Armory last week rightly observed that we can’t cut so much out of the Green Line Extension that folks can’t access the stations.

One great thing about the new team at MassDOT is that they are literally asking for our residents’ help to understand the opportunities to save money while maintaining the spirit of the GLX. They know that we live with this rail corridor every day, and that we’ve been putting our blood, sweat and tears into the Green Line for a long, long time. So while last week was an important moment in the story, it’s not the only opportunity for you to contribute to solving our current challenge. There are four upcoming meetings where you can show your support: see www.greenlineextension.org or www.somervillestep.org for details. Trust me, you won’t be alone.