Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Ward 1 Alderman Matthew McLaughlin invite all residents to the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Symphony Park on Thursday, October 2 at 3:30 p.m. Located at the corner of Pearl and Florence Streets in East Somerville, the design of the park is the result of a series of community meetings during which residents expressed a desire for amenities for multigenerational users. The currently vacant lot will be transformed into a quiet neighborhood space with seating in a garden setting, a small water feature, accessible community gardens and a small community performance space. The park is funded in part by a Massachusetts PARC grant granted by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

By Douglas Yu

If there is a festival that makes Somerville sticky and fluffy, it’s going to be “What the Fluff?” The ninth annual festival ran from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Union Square on Saturday.

Each week prior to the November election The Somerville Times will present the Statewide ballot questions, along with pro and con arguments, one at a time for examination and further consideration. We begin the series this week with Question 1: Eliminating Gas Tax Indexing.
*

QUESTION 1: Law Proposed by Initiative Petition Eliminating Gas Tax Indexing
*

Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives on or before May 6, 2014?

The Somerville Chamber of Commerce is holding their monthly Business After hours social this Thursday night, October 2, 5-7 p.m. at the East End Grille, 118 Broadway. It’s an excellent networking event featuring free appetizers with a cash bar. Free parking in private lot. Bring your business cards for the drawing. Members and their guests are welcome. Treat your colleagues and clients! Sponsored by Our City Realty. RSVP with name(s) and affiliation(s) for you and your guests to smackey@somervillechamber.org.

Two would-be bank robbers were stopped in their tracks in Somerville last week. — Photos by John Gardner

By Jim Clark

Police arrested two men last week as they made their way to Rockland Trust Bank at 399 Highland Ave., allegedly intent on committing an armed robbery there.

Edwin O’Grady, 55, of New Boston, New Hampshire, and an as of yet unidentified accomplice were stopped before they entered the bank last Thursday at approximately 10:55 a.m.

Make way for the mayhem and turmoil that is about to strike Union Square as crews commence preparations for the laying of tracks and all else that goes with the coming of the Green Line through the area.

Some traffic detours aside, the process should actually be fairly orderly and pain-free for locals and passers-through. City and developer plans seem to be thoroughly thought out and, with luck and proper implementation, should allow for a smooth period of adjustment and preparation for the actual construction phase when it begins in earnest.

Aldermen won’t give up push for campaign finance reform

By Jane Regan

Even though the mayor vetoed their proposed campaign finance reform ordinance, Alderman-At-Large Bill White and his colleagues aren’t giving up.

Known as a “Pay-to-Play” law, the ordinance would limit the amount of money people hoping to do real estate development-related business with the city at $250. It passed with seven votes on September 11 but on September 23, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone sent a letter to the Board of Alderman indicating he was vetoing it.

*

Somerville Poet Kevin Dua writes: “I am a history teacher in the Somerville Public Schools for three years, who takes comfort in poetry writing since college. I consider this piece a reminder of how sincerity can falter towards what the majority deems right.”