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).

Learn about proposed improvements to Broadway in the Winter Hill neighborhood and share your feedback at a community meeting on Monday, February 4, at 6:30 p.m., in the Healey School cafeteria, 5 Meacham Street. Proposed work includes creating a dedicated bus lane on a portion of Broadway, as well as bike lanes, additional crosswalks, and looking at traffic signal timing.

Learn more at https://www.somervillema.gov/events/2019/01/29/canceled-planning-board-a...

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.

As part of the next phase of the Somerville Ave. Utility & Streetscape Improvements Project, City contractors will set up a large work zone in Union Square on or around February 19. It will remain in place for approximately six months.
 

Mayor Joseph Curtatone, Ward 7 City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne, Somerville Police Chief David Fallon, and City staff invite you to a Powder House Blvd. Community meeting on Tuesday, March 5. The meeting will include an update on the investigation into the February 8 fatal hit and run at Powder House Blvd. and Hardan Rd., as well as information about traffic calming measures on Powder House Blvd.

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. 

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.

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.
 

The City is now accepting applications for positions on Mayor Joseph Curtatone’s Appointments Advisory Committee (AAC). The Committee reviews applications and makes recommendations for vacant Mayor-appointed posts on boards and commissions with regulatory or decision-making authority.