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.

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.