The City of Somerville’s Health and Human Services Department announced that all Somerville municipal buildings are now equipped with Narcan, a life-saving drug that can reverse the effects of opioids, as part of ongoing efforts to save lives and educate the community on overdose prevention.
 

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and the Somerville Office of Sustainability and Environment announce an expansion of the city’s Community Choice Electricity Program (CCE) which will bring lower rates and increased renewable energy from local clean renewable sources.
 

The Somerville Parks and Recreation Department is launching a new program: family-friendly field trips to fun locations in and around the Boston area! Beginning in December 2019, Parks and Recreation will sponsor trips to places like the Stone Zoo, the Blue Man Group, Museum of Fine Arts, and more! Activities are appropriate for all ages, but children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. A full list of dates, activities, and pricing is below and is also available at www.somervillerec.com.

Please join the Somerville Department of Public Space and Urban Forestry, Ward 7 City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne, and the Somerville Public Schools on Wednesday evening, December 11, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for a community meeting to discuss layout and design options for the new West Somerville Neighborhood School schoolyard. The meeting will be held in the WSNS cafeteria, 177 Powder House Blvd.
 
For more information contact Arn Franzen at AFranzen@somervillema.gov.
 
 

Join the City’s Economic Development team and Ward 4 City Councilor Jesse Clingan for a community meeting on Tuesday, December 17, to discuss the vacant site of the former Star Market on Broadway. The meeting, which will be an open house-style event, will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Healey School cafeteria, 5 Meacham St. Community members can drop in at any time to chat with city staff, talk to neighbors, and learn more about what an urban renewal plan could mean for the site.

In its annual tradition, the City of Somerville will kick off the New Year on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020, with a reenactment ceremony for the anniversary of the "Grand Union" flag-raising ceremony at Prospect Hill Park. Important note: the park is currently closed for renovations, so the event will be held along Munroe St. adjacent to the park. The road will be closed during the morning events. A processional led by a re-enactor portraying General George Washington on horseback will leave from the City Hall Concourse at 11:30 a.m., followed by a ceremony at Prospect Hill Park.

Just in time to complete your holiday shopping, the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission has “Preserving Somerville” merchandise available for sale. All merchandise can be viewed on the Commission’s website atwww.somervillema.gov/historicshop, and a list of available items is below.

Please join the Somerville Public Space and Urban Forestry Division, and Ward 3 Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen on Wednesday evening, January 8, 2020, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for a community meeting to discuss the final landscape plan for the Central Hill Campus (Phase I). The meeting will be held in the Somerville High School cafeteria, 81 Highland Ave.

After over seven years of research and analysis, hundreds of community meetings, multiple public hearings and extensive review by the former Board of Aldermen and current City Council, Somerville officially has a new zoning ordinance. On December 12, 2019, the City Council voted to approve the administration’s proposed new zoning ordinance, making this the first major overhaul of zoning in Somerville since 1990, and an update of some regulatory elements that have existed since zoning was first adopted in 1924.

As part of a broad and ongoing effort to address the regional housing crisis, Mayor Curtatone and the City Council, with input from many community members, have collaborated to implement several housing-related policy reforms in 2019. Each is designed to help protect our residents from displacement while balancing the needs of home- and property owners.