Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

One of our family heirlooms is one of the last bottles of my grandfather’s homemade wine. It’s in a Ballantine Ale bottle. I remember my father saying it was either really good wine or very bad vinegar. It remains unopened in my kitchen cupboard but I thought I’d look into winemaking in Somerville by starting with my grandpa.

Owners Linda Gritz and Michael Katz of 3 Emerson St., a mid-18th century house on edge of new high rises, who would like to be designated as part of an expanded local historic district in Union Square. — Photos by Jeanine Farley

Some 60 participants – some from as far away as Sharon, MA – took part in a walking tour of Union Square last Sunday. The almost 3-hour walk, entitled Union Square on the Cusp of Change with New Developments and Sensitive Preservation, was led architectural historian Ed Gordon.

By Jennifer Purcell

It is no secret that certain areas in Somerville lack appropriate and accessible parking for all community members. Therefore, Somerville’s Traffic Commission came together last Thursday via Zoom in order to discuss a variety of these issues and work together to resolve them. This meeting’s focus was on the lack of handicapped parking spaces as well as people creating traffic in the most inconvenient of places.

The Somerville Fair Housing Commission, a nonpartisan group of citizens serving the community, asked candidates for Mayor and School Committee a set of questions about Fair Housing in 2021 and again this year, in 2023.

Question 3: What is the most important thing that Somerville landlords, property managers, real estate agents, or owners selling their homes need to know to further Fair Housing in Somerville? What would you do to increase compliance with Fair Housing law?

Construction work on the Squires Bridge in Somerville was completed ahead of schedule. As a result, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has resumed Green Line train service on the Union Square Branch last week.

SparkCharge, a mobile electric vehicle charging network designed to make EVs more practical for the general public. SparkCharge Project Manager Gamal Sofiadi with SparkCharge mobile electric vehicle charging. — Photo by Elemental Excelerator / Chris McIntosh

Nonprofit investor continues focus on centering communities through investments in traditionally excluded founders and deep commitment to workforce development

Elemental Excelerator, a leading nonprofit investor in climate technology for deep community impact, introduced its latest cohort, bringing its total amount of investments to $79M. With this latest cohort, Elemental is infusing another $12.5M into climate solutions and will spearhead the development of 15 transformative technologies crucial for heating and cooling our homes, reimagining critical resource extraction, advancing carbon removal and transforming our food system. These 15 climate companies will join an existing portfolio of more than 150 investments. 

(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)

By Will Mbah
Candidate for Somerville City Councilor at Large

In recent weeks, the City Council Land Use Committee has begun to discuss several proposed changes in the text of the Zoning Ordinance, which are intended to increase the numbers of housing units in transit-oriented zones.     

Somerville Police announced the sad news of the passing of the department’s K-9, Lobo. Lobo entered the police service with his handler Officer Timothy Sullivan on December 24, 2015. He proudly served the residents of Somerville for nearly 8 years until his sudden passing on October 15, 2023. Lobo will be missed by many, especially Officer Sullivan and his family, who have taken such great care of Lobo. Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.