Pages
Stay In Touch
More
© 2021 The Somerville Times. All rights reserved.
(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.)
Infrastructure repairs in and around Davis Sq. are badly needed, according to the advocacy group DavisNow.
The Central Business District in Davis Square has declined to a state of chronic disrepair that adversely impacts the safety of all who traverse it while negatively impacting commercial rents and the ability to attract and retain businesses. The state of disrepair of the sidewalks, crosswalks, trees, landscaping, signage, public art, lighting is not just unattractive, it is unsafe. But, as rough as the current conditions are for residents, visitors, and businesses, they can be fixed fairly quickly (within the current fiscal year) and for a modest investment (approximately $750,000).
For a City that has risen to national prominence for its innovative planning and quality of life, the state of Davis Square seems an aberration, an oversight that can easily be corrected. And the time to do it is now.
The Fix: Timeline and Price
One of Somerville’s greatest resources is its dedicated, talented citizenry. One such resident, Chris Iwerks, an architect by profession, along with retired businessperson Alan Bingham, has led the charge in diagnosing, documenting, and pricing the repairs necessary to restore the dignity of the Square. They created a 60-page “punchlist”, complete with photographs and history, presented to City officials in the Fall of 2018. Their volunteer efforts alone saved the City tens of thousands of dollars in professional planning and staff time. These two homeowners, along with a small band of others, have gathered information on appropriate vendors and timeline for the work. In doing so, they have provided information that corrects some false assumptions (such as the viability of repairing existing brick sidewalks) that previously stalled repairs.
Now, we are ready to urge the City on to the next step: completion of the “punchlist”. The one thing we need to move the project forward is an allocation of $750,000 in the 2020 fiscal year budget for the project.
The Urgency of Inclusion in the FY 2020 City Budget
Although Davis Square brings in a very large share of the City’s residential tax base as well as a stable commercial tax base, the city has not committed funds to undertake any capital projects in the Square over the next ten (10) years. There are long-term plans for more extensive infrastructure work in Davis Square, but they are projected to be more than a decade away and are not currently budgeted. If money is not allocated to repair the square now, it won’t happen.
To continue to allow the Square to decay will only cost the city more money in the future. A lawsuit from one person alone who trips and injures themselves on the bricks could result in legal/settlement fees for the City that are several times the cost of the entire repair. It’s only by luck that the city has not been sued already despite numerous falls. Why continue to gamble against the inevitable accident? Let’s address this problem now. It’s a complete win-win scenario: it improves safety, aesthetics, and quality of life for residents, businesses and visitors. It helps us market our city more effectively to residents, businesses, and visitors. It puts investment back into the area of our city that produces most of the residential tax revenue. As a bonus, it has great public relations and quality-of-life value as well. The “punchlist” repairs will be noticed and appreciated by all on a daily basis.
Davis Square Steering Committee,
Lee Auspitz
Alan Bingham
Rosemary Broome-Bingham
Marcie Campbell
Jack Connolly
Lynne Doncaster
Chris Iwerks
Ulysses Lateiner
Sandra McGoldrick
Thalia Tringo
If you found this article of interest, please consider sharing it.
I applaud the committee’s work. It is saddening and also puzzling why, despite all the tax revenue and gentrification, our city hall is seemingly incapable of maintaining a much cleaner and more manicured city. Somerville is littered with trash, flyers, broken sidewalk, potholes, dead trees, unkept trees, and numerous other blights that one would think a competent public works office using a reasonable budget could stay on top of.
Well, that’s it, then. Somebody needs to fall and sue the City. Or does somebody actually need to die before they finally smarten up?
Of course, if someone does sue, you can best believe the City will pay up, then increase our fees and taxes to cover their legal costs. And still not repair a damn thing.
Why? Because our city, our gentrified, under-construction, increasingly upper-class city just can’t afford to pay for repairs.
One elderly lady I know did fall and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Her husband also tripped there also. She got hurt pretty badly. They are both elderly. They are not people that would sue, so the city is lucky. The sidewalk on my street is similar, broken up bricks. My mother fell over 3 times but did not tell me until later on. You can’t go out in the street there as the cars speed around the corner. This is on Broadway and Fenwick. My father had tripped on the brick crossings but multiple complaints got nowhere. So they just stay tot he side of the crossing bricks now. For 20 year olds the bricks may be fine.