Message from Executive Director Stephanie Scherpf

Dear Friends,

We hope you’ve been well while we had to hit the pause button due to financial hardship brought on by the pandemic. It’s been a winter slog but we have great news to share – we are bringing back furloughed staff and reopening ROOTED Armory Cafe & Farmstand on Tuesday, March 2 as hoped! 

This week, Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone submitted a proposal to the City Council to immediately increase investments in street safety and sustainable transportation. The proposal would create three new full-time staff positions in the Mobility Division to support traffic calming, transit-focused projects, public engagement, long-range policy planning, and complete-streets engineering.

Capacity limits stay status quo

The City of Somerville will not join the Commonwealth in the move to reopening Phase 3, Step 2 on March 1. Somerville will remain in the limited Phase 3, Step 1 stage of reopening that went into effect on February 1 until at least March 15.

“Discovery” by Verea Miller, acrylic on paper; part of the Somerville Museum’s “Art of Observation” exhibit, with works contributed by Jessica Howard’s Somerville High School portfolio class.

A virtual exhibit showcasing the drawings of Jessica Howard’s Somerville High School portfolio class is part of the Somerville Museum’s Art of Observation exhibit.

After meeting with artist David Campbell, the class was invited to draw what was visually interesting and meaningful to them in their immediate environment.

By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched to the intersection of Washington Street and Myrtle Street last week on reports of a motor vehicle accident with injuries.

Upon arrival, the officers observed a vehicle in the street turned sideways with heavy damage to the driver’s side rear quarter panel. The driver’s side curtain airbags were also deployed.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

A couple of years ago, we had to retrieve one of my favorite scarves that I left at Burton’s Grill in Burlington. I decided since it was right there, I’d do a little shopping at the Market Basket in the same complex.

Damage to the parked vehicles. — Photos courtesy of Somerville Fire Department

The Somerville Fire Department was notified of a fire in a parking garage at 449 Canal Street at 220 a.m. on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the garage and a fire on the fourth floor on the Great River Road side of the structure. The fire destroyed four vehicles and damaged a fifth. Heat from the burning vehicles also resulted in a portion of concrete collapsing. Three firefighters were injured by the falling section of concrete. Two other firefighters suffered minor injuries.

Ward 5 Councilor Niedergang has voiced concerns about adding additional personnel to the current Police Department, suggesting instead that a redirection of funds would be optimal.

By Alex Reidy

At the latest meeting of the Somerville City Council, Ward 5 Councilor Niedergang responded to Acting Somerville Police Chief Charles Femino’s ten-page paper on SPD staffing with an alternative method on how to go about “reimagining policing” and budget allocations.

Refining city policy on the use of surveillance technology and review of policing policy were highlighted topics at the latest meeting of the Legislative Matters Committee.

By Joe Creason

The Legislative Matters Committee held a remote meeting on Thursday, February 18. Five City Councilors as well as the City Chair, Vice-Chair, Liaison and Clerk, were present to discuss and approve matters on the legislative agenda.

The Surveillance Technology Use Policy has been an ongoing issue in Committee talks for the past several months. Impact reports, drafted for the use of each type of surveillance technology, were examined by the Committee. The ordinance language was reviewed to ensure that effective oversight could be carried out in every instance of surveillance technology use by a city department.