Stay safe during today’s extreme cold. Take a few minutes to review Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)‘s extreme cold safety tips.

Also be careful when using space heaters. Make sure to keep them away from anything flammable and use appropriate outlets.

L to R: Chief of Operations Christopher Major, Rafael Flores, John Blake, John Driscoll, John Mucci, Dennis Moynihan and Chief Charles Breen. — Photo courtesy of Somerville F.D.

Last week, five new firefighters were appointed to the Somerville Fire Department . They were Dennis Moynihan, John Blake, John Driscoll, John Mucci and Rafael Flores. The new recruits will begin their training  Tuesday.

2018 recipients of Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund (TNSF) grants pose with Tufts University President Anthony Monaco and members of the TNSF board. (Anna Miller/Tufts University)

Non-profit organizations in Boston, Grafton, Medford and Somerville are invited to apply for individual grants from the Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund (TNSF) until March 1, 2019. Awards will be made in amounts ranging from $250 to $2,000 and will be announced by the end of March.

The Somerville Community Preservation Committee (CPC) invites residents to join a conservation about options for a dog park in West Somerville at their Wednesday, January 23 meeting. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Visiting Nurse Association 3^rd floor community room (259 Lowell St), and seeks to receive community feedback if and where there is space for a dog park in West Somerville, and how dog parks can be effectively managed in a densely populated urban community. At the meeting, the Civic Space Collaborative will present their results from the Community Preservation Act funded study exploring the feasibility of locating a new dog park in West Somerville. The consultants will then seek community input on the findings from their study.

By Bob Katzen

Gov. Baker did not sign a bill that would ban 11 toxic flame retardants from children’s products, bedding, carpeting and residential upholstered furniture sold or manufactured in Massachusetts, except for inventory already manufactured prior to January 1, 2019. He was unable to propose any amendments to it because the 2017-2018 session ended on January 1 and the Legislature would not be able to act on the amendments.

·        All cars must be moved from City lots by 2 p.m. to avoid ticketing and towing

·        Property owners must clear sidewalks within 6 daylight hours of end of snowfall

The City of Somerville’s snow emergency will end Sunday, January 20, at 12 noon and normal parking rules will resume at that time. The information below offers tips to avoid ticketing and towing as well as strategies for being a good neighbor and staying safe in the forecasted frigid temperatures.

On Monday, January 21, City offices will be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Trash and recycling collection will be on a one-day delay all week. There will be no parking meter or resident parking permit enforcement on Monday.

• Move vehicles to EVEN side by 7 p.m. Saturday to avoid ticketing and towing
• IMPORTANT: Parking is no longer allowed in school lots during snow emergencies; other municipal lots are still available for parking
• School, Recreation, and Public Library activities canceled after 7 p.m on Saturday and all day Sunday; Libraries and ice rinks closed Sunday

Based on current forecasts, a snow emergency for the City of Somerville has been declared to go into effect at 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 19. To avoid ticketing and towing, all vehicles parked on city streets must be moved by 7 p.m. to the EVEN-numbered side of the street (unless signs posted on your street state otherwise). As always, ticketing and towing will not begin until four hours after the start of the emergency to provide vehicle owners time to find appropriate parking. The timing of the start of the emergency is thus well before the forecast start of snowfall to allow for this, as well as to provide snow crews time to prep and treat roads before precipitation starts.

(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.)

To the mayor and staff of the City of Somerville,

We recently  posted a petition online (https://www.change.org/p/strip-somerville-ma-of-its-tree-city-usa-status) asking the Arbor Day Foundation to strip Somerville of our “Tree City USA” status, and to withhold future awards until the city makes substantial, lasting, effective changes to the management of our urban canopy.

We thought deeply before taking this action. We are aware that this sort of public action can create lasting barriers to trust and collaboration. That would be a loss and a shame. Our hope is that this increased publicity will bring us together as a city to address a pressing and urgent issue.