My semester in Somerville

By Nathalie Moskal

EPA grant may be answer to city's ailing budget for environmental programs

By Nathalie Moskal

SOMERVILLE— Five years ago, a vacant lot stood in the place of the Allen Street Community Gardens, an ugly, unused and chemically hazardous reminder of its past as an industrial site.

With the help of an Environmental Protection Agency grant, the city transformed the lot from an abandoned eyesore to an open space for community gardening.

As the state begins to cut hundreds of thousands of dollars in city aid to balance its $1.4 billion deficit, Somerville has applied for a new EPA grant to help maintain its environmental cleanup programs, which decontaminate polluted sites in the city.

The grant is a part of the EPA’s Brownfields program, which awards money to cities for cleanup projects. Brownfields are areas contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants.

Somerville has 376 known sites that qualify as brownfields.

Somerville has applied for the $200,000 grant on the grounds of hazardous substances, said Steven Azar, economic development planner in the city’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development.

The city actively pursues grants to help pay for programs outside its everyday commitments, Azar said.

“There is only so much money to go around and the services of the city are the major priority,” Azar said. “There is a limited budget for anything additional to the things residents are used to.”

Azar said the city may not win the grant because it has won five similar grants in the last 10 years and the EPA often elects to spread the money around the state.

The likelihood of winning depends on which other cities and towns apply and on how well Somerville meets the requirements of the grant, Azar said.

“I think we are a great candidate,” Azar said. “This city has a very active and engaged Brownfield program.”

In 2003, the EPA granted Somerville the $200,000 Brownfields grant, which helped clean up the hazardous former industrial site on Allen Street.

In 1996, Somerville received a $100,000 Brownfields grant to redevelop the large industrial building at 259 Lowell St., an old factory that stood in disrepair on land contaminated with lead, petroleum and other substances.

The Parks and Open Space Department did not return calls or emails regarding the site to be cleaned by next year's grant.

Somerville will be notified about the results of the application by March or April 2009, Azar said.

The Center Hill Park renovation is the first project experiencing a delay due to the shrinking city budget, said David Lutes, the city’s environmental program manager.

“Due to the current fiscal environment, our policy to all of our city departments is to do our best to ensure that all purchases and programs undertaken are absolutely necessary,” Lutes said. “We are constantly doing our best to locate and use other sources of money.”

Mayor publicly supports Welcoming Massachusetts coalition

By Nathalie Moskal

SOMERVILLE-- After months of lobbying by local immigrants and immigration activists, Mayor Joseph Curtatone has endorsed the Welcoming Massachusetts campaign's, an immigrant's rights initiative.

Curtatone signed the Welcoming Massachusetts petition at a meeting with leaders of local organizations Centro Presente, Somerville Community Corporation and The Welcome Project at Maya Sol restaurant.

"The mayor and this administration remain committed to ensuring that Somerville remains a great place to live, work, play and raise a family, for all residents," said Jackie Rossetti, a spokesman for the mayor, in an email.

Welcoming Massachusetts is a statewide coalition formed in October 2007 to win more rights, particularly employment rights, for immigrants regardless of their legal status.

The goal of the campaign is to collect 100,000 signatures to push legislators to pass a resolution to make Massachusetts a welcoming State for immigrants of all legal statuses, according to the Welcoming Massachusetts website.

The mayor's endorsement came during the coalition's Week of Action, Oct. 12-19, when members met with community activists in towns and cities across the state.

The mayor signed on to the campaign, presented to him by former Centro Presente Director Elena Letona, because it coincides with his efforts to create an environment of equality in Somerville, Rosetti said.

The campaign has also received endorsements from Boston's Mayor Menino, as well as the mayors of Revere, Everett, Medford, Pittsfield and Cambridge.

"Mayor Curtatone has been working continuously with members of the Somerville Youth Council, made up of students of many ages and races, to pass a resolution in Somerville, to promote the fact that residents of all nationalities are welcome in this city," Rossetti said.

The Somerville Community Corporation, whose community leaders promote diversity and tolerance, is supporting Welcoming Massachusetts and providing links to the coalition's website and contact information for further inquiries on their website.

"I believe that those of us born in the U.S. have at least that minimum obligation with respect to how we treat newcomers to our country," said Danny LeBlanc, Chief Executive Officer of the Somerville Community Corporation, in a press release.

The Welcome Project, another community group supporting the Welcoming Massachusetts agenda, helps immigrant families settle and assimilate into Somerville, provides English language classes and is working to obtain voting rights for non-citizen immigrants.

The mayor said at the meeting that he plans to encourage fellow mayors in the state to support the campaign.

"Mayor Curtatone supports all residents of all ages and backgrounds who are committed to bettering the lives of our residents, and to making a positive impact on our community," Rossetti said.

Change breaks ground at Assembly Square

By Nathalie Moskal

SOMERVILLE – The steel claws of a demolition machine began crushing the first pieces of what was once the Good Time Emporium on Sept. 19, as city officials, Ikea representatives and the public looked on.

The scrap heap began to grow, setting into motion the long-awaited redevelopment of Assembly Square.

“The start of demolition to make way for Ikea marks a major milestone for this important and innovative project,” said Mayor Joe Curtatone at the demolition site. “This is the best smart growth, transit-oriented development on the East Coast.”

After more than 10 years of local battles and bureaucracy, the start of Ikea's construction in Assembly Square, marks the start of the area’s redevelopment, scheduled to be finished by 2011. The Assembly Square location will join the Swedish furniture retailer’s 37 stores in the United States. It will be the second store in Massachusetts.

The new Ikea is part of the large, “urban village” redevelopment plan for Assembly Square, which includes retail spaces, restaurants, apartment complexes, a new T station and a river-side recreation park on the Mystic River.

The plan, projected to cost about $1.3 billion, is managed by Federal Realty, a real estate investment company that owns the Assembly Square property.

The demolition is the first step in a complicated project which will include the building of luxury housing, offices, shops and a park over the next two to three years, said Don Briggs, senior vice president of development for Federal Realty at the demolition site.

For years, Assembly Square has been little more than a large parking lot for a Kmart, Staples and several other retailers. But with the development plan, the area is getting a complete makeover.

“The Mystic River waterfront at Assembly Square is a vastly underutilized community gem,” said Jackie Rossetti, a spokesman for Mayor Curtatone. “The plans for the development will not only create hundreds of new housing units, including affordable housing, but also a large number of new jobs and revenue-generating businesses for the city.”

The plans also include a complete revitalization of the waterfront itself. A large park is planned to give the community an opportunity to enjoy the riverfront as a part of Somerville’s continued effort to increase green space.

The redevelopment has been a subject of debate for more than 10 years, because of neighbors' concerns about construction and traffic. The residents oppose the disturbance of the three year construction and the increase of traffic the site may bring when in use.

William C. Shelton, president of the Mystic View Task Force, argues that the project will cause a spike in traffic and pollution and cut revenue for nearby businesses which will have to compete with the popular chain stores coming into the square.

Traffic will be altered with any big development plan, Rossetti said.

“As part of the agreement, the city and Ikea negotiated, traffic mitigation must be included in their development plan,” she said.

Affordable housing, job creation, and green space are three of the most important concerns of Curtatone's administration, Rossetti said.

“He meets regularly with regional and state officials to ensure that this project continues to meet important deadlines and to scrutinize the final plans and details that will lead to a completed project as early as possible,” she said.

School committee discusses school day extension

By Nathalie Moskal

SOMERVILLE – On a recent afternoon, students pour out of the John F. Kennedy School. Some walk farther down Cherry Street while others get rides from parents, or linger with friends.

But if the Somerville School Committee implements its Expanded Learning Time grant, the students may have to spend additional hours in the classroom.

“If we choose to move forward, we would increase the school year by 300 hours for all students in a particular school or schools,” said Anthony Pierantozzi, superintendent of schools.

The idea came out of the School Committee’s discussion of long-range plans about two years ago, said Paul Bockelman, Committee chairman.

“Extending the learning day has been discussed and implemented in other public school districts in Massachusetts and it seemed to have some positive aspects,” Bockelman said.

Similar extension programs have been implemented at the Edwards Middle School in Charlestown, the Martin Luther King, Jr. School in Cambridge and the Umana/Barnes School in East Boston, where Pierantozzi said there has been an increase in student performance and class selection.

Pierantozzi said the topic is not just a Massachusetts discussion.

“Research that has been done nationally shows that American schools have one of the shortest schooling times of any of the developed countries in the world,” Pierantozzi said. “Students in other nations are in school as much as 25 to 50 percent longer than American children.”

The extension program would make additional time available for remedial academic support, professional development of staff, enrichment programs such as art and community service and expansion in subjects taught, Pierantozzi said.

The School Committee is working with administrators, parents and teachers on how to put the extension into effect, Bockelman said.

The possibilities include school days that would start earlier, end later, or both; school on days students have off, such as weekends, vacation weeks or summer vacation; or a combination of all, Pierantozzi said.

The plan remains under consideration, but the committee hopes to make a decision before the end of the school year, to apply the extension to at least one school in the district for the start of the fall 2009 school year, said James Norton, committee member and Ward 4 representative.

“If done properly, it could change the way we do education,” Bockelman said. “Instead of looking at education as an 8 a

.m. to 3 p.m. operation with after school activities, it would add almost two hours to the school day and allow our educators to be more creative in how they address the day.”

Pierantozzi said he has seen opinions from parents and guardians on both sides of the issue.

“Some are very in favor of it and some think their children go to school long enough and don’t want their family or personal time interfered with,” Pierantozzi said.

Bockelman said he wants the plan implemented in at least one Somerville school to give the option to families.

“Ultimately, the decision is the School Committee's,” Bockelman said.

“However, no plan will go forward if it fails to have substantial support from the school district administrators, the teachers and principal in the school and the parents whose children go to that school.”

New condo conversion ordinance up to expectations?

By Nathalie Moskal

SOMERVILLE – When Mayor Joseph Curtatone first proposed a rewrite to the city’s condominium conversion ordinance two years ago, residents and real estate companies criticized the extensive rights granted to tenants in the proposal. 

Opposition held back the proposal for two years.

In May, Curtatone announced that the proposal was to be revised by the Condominium Conversion Task Force, a group assembled and chaired by Rebekah Gewirtz, Ward 6 Alderman.

The task force included tenant advocates, representatives from the real estate community and staff from the Office of Strategic Planning and Development, said Lesley Delaney Hawkins, a spokesman for Curtatone, in an Oct. 7 press release.

The proposal expands on the 1985 ordinance, which mandates a two-year notice of conversion to elderly, disabled and low-income tenants, and a one-year notice to all other tenants. 

The old ordinance also mandates a reimbursement of relocation costs for tenants, requiring landlords to pay out the higher of $300 or one month’s rent to displaced tenants.

The new revisions raise relocation reimbursements to the higher of one month’s rent or $4,000 for elderly, disabled and low-income tenants and $2,000 for all other tenants.

Small Property Owners of America, a local organization, opposes the proposal. They argue that the rules for two and three-family homes in the proposal are unjustified because Somerville is the only city in the state to regulate buildings with fewer than four units, according to the organization’s website.

The organization's president, Lenore Monello Schloming, encourages residents to contact their aldermen to protest the proposal’s limits to property owners’ powers and the financial burdens the proposal would potentially force on the city and the property owners.

However, the Affordable Housing Organizing Committee, a faction of the Somerville Community Corporation argues the changes benefit low-income tenants through extended notice periods and greater compensation for relocations.

The committee worked closely with Curtatone on the proposal, which the mayor said would create an equal system of rights for property owners and their tenants.

The proposal is being considered by the Board of Aldermen’s Legislative Matters Committee, and a public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Nov. 18 at City Hall, Hawkins said.

One taxi at a time

By Nathalie Moskal

SOMERVILLE — A year ago, city officials and owners of local taxi company, Green Cab, gathered in Davis Square to unveil Somerville’s first hybrid taxi.

The mayor and aldermen stood for photographs around the white car with its green painted lettering, a symbol of the city's dedication to saving the environment.

But while Boston has made plans to have an all green taxi fleet by 2015, Somerville’s efforts to make driving more environmentally friendly have stalled.

“We are still very committed to greening the city,” said Jackie Rossetti, a spokesman for the mayor. “I hate to say that right now our budget is making it hard to put a lot of focus on one thing.”

Though old city practices are being phased out for more environmentally conscious ones, these changes take time said David Lutes, program manager at the city’s Office of Sustainability and Environment.

Lutes said that Somerville is buying renewable biodiesel fuel and equipping its diesel vehicles with clean air technology.

This year the city has also begun replacing smaller city vehicles Lutes said. They purchased four energy-efficient Smart Cars for the Assessor’s Department and replaced Fire Chief Kevin Kelleher’s vehicle with a Toyota Prius hybrid.

“We’ve really only begun to look at that,” Lutes said. “I think it’s important to set goals like that, but so far in the future you never know what the technology will be. It’s not unrealistic, but I think it’s more important to find ways to help and influence them to go green than it is to set some kind of mandate.”

Green cab has put further expansion into hybrids on hold in favor of alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas. The company’s only hybrid taxi has been problematic because no one stocks parts for the vehicle locally, said Cheryl Horan, vice president of Green Cab.

Horan said as a result of the hard-to-find parts, the hybrid taxi has had to spend time off the road.

“We’ve had instances where it’s been down and we haven’t been able to act quickly,” Horan said.

Horan said Green Cab is weighing the possibility of converting their taxis to compressed natural gas, a cleaner and safer fuel than gasoline.

“With a hybrid you compromise on vehicle size and typically people want leg room and trunk space for their luggage,” Horan said. “With compressed natural gas we’d be able to optimize the size of our current vehicles while maintaining a greener fleet with better gas mileage.”

Hybrid additions to the city’s vehicle fleet may seem small, but they are the visible aspect of what Lutes said is a much larger context for environmentally conscious driving.

“The city fleet is small and its impact may technically be limited but I think we’re sending out the right message here,” Lutes said.

Lutes also said the city was considering proposals to give drivers of hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles preferential parking in the city.

“We’re working on it,” Lutes said. “It’s hard because we don’t have a direct ability to control the taxi fleet like Boston seems to have.”

Hard times leaving thieves hard up for cash?

By Nathalie Moskal

SOMERVILLE—During the early morning hours of Sept. 19, two men robbed eight local businesses before police arrested them.

The same week, police received 13 more reports of break-ins.

Somerville has recently seen an uncharacteristic amount of breaking and entering incidents. Breaking and entering crimes have increased 11 percent as a whole since 2007, said Frank Bates, a crime analyst at the Somerville Police Depart

ment.

Specifically, there have been 68 break-ins at businesses so far this year, a 58 percent increase from the 43 at this time last year, Bates said.

House break-ins are up 3 percent, with 271 occurrences this year and 262 in 2007, he said.

Motor vehicle break-ins have increased 96 percent in the past two years to 675. There were 345 in 2006, Bates said.

“These crimes are crimes of opportunity and a good deal of opportunity crimes are drug driven,” Bates said in an email.

Bates said the economy is connected to crime rates.

“When the economy is down, crime is up,” said Officer Maryanne Manfra while patrolling Davis Square on her police bicycle. “But there is crime in every community, and you’re foolish if you think otherwise.”

Melisa Christie, owner of local shop Davis Squared, says she tries not to dwell on the situation.

“We have a security alarm, but I guess just about all you can do is hope for the best,” Christie said.

Anwar Razzouqi, local resident, said he was unaware of the increased burglary rates.

“From what I can see it’s safe here, but if it’s increasing that is definitely scary,” Razzouqi said.

Local police are increasing their presence in the streets and checking in with businesses as it starts to get darker earlier in the evening.

“We’ve recently hired around 15 new officers that are now out on patrol.” Manfra said. “Visibility is key.”

Christie says she has had police officers check in on her shop after dark and Razzouqi says he has seen the police on their rounds.

“I see them around, even when I used to walk home late at night,” Razzouqi said.

Somerville Police are also opening two new stations. One opened this week in East Somerville and another in West Somerville is scheduled to open later in the fall, said Lesley Delaney Hawkins, a spokesman for Mayor Curtatone.

In the meantime, Manfra remains positive.

“I’ve lived in Somerville for years and never had any break-ins”

Somerville mayor opposes marijuana law changes

By Nathalie Moskal

SOMERVILLE -- Mayor Joseph Curtatone has taken an aggressive stance against state efforts to decriminalize marijuana, despite strong support from city and state residents.

The proposal, Question 2 on the Nov. 4 ballot, would make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a civil offense with a $100 fine for people age 18 and older. Offenders younger than 18 would be required to complete a drug education program.

The current laws make possession of any amount of marijuana a criminal misdemeanor, which is punishable by jail time.

“We currently have an effective system that is not overly punitive,” Curtatone said.

Curtatone said the law change would particularly affect marijuana use among Massachusetts youth.

“I deal personally with these young people as a community leader and a sports coach, and I see the temptation in their eyes,” Curtatone said.

A recent survey by Suffolk University found 72 percent of those polled were in favor of Question 2.

Cory Mashburn, community coordinator of Somerville Cares About Prevention, says he thinks the proposal will pass.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of people who say they are voting yes,” Mashburn said.

But Mashburn remains divided on the possible effects of the new law.

”I do think less punishment makes marijuana seem more attractive,” Mashburn said. “But I think that if people see there is less of a challenge, using the drug actually becomes less interesting to them.”

Similar laws passed in 11 other states have concluded that decriminalization did not significantly affect marijuana use according to studies like that of Eric Single, in a 1989 issue of the Journal of Public Health:

"The available evidence indicates that the decriminalization of marijuana possession had little or no impact on rates of use . . . On the other hand, the so-called 'decriminalization' measures did result in substantial savings in the criminal justice system," Single wrote.

Massachusetts could save about $30 million a year being spent on small marijuana offenses, according to a report by Jeffrey Miron, Harvard economics professor.

But Curtatone is not so sure.

“The cost of dealing with increased use of marijuana would put greater strain on police and the municipalities,” Curtatone said. “We need laws to help solve problems, not create problems.”

Jim Lenkauskas, a consultant in Somerville, said he worries the law might encourage smoking in public.

“I’m not sure that it wouldn’t escalate marijuana use, but I really don’t think it’s right that such a small offense will stay with you for the rest of your life,” Lenkauskas said.

Somerville resident Bobby Bascomb said that the proposal should pass.

“I just don’t think it should be an offense for less than an ounce,” said Bascomb. “There are already enough people in jails and prisons.”

Mayor Curtatone remains firm in his campaign against the proposal.

“If they want to send the right message to our youth, they will shut this down,” Curtatone said.

Local legend sees local growth

By Nathalie Moskal

SOMERVILLE -- Ten years ago, Thomas Hardy was playing cards when a friend said, “Deals to you Tommy Somerville.” Hardy told his friend never to call him that again. 

But the nickname stuck.

“It works because Tommy is the personification of Somerville,” says Hardy’s friend Richard Harmon. “Tommy is Somerville in human form.”

Hardy says he got the nickname because of his Somerville accent, like a Boston accent, lacking in r sounds, but with a hint of a 1950s, fedora-wearing, movie mobster.
“It bothered me at first, but I’ve started to like it,” Hardy says.

Hardy, 31, was born and raised in Somerville and attended Somerville High School, which he does not remember fondly.

“Somerville High was a big place. There was a lot of pushing and shoving and a lot of racial tension back then,” Hardy says. “I used to be afraid walking to the store to get a soda because I didn’t know if I’d get jumped for my sneakers.”

But the city has changed over the last decade.

“Somerville has taken this really cool cultural renaissance turn,” Hardy says.

Hardy swipes dining hall cards at Harvard by day, and is a bouncer at Somerville’s Abbey Lounge, a locally famed music venue, by night.

Hardy’s nickname also comes from his local popularity, which earned him a fan club on MySpace, with over 400 members.

Hardy says while he mourns the loss of his favorite used record store, Disc Diggers, the changes to the city have been greatly positive.

“I used to feel like I’d do anything to get out of here, but over the last 10 years that’s changed and I don’t know if I’d ever leave,” Hardy says.

There have been improvements to Somerville’s squares and park spaces and there is a more open-minded mentality, Hardy says.

Somerville is restoring its parks with its Open Space and Recreation Plan, about which meetings have been held around the city, said Jackie Rossetti, the Mayor’s public information officer.

But the changes have not come without problems.

Hardy said in the last five years, he had seen numerous people he knew fall into drug addiction, particularly to pain killer Oxycontin.

“We did have a spike in Oxycontin use a few years ago,” says Captain Paul Upton, a spokesman for the Somerville Police Department, “but otherwise it’s been fairly consistent.”

Somerville has made an effort to combat the problem, which left 13 people in Somerville dead of Oxycontin overdose in 2003, said Cory Mashburn, community coordinator of Somerville Cares About Prevention.

“We have over 500 members focusing on making more youth activities to prevent substance abuse,” Mashburn says.

Hardy hopes Somerville will retain its neighborhood charm and preserve its history.

“Back in the day this was a center of Americana and that’s one of the reasons I’m so proud of my nickname,” Hardy says. “I can just walk up the steps of the high tower [on Prospect Hill] and think, ‘What was General George thinking here?’”