"In order to be a community art center,
we have to be open during the day," Debra McClaughlin argued before the
board. As a manager of the nonprofit Arts at the Armory, she presented
the case to the board, explaining how the restriction on daytime hours
would drastically hinder its ability to reach community members.
Afterschool programs, matinée performances, and many other types of
programs would not be possible, she said.

Ms. McClaughlin also
spoke of the negative impact that limiting the hours would have on the
business of the artist residents, threatening their financial
well-being in an already turbulent economy. A number of speakers echoed
this sentiment, saying that preventing these businesses from operating
during normal business hours would make it significantly more difficult
for them to make a living.

In the case of the Actor's
Shakespeare Project, a decision to maintain the prohibition on daytime
hours would have been immediately devastating. The nationally renowned
company will premiere its production of Coriolanis in the Armory's new
performance space next week, but would have had to cancel 9 matinée
performances if the appeal had not been passed. The group says that
they were unaware of the restrictions at the time they signed their
rental agreement, which led some to question the communication between
the owners and tenants.

Some who spoke before the board noted
the lack of art and cultural opportunities for children and adults
alike in Somerville, adding that they would enthusiastically replace
their trips to Cambridge and Arlington with ones to a closer community
location. Several speakers noted that drawing daytime patrons to the
Armory could be a boon to area businesses that have been hurting
lately, such as restaurants in nearby Union and Davis Squares,
invigorating both the local arts and the economy.

The process
of giving a second life to the 105 year-old building has been a lengthy
one. Attendees of Wednesday's meeting realized that what they thought
was the last administrative hurdle, the receipt of an entertainment
license on January 26, had engendered yet another premature celebration.

The
Armory, which housed the Massachusetts National Guard until it was
closed in the 1970's, was purchased for almost $2.6 million by Joseph
and Nabil Sater in 2004. The brothers have a history of involvement
with the area's art scene, having run the Middle East music club in
Cambridge for the past 30 years. Many were relieved when they revealed
their plans to transform the building into a community art center, as
some feared a developer might demolish the historic building to make
room for condos.

But despite fears, the building's distinctive
architecture has remained. The turrets visible from Highland Ave. might
still evoke associations with medieval castles, but its brighter shade
of white gives it a clean and modern feel. The 35,000 square-foot
interior holds many changes as well, including a new art gallery, cafe,
and 295-seat performance space. Tenants began moving into the
building's studio in August, and include small businesses working in
areas such as music production, photography, and dance.

Many who
stood before the board spoke enthusiastically of a project that would
enrich the area's artistic and cultural offerings, but not everyone has
shared their excitement. Some area residents have expressed concern
that the Sater brothers would bring a noisy nightclub to the
neighborhood, attracting rowdy patrons and traffic congestion.

Ms.
McClaughlin countered rumors that the Armory will be functional hall
with a liquor license, as its opponents have claimed, saying that they
will not rent out the 395-person performance space for weddings,
bar-mitzvahs, or other events that do not lie within the mission of the
community art center. They do have the ability to apply for beer and
wine permits on an ad hoc basis, but they will not be applying for a
liquor license.

In order to bolster a positive relationship with
the neighborhood, something that Ms. McClaughlin and others repeatedly
called "crucial to the success of a community art center," the Armory
has worked The Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) in order to come
to terms that work for both sides. Nine of the "41 Conditions" that
emerged from these negotiations are related to noise concerns, and
Joseph Sater has said that he put $60,000 into soundproofing the
facility.

Despite such assurances, however, there remains a
neighborhood faction hostile to the project's presence. According to
one Somerville resident who has watched the Armory controversy unfold
in recent years, the opposition to the project has been organized
mostly by a small cohort of neighbors, including John Sullivan, who
watched the proceedings from the back of the room with his family and a
few other opponents of the measure. One attendee observed that in prior
community meetings, the Sullivans would sit apart from each other,
attempting to create the image of more widespread dissent.

Other
neighbors of the project expressed their cautious support. One Highland
Ave. resident praised the potential of the project and its mission,
while also noting that as a member of the NAC she "has a duty to keep
an eye on the parking situation…but we won't know what it will be
like until we try it."

Ward Alderman Sean O'Donovan spoke twice
at the meeting in favor of the appeal, similarly saying that they
cannot know the impact on the neighborhood until they actually try it
out, and that the many benefits of the project justify giving it a
chance.

Mr. Sullivan and others around him were noticeably upset
by the decision in favor of the Armory. Following the meeting, a few of
them verbally attacked O'Donovan in the hallway, which progressed into
a shouting match in the stairwell between Sullivan and O'Donovan,
obstructing the exiting crowd.

Onlookers appeared unsurprised,
though, familiar with the men's history. In 2005, John Sullivan ran
against O'Donovan for Ward 5 Alderman, his main platform being his
opposition to O'Donovan's development plans – including Arts at the
Armory. "I'm a 41-year resident and homeowner. I may not have the
prestigious degree or years of elected office, but I know how the city
works," he had said of his candidacy at the time, which ended in a 24
point loss to O'Donovan on election day.

Testimonials of the
tension surrounding the project seemed to foreshadow the evening's
heated close. One Armory tenant, who teaches music lessons to children,
had said that he hoped they would be able to move beyond bitter
disagreement over the project and reap its benefits. "I feel grateful
that i can give back to my community," he said. "My daughter was taught
to swim by Mr. Sullivan's daughter at the JFK pool, and i hope that one
day i can return the favor."

***************

The local economy is doing much
better than most other Metro-Boston communities – for a while the early
morning gathering of workers at Foss Park had decreased, but within the
past couple of weeks there are much more out there. One news talker
witnessed in a brief 15 minutes an unusual amount of contractors were
picking some of the workers up, just in that short period there were 5
contractors driving in and driving out with workers. Good news for our
local economy means jobs that still need day laborers, of does it?

***************

Free
parent workshop – open to all Somerville Public School families –
"Nutrition and Your Child" will be presented by Dr. Dawn Peters and
Reem Jabr of the Broadway Health Center on Monday, March 16th from 6pm
to 8pm at the Winter Hill Community School Library. Please RSVP by
calling the Winter Hill PTA at 617-625-9310 or by emailing them at
winterhillpta@yahoo.com

***************

We keep hearing
reports that a certain MBTA employee is trying to single handedly
reduce the deficit of the T for us. Guess he's overcharging for tokens
at the booth – charging double in fact – to people who are in a rush to
catch a train. Last couple of weeks it was reported that he did this to
a couple of students and when they called him on it he resorted to
calling them names.

***************

Those poor people
that own the convenient store at the corner of Central and Medford
Streets are not having a good week – we heard that there was a drug
bust that happened out in front of the store last week and then the
other day someone was about to commit armed robbery but ran away when
they heard the door buzzer.

***************

Mayor Joseph
A. Curtatone and Economic Development Director Rob May announced today
that, The City of Somerville, in cooperation with the Union Square and
East Somerville Main streets organizations, the Somerville Chamber of
Commerce and Somerville Local First would continue its monthly business
workshop series in March with a workshop entitled "Financial
Fundamentals of Running a Business." The upcoming workshop will be held
on Wednesday, March 11th from 8:00 – 10:00am, in the Aldermanic
Chambers at City Hall, 93 Highland Ave. Additional workshops will be
held throughout the year with such topics as Marketing Strategies to
Overcome the Crumbling Economy, Tools to Enhance Social Networking
Online, Licensing and Permitting, and Legal Issues for Businesses.

***************

Veterans
Service Director Frank Senesi is planning another showstopper again
this year to help raise funds for the annual Memorial Day Parade.
"Strictly Sinatra & The Rat Pack" will be headlining at the
Somerville High Auditorium on Friday, March 20th. For tickets call the
Veterans Services office at 617 625-6600-x 4700 or the Mayors office x
2100, donation is $20.00 per person. This is the fifth year he's doing
this to raise funds so that we can have another successful Memorial Day
Parade – go enjoy yourself and help the cause.

***************

The
good news is that The Somerville News blog is back and you can access
it easily from our web site – back by popular demand by many people
over these past few months. Many have tried to imitate, but none were
more widely read than ours. Same old "JN's Rules" apply – no names,
only initials, no swearing – well no real bad words. The link to the
blog is right there at the right hand side of the regular website, it's
the old type pad site – and make sure you are nice, because Dr. Mrs.
McCarthy has promised to make an appearance every now and then –
whoever she is!

***************

The Somerville Recreation
Commission is offering a cardio mix dance class on Tuesdays from
February 24th through April 15th. The class consists of a ten-minute
warm-up; 40 minutes of dancing and a ten-minute cool down. The classes
will be held at the Edgerly School, 181 Washington Street. The progress
fee is $20. For more information please contact the Recreation
Commission at 617-625-6600 x 2980.

***************

Also,
the Somerville Recreation's Women's Softball League will hold an
informational meeting on Tuesday, March 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the
Recreation Office, 19 Walnut Street. Any team manager interested in
participating in the league this summer should have a representative
present at this meeting. For more information contact Karen Harrington
at 617-625-6600 x2993

***************

Huge crowd in
Boston's Chinatown for the 25th Annual Banquet of the Jade Society to
celebrate the year of the "Ox" – many locals from the 'Ville, including
Mayor Joe and Alderman Maryann Heuston, along with several people from
The Somerville News and friends were in attendance. The event was huge
– over 600 guests and the entertainment was unbelievable – hosted by a
friend of many here in Somerville – President Warren Yee. Many more
residents from Somerville including one distinguished well-known
Somerville resident wearing a pair of "Sara Palin" glasses – apparently
she might be setting a trend with those unusual glasses. And oh yeah we
almost forgot, he won the big prize at the end of the night – a nice
flat screen TV. We're not going to mention his name, but lets see how
fast this can get out in the city. Go to the news blog and put his
initials in!

***************

Last weeks Chamber After
Hours meeting was held at the Precinct Restaurant and Pub in Union
Square. The monthly event held around the city by the Chamber is
becoming quite the attraction for businesses here. Last week our
friends at the Cambridge Portuguese Credit Union hosted it; they along
with the Precinct did a great job. We want to congratulate the Pubs
owner, Ken Kelley, who made mention that he and his lovely wife are
expecting a baby any time now.
*************

Well, that's a slam dunk, or so they thought. Fact is, a pig is still a pig, even if you put a dress on it.

As
time went on, and the debate heated up, it still had imposed
restrictions on homeowners, creating additional financial burden in a
time when homeowners are carrying enough of the tax base burden in this
city – not many people can argue against that fact. It also came out
that the Greater Boston Real Estate Board did not endorse it, in fact,
several local Realtors knew nothing about it, which caused its own
controversy within that organization.

So as the time came closer
and closer, it became apparent that it would die a final death at the
hands of the Board of Aldermen, and was shelved in order to obtain
"additional public input." That's a fancy way of saying "until we think
we can jam it down everyone's throats a little more easily."

At
6:30pm on Monday night, many interested Somerville residents came to
the meeting to hear a presentation on the planned restoration of the
much-loved Somerville Park and to discuss its future. Some parents even
brought their kids as though to remind others that the new playground
and child safety are high priorities to the community.

Monday's
meeting was the third and perhaps final meeting in a series of
community gatherings concerning the plans for renovating
Hodgkins-Curtin Park. The first meeting, which took place last fall,
was an analysis and discussion of the site itself. The second meeting
featured preliminary designs for the park renovations and a forum where
community members could raise their concerns and make suggestions.
Monday's meeting was much the same format as the second meeting, only
with newly updated park designs.

Ellen Schneider, a
representative from the Mayor's Office of Strategic Planning &
Community Development, gave the opening remarks. "We renovate about
three parks a year and intend these parks to last twenty years," she
said. Schneider then went on to explain that come spring they will take
contract bids for the project and hopefully begin renovations sometime
in the summer or next fall.

Cherri Ruane, the project manager
for the Hodgkins-Curtin Park renovations, gave the majority of the
presentation on plans for the park. Ruane is a landscape architect with
the firm Weston and Sampson.

One of the most important changes
in the park's layout will be a slight expansion of the baseball
diamond's outfield. This expansion will make the entirety of the
outfield 200 feet long, which will qualify the park's baseball diamond
for official use in tournaments. "But the ball field footprint itself
will remain the same," explained Ruane.

In addition to the
field's expansion, the batting cage and bleachers will be replaced or
repaired. The ground in the field will also be lowered and leveled
during the renovation in order to make the field safer to run and play
on.

The playground will remain in the same general location
and there will be a circuitous walkway around the perimeter of the
structures. The actual play structures will be replaced by new
playground sets. "We are looking at a composite material that gives the
impression of wood," said Ruane, while explaining the materials from
which the new play structures will be made. She went on to explain that
actual wood is too susceptible to rotting to be considered safe for the
long term.

Based on the renderings of the new play structures,
the brown composite material will be complemented by yellow bars and
slides. Ruane explained at the last meeting, "There was this cry that
the yellow park remain the yellow park." Currently, the Hodgkins-Curtin
Park playground is filled with yellow structures and has been
unofficially dubbed "The Yellow Park."

There are also plans for a "river of sand," which will be a snakelike strip of sand near the playground for kids to play in.

Community
concerns and questions ranged through an assortment of issues on the
park planning and layout. When asked if the trees currently in the park
will remain there Ruane responded, "Yes, and we're going to bring them
back to health."

One resident asked if there were plans to
incorporate a water feature in the park for the summers. Alderman Bob
Trane, who is also very involved in the park's restoration, responded
that it would be too expensive because environmental guidelines for
those devices require expensive water recycling technology. "Can we at
least keep the water fountain leaky?" another resident joked.

Other
concerns were voiced about the field being used exclusively for
baseball and baseball leagues, since much of the construction centers
around expanding the outfield for league requirements. But Trane and
Schneider were quick to reassure everyone that baseball will not
monopolize the field. Other activities like bocce and picnicking will
still be permitted.

Many people in attendance also expressed
concerned that the would be closed for construction during the warmer
parts of the year when it would be nice to have a park in that
neighborhood. To that, Alderman Trane responded bluntly, explaining the
construction is not eligible for federal funding and so must be taken
from the city's budget. "The money for this project is there now,"
Trane said, "But if we delay, with the economy the way it is, we might
not be able to get this done."

If there was one thing everyone
agreed on though, it was that this park renovation is necessary and
would benefit the community greatly. "We're trying for a balance here,"
explained Schneider, "where we keep the character of the park but bring
the whole thing up in quality."

At a joint meeting
between the Board of Aldermen and the School Committee March 4, chaired
by Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston, officials debated various ways of
minimizing expenses – including a pay cut for teachers, introducing
activities fees and merging redundant operations between the city and
the schools.

(Full disclosure: Managing Editor James Norton represents Ward 4 on the Somerville School Committee.)

Among
the proposed budget cutting measures is a one-time 1.92 percent cut in
what would have been a 3 percent pay raise for teachers. Ward 1
Alderman Bill Roche asked whether these cuts would be permanent.

"If
the crisis somehow got solved we would look at some kind of measure to
repair what we had to do," Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi said, "but
the short answer is this is a one-time measure."

Ward 7 Alderman
Bob Trane asked why so many of the proposed cutbacks circulated among
the School Committee related to the classroom instead of administrative
positions.

"If I'm going to start cutting from the budget, the last thing I'd want to do is start cutting from the classroom," Trane said.

"We
heavily spend in the classroom," Pierantozzi responded. "That's where
our operations budget is spent. Therefore there's nowhere else for me
to take our operations (reductions)."

The ultimate decision on
making budget cuts, according to Heuston, lies with the Board of
Aldermen. The School Committee will then reach the set number on a line
item basis, with a more finalized list of

possible cuts to be discussed at the March 16 School Committee meeting.

The
committee plans to hold a public hearing on the FY 2010 budget in May.
Mayor Joseph Curtatone has not given an estimate on what the potential
shortfall could be, but Chief Financial Officer Edward Bean said it
could be as much as $8.6 million.

"We're shooting at a moving
target here," Bean said. "It's very hard to say exactly what that
number's going to be at this point of time. We need to think out of the
box and think of some serious structural
reform."

The official news broke late on Tuesday
afternoon, after much speculation and amid numerous rumors about where
exactly the band would be playing, where they would be "hanging out"
afterwards and other not so newsworthy items that took on a life of
their own, including one that included The Somerville News having an
entire "row of tickets" as one weblog falsely alleged.

When
asked about U2 being in Somerville, Mayor Joe Curtatone said: "It's a
great honor. Somerville is very excited to host such a special event.
It's going to be a challenge, but we're ready for it. It's very
important for everyone to understand that no tickets will be for sale
anywhere, that if you don't have a ticket to one of the promotional
events, you will not be admitted into the Somerville Theater. The
police department have put together an effective security plan. We're
excited to host it, we're gonna heat up the city tomorrow."

According
to sources close to the event, there are no tickets available for sale
and the entire Davis Square area will be shut down for security reasons
at some point Wednesday. The show itself will not be a full-blown
concert, but rather, a small, intimate performance and Q&A session
with the band for those people who have won their tickets through
several Boston area radio stations. The show will also be broadcast
live on those same radio stations.

Extra service has been scheduled on the MBTA's Red
Line for the evening hours. The City will post any bus rerouting and
bus stop relocation information on its website as soon as it is
available. Businesses will remain open at their discretion and police
details will assist in maintaining access for customers. The City does
not recommend car travel through Davis Square center between 5 p.m. and
midnight, but all metered city parking lots will remain open for use
throughout the day and evening hours.

Residents should note that
no tickets for this event are available for sale, and no one who does
not already have a ticket will be admitted. This event will, however,
be broadcast live by WBCN FM.

SOMERVILLE
– Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Economic Development Director Rob May
announced Thursday that, in cooperation with the Union Square and East
Somerville Main streets organizations, the Somerville Chamber of
Commerce, and Somerville Local First, the City of Somerville will
continue its monthly business workshop series in March with a workshop
entitled "Financial Fundamentals of Running a Business." Started in
January 2008, the series is designed to provide practical support and
encouragement to the City's growing population of small- and mid-sizes
businesses.

The upcoming workshop will be held on Wednesday,
March 11th from 8:00 – 10:00am, in the Aldermanic Chambers at City
Hall, 93 Highland Ave. Additional workshops will be held throughout the
year with such topics as Marketing Strategies to Overcome the Crumbling
Economy, Tools to Enhance Social Networking Online, Licensing and
Permitting, and Legal Issues for Businesses.

All workshops,
taught by local business and city experts are design to educate
Somerville's business owners across topics such as finance, marketing,
e-marketing, business law, and foodservice practices, as well as on
city-specific business regulation and incentives.

All Somerville business owners, staff or entrepreneurs are invited to participate.

Advance registration is requested. Workshops are free to the public.

For
additional information, or to register for a specific workshop, please
visit the City's website at www.somervillema.gov, or contact Business
Development Specialist David Guzman, at 617-625-6600 ext 2546 or
dguzman@somervillema.gov

"We've been
talking about this for years, and nothing is getting done," Maureen
Barillaro, one of the three Somervillians who participated in the
protest, said of climate change issues. She explained that the protest
focused on coal-fired power plants because all aspects of the
consumption of coal – not just the burning of it, which produces the
greenhouse gases associated with the observed increase in global
temperatures, are "dirty and polluting, starting with extraction." She
cited the "mountain-top removal method" currently used to mine coal in
West Virginia (it is "absolutely destroying the Appalachian mountains,"
she said) as well as the toxicity of coal ash – what remains after the
coal itself is burnt – as examples of coal's deleterious but
lesser-known environmental effects.

For these reasons, she
concluded, "really clean coal can't exist," because "even if they
figured out how to burn it cleanly," these other effects would remain.
As for coal's lower cost relative to "cleaner" sources of energy,
Barillaro explained that "coal is falsely inexpensive, because they
don't take into account the environmental damage" it causes; if the
"hidden cost" of this environmental damage was included in the price of
coal, "it wouldn't be cheap anymore."

Because Monday's protest
involved an illegal obstruction of access to the Capitol's power plant,
the protesters were all risking arrest. For Barillaro, the prospect of
arrest, while not pleasant, is acceptable, given the immediacy of the
environmental problems she believes we face.

"You have to take
it to the next step. If that means 2,500 people getting arrested, then
hopefully that will get people's attention. I'm willing to take the
risk because the situation is that urgent."

Emily Hardt,
another Somervillian at the protest, echoed Barillaro's sentiments. "I
have not been arrested before, and I don't take it lightly, but I feel
that we really need to be taking more action. The situation is very
urgent, and we need our elected leaders to start taking action. We only
have a small amount of time."

In addition to participating in
Monday's protest in Washington, Somerville's Climate Action group has
also been active locally. About twenty people attend the weekly
meetings, Barillaro said, and the group has worked with Somerville's
city government on recycling and sustainability issues. Although not
everyone in Somerville shares the group's views on environmental
issues, Hardt explained, "we all care about having a healthy community
to live in. People are taking action to make Somerville healthier and
more sustainable" – whether through working to increase undeveloped
spaces, promote local farmers' markets, or supporting Somerville's
proposed Tree Preservation Ordinance.

Barillaro, reflecting on
what has motivated her to devote her time and energy to climate change
issues, ultimately hits on a concise, if blunt, summary of the
situation with which she believes that climate change confronts us.