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(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)
Dear Somervillians,
I would like to start a conversation regarding what I consider an issue in our beloved city: the significant amount of trash along the commuter rail line in East Somerville in a particular spot by the intersection of Walnut and Gilman Streets. I am not just talking about small pieces of plastic (which people should appropriately dispose anyway): I am talking about large pieces of furniture and similar items (hard to miss if you run or walk on Walnut St.).
I wonder if the city can look into the issue and perhaps make an effort to clean up to some extent. Ultimately, it is not the city’s fault if people have used that opening on Gilman street as dumping ground, but I think it is worth bringing this up to our community and perhaps find ways to prevent this from happening.
Paola
Somerville
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Hi Paola,
I did a group walk Wednesday with city officials along Gilman Street. We noted the excessive trash along the commuter rail. I will be submitting an order at this coming Thursday’s board meeting to address this accumulation of trash. I’m also happy to report that Gilman Street is on the list for testing our much anticipated rodent birth control program.
Paola, I truly appreciate that you are calling attention to this issue. I complained to the city about the pile of furniture and trash on the train tracks by Walnut and Gilman Streets last year and was told that the MBTA would be notified, but nothing ever improved.
I am also happy to learn from Alderman McLaughlin’s comment that the rodent birth control program will be implemented in this neighborhood. The rat issue in the Gilman and Jasper Street area is absolutely out of control. There seems to be a lot of neglect in this neighborhood (not just by the city, but by some property owners as well) and prioritizing solving the extreme rat and trash problem will have a major impact on quality of life for many residents.