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Every once in a while I leave the environs of Union Square to get a taste of the buffet of creativity we have in our city. In this case it was East Somerville.  After all, the Poet Laureate of Somerville Lloyd Schwartz resides there, as well as the renowned Mudflat Studios.

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Somerville poet Michael Steffen writes:  “This poem makes a nod to the 50th anniversary of the first moonwalk which took place on July 20, 1969.”

The City of Somerville Elections Department is seeking polling place workers for the Tuesday, September 10, preliminary election. To be eligible to work in a polling place you must be a registered Massachusetts voter. Polling place workers are paid $165 for the day and work from 6:30 a.m. until shortly after the polls close at 8:00 p.m. with a two-hour break. For more information, please contact Maria Pierotti at 617-625-6600 ext. 4200 or mpierotti@somervillema.gov.

The Somerville City Council Finance Committee of the Whole invites all interested community members to attend and speak at a Public Hearing on the Transfer of City-Owned Parcel, 82-D-1 in the North Prospect Block to the Somerville Redevelopment Authority (City Council Agenda Item #204755). The transfer would mark one of the final steps before the start of development of the first parcel in the Union Square Neighborhood Plan by master developer Union Square Station Associates (US2). The Hearing will take place on Tuesday, September 10, at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 93 Highland Ave.

This fall, Somerville voters will have the opportunity to cast ballots for Mayor, Ward City Councilor, City Councilors-at-Large, and School Committee members. A preliminary election for Mayor and Ward 3 School Committee, similar to a primary election, is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10. On this date, voters will be voting to narrow down the Mayoral candidates to two candidates and the Ward 3 School Committee candidates to two candidates. This is a nonpartisan preliminary and all voters may vote for any candidate running for either office. The general election will be on Tuesday, November 5.

Michael Winograd is the co-founder of the nation’s largest Yiddish cultural festival, Yiddish New York, and the artistic director of the world’s largest Klezmer workshop, KlezKanada. He’s also performed with master violinist Itzhak Perlman among many others, including revered Pakistani vocalist Zeb Bangash

Recommendations to be discussed at September 4 City Council Committee meeting

The City of Somerville Open Space Creation Task Force recently released a strategy memo with recommendations on new and innovative approaches for the creation of more open space in Somerville, the most densely populated city in New England. The 4.1 square mile city has been working to achieve its goal to create an additional 125 new acres of open space by 2030, with 105.1 acres left to go.

The City of Somerville is seeking to fill vacancies on three commissions under the purview of the Health and Human Services Department: the Human Rights Commission, the Commission for Women, and the Commission for Persons with Disabilities. Somerville’s boards and commissions offer an opportunity for community members with a range of experience, skills, expertise, and perspectives to share their talents and insights with their community. HHS will be accepting applications for the open positions until they are filled.

On Monday, Sept. 2, City and Public School Offices will be closed for the holiday. Trash, recycling, and yard waste pickup will be on a one-day delay all week. To check your trash pickup schedule, please visit: somervillema.gov/trash. For more info, please contact 311 (617-625-3311).