Join Ward 6 Alderman Lance Davis, the Somerville Capital Projects and Planning Department, the Somerville Public Library, and the project design team for upcoming meetings to discuss plans for the West Branch Library. A walkthrough landscape meeting will be held on Saturday, February 24, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the West Branch Library, 40 College Ave. A full community meeting will be held on Monday, February 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Community Baptist Church located at 31 College Ave. where we will review and discuss the findings from the walkthrough. For more information about the project, visitwww.somervillema.gov/westbranchlibrary, or contact Project Manager Robert Cassano at Rcassano@somervillema.gov or 617-625-6600 ext. 5126.

The city of Somerville is fighting back against regulatory opposition that blocked it from divesting the city’s pension system from the fossil fuel industry.

At its February 7 meeting, the Somerville Retirement Board approved a home rule petition that would allow it to divest from the fossil fuel industry. In June 2017, the SRB moved $9.2 million in assets, representing 4.5 percent of the system’s total funds, into a fossil fuel free index fund. The move was the first part of a four-part plan to move the retirement system’s assets out of funds that include the top 200 fossil fuel companies.

Sarah Loerzel was honored at an Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) International conference held in San Diego, CA, last week. Loerzel is a resident of Somerville, MA.

AFCEA International is a non-profit association serving the military, government, industry and academia as an ethical forum for advancing professional knowledge and relationships in the fields of communications, information technology, intelligence and global security.

By Jim Clark

Somerville Police received a tip last Saturday that a man, later identified as Tyreek Smith, of Medford, had posted threats of violence on Facebook.

In investigating the matter, police located the post in question, dated February 17, wherein Smith reportedly stated, “I wanna shoot up a school that s**t would be fun, just shooting a whole bunch of people who think the matter in the head.”

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(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)

A monthly look at ways to get involved with your city: Don’t just live in Somerville, be Somerville!

Community Preservation Act FY18 Application Accepting Comments through 2/22

An estimated $2.3 million in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding is available for historic preservation, open space and recreation land projects in fiscal year 2018. But before CPA money can be awarded, the projects need to be selected, and we need your help to prioritize the potential projects. Project information can be found at www.somervillema.gov/cpa by clicking on the ‘CPA Projects’ tab and then ‘2018 Projects.’ Written comments can be submitted by emailing CPA Manager Kristen Stelljes at kstelljes@somervillema.gov by Thursday, February 22. (CPA affordable housing projects will be funded through a separate Affordable Housing Trust Fund process later this year.)

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Few remember that back in 1934 then Somerville Mayor John J. Murphy proposed the construction of what he called a “Toleration” monument, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the burning of the Ursuline Convent in East Somerville. Murphy envisioned the tower as housing multi-denominational religious groups at its base, while the rest of the structure would serve as a “World Broadcasting Station and Aviation Beacon” spreading the idea of “Toleration” across the globe.

SHS Girls Basketball Class of 2018

The Somerville High School Girls Basketball Senior Night was held last Thursday evening just before the home game against Gloucester. Flowers and candy were given to the seniors, along with a Dr. Seuss book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, from Coach Sheila Freitas-Haley, who also thanked her assistant coaches Indira Evora and Karina Duran by presenting them with flowers. Melina Pimental’s mother paid for a DJ to play during the last home game of the regular season. The seniors now head into the playoffs for the upcoming tournament games.

Goodbye Board of Aldermen, welcome City Council, as the current membership pushes for a change of name for its body of legislators.

By Jim Clark

After much recent discussion within the community and among civic leaders, a change in the name of Somerville’s legislative representatives from Board of Aldermen to City Council is most likely soon to be a done deal.

At the latest regular meeting of the Board of Aldermen, an order was put forward asking that the City Solicitor prepare a Home Rule Petition to make the name change official.

“Ear” by Liane Noddin.

By Emily Blackwood

Some forms of art can be a little intimidating for those who doesn’t believe they possess the creative gene. But with mosaic, mistakes are not only acceptable, they’re encouraged.

“You don’t have to be perfect about everything,” mosaic artist and exhibition co-curator for the New England Mosaic Society Karen Edlund said. “You can cut up pieces of glass or pottery. You can break your grandma’s plate and put it back together and it doesn’t have to be perfect.”