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By Joseph A. Curtatone

Taking a closer look at notable city data – and interesting numbers. 

2,411 potholes: For many New Englanders, potholes are the true first sign of spring. The Department of Public Works has filled more than 2,400 potholes so far this fiscal year (FY2019 began on July 1, 2019). More than 75% of those potholes were filled proactively, while the others were filled because of service requests from residents, mostly through 311. Winter can be especially hard on our roads and the temporary material DPW can use over the winter (called cold patch) isn’t a long-term fix, so filling potholes really ramps up with the warmer spring weather. Although DPW crews have located and filled many potholes around the City, we always benefit from more eyes on the street. So, please, report potholes you see through 311.

2/3 of parks: Over the past 15 years, we’ve renovated 2/3 of the City’s parks, and, when the opportunity has presented itself, we’ve added additional green space. In a densely populated city like Somerville, parks and open spaces are particularly important because they often fill in for the yards many residents don’t have. Just like in years past, we’ll be doing work on a few of Somerville’s parks this spring and summer. Some of the work happening this season is finishing touches on parks like Hoyt Sullivan and Lincoln Park, which have already seen major work. For sites like the Allen Street Playground or Harris Park most of the work will be happening behind the scenes to get construction plans in place for work to start later in the season. Unfortunately, once construction starts that often means the park is out of service. You may have noticed that Prospect Hill Park closed earlier this month for renovations. The park will reopen in 2020 with ADA accessible paths, new lighting and signs, and traffic calming measures on the streets around the park, among other features.

165 trees: This spring the City’s Urban Forestry staff is planning on planting at least 165 trees. That includes 20 trees that will be planted along Great River Road in Assembly Square in collaboration with the Mystic River Watershed Association and five trees that will be planted at Edward Leathers Community Park as part of Arbor Day and SustainaVille week activities. If you want to join that planting, meet at the park at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 27. Meanwhile, the Urban Forestry team is developing the specifics of the planting plan for the other 140 trees. Tree requests for future seasons may be submitted to 311. The arborists regularly review requests for site suitability and work to schedule plantings where possible.

75+ acts: The Somerville Arts Council held the first PorchFest in 2011 (after an alert resident suggested we borrow the idea from Ithaca, NY). Since then the event has grown in both popularity and the number of acts that perform and has become another marker of spring here in Somerville. It’s become a fun way to explore your own neighborhood and visit other parts of Somerville. Right now more than 75 acts have signed up to perform on porches and in yards across the city on Saturday, May 11. If you visit www.somervilleartscouncil.org/porchfest/2019 you can see both a list and map of the acts  so you can start making your PorchFest plans now.

Data-based decision making is at the core of how the City of Somerville develops policy and sets priorities. Every day we check the latest 311 stats, and throughout the week we meet for in-depth review of departmental data and city trends. The Data Download column shares some of the data we’ve been reviewing recently, as well as interesting updates. To see more Somerville Data, visit the online Somerville Data Farm at www.somervillema.gov/datafarm.