By William C. Shelton

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Partners HealthCare has submitted plans for its Assembly Square Development, and there’s good new and bad news.

Mayor Curtatone and the Somerville Board of Alderman have reviewed and approved six members of the Somerville Fire Department for promotion to higher ranks. The appointments were made official at last week’s General Meeting of the Board. The promotions went to: Michael Avery, to Deputy Fire Chief; Sean Tierney, to Deputy Fire Chief; Gregory French, to Fire Captain; Steven Mauras, to Fire Captain; Timothy Flynn, to Fire Lieutenant; and Paul French, to Fire Lieutenant.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

The East Somerville Community School presented its annual Spring Concert on Friday morning, June 13. Students played and sang for the public free of charge in the ESCS Auditorium.

Somerville Neighborhood News is a production of Somerville Community Access Television, made by professional journalists, volunteers and staff. The half-hour news show has as its mission to provide a lively, informative newscast focusing on the events, issues and information impacting Somerville residents.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

The redevelopment of key blocks of Union Square and Boynton Yards is one of the most important and sensitive projects our city will undertake in its history. Through the community discussions that yielded our SomerVision comprehensive plan and the rezoning of Union Square, the community charged us with specific goals for the neighborhood. We have been told to create new types of development, economic growth and employment opportunities, while making the neighborhood more walkable, bikeable and easier to traverse. We have also been told to balance this revitalization by preserving what we already love about Union Square, retaining its identity, and creating more housing that has a range of affordability, using sustainable development and adding more public green space. Picking the right partner to help us achieve these goals means we have to do our homework.

With recent renovations to the site complete, Albion Playground will reopen to the public at 8 a.m. Thursday, June 19. Renovations to the playground included: a new concrete retaining wall at the grass slope; reducing the grades at the steep portions of the grass hill; new sod; repairs to the irrigation and drainage system; two new trees; tree and shrub pruning; and a new sealcoat surface at the water spray area.

For more information about this or other city parks and open spaces, visit www.somervillema.gov/ departments/ospcd/parks-and-open-space.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

The Nave Gallery and the Somerville Arts Council presented the 2nd Somerville Squeezebox Slam on Saturday, June 14, from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m.

The celebration of accordions, button boxes and other freestanding reed instruments were a hit with the appreciative crowds that gathered to listen.

By Jeremy F. van der Heiden

In what has been a busy few weeks for the City of Somerville, the Board of Aldermen gathered for a regular meeting this past Thursday, June 12, 2014 to discuss general goings on. After an approval of the minutes for the Regular Meeting that took place on May 8, the BOA covered a citation that was issued by the entire board to commend Richard Knibbs, a long-time mentor of, and advocate for, the youth community in the city.

Massachusetts Secretary of Education Matt Malone toured Winter Hill Innovation School last week and came away very impressed. — Photos by Jack Adams.

By Jack Adams

On Thursday, June 12, Massachusetts Secretary of Education Matt Malone visited the Winter Hill Innovation School as part of his tour of Massachusetts innovation schools. After observing several classrooms, Malone said he was impressed.

This Thursday evening is “3rd THURSDAY BLOCK PARTY: RHYHTM OF THE EAST” from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Chuckie Harris Park. Join the third Block Party called ‘Rhythm of the East!’ This block party includes performances by SHS Jazz, Guitar & World Percussion Ensembles, Somerville Symphony Orkestar and more! Bring a picnic and the whole family and enjoy this fantastic event!