The Somerville Arts Council is partnering with Oompa, a nationally-acclaimed, Boston- born, poet, rapper, and educator, to present a Black, Brown & Queer, a QTPOC (Queer and Trans, person of color) multi-disciplinary arts festival. This will be a free, outdoor, community festival, with all of the artists coming from the QTPOC community.
Join Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Ward 1 City Councilor Matthew McLaughlin on Tuesday, August 27, at 11 a.m. for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the East Somerville School Field, located at 50 Cross St. The ceremony will celebrate the refurbishment of the existing synthetic turf field.
The Somerville Public Library is excited to announce the title of its tenth annual Somerville Reads campaign, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Copies will be available at all three Somerville Public Library locations as of September 3, 2019. Somerville Reads is a citywide reading initiative that encourages all Somerville residents to read and discuss the same book to promote literacy and community engagement.
The Somerville Fire Department will begin the annual inspection of all fire hydrants on Monday, August 19, 2019, and conclude on Saturday, August 31, 2019. This procedure requires the flushing of water from the hydrants as well as a check of the mechanical operation of the hydrant. The inspection/testing program will take approximately two weeks to complete.
The City of Somerville is accepting applications to fill 10 seats on the newly formed Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee. The committee’s input will support and guide city policies and plans to make improvements for public transit riders and pedestrians. Committee members will promote riding transit and walking and will work to create a more comfortable, safe, and enjoyable built environment for doing so. Community members committed to advocating for a robust multimodal transportation system are encouraged to apply to serve on the committee as members.
The Davis Square Neighborhood Plan comment period has been extended to allow additional input from community members. Comments will now be accepted through Friday, August 30. The plan will then be presented to the Planning Board on September 5, 2019. Planning Board meeting details will be posted to the city calendar, so please check there for details.
The Somerville Public Library and St. Mark Community Education Program will host a free, 12-part Citizenship Interview Preparation Class on Saturdays this fall in partnership with Project Citizenship. The class is designed to prepare participants for all parts of their citizenship test, from literacy to U.S. history and government while improving English speaking and listening skills.
Prospective students must have a basic level understanding of English and must hold a legal permanent resident card for five years, or three years if married to an American citizen.
To advance construction of the new Somerville High School (SHS), parking will no longer be available along the Central Library driveway off of Highland Ave. starting Monday, August 12. City contractors will establish a new work zone adjacent to the library to construct permanent utilities and foundations for the eastern wing of the new school. Library patrons will need to use on-street parking in the area for the foreseeable future. Two parking spaces on Highland Ave. at Walnut St. will be reserved for people with disabilities.
The Somerville Traffic & Parking Department announced this week that the rate for parking in metered spots within the city has increased to $1.25 per hour, a $0.25 increase. This increase is the first for meter rates in more than ten years. The Somerville Traffic Commission approved the new rates at their June 2019 meeting. The new rate is in line with other communities in the greater Boston area, and will help increase turnover of parking spaces in the city’s business districts and squares.
Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD), in collaboration with Block Properties, LLC are pleased to announce the affordable rental opportunities for two rental apartments, both located at 3 Ward Street, Somerville.The apartments are available for rent through the Inclusionary Housing Program via an application and lottery process for income-eligible households with a combined gross income that meets the income eligibility requirements detailed below.
Celebrate the season at “Seize the Summer,” the August installment of the City’s SomerStreets festival, on Sunday, August 4, from 2 to 6 p.m. between Davis Square and Teele Square on Holland Street. SomerStreets is the City of Somerville’s take on the internationally-renowned Open Streets concept, closing busy city streets to vehicles, and opening them up for cycling, walking, dancing, running, and other modes of activity.
Open Positions: one position available
Term: 3 years
Availability: Immediate
Join City staff on Thursday, August 15, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Winter Hill Community School cafeteria, 115 Sycamore St., for a quarterly meeting on parking changes on the Central Hill Campus. There is also a form on www.somervillema.gov/shsparking where community members can submit questions, comments, or leave suggestions about parking around Central Hill.
Please join the City of Somerville for a community meeting in regards to ongoing construction and design elements on Powder House Blvd. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31, at 6:30 p.m. at the West Somerville Neighborhood School, 177 Powder House Blvd., and will include a brief presentation with construction updates, parking study results, questions about the temporary, short-term solution to stripe a bike lane in one direction on a portion of the Boulevard, (see below), and the completion of traffic calming measures this summer.
As part of the ongoing reconstruction of the former Powder House Community School, located at 1060 Broadway, the pedestrian walkway connecting Broadway and Holland St. will need to be closed for approximately four months as the project team begins work on the new green space adjacent to the building. The walkway was originally expected to close in mid- to late-July, however that start date has been postponed. A new start date will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Sacramento St. underpass, beneath the MBTA Fitchburg Commuter Rail tracks between Beacon St. and Somerville Ave., will close to cyclists and pedestrians starting Thursday, July 18, for approximately three months. During the closure, cyclists and pedestrians should use Beacon St. and Somerville Ave. to travel around the work zone.
As part of this project, the existing stairs, concrete ramps, and railings will be reconstructed to improve usability and bring the underpass in compliance with ADA regulations.
Questions?
Please join the Somerville Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development and Ward 3 Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen on Monday evening, July 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. for a community meeting to discuss the plan for the Central Hill Campus (Phase I). The meeting will be held in the Central Library, 71 Highland Ave.
The City of Somerville is seeking to fill vacancies on eight essential boards and commissions appointed by the Mayor and coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. 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. The Mayor’s office will be accepting applications for the open positions through Monday, August 5, 2019.
As part of the ongoing reconstruction of the former Powder House Community School, located at 1060 Broadway, the pedestrian walkway connecting Broadway and Holland St. will need to be closed for approximately four months as the project team begins work on the new green space adjacent to the building. The walkway is expected to close in mid- to late-July, and remain closed through approximately November. During the closure, pedestrians may access Holland St. by heading west on Broadway to Teele Square, or east on Broadway to Paulina St.
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