General: 1st Prize Lucy Borodkin, 27 Milton St.

Congratulations to the winners of the Somerville Garden Club’s Greening Somerville Garden Contest. On Wednesday, August 14, Mayor Joseph Curtatone presented the prizes for each category at Tufts Administration Building, Tufts University.

On September 15, Somerville resident Lexi Beckwith (EF Educational Tours Production Coordinator) and many others will enjoy a bike ride down car-free Storrow Drive and across the Emerald Necklace, exploring Boston’s vibrant neighborhoods by bike, and all for a good cause in Boston’s 15th Annual Hub on Wheels Citywide Ride.

A War Memorial walk is planned as part of an expansion of the current memorial in place at the site.

Please join the Somerville Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development and Ward 3 Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen on Monday evening, September 23, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for a community meeting to discuss the plan for the Central Hill Campus (Phase I). The meeting will be held in the Somerville High School cafeteria, 81 Highland Ave. Phase I of the Central Hill Campus Master Plan includes the renovation of Central Hill Playground and the installation of Memorial Walk East, a celebratory walk for the Korean and Vietnam War Memorials, and a new Service Memorial. This will be the second in a series of meetings to discuss the plan; a meeting was previously held on July 22, 2019.

(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 Joseph A. Curtatone

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

97%: The Somerville Fire Department responds to 97% of calls – including fires, medical calls, and other emergencies – in fewer than five minutes. The National Fire Protection Association has set a guideline of five-minute response times, which include both travel to the location of the call and the time it takes fire fighters to respond and prepare to go to the call.

Two former high school chums, Rich Keane (L) and Wayne Daley (R), met up for the first time in 59 years at the monthly reunion luncheon for the Somerville High School class of 1960 at Bickford’s Grille in Woburn on July 23. A good time was had by all who attended.

By Jim Clark

A man identified as Reginal Joseph came in to the Somerville Police station last Thursday to dispute a citation that was issued to him the day before.

The officer that issued the citation happened to be inside the station and once again explained the appeal process to Joseph.

Representative Christine P. Barber testified in support of a bill she filed, H3012 An Act Relative to Work and Family Mobility.

This bill would allow all qualified drivers, regardless of immigration status, to apply for a standard Massachusetts driver’s license. Driving is a key tool of economic mobility, and having a driver’s license allows people to safely get to work, drive their kids to school, and participate in their community.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

This article was first published in the September 26, 2012 edition.

Here is the third installment of places that no longer exist. I didn’t plan on it, but when I did the Woodbridge and Venice stories I also thought of the old Stephen James House. I tossed it out there on the social network, and reeled in some juicy stories about the old function hall/lounge/bowling alley.

East Somerville Main Streets, The Welcome Project, Connexion, Cambridge Health Alliance, and Somerville Media Center are excited to turn the Chuckie Harris Park into an outdoor movie theater September 6, 2019 (Rain date September 7).  This year’s films cover many genres and are from filmmakers representing a wide variety of countries.

Due to a meeting notice error, the Special Planning Board Meeting previously scheduled for Thursday, September 5, will be rescheduled.

The Davis Square Neighborhood Plan had been scheduled to be presented to the Planning Board at the September 5 meeting, but will now be presented at a future date that will be announced as soon as it’s scheduled. Planning Board meeting details will be posted to the city calendar, so please check there for details.