There was a powerpoint
presentation, an informative talk, and questions were answered from the
group of about 50 educators and parents that were in attendance.
Promoting children's health and safety were the goals of the meeting.

The project, which Kerry said could
create as many as 20,000 new jobs and 18,000 temporary ones, is poised
to receive up to $56 million in federal stimulus funds. This funding
will create jobs in "a matter of days and weeks," according to Kerry,
and will go toward roadway and water-sewer improvements to support the
$1.36 billion project.

Kerry said that "Assembly on the Mystic"
is a top priority for Governor Patrick, and has been included in the
list of "shovel-ready" projects that can commence as soon as the
stimulus funding flows.

Kerry spoke about the project's economic
benefits, saying that the growth in the tax base of Somerville, the
most densely populated city in New England, will help reduce residents'
property taxes.

"This is an example of how public investment can
have such an incredible return" said Curtatone, who reported that
Assembly on the Mystic would increase the city's tax base by $33
million.

The next phase of Assembly on the Mystic will involve
building the 340,000 square-foot IKEA store. The Swedish furniture
retailer was originally slated for a waterfront location, but agreed to
move the store to an inland section of the lot as a part of a land swap
this past summer that allowed the project to move forward. The plans
also include a waterfront park, 2100 residential units, new restaurants
and retailers, and paths to make the area more accessible to
pedestrians and bicyclists.

"What looks like a vast empty area
will be the most dynamic area in the region" Mayor Curtatone said,
standing in a flattened dirt lot bordered by rails, I-93, Rt-28, and
the Mystic River. The Orange line trains traveling between Medford and
Sullivan Square, the T's lone Somerville stop, can be seen passing the
site. This is set to change though, as a plan for a stop at Assembly
Square is being planned for 2013. A $25 million earmark has been
secured the for the Assembly Square T stop, and another $15 million of
private funding will be provided by developer Federal Realty. No
federal funding will be allocated to the new station, according to
Curtatone.

Up until this past summer, the T stop has been held
back by what The Somerville Transportation Equity Project (STEP) calls
a chicken or the egg problem: "An Orange Line stop is needed to
jump-start mixed-use development at Assembly Square, but the MBTA wants
to see a developed Assembly Square before planning a new T stop there."
STEP's website also points out that, according to the 2000 Census, one
quarter of Somerville residents do not have cars, and although one of
the 6 passenger trains that passes through Somerville stops in it. "The
Assembly Square T stop will help unlock the prosperity of the site,"
said Kerry.

Throughout Kerry's brief speech, he emphasized the
larger picture that the Assembly Square effort is a part of, and
praised Obama's efforts in passing the federal stimulus bill, and
expressed dismay at the lack of Republican support. "This is the most
important thing we can do," he said, "put people back to work, create
jobs, restore confidence in the economy, and get back to work to make
America strong."

The
gales of economic adversity howling through the nation and the world
will be brutal and prolonged. As the recession deepens and prolongs, it
will coincide with peak oil impacts. And as baby-boomers continue to
age, far fewer workers will support many more retirees. Increasing the
Social Security eligibility age is inevitable, and decreasing benefits
is likely. Healthcare costs, now at $8,000 for every man, woman, and
child, will increase to $13,000 within a decade.

When the storm
ultimately subsides, Americans will live differently. If our city's
leaders reform their foolish development policy, Somerville will be
better positioned than many places to benefit from these changes
because of the region in which we are located, our urban character, and
our particular characteristics.

Economic tumult has
transformed modes of living in the past. At the conclusion of the Civil
War, towns like Lawrence, Lowell, and Springfield were the nation's
industrial centers, while most Americans lived on farms or in farming
towns.

A mortgage-driven banking crisis in 1873 marked the
beginning of a depression that lasted over twenty years. By 1900,
innovations in industrial production were concentrating economic growth
in burgeoning factory cities across what we now call the rust belt.
Changes in how Americans lived were both a result and a cause of this
transformation.

Many left the farm, drawn away by factory
wages and the excitement of city life. They could not have done so
without productivity improvements that lowered food and clothing costs,
enabling them to afford city rents. These historic changes had a great
impact on Somerville, its emigrants with French Canadian roots, and its
immigrants from Italy.

In 1929, another banking crisis marked
the beginning of the Great Depression. It ended when World War II drove
an enormous expansion in industrial capacity and wages. The War's
conclusion brought suburban growth and economic demand driven by
production of the automobiles required to commute to, and the
appliances required to equip single-family suburban homes. Retail
establishments, then production facilities, then offices followed the
urban refugees. The suburbs' lure entranced many Somervillians whose
departure began to unravel the fabric of the city's extraordinary
community.

Past crises hastened economic trends already
underway. This one will accelerate the loss of manufacturing jobs that
globalization and less-than-fair trade have brought us over the past
several decades. Between December 2007 and November 2008, the
manufacturing, construction, extraction, and transport sectors shed 1.8
million jobs, while professional-occupation jobs increased by 500,000.

Future
job growth will come from the energy, education, healthcare, biotech,
entertainment, information, and research sectors. It will be driven by
innovation, which happens most in dense urban areas where diverse
professions and peoples interact. The world's 40 largest urban
concentrations produce 90% of its patented innovations.

Simply
being urban is not enough, however. Attracting a critical mass of
highly educated people is essential. There is no metropolitan area with
as dense a concentration of such workers as Greater Boston. And
Somerville, whose residents with college degrees grew from 16% to 40%
between 1980 and 2000, now has the second-densest concentration of
people with postgraduate degrees in Massachusetts.

There will be
population shifts within regions as well. The changing location of job
opportunities will add momentum to the move back to the cities already
motivated by increased fuel costs, commute times, reduced family sizes,
and the excitement, freedom, and amenities of urban life.

When
I first came to Somerville, housing was a bargain. Now, urban
residential neighborhood space across the nation and in Somerville is
priced between 40%-to-200% more than is suburban space. In most
metropolitan areas, only 5-to-10% of housing is located in walkable
urban places like ours. But the University of Michigan's Jonathan
Levine finds that one in three homeowners would now prefer to live in
these places.

The new economy will reduce homeownership as
well. Strong and urgent requirements to lower the federal debt, fund
healthcare, and invest in sectors with the greatest potential for
economic growth will obligate the federal government to reduce the
generous home-mortgage-interest income-tax deduction.

At the
personal level, the often-cited "American dream" has been about
economic opportunity and home ownership. Now these two ambitions are in
conflict. Americans can no longer finance their over-consuming
lifestyles with easy credit. The combination of housing and
transportation costs is accounting for 50% or more of many families'
budgets. They are draining money away from expenditures, such as
education, that are necessary to pursue economic opportunity.

About
two-thirds of U.S. families own their homes. This ratio will probably
reverse to two-thirds of families being renters, which is already the
case in Somerville. The Green Line's arrival, and a spatial pattern
that is congenial to expanded public transportation, will also serve
Somerville well.

As Somerville suffered from the flight to the
suburbs, the new economy will bring suffering to suburbs not served by
rail transit. A growing number of residents will leave them, lowering
their property values. Suburban property tax revenues will drop, in
turn, reducing the safety and quality education that made suburbs
attractive. Their low-quality postwar construction will deteriorate
without continuous reinvestment. They will become the new slums,
characterized by poverty, crime, and decay.

So Somerville as a
whole is well positioned to benefit from the coming economic
transformation. The highly educated newcomers who have been arriving
here since the late 1980s will benefit the most. But unless our city's
political leaders change their idiotic development policies, the
current trend in which people who have grown up here can no longer
afford to pay Somerville rents will accelerate. And local
affordable-housing advocates will be as impotent to forestall this
outcome as they are to meet current housing needs.

Already the
densest city in New England, we do not need more housing. Every new
housing unit worsens the city's structural fiscal deficit, since
housing produces only two-thirds the tax revenue of commercial
property, but generates twice the costs to the city.

The best
housing development program is a job that will pay market-rate rents.
As educated workers concentrate, knowledge workers innovate, and new
businesses proliferate, Somerville is positioned to greatly expand its
tax base with office and research-and-development-facility
construction. Some of the tax revenues thus produced could be used to
prepare long-term residents for well-paying jobs in the companies that
will locate here.

We cannot achieve this if we keep frittering
away our prime office locations and infrastructure concentrations on
suburban-style big-box developments and soccer stadiums. And nonprofit
housing developers are not doing their clients or the city any favors
by building pockets of poverty like the developments next to the Target
store and on the St. Polycarp's site. Instead, they should acquire and
renovate solid, already existing housing stock as mixed-income
developments.

Led by a vision that is equal to the new reality,
Somerville after the fall can do very well. Or, we can remain a
close-in bedroom community for knowledge workers and watch history pass
us by.

This
story should probably have been printed around the Halloween season,
but it's happening now, so here t is. Did you hear that Sacco's Bowl
Haven bowling alley and pool hall on Day Street is supposedly haunted?
One of the Boston Sunday papers ran an article on this story, but here
it is first-hand.

The Sci-Fi channel's show "Ghost Hunters"
was there investigating a few weeks ago. They spent a couple of nights
in the bowling alley to get the ghost to show itself, or make its
presence known or whatever they call it. I don't know if they found
evidence of any paranormal activity or not. The TAPS (The Atlantic
Paranormal Society) van arrived – they came equipped with their ion
generators, white noise generators, digital thermometers, infrared
cameras and thermal imaging cameras. They had everything but Dan Akroyd
and Bill Murray. A friend of mine had spoken to the producers and
recommended me to talk to them – as someone who lived in the area my
whole life and would perhaps have some info on the matter. I talked to
a producer and gave a few of my ideas on why the bowling alley may
indeed be haunted.

I called the alley and spoke to the woman
who has worked there for several years. Her name is Barbara and I have
known her from the square for over 35 years. She gave me the low down
on the spooky goings-on at the bowling alley. It's also documented on
Loui "UFO" Zoot!'s site the web, under the heading ,haunted places in
Massachusetts. It seems strange noises sometimes come from the back of
the alley in the evening and scratching sounds have been heard too. The
alleys would all of a sudden become freezing cold, and a girl
mysteriously had greasy stains on her face that looked like they were
made with fingers. All weird stuff right ? Weird enough for the Sci-Fi
channel to send an entire crew to Somerville for a full investigation.

When
I spoke to the producer I gave her some theories I had come up with and
she invited me to be part of the show as the 'Somerville historian'. I
put in many hours in Davis Square, so why not me?

I started
doing some research and discovered that the famous pool hustler Rudolf
Wanderone Jr., aka " Minnesota Fats," was beaten at Sacco's by
Somerville resident and Hall of Fame pool player Larry "Boston Shorty"
Johnson. You may remember Jackie Gleason portrayed Minnesota Fats in
the Paul Newman movie "The Hustler". Fats died in 1996 and Shorty
passed away in 2001.

I had the pleasure of knowing Shorty from
Redbones. I suggested that perhaps Fats was coming back looking for
either a re-match or perhaps to have a snack. I also had other ideas
that involved car trunks at the auto repair business next door. My own
deceased sister could actually be the playful entity. She came across
from the other side like gang busters at a session held by famed medium
Suzane Northrop. We know that she is a very strong and prominent
spirit, just as she was in life. Christine had a lovable mischievous
personality and I wouldn't be surprised if she is having a bit of fun
in the afterlife. She also had some issues that involved the bowling
alley. If she can hear me now, I would like her to go into my bank
account and add a few zeros .

The TAPS van was parked in front
of the Central Library as I walked in to be interviewed. I was asked
questions, while three cameras and about 15 crew members and producers
monitored the session. My kids got a kick out of the whole thing, while
I made a joke of everything, as usual.

At this time I don't know
if or when the Sacco's episode will be aired on The Sci-Fi Channel but
I will let you now as soon as I find out. I never watch those types of
shows, but of course I will if I'm on. I don't have to watch TV to get
frightened, because real life is scary enough. Right now I have to go
to Shaws to buy food for the mouths of children present. They get very
scary when they are not fed.

Other places in Somerville appear
to be haunted also such as my own house! It seems every day I wake up
at 3 am to chilling eerie voices. They moan things like: "If only you
didn't do this…" and "you should have done that…" and "you really
blew that chance, fat head." Those are the 'would have, could have,
should have' spirits that echo and taunt me in my mind. I am also
haunted by the ghosts of mortgages past, which are some horribly ugly
and scary demons. You can email Jimmy direct with comments at
jimmydel@rcn.com.

Since other government buildings in
Somerville were open during Monday's massive snowstorm, it was expected
that the Hodgkins-Curtin Park meeting would go forward as planned at
6:30pm on Monday evening. But unbeknownst to the meeting's planners,
the Tufts Administration Building was closed due to the weather.

Ellen
Scheider and Arn Franzen, both from the Mayor's Office of Strategic
Planning & Community Development came to the Tufts Administration
Building with their presentation for the park restoration in hand, only
to find the building locked and inaccessible. Also in attendance were
two representatives from the landscape architect firm Weston &
Sampson, who have been involved in the planning and development of the
park's restoration.

The four of them waited in the Tuft
Administration Building's vestibule to inform interested residents that
the meeting was canceled due to circumstances beyond their control.

But
in spite of the cold, Schneider and Franzen were still very willing to
talk informally about the plans for renovating Hodgkins-Curtin Park
with anyone who was willing to stay and discuss. They were also quick
to reassure everyone in attendance that a new meeting for the plans
would be scheduled promptly.

The renovation of Hodgkins-Curtin
Park is one of many projects that Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and the
Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development has undertaken
to preserve and improve existing parks and other open spaces in the
City of Somerville.

The Office of Strategic Planning &
Community Development oversees all park renovations and expansions
within Somerville by managing and utilizing a budget that includes
federal, state and city funds. "We are committed to enhance the City's
built environment and create outdoor spaces for active recreation,
relaxation, and environmental health in Somerville," explains the
Office's website.

The City of Somerville currently manages a
total of 41 parks and fields and there may be more in coming years.
With the help of Mayor Curtatone, the Office of Strategic Planning
& Community Development, and concerned residents of Somerville,
community parks have been experiencing a considerable transformation in
recent years.

Since Mayor Curtatone took office, the city has
renovated 11 parks and added four new ones. These four new parks alone
have added 1.5 acres to the city's recreational areas.

"Somerville
parks and playgrounds are seen by residents and business persons as a
valuable community resource," says the Office of Strategic Planning
& Community Development's website. Somerville's representatives and
residents commitment to attending the ill-fated Hodgkins-Curtin Park
meeting on Monday night only confirm this statement.

Even in the
cold, dark Tufts Administration Building vestibule, a dialogue between
a community member and Somerville representatives was begun about the
future use and restoration of a baseball diamond in the park. So in
spite of the impromptu cancellation of the meeting, a dialogue was
begun and will hopefully continue when the Hodgkins-Curtin Park meeting
is rescheduled.

Updates concerning the rescheduling of the
meeting will be found on Somerville's website. All interested residents
and stakeholders are invited to attend. "We hope to reschedule and have
the meeting as soon as possible," said Schneider.

In the end,
no one in attendance for Monday night's meeting seemed especially
discouraged or frustrated by the locked building. Most everyone seemed
slightly amused by the mishap, knowing that last Monday was indeed no
day for a park.

The board cited concerns about the parking
competition that would be brought by the MBTA through the city and
Cambridge residents who poach spots during the work day. Roughly one
third of Somerville has unregulated street parking, a majority of which
lies in the area that would be serviced by the green line extension.

"The green line is coming to the middle of Union Square," Ward 4 Aldermen Walter Pero said, noting

that
the red line extension to Davis Square brought permit restrictions to
protect residents from encroaching commuters. "We need to be preparing
the citizens. We might as well start training them now."

The unanimously approved order asking Director of Traffic and Parking James

Kotzuba
to examine the effect of unifying all streets within the permit system
was submitted by Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan and Alderman-at-Large
Bruce Desmond.

In addition to concerns that the green line would
bring more cars into Somerville, Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston said
her constituents are constantly fighting for parking space with
Cambridge residents looking to avoid that city's stringent enforcement,
especially on Beacon Street.

"Ward 2 is essentially a parking lot for the city of Cambridge," she said. "People who live in Ward 2,

they can't park near where they live at all during the day."

Ward
7 Alderman Bob Trane, chairman of the Traffic and Parking Committee,
said Somerville residents are also avoiding permit regulations by
parking halfway across the city. He added that out-of-state plates are
also frequent on unregulated streets.

"We're losing a lot of revenue that should be coming into the city," Trane said. "These are people

"This is a good proposal that's come out of a
very inclusive process, but it's clear that a cooling real estate
market has reduced the impetus and the urgency for updating the current
ordinance," Curtatone said. "It's also clear that future prospects for
the proposals will be improved by a renewed community outreach and
education effort. Many residents still don't understand why we need to
make the condo conversion process clearer and more predictable for both
property owners and tenants. We will continue that education process
and revisit this issue when the time is right."

"On the one
hand, I'm eager to move forward with this proposal since it was the
product of so much hard work by both tenant and landlord advocates who
spent sixteen months hashing out a compromise within the Condo
Conversion Task Force," said Alderman Gewirtz. "However, I think the
long-term chances for success are enhanced by tabling this measure for
now and engaging in more outreach and education about the proposal's
benefits to small property owners, in particular."

"Alderman
Gewirtz did an outstanding job of bringing together the broad-based
task force, which involved all of the stakeholders, including tenant
advocates and property owners. Working together, they came up with a
proposal that covered the concerns of owners, renters and the community
as a whole," said Mayor Curtatone. "But it's clear that we have more
work to do to explain the benefits of a new ordinance."

The task
force included tenant advocates, representatives of the real estate
community and staff from the Mayor's Office of Strategic Planning and
Community Development. The ordinance they proposed would expand upon
the existing state statute that governs conversions throughout the
Commonwealth, and would add the following key provisions:

•
For two and three family homes, the proposed ordinance provides for a
shorter notice period than the current Somerville ordinance – namely, a
6-month notice to all tenants. The proposed ordinance also provides for
a lump sum reimbursement for relocation costs of $2,000 for elderly,
handicapped, and low/moderate income tenants and $1,000 for all other
tenants.

• For buildings of four or more units, the proposed
ordinance provides for the same notice period as the current Somerville
ordinance and the state statute – namely, a 2-year notice to elderly,
handicapped, and low/moderate income tenants and a 1-year notice to all
other tenants. The ordinance also provides for a lump sum reimbursement
for relocation costs of $4,000 for elderly, handicapped, and
low/moderate income tenants and $2,000 for all other tenants.

"Both
Alderman Gewirtz and I remain committed to advancing a fair and
balanced condo conversion ordinance in the future," said Curtatone.

"There
is still a fundamental need for an ordinance that protects the
interests of our landlord community and provides protections for low
income, disabled, and elderly tenants in Somerville. We will continue
to work together to meet that need," said Gewirtz.