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Upcoming Vision Zero Safe Streets Meetings and Public Hearing

Thursday, March 21, 2019
 The City of Somerville has been working to produce a strategic plan to guide its safe streets work, using the global “Vision Zero” movement as a framework to eliminate traffic crashes that result in severe injuries and fatalities.  A series of community engagement opportunities have been scheduled for residents and stakeholders to discuss the City’s public policy framework around safe streets. Upcoming opportunties include: 

Mayors of Cambridge and Somerville Partner to Establish United Legal Defense Fund for Immigrants

Monday, March 18, 2019
 Mayor Marc C. McGovern and Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced this morning the establishment of the United Legal Defense Fund for Immigrants, a partnership between the Mayors’ Offices and the Cambridge Community Foundation. “By unifying efforts to raise funds for the most vulnerable families in our community, we can help valued neighbors and stabilize families impacted by the stress and uncertainty of ongoing shifts in TPS and DACA status, and those seeking asylum.”

Joint Statement On New Zealand Mosque Attacks

Friday, March 15, 2019
 In Somerville, we pride ourselves on being a city that is home to people from all around the world and of every religion. So, when an atrocity like the mosque attacks in New Zealand takes place, we feel it here. We want to state emphatically our revulsion over this type of prejudice-driven violence and our solidarity with the people in our local Muslim community.

Somerville Council Committee May Vote on Proposed Condominium Conversion and Short-Term Rental Ordinances on March 21

Friday, March 15, 2019
 The Somerville City Council wishes to inform the community that two significant votes may take place on Thursday, March 21. At the 6 p.m. meeting of the Legislative Matters Committee of the Whole at City Hall, Committee Chair & Ward 5 Councilor Mark Niedergang believes that votes may be taken on the Proposed Condominium Conversion Ordinance as well as the Proposed Short-Term Rental Ordinance.

Somerville Community Preservation Committee To Hold Community Preservation Plan Hearing; Pre-Application Workshop

Friday, March 15, 2019
 SOMERVILLE – The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) is holding their annual Community Preservation Plan public hearing on Wednesday, March 25, at 7 p.m. in the 3rd floor Community Room at the Visiting Nurse Association, 259 Lowell St. The Community Preservation Plan establishes the annual funding priorities and allocations for the three categories that Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds can support. From fiscal years 2015 to 2018, the annual funding minimums were 45% for affordable housing, 15% for historic resources, and 15% for open space/recreation land.

Public Hearing Tues. 3/12 on Regulation of Private Tree Removal

Thursday, March 7, 2019
 The Council would like to thank all who attended and testified at the March 12 Public Hearing on Regulation of Tree Removal on Private Property. On April 4, the Legislative Matters Committee will begin discussion of the Proposed Tree Preservation Ordinance linked to here. The Council encourages the public to continue to participate in this important effort to best protect the mature urban forest and significant private trees.

March 11 Meeting to Discuss Parking During Somerville High School Building Project Postponed to Monday, April 8

Thursday, March 7, 2019
 With the groundbreaking for the new Somerville High School building project behind us and construction underway, gradual changes to parking options on the Central Hill Campus (which includes City Hall, Somerville High School, and the Somerville Public Library) and the surrounding public streets have begun. Join City staff for a series of public quarterly meetings where updates about parking changes, new data collection, and strategies for impact mitigation will be discussed.

Bridge Closures to Support Green Line Extension Begin March 22

Thursday, February 28, 2019
 To complete the next phase of work on the Green Line Extension (GLX) Project, the Broadway bridge, between Ball Square and Magoun Square, will close for construction for approximately one-year beginning March 22. This is the first in a series of three 8- to 12-month closures planned for 2019: Closures on Washington St. and Medford St. will follow in April and July, respectively. Wider bridges will be constructed at each location to accommodate the new light-rail service, among other improvements.  

GLX Public Meeting to Discuss Washington St. Bridge Closure, Wednesday, March 13

Monday, February 25, 2019
 Please join Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 1 City Councilor Matthew McLaughlin, Ward 2 City Councilor J.T. Scott, Ward 3 City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, City of Somerville staff, and representatives from the GLX team for a community meeting on Wednesday, March 13, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to discuss the upcoming Washington St. bridge closure and detour routes. The meeting will be held in the auditorium at the East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross St. 

City Seeking Participants for 2019 Energy Efficiency Program

Thursday, February 21, 2019
 Somerville residents and the City both stand to benefit if 230 Somerville households sign up for a no-cost Mass Save® Home Energy Assessment in 2019. The Mass Save Program can help Somerville property owners and tenants save on energy and maintenance costs, increase the home’s comfort and value, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, if 230 households complete no-cost Home Energy Assessments and a cumulative 300 energy upgrades, the City can receive up to $8,700 in grants from the National Grid Community Initiative.

Somerville Files Lawsuit Against 19 Opioid Companies

Wednesday, January 30, 2019
 Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced that the City filed suit today against opioid manufacturers and distributors, including the chain pharmacy Walgreens as a distributor, for their alleged deceptive and illegal promotion of opioids and failure to investigate, report, maintain effective control, and take steps to terminate suspicious orders of the highly addictive prescription drugs.

Lloyd Schwartz Named Somerville’s Third Poet Laureate

Wednesday, January 16, 2019
 The City of Somerville announced this week its third Poet Laureate, Lloyd Schwartz. Schwartz is a Somerville resident with an impressive literary background including his current work as the Frederick S. Troy Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His poetry collections include These People; Goodnight, Gracie; Cairo Traffic; and most recently, Little Kisses (University of Chicago Press).

Community Preservation Committee Seeks Input on West Somerville Dog Park Feasibility Study

Tuesday, January 15, 2019
 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 3rd 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.

Somerville’s Board of Aldermen to Become City Council

Friday, January 4, 2019
 The City of Somerville’s legislative body will officially become the Somerville City Council (formerly the Board of Alderman) on January 31, 2019. The name change was approved when Gov. Charlie Baker signed a home rule petition on January 1 requesting the switch to City Council. “I am very happy not to be called an elder man anymore,” said City Council President Katjana Ballantyne.

Somerville Seeking SomerVision 2040 Committee Members

Thursday, January 3, 2019
 SOMERVILLE — If you’re interested in big issues like housing, development, job creation, and open space we need your help in planning for the future of Somerville. As part of the launch of SomerVision 2040, the City of Somerville is seeking members for a steering committee that will help shape the community process and immediate goals.

Community Note: City Seeking Responses to Transportation Survey

Wednesday, December 19, 2018
 Are you a Somerville resident with 15 minutes to spare? The City of Somerville would appreciate your response to a shared mobility survey that will help us plan for future transportation needs. The survey, which takes about 15 minutes to complete, asks questions about your current modes of transportation as well as options you might consider in the future, like autonomous vehicles.

Somerville Board of Health Restricts Sales of Menthol & E-Cigarettes

Tuesday, December 18, 2018
 Citing concerns over health impacts on youth, the Somerville Board of Health voted on December 13 to restrict the sale of electronic nicotine delivery systems (e-cigarettes) and menthol cigarettes in Somerville. The new regulations will end the practice of allowing such products to be sold in retail establishments open to youth. Starting April 1, 2019, the sale of both menthol and e-cigarettes will be restricted to 21+, adult-only tobacco retail stores. Somerville is the first municipality in the Commonwealth to pass such regulations.

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