"The Somerville Tenancy Preservation Collaborative
developed a strong proposal because it is cooperative in nature and
consistent with the mission of the Network to coordinate efforts," said
MBHP Executive Director Chris Norris. "It is a joint initiative among
Somerville Community Corporation, which is the lead agency, and
Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services, Community Action Agency of
Somerville, Somerville Homeless Coalition, and Somerville Mental Health
Association." The group's main focus is to provide assistance to people
before they reach the point of eviction. "It is our hope that this
initiative will create a uniformed system where landlords could make
direct referrals to our organizations and we could work with these
families to get services and resources in place at a very early stage
before they are in crisis that would assist them in not only
maintaining their housing but addressing the areas that are preventing
them from becoming self-sufficient", said SCC staff member, Stacey
Pires.

The SCC provides assistance in several areas including
financial assistance for delinquent rent and utility payments,
mediation and negotiation with landlords, housing search and
placements, and personal budgeting and credit management. The
collaborative applied for the MBHP's funding to enhance its already
extensive offerings. "A lot of these residents had very large arrears
when they finally walked through our doors that caused us to have to
leverage additional funds and services through other agencies just to
stabilize. After many conversations we decided that we could provide
direct service at these sites so that residents could access our
services and receive help before getting to the stage of eviction of to
a point where they could not help themselves", said Pires. The funds
awarded will be directly used to aid residents of Somerville. It is the
aim of the collaborative to impact recipients prior to shelters
becoming their only option.

The Metro Boston Network gave out
awards to 12 organizations totaling $470,000. In addition, the Network
also has $465,729 in emergency flexible funds available to the agencies
and partners to leverage staff services and help residents obtain and
retain housing. Once the contracts are finalize and accepted they will
last 18 months beginning on July 1, 2009.

I
am very pleased to feature a guest contributor to this week's column.
Many folks have commented that I don't write enough about other parts
of the city and seem to concentrate mostly on the Davis Square area.
That's only because that's where my memories are! But now, feel free to
open your own memory floodgates and send me your valuable opinions and
memories. And now, I would like to introduce Susan Fontano for your
reading enjoyment…

The City is celebrating it's recent victory
of being "crowned" All-America City 2009! Many of us have been living
that wonderful sense of Somerville Pride all our life.

I'm a lifelong Somervillian, working on 60+ years. Third generation; preceded by my grandmother and mother.

I
have several friends whom we've been together since kindergarten days
at the Prescott School. We went on to Northeastern Junior High (first
time we were allowed to cross McGrath Highway) and then off to
Somerville High School.

I must mention that back then we didn't
have the special school buses – we just jumped onto the regular T
buses. Crowding in the bus, with the morning commuters, was something
else. They didn't know what hit them. We really took over = it was a
blast. Hooking up with your friends and talking all the way up Highland
Avenue, without skipping a beat. They have all physically moved away.
The construction of Route 93 unfortunately pushed some of them out, and
for others, life challenges and opportunities required moving.

We were all teenagers – school during the day and Eddie's Coke Shop after school – with weekends at the Broadway Show.

For the most part our parents worked, so we were pretty independent, and looking back, street smart.

Broadway
was our playground. We'd patronize all the stores – I guess in
retrospect it was our version of the "mall." Everything we needed we
could get on Broadway. School supplies, Rainbow Spa or the 5 & 10.
Clothes for a "special" event, Tucks.

Then there was Tony's
Foodland, where our family did their food shopping, complimented by
Kennedy's & Lil' Tony's for specialty items. The Broadway fish
market had the best seafood, but especially the french fries. We would
leave the show during intermission and go get big bags of fries piping
hot for less than 20 cents – what am I saying – the ticket for a double
feature was 25 cents! The memories keep coming, some happy, some
bittersweet.

Throughout the year, we really try to get together.
Be it a SHS class reunion (we never miss), weddings, birthdays, and yes
– funerals. We always make time for one another. I usually like to host
a Saturday night in August. We start off at the Mt. Vernon Restaurant
for twin lobsters then back to my house. We settle in onto the back
porch, put on some music with some coffee and pastries from Patsy's –
and reminisce all night long. Those nights, out in the back yard of
Somerville under the stars are probably some of the most cherished for
me. I'm speaking for myself, but I'm sure my friends would agree, we
are the luckiest. Growing up in Somerville gave us the foundation we
needed for life.

These people are like no other – their
appreciation for friends and family, their values, scruples, character,
self pride, and yes, Somerville Pride – shine through as much today as
it did 45+ years ago.

Today, Broadway has changed, but it's
still the same. A "place" for kids, mothers and fathers to go for
supplies, food and fun. We still have at the corner of our streets, a
cobbler (shoe repair), a specialty variety store, Amigo's delicious
award winning eateries for when we don't feel like cooking, ice cream
parlor, library, banks, clothing stores. I guess it's still the "mall"
on Broadway as when I grew up. Sure the surnames are different and the
names of the businesses have changed, but not that Somerville spirit.
Especially East Somerville – although we appreciate and cherish all we
have, we are continually working for an even better Somerville. Through
every day citizens, civic groups, East Somerville Main Streets, Mayor
Curtatone, Alderman Roche, School Committeewoman Bastardi, Police
Captain Devereaux, Police Officer Styles – we all work together to
improve the "quality of life" for all businesses and residents. Come
share our world in East Somerville!

Orsola Susan Fontano

City
officials last Wednesday gathered in the Aldermanic Chamber to
celebrate the successes and goals of Shape Up Somerville, a city-wide
campaign to increase daily physical exercise and healthy eating through
programming, infrastructure improvements and policy work.

Representatives
from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation were at hand to talk about its
Healthy Kids Healthy Communities program that offers grants of up to
$400,000 to nine communities state-wide-of which Somerville was
selected. The program is a major part of the foundation's five-year,
$500 million commitment to reverse the obesity epidemic in the United
States by 2015.

"Everyone knows how important childhood
obesity is in international health conversations," said Rich Bell, a
foundation representative. Obesity prevention is one of the country's
most pressing health challenge. Nationally, over 30 percent of adults
are considered obese and over 30 percent of children are obese. Health
problems due to obesity account for nine percent of medical
expenditures annually.

Somerville is at the forefront of the
movement to address good community health through environmental
changes, Bell said. There are over 100 communities doing the same
thing, but mainly through piece meal attempts; a farmer's market or a
school program, Bell said. But few are doing what Somerville has taken
on by involving stakeholders across-the-board.

In particular,
the city will-through the Shape up Somerville program-implement the
following, according to Mayor Joseph Curtatone:

o Offer healthy
eating incentives at local restaurants. Any restaurant that agrees to
offer healthy dinners expressly for children will be recognized at the
end of the year. Curtatone hopes to see five restaurants participate.

o
Add farmers markets throughout the city. Currently there are markets in
Davis and Union Squares. A farmers market will soon come to lower
Broadway in East Somerville.

o Survey food retailers to see how they can add fruit and vegetables to their product lines.

o
Coordinate an agenda on how to safely use the city's open spaces. The
city is currently holding a youth-led inventory of playground and park
equipment.

o Expand walking and biking opportunities.

A
Shape Up Somerville task force will work with all stakeholders in the
city to develop a "neighborhood champions program," Curtatone said.

"Think
of the consequences if you take any community and you cut off access to
healthy food choices," Curtatone said. "What do you think the result
will be? We would see a health epidemic, health challenges and social
consequences."

Past Shape up Somerville initiatives include
offering a Fitness Buddies program, walk/ride days, healthy
alternatives to school lunches, a bike/walk path for the Green Line
extension plans, adding eight miles of bike lanes in the city,
installing bike racks and improving the city's parks, according to
Curtatone.

Most of the time it's the affluent or homogeneous
cities that make such strides to improve the health of its residents,
Bell said.

"Somerville is working to change its culture and
normal way of life, which is a great opportunity," Bell said. "We see
how Somerville is reaching out to the schools, the parks, the streets,
retail, city government-it sure is hitting this effort across many
levels. This is truly ambitious."

The leading sites for the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program are urban and rural, large and
small. They include Chicago; Columbia, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; Seattle;
Washington; and Baldwin Park, Central Valley and Oakland in California.

The
program will grow to approximately 70 communities when another round of
funding comes through late next year. Many are expected to be from a
swath of southern states where childhood obesity rates are particularly
high. The leading sites will then work with the new communities to
share the lessons they've learned and the most effective approaches.
Read the full story at http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/product.jsp?id=36348

It
takes a lot of work to change the culture and attitudes surrounding
obesity, said Paulette Renault-Caragines, RN, MPA, Somerville's health
department director.

"You need to change the DNA in the
community," she said. "We need to stress to parents that the $5 Happy
Meal is not the only default meal," she said.

It also boils
down to using the correct terminology for parents so the issue isn't
too socially charged and to get the point across in a matter-of-fact
manner, Renault-Caragaines said. For example, the correct term is
"obese" rather than "overweight."

The schools are also urging
that kids walk to school, which entails working on parents' perceptions
about safety and to assure them that Somerville is a safe city, she
said. Shape Up Somerville currently offers safe route to school maps at
www.somervillema.gov, for example.

The Shape Up Somerville
program was launched in 2002 via a $1.5 million grant from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. The program started with the
schools and over the years has covered programs across the city.

As for the
impact of the program on young students, the results speak for
themselves. The program has its own system of gauging its
effectiveness. The teachers at the participating schools survey the
children at both the beginning and at the end of the program to compare
results. These surveys have shown a 90% increase in children's attitude
towards reading, their reading skills, and their articulation and
self-esteem regarding reading.

Barefoot Books is one of the
local businesses that has employees that are volunteers for the
program. Sarah Spencer, International Rights and Sales Manager for
Barefoot Books said, "It's empowering for the children and so important
to their future and those of the communities in which they live."

The
success of the program can be credited to the fact that it has a
personal element to it. "The one-on-one factor is what makes the
program so unique. Some volunteers have worked with the same student
for as long as 6 years and they build very strong relationships," says
Darcy Madden, the Executive Director of the Somerville program. Some of
these dedicated companies who have employees that volunteer their time
are Gentle Giant Moving Company, TJX Companies, Caldwell Bank, and CDC.

Reading
to a child not only enriches a child's life, it is also good for morale
in the work place and is a fulfilling way to spend time as a volunteer.
Donna Callahan, Recreation Supervisor from the City of Somerville
Recreation Commission, described her experience as, "Knowing that I can
in some small way impact the life of this student. Her classroom
teachers have been so complimentary of me, our relationship, and the
importance of having this type of program for all the students that are
involved. I am humbled to be part of the Program's success at the
Kennedy School."

If you or anyone you know may want to become an
Everybody Wins! Power Lunch Program volunteer please contact the
Executive Director Darcy Madden at darcy.madden@ewmb.org. To get more
information regarding the program at both the local and national level
visit www.ewmb.org.

The
mood seemed to be mostly one of excitement toward the new project that
aims to make a hot spot for Somerville retail, residence and office
spaces more accessible to rapid transit riders. Though, for the most
part the various Somerville residents seemed concerned with not only
the funding for this project as is, but also the fundamental design
that members of the MBTA and other organizations spearheading the
project like ACOM had come up with thus far.

The station right
now is projected to be a $50 million project. According to Joe Nolan, a
member of the Construction Department for the MBTA, the new station at
Assembly Square has gathered about $40 million in funds so far, which
already leaves a $10 million gap in the initial estimate of the cost to
build the station. Still, this station is in the very early stages of
production. The organizations in charge of the design will take another
year just to design the station.

The station will be right in
between Sullivan Square Station and Wellington Station, filling a gap
in a now non-accessible area where a new IKEA is being built. This area
will also have a tremendous amount of retail outlets, as well as over
1.75 million square feet of office space and a vast amount of
residencies. The idea, according to the project leaders such as Joe
Cosgro, Patrick Dunford, a traffic engineer, and Kyle Davis, the deputy
design officer of ACOM, is to pick a particularly busy and emerging
node of business and focus as much public transportation around it to
make it grow as much as possible.

This technique, if executed,
can be a great step for the City of Somerville to pull itself out of
this great economic crisis it finds itself in today. One of the best
parts of this equation is the cost to the taxpayers of Massachusetts.
As mentioned, the project has gathered $40 million in funds to go
toward the design and building of this new station. The MBTA will not
need to pay any of this, a very bright point considering the $27
billion backlog to repair its existing infrastructure.

Instead,
the Federal Transit Authority will be contributing $25 million dollars,
while the Federal Realty Investment Trust and IKEA will be picking up
the other $15 million. This is a big step considering the vast
shortages in funds for vital projects that the MBTA has been trying to
take care of for an extended period of time.

During the
question and answer stage of the meeting, it was clear that the
majority of concerns were toward the initial designs that the project
overseers had come up with. The proposed station will be state of the
art, and of course fulfill all MBTA guidelines, but will only have one
headhouse. This poses somewhat of a problem in the sense that only
having one headhouse would not make the spaces that are the target area
of new accessibility not completely optimal in accessibility. Most of
the residents of Somerville asking questions, as well as the Mystic
View Task Force who were represented at the meeting, seemed to believe
that having only one headhouse would be a complete waste of time and
money.

For optimal accessibility, the station apparently needs
to have two headhouses. The members of the MBTA seemed to only be able
to say that right now the money is so tight, that an addition to the
new Station so big, one that could come close to doubling the costs is
just not in the cards at the time being.

The MBTA stated that it
would continue to consider this change to the design. The next meeting
will be held in the fall of this year, when the initial designs should
be beginning to take some shape.

So
imagine how amazing it was for city officials and residents alike when
Somerville won the All America City award in 1972, just on the heels of
what old timers called a "revolution." Thirty seven years later, or a
little over a week ago, Somerville again earned the All America City
award. This time around, the city earned the recognition because of its
forward thinking, which is why those who have been around long enough
find it so interesting to compare and contrast how far this city has
come.

"It's not about a city being perfect, but a move toward
change," said Chisholm, a Somerville native, who was a School Committee
member back in 1972. "Back then, it was a revolutionary time that
prompted the award. This time around it is more about the cutting edge
accomplishments. It seems we are engaged in best practices, now.
Somerville has become quite the place."

The All America City
award is sponsored by the National Civic League, a non-profit
organization that fosters innovative city building and reform. The All
America City award, since 1949, has recognized the efforts of
extraordinary communities. Each year the National Civic League honors
ten communities for effectively addressing their most critical
challenges.

The overall theme Somerville chose this year was
"Improved Communication." The city highlighted its commitment to the
MBTA's Green Line extension through Somerville (which is slated to be
complete in 2014); the efforts of the Somerville Cares about Prevention
program to educate about and prevent substance abuse amongst the city's
youth and the adoption of "SomerStat," the 311 hot line number
initiative that streamlines how the public communicates with the city's
offices.

Over 30 years ago, people say it was Mayor S. Lester
Ralph, who was not only new blood on the political scene, but breathed
new life in the failing city.

The "Spotlight" series exposed
bad contracting practices on the part of the city. In 1969, three men
ran for mayor; incumbent Joe Marino, Jim Brennan and Ralph. Ralph, a
newcomer to politics, was a minister no less in a Catholic city. But he
got up and confronted the two other candidates during one of the
debates, saying he was the "rose between two thorns," Chisholm
recalled.

"He went on to beat Marino," he said, adding Brennan got knocked out in the primary. "It showed the public was fed up."

Not only that, nine out of the 11 Aldermen lost in the election that year.

The
schools were also in terrible shape. In Chisholm's Ward 1, the East
Somerville Community School was condemned. Ralph not only promised to
replace the school, but he also built the Powder House Community School
in West Somerville at the same time. Then he oversaw the building of
the Lincoln Park Community School, followed by the Winter Hill
Community School to make for four new schools in the city, Chisholm
said.

New staff were hired for the schools, there was more
buzz about city office accountability, and citizens groups sprung up
almost as quickly as the school construction.

In those days,
there was a lot of competition for every elected position, Chisholm
said. Every post had a primary. Today, we're lucky if two people run
for a seat, he said. But that could be due to increased public
satisfaction with elected officials.

Somerville's population
is also more transitory in nature, Chisholm said, with people coming
and going and not getting as involved in local politics.

"Back
then, there were so many problems to deal with, that folks were engaged
more in politics," he said. "Today there is a certain level of
contentment with city government…In terms of the award, we're looking
at two different eras, two different times, two different yard sticks.
It's not about the same award for the same type of thing, but the same
basis of movement."

Ralph describes those days as "very
hectic." He admitted he didn't necessarily feel as if he got along with
the rest of the city government, but had an excellent staff and feels
like he got the job done.

And why did he, a politically green
pastor of an Episcopal Church, run for mayor? He said he had to
persuade himself. He felt compelled.

"It was after John F. Kennedy was shot and Martin Luther King was also killed," he said. "It was a traumatic time."

Ralph identified with the people of Somerville. "I said to myself that I could not stay away from public service."

Somerville
is a very vibrant city. It is a great place to be in government, he
said. The people are down to earth and very genuine. "We were a real
community," he said. "I had a sense of accomplishment as a mayor and I
felt great satisfaction in making change. It was a great experience.
Politics can be a tough game sometimes, but it is still worth it."

Jack
Connolly, an Alderman at Large, was a junior at Boston College during
the city's turbulent times. He was around to watch Ralph hire new staff
at City Hall and the city clean up its act. Back then, public
transportation was also an important focus, with officials talking
about extending the Red Line into Davis Square, akin to today's focus
on the Green Line extension.

Residents got active and helped
to make the Red Line happen, finally, in 1984, Connolly said.
"Somerville really united (under Ralph) and people became connected to
the neighborhoods," he said. "The award back then was for the
transition that Somerville made to get back in touch with the people.
It was about opening the doors to City Hall and involving the
neighborhoods."

Frank Bakey, who served as a Ward 2 Alderman
in 1972, said that it was probably more difficult to win the award
today. "(Mayor Joseph) Curtatone has done a great job, considering the
financial limitations," he said.

During Ralph's tenure, the
city built the four schools, repaired 33 percent of the streets in Ward
2, and offered more community outreach. The movement back then was a
huge expansion of services, as the city didn't have much to begin with,
Bakey said.

"It is much harder to win this type of award now,"
he said. "This year, we were up against a lot of competition. It's
quite a tribute to the city. Somerville is now safe, clean, with
amazing educational opportunities."

It is unusual for a city
to win this award twice, said Donald Norton, a long-time resident and
city activist. He remembers when he was chair of the Civic Association
for Ward 7 in 1970. The police department was mired with police
brutality issues. More and more citizens groups were forming to move
Somerville out of corruption. People often referred to Somerville as
"Slumerville."

"There was a big divide in the city," Norton said. "We don't have that now…The city needed the award back then to feel good."

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

Congratulations
to Alex and Sarita Capobianco on their newest arrival last week –
another boy – his name is Vince and that makes three boys now added to
the Capobianco family. Our best to them!

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

Some
of us went over to Cambridge last week to help celebrate Senator
Anthony Galluccio's birthday – a large crowd of supporters turned out
at the Charles River Boat Club – you can see why this guy is so popular
not just in Cambridge and here in Somerville. We met and talked to some
activists who kept asking when we are going to start a newspaper in
Cambridge – that they are sorely disappointed like we are in what has
happened to the Dole Family legacy who once owned the Journal &
Chronicle.

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

Happy Birthday to our own
Mayor Joe who celebrated his birthday last week. We wish him the best
and many more; he's a great Mayor for us here in Somerville, guess that
is why he has no one opposing him for re-election this year. So
literally he's already re-elected for another term of office.

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

Well
the Farm Team has a new boss over there on the 4th floor – another
newbie on top of the 2 others already over there – we were thinking of
sending them a GPS, but we're sure that the promoted Kat will tour what
she knows. We just hope that duty isn't left to the picture freak
Assistant Editor who loves to throw her weight around. Welcome to
Somerville, we know you were in Natick – some of our network people
over there gave us some info on your performance.

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

Birthday
greetings to Ed Tauro of Pat's Auto Body! Ed's a good guy with a
million dollar personality who always has a pleasant smile on his face
when he greets you.

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

Looks like the Henry
Family down at the Mount Vernon are once again expanding their famous
restaurant. As of the first week in August, dining customers will have
three great locations to choose from. There will be the one right down
on lower Broadway, the one over at the Wharf in Revere and now on Route
1 in Saugus as the Mount Vernon at The Ship.

Nice to see
businesses expanding in this economy, obviously they are prospering,
they are a long time old Somerville family and we wish them much
success in all three locations.

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

Another
celebrity sighting he in the Ville! The Somerville Hospital saw a visit
from Actor Ben Affleck last week. Apparently he is looking for suitable
filming locations here in the Ville. The Cambridge-born actor took
pictures with a number of the staff there that day then toured the
Ville with a friend! He even joked around and asked him if he had any
more access to any "U2" tickets!

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

The
Somerville Youth Hockey Association is looking for sponsors to help
with the cost of running the program. Lots of dedicated parents and of
course the kids who make up the various teams here in Somerville. If
you'd like to help out in any way possible, please send your donations
to Somerville Youth Hockey, PO Box 440506, Somerville MA 02144. They
would appreciate it very much.

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

Apparently
the all-city permit parking that was approved recently will have a
second life, we think businesses here in the City will suffer
dramatically with a full-city permit parking and increasing the times
for tickets up to 10pm from 8pm. We are fortunate to have businesses
that attract people from everywhere inside and outside the city, let's
hope we don't ruin it for everyone.

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

Seems
like that Coldwell Banker office that used to be on Highland Avenue had
to run back to Cambridge this past year and now the parent company has
been fined over $66K by the EPA. We're not surprised here, almost
everyone over there, especially the manager there at CBREB feels
they're entitled and can do whatever they want – for several years now.

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

Last week the Farm Team listed
everyone's salary that works for the city, but we hear that some of the
figures are wrong, you think they could be? Nah…the Farm Team always
checks their facts don't they?

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