~Photos by Donald Norton

Greentown Labs, the largest clean technology incubator in the United States, officially opened its expansion site, the Global Center for Cleantech Innovation on Wednesday of last week.

Sawyer “Thomas” Lawson performed a rap at the Somerville Youth Peace Conference, “A Tale of Two Cities: Voices Unheard,” on May 12. — Photos by Shira Laucharoen

By Shira Laucharoen

“What’s the point of building that new high school if families that immigrated here can’t live here?” asked youth organizer Javier Grullon in his speech Luxury We Can’t Afford.

Join the Somerville Chamber of Commerce for this year’s Business Town Meeting XIII with Mayor Joseph Curtatone: The business & economic agenda Q&A session. After Hours reception at Saloon, Rockwell, 255 Elm Street (next to Foundry on Elm, Davis Square), Thursday, May 17, 4:30 p.m. The Rockwell opens at 5:00 p.m. The Business Town Meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Free appetizers, excellent networking, free drawing for weekend stay at Holiday Inn. Produced by the Somerville Chamber of Commerce’s new group Arrowstreet Inc, Distinctive Hospitality Group/Holiday Inn, Federal Realty Investment Trust, Innerbelt Industrial Center, KEMS Holding Corporation, Rafi Properties, Tufts University, Union Square Station Associates. Limited seating, first come, first served. RSVP with name(s) and affiliation(s) for you and your guest(s) to smackey@somervillechamber.org.

(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)

As a taxpayer, I want to make sure Somerville spends its money according to the progressive values we hold dear. I want to urge the Board of Alderpersons to oppose any and all handouts to Clarendon Hill developer Redgate, a wolf in sheep’s clothing that refuses to give our working families a hand up. First, Redgate got city leaders to sell them the five-acre Clarendon Hill parcel—right next to the T—at a massive discount. Redgate paid the city less than $16 million—well below market value. Some have speculated the land could be worth more than twice that!

Somerville residents gathered at Healey School last week for an update by city planners on a proposed development for the long dormant Star Market lot in Winter Hill.

By Donald Norton

On Tuesday, May 8, Ward 4 Alderman Jesse Clingan, along with a number of Planning Department staffers, held a neighborhood meeting at the Healy School to update the public on what is going on at the Star Market lot in Winter Hill.

Eagle Feathers #153 –The Big Top

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The Somerville Gateway Mural, also known as the Washington Mural, is located in the heart of Union Square. It is painted on the east side of the Barristers Hall Building. It depicts horseman General George Washington witnessing his troops raise the first American flag on Prospect Hill on January 1, 1776.

Update: Event has been rescheduled due to a forecast of bad weather, it is moved to June 2, 2018

I interviewed Francine LaChance at the Bloc 11 Cafe about the Grolier Poetry Festival coming up this Saturday. LaChance wrote a small piece about this important poetry event for Off the Shelf:

*

Former Somerville resident Marc Zegans is a poet and a creative development advisor. He is the author of four collections of poems, Boys in the Woods, The Underwater Typewriter, The Book of Clouds, and Pillow Talk, and two spoken word albums, Marker and Parker, and Night Work. Marc’s latest verse project The Typewriter Underground will be staged as a multi-media immersive theater performance at Henry Miller Library, Big Sur on June 15. Marc’s poetry can be found at marczegans.com, and his creative advisory practice at mycreativedevelopment.com.

Over the past five years residents and business owners have work with planners from the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development to envision the future of Davis Square. Now, there’s another opportunity to weigh in. The Davis Square Neighborhood Plan was recently released and is ready for review. If you are interested in submitting comments on the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan, please send them to planning@somervillema.gov by Friday, June 1. To read the plan and learn more about the public process that went into it, visit www.somervillebydesign.com.

Arrests:
*

Douglas Brioso, of 12 Wright St., Stoneham, May 7, 11:33 p.m., arrested at Alewife Brook Pkwy. on charges of carrying a firearm with ammunition, firearm serial number defaced, and drug possession to distribute.

Woodly Dodieu, of 37 Johnson St., Taunton, May 8, 8:02 p.m., arrested at New Washington St. on charges of operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license, drug possession to distribute, and furnishing a false name or Social Security number.