(The views and opinions expressed in Newstalk do not necessarily reflect those of The Somerville Times, its publisher or staff. The column has many contributors.)
Happy Halloween to everyone! We hope everyone out there is careful driving tonight, when children might be out trick or treating. Be safe!
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It’s about 50 days to Christmas. Get your shopping done early so you’re not caught out there along with everyone else.
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How do you like the new full color and better quality paper in The Somerville Times? Let us know on our website or on Facebook what you think.
***********************
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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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to a former alderman and great guy, Dennis Sullivan. A nice guy who served Somerville for many years and is still young. We wish him a very happy birthday. Happy birthday to Eric Erb, from Somerville, who is celebrating this week. Happy birthday to another good guy who served Somerville years ago, Charles Chisholm. He’s had some major health problems lately but is getting along better and hopefully will be walking this year after his many surgeries. We hope he has a great birthday. Big happy birthday to our own a great real estate agent here in Somerville, Clifton Verdieu, who grew up in East Somerville. He works out of the Norton Group RE office. And finally, happy birthday to another great guy and writer, Timothy Gager. A talented and great guy. We hope he has a great day. Happy birthday to everyone here and from the city celebrates this week. We wish every one of them a very happy birthday.
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New fall Learn-To-Skate classes for children, ages 4 to 18 at the local ice rink in Somerville will be held at Founders Memorial Rink, 581 Somerville Ave. in Somerville, starting on November 4, at 2:00 p.m. Use hockey, recreational or figure skates. Beginner, intermediate and advanced classes are available. For information and to register, call Bay State Skating School at 781-890-8480 or visit online at www.BayStateSkatingSchool.org.
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Miss watching the Board of Aldermen meetings on TV? You can view them in their entirety on Comcast channel 22, as well as on YouTube. Watch your city at work and see how these dedicated members of our community are serving you, the public. We can’t say this enough, watch the meetings on either cable broadcast live, or go online to YouTube to watch them. You will find some pretty hysterical information there about what’s happening in the city. This should be required viewing for everyone who cares about what is happening here. Even the committee meetings are online. After all, the Board of Aldermen is voting to spend your money. Wow, the raises some department heads are getting. Ask yourself, if you own property has your taxes gone down or stayed the same over the past 14 years? And do you remember what they kept telling us what the benefit of Assembly Square would be to our tax base? Watch and remember. Don’t let a small minority of a certain group run our city, be aware of what is going on, and VOTE.
***********************
Have you thought you’d like to do some writing, a little story about Somerville as either a newbie or Villen? We have about 80K people and we would love to hear about your adventures here in the city. Maybe you want to write about a particular subject like our Bob Doherty and Dorothy DiMarzio, or like Jimmy Del Ponte with his stories about the city. Or maybe you’d like to express your opinion like Bill Shelton. Not just the politicians, but those from our community. Give us a call at 617-666-4010 or email news@thesomervilletimes.com and tell us about your idea. We would love to tell it to the rest of Somerville.
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We’re still reading the lease on the Winter Hill Yacht Club, which has about two years left. We found something about there is not supposed to be a fence. We’ll get back to you on this. We’re reading it and we think if the city presses hard enough, along with the state delegation, the city can turn this is into a community place for the citizens of Somerville. Someone sent us some documents – about 40 pages or so – about the club, their lease and membership list. We’re going over it and will update next few weeks. But again, we think it’s a shame all that beautiful land and docks, and most especially the clubhouse, is being used by those that don’t even live here in the city. A vast majority – we hear 80%. maybe more – live outside of the city. It’s state own 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 you’re indicted, your invited.” Go by and check it out.
***********************
The Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC) is now accepting nominations for the 2019 Preservation Awards. During its annual celebration in honor of Historic Preservation Month in May 2019, the Commission will honor Somerville residents who performed significant restoration or maintenance efforts on designated historic buildings, or on non-designated buildings erected before 1967. The nomination period is open through Wednesday, November 21, 2018. Eligible property owners must have completed restoration and preservation work between January 2016 and December 2018. Owners may nominate their own property, or may be nominated by others in the community. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, removal of inappropriate siding materials, repair or restoration of damaged or missing architectural details, removal of enclosed porches or inappropriate windows, repainting with historic colors, and additions that are “historically sympathetic.” In addition to the formal award certificates from the City of Somerville and the Massachusetts State House, Somerville High School students will present winners with an original architectural rendering of their property. Nomination forms are available on the city Website at www.somervillema.gov/Preservation Awards, the first floor lobby of City Hall, or the Preservation Commission’s Office on the second floor of City Hall. For additional information, contact Brandon Wilson, Kristi Chase, Preservation Planner, or Logan Capone, Preservation Planning Intern at 617-625-6600, ext. 2500 or via e-mail: kchase@somervillema.gov,bwilson@somervillema.gov or lcapone@somervillema.gov.
Newstalk – October 31
(The views and opinions expressed in Newstalk do not necessarily reflect those of The Somerville Times, its publisher or staff. The column has many contributors.)
Happy Halloween to everyone! We hope everyone out there is careful driving tonight, when children might be out trick or treating. Be safe!
***********************
It’s about 50 days to Christmas. Get your shopping done early so you’re not caught out there along with everyone else.
***********************
How do you like the new full color and better quality paper in The Somerville Times? Let us know on our website or on Facebook what you think.
***********************
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.
***********************
Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to a former alderman and great guy, Dennis Sullivan. A nice guy who served Somerville for many years and is still young. We wish him a very happy birthday. Happy birthday to Eric Erb, from Somerville, who is celebrating this week. Happy birthday to another good guy who served Somerville years ago, Charles Chisholm. He’s had some major health problems lately but is getting along better and hopefully will be walking this year after his many surgeries. We hope he has a great birthday. Big happy birthday to our own a great real estate agent here in Somerville, Clifton Verdieu, who grew up in East Somerville. He works out of the Norton Group RE office. And finally, happy birthday to another great guy and writer, Timothy Gager. A talented and great guy. We hope he has a great day. Happy birthday to everyone here and from the city celebrates this week. We wish every one of them a very happy birthday.
***********************
New fall Learn-To-Skate classes for children, ages 4 to 18 at the local ice rink in Somerville will be held at Founders Memorial Rink, 581 Somerville Ave. in Somerville, starting on November 4, at 2:00 p.m. Use hockey, recreational or figure skates. Beginner, intermediate and advanced classes are available. For information and to register, call Bay State Skating School at 781-890-8480 or visit online at www.BayStateSkatingSchool.org.
***********************
Miss watching the Board of Aldermen meetings on TV? You can view them in their entirety on Comcast channel 22, as well as on YouTube. Watch your city at work and see how these dedicated members of our community are serving you, the public. We can’t say this enough, watch the meetings on either cable broadcast live, or go online to YouTube to watch them. You will find some pretty hysterical information there about what’s happening in the city. This should be required viewing for everyone who cares about what is happening here. Even the committee meetings are online. After all, the Board of Aldermen is voting to spend your money. Wow, the raises some department heads are getting. Ask yourself, if you own property has your taxes gone down or stayed the same over the past 14 years? And do you remember what they kept telling us what the benefit of Assembly Square would be to our tax base? Watch and remember. Don’t let a small minority of a certain group run our city, be aware of what is going on, and VOTE.
***********************
Have you thought you’d like to do some writing, a little story about Somerville as either a newbie or Villen? We have about 80K people and we would love to hear about your adventures here in the city. Maybe you want to write about a particular subject like our Bob Doherty and Dorothy DiMarzio, or like Jimmy Del Ponte with his stories about the city. Or maybe you’d like to express your opinion like Bill Shelton. Not just the politicians, but those from our community. Give us a call at 617-666-4010 or email news@thesomervilletimes.com and tell us about your idea. We would love to tell it to the rest of Somerville.
***********************
We’re still reading the lease on the Winter Hill Yacht Club, which has about two years left. We found something about there is not supposed to be a fence. We’ll get back to you on this. We’re reading it and we think if the city presses hard enough, along with the state delegation, the city can turn this is into a community place for the citizens of Somerville. Someone sent us some documents – about 40 pages or so – about the club, their lease and membership list. We’re going over it and will update next few weeks. But again, we think it’s a shame all that beautiful land and docks, and most especially the clubhouse, is being used by those that don’t even live here in the city. A vast majority – we hear 80%. maybe more – live outside of the city. It’s state own 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 you’re indicted, your invited.” Go by and check it out.
***********************
The Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC) is now accepting nominations for the 2019 Preservation Awards. During its annual celebration in honor of Historic Preservation Month in May 2019, the Commission will honor Somerville residents who performed significant restoration or maintenance efforts on designated historic buildings, or on non-designated buildings erected before 1967. The nomination period is open through Wednesday, November 21, 2018. Eligible property owners must have completed restoration and preservation work between January 2016 and December 2018. Owners may nominate their own property, or may be nominated by others in the community. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, removal of inappropriate siding materials, repair or restoration of damaged or missing architectural details, removal of enclosed porches or inappropriate windows, repainting with historic colors, and additions that are “historically sympathetic.” In addition to the formal award certificates from the City of Somerville and the Massachusetts State House, Somerville High School students will present winners with an original architectural rendering of their property. Nomination forms are available on the city Website at www.somervillema.gov/Preservation Awards, the first floor lobby of City Hall, or the Preservation Commission’s Office on the second floor of City Hall. For additional information, contact Brandon Wilson, Kristi Chase, Preservation Planner, or Logan Capone, Preservation Planning Intern at 617-625-6600, ext. 2500 or via e-mail: kchase@somervillema.gov,bwilson@somervillema.gov or lcapone@somervillema.gov.