According to the OSPCD, the goal of this project is to improve access to existing and future rapid transit stations, better the potential for businesses in critical locations and many other major benefits and opportunities. As it lies now, the OSPCD believes that Broadway has the capability of being a central point of business and residence, one that can improve the overall quality of life for Winter Hill and East Somerville residents.

The plan currently is to first rezone Broadway so that the city can regulate the uses, setbacks, lot area coverage, floor area ratio and building envelope of the lots that businesses buy on Broadway. The Broadway Corridor is envisioned by the OSPCD to have safe, vital streets with both daytime and nighttime activity, a mixture of businesses that would attract both Somerville residents and passer bys, green spaces as well as plazas, a reduced zoning burden, and act as the gateway to the city.

They believe that the economic revitalization of the Broadway Corridor is imperative to the improvement of life within the neighborhoods Broadway falls into. Some of the key organizing principles that the OSPCD cited were to facilitate development in opportune areas, respect the transition between commercial and residential districts, a balance of amenities, ensure design quality and compatibility and encourage sustainable development. Mr. May stated that the new zoning would "say something," and that "the most sustainable area is one with its own residents walking and shopping in their own areas."

Most of those in attendance had major concerns and questions for the OSPCD, as well as straightforward objections to the project. One resident was concerned about the Central Business Grounds zoning of the Nunnery Grounds. Others seemed to be very interested in where the call of action came from for this project to begin. The OSPCD stated that a board appointed by the Aldermen in response to a neighborhood outcry began this study. Still, a number of residents in attendance at this meeting states that they 'love the character of Broadway' as it is, and that if they wanted a more commercial and heavily populated neighborhood they would move to a different one.

Congressman Mike Capuano was one of the concerned residents in attendance on Wednesday night. He made it very clear that he was not there as a congressman or elected official, but rather as a resident of Winter Hill that was not sold on the concepts and objectives of this project. He stated that the plans would encourage no setback or parking, and a higher density of buildings and people, which would lead to somewhat of a canyon leading all the way down Broadway. He asked the representatives of the OSPCD, "Why would we want to do this, where is the negotiation for the city," and "who advocates higher density in their own area?" Mr. Capuano believed that the proposed zoning would encourage businesses to build the maximum.

The OSPCD stated that this plan is now a 'magic wand,' and that there is still a very public process to go through before any of it solidifies. The plan as is serves as a concept and nothing more. In addition to this plan, though, Mass Highway is carrying out a engineering study of Broadway, which could lead to the remapping of streets, sidewalks, lighting and the like. In 2010, the City is scheduled to invest $5 million toward the street beautification project of Broadway from Garfield Street to Sullivan Station.

The OSPCD cited that there are still many steps in the process that are intended to tweak the plan and raise the interest and voice of the community. Next, the OSPCD will draft a Staff Report for submission to the Board of Aldermen in early September, which will lead into the Board of Aldermen referring the proposal to the Planning Board and Board of Aldermen Land Use Committee. From there, a joint hearing of the Planning Board and the Land Use Committee must be held, at which abutters, community members and property owners will be able to provide testimony.

For any more information on this project, as well as an extensive plan of the proposed new zoning of Broadway and a more detailed description of the concepts and findings of the OSPCD, either call City Hall at 311 or visit the City of Somerville's website. Remember to keep up with this project; the best chance of making it all work is to have as many resident voices as possible speak up at these meetings.

The performance was held at the Somerville Armory with over 100 people in attendance, including teens, parents, community members, police officers, and representatives from Save Our Somerville and Teen Empowerment. Everyone was there to support youth in Somerville and the Performance Hall was buzzing with energy, music, laughter, and a real sense of pride for the teens that put on the event.

The teens spoke, rapped, and read poetry that reflected their experiences in Somerville and touched on some of the night's themes of teen pregnancy, lack of resources, and drug and alcohol abuse. The event gave the youth of Somerville a voice, and they spoke out loud and clear, their accents showing their local roots as well as the diversity that makes up this All American City.

There were many laughs, lots of cheering, and even some tears as the teens showed their strength and told stories of overcoming the difficult situations they have lived through. The common message to other teens was, "Wake up, see what's happening, and make a change for the better." Sean Post, one of the performers, said it best when he rapped, "Ignorance is the rain and our message has been written in chalk." Teen Empowerment is raising awareness among adults and youth in Somerville through events that encourage an exchange of ideas.

The evening was full of memorable performances and readings, but it also included a dialogue with the audience about issues teens are facing in Somerville. One of the biggest concerns is lack of activities for youth. Some of the ideas generated were support for bringing a proposed Sky Zone Sports facility to Union Square. Danny McLoughlin of Save Our Somerville championed the conversation around bringing a skate park to Somerville. Many neighboring cities have skate parks, including Charlestown and Boston, and the youth of Somerville are asking for positive outlets and places to be active. McLoughlin says, "Events like this [Teen Empowerment] night show that we value youth. The community needs to support youth by pushing politicians to provide positive spaces for teens."

Through Teen Empowerment, these teens are talking to the community about their needs, and finding connections with other youth in Somerville. Kathleen Portillo, a senior at Somerville High School, says she applied for the job of Youth Organizer with Teen Empowerment because she thought it would a good addition to her college applications. But after working with other teens in the community and participating in Teen Empowerment events, Portillo says, "I realized it's so much more important than that, because it provides a positive outlet for youth in Somerville."

The performances were emotional and powerful, bringing to light issues teens in Somerville are facing through real stories of their struggles. It wasn't a passive event, where the audience sat and listened. It was alive, with people moving through the performance hall talking with each other and engaging in dialogues with the Youth Organizers of Teen Empowerment. One of the last performances of the night was by Rob, a teen who says hip-hop saved his life. His rap used a call and response that embodied the movement of Teen Empowerment and the feeling of the entire evening: "United we stand, divided we fall." These teens are coming together to bring their voice to Somerville, standing together as an important part of the community.

Join the movement at www.teenempowerment.org.

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

To bad the show
"Sex and the City" is in reruns, although most of us here might not
have been great fans of the show, they probably would be interested in
the recent shenanigans involving a couple of city employees. One
particular rumor going around is that a certain department head and
another city employee were having an affair on city time no less. We
heard several different stories on this, and it is clear that the
administration had to step in and put their foot down. Like we said,
the rumor mill has been churning like crazy over what took place, the
best one we heard was that that these two individuals went overboard
and obviously didn't manage to keep it a secret – that the final straw
what was supposed to be a recent out of town work-related seminar, but
no one left the hotel room.

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

We heard
that The PDS chair Marty Martinez, who claimed he owned property here
in Somerville a few years back, for one of his many unsuccessful runs
for public office and who has moved many times over the past 10 years
is once again on the move, this time we heard from reliable sources he
was looking to move back to Ward 7 – he lived there before to run
against Bob Trane.

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

Another rumor from
sources tells us that a certain highly visible name at the DPW was
tested recently (and tested positive) and for his punishment was
suspended for about 2 weeks, he's back to work now.

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

Life
long resident, great guy from a great family, we hear will be getting
married in October. Douglas Carriger recently popped the question to
Bonnie Raboin, at the Red Sox game at Fenway Park one night with the
proposal up in lights. His family is thrilled, especially his mom, who
is seen around the city with a huge smile on her face…
Congratulations and best wishes from us here, Doug & Bonnie will
tie the knot on October 3rd down in Orleans, we wish the both of them
many long years of happiness.

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

Well-known
local political pundit Fergal O'Toole is busy in Boston working hard
for several candidates for Council – but one candidate he's working
extra-hard for is Sam Yoon – who is a candidate for Mayor of Boston, so
hard that Fergal is having a cookout for him at his East Somerville
residence.

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

Condolences to the Privitera
family on the recent loss of Jean Privitera, wife, mother and
grandmother. Her passing last week was very sad not only for her family
but a lot of Somerville residents who knew her over the years, she was
a nice lady.

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

Condolences also to the
Carroll Family of the famous Roofers here in Somerville, for the loss
of David Carroll, he was a nice guy and well known, he will be missed.

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

Middlesex
Superior Court Clerk Magistrate Michael A. Sullivan, Esq. is having his
annual fundraiser Wednesday September 9th at the Sheraton Commander in
Cambridge. Mike is a nice guy who has a lot of family and friends here
in Somerville.

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

Somerville Lions Club is
hosting a last race night at Wonderland Park in Revere this Thursday
August 20th, dinner at the clubhouse $35 pp – contact King Lion Billy
Tauro at 617-293-2016.

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

Also on the 20th
(Thursday), Corey Norton will be returning to England to start school
and in October he will be moving to Dover, Maryland. His sister Kaitlin
will be living here in Somerville with her father, our own Jamie
Norton, and attending Somerville High in this, her sophomore year.

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

Summer
campaigning is in full swing at least in Ward 4 and Ward 5; all the
candidates are out there knocking on doors already working hard.
Including campaigning on a Sunday in the later hours of the night no
less. We heard from several residents that were not happy about being
bothered on a Sunday night, sometimes you lose more than you gain when
you do things as an inexperienced political wannabe.

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

Which works for
some of us, because we enjoy the summer attire on various members of
the opposite sex just fine. Do we like short-shorts, moo-moos and
halter tops? No, unless your name is Gisele, then, maybe. Can we
empathize with Jimmy Del Ponte about the shirtless joggers? Oh
definitely.

Somerville is fairly quiet in the summertime, but
its the short window between mid-August and the day before school
begins that makes the tumbleweeds roll and the crickets chirp. Where
the only people moving with any haste in the non air-conditioned
weather want to sell you rip-off/fake brand-name perfume or some form
of religion/religious experience.

If you spend a lot of time
indoors in a climate-controlled environment, especially online, you
wouldn't know that half the city is away on vacation. That's the
miracle of the internet at work – even when you are in Somerville North
or South (New Hampshire or Cape Cod), you can appear to be right here
in the thick of things by interacting with others on various blogs
around the city. Some are informative, others are annoying. They all
have their own flavors, and as they say, d'ffrent strokes for d'ffrent
folks.

Having the hot and humid weather hold off until August
was a tease this year – it seems like the whole summer has lasted 14
days and is over tomorrow. There isn't even a local primary election
this year, so the pod-people are still in hibernation – which is kind
of lousy for the rest of us "middle of the roaders," because only the
random political neophyte seems to be lurking.

In case you are
off in neverland, away from the not-so-much hustle and bustle of the
'Ville this abbreviated summer, and you have kids in the public
schools, remember that they go back to school before Labor Day – on
September 2nd – this year. Speaking of that, we have been shocked at
the anti-climactic response from the general public about an issue that
20 years ago would have had people rioting in the streets. Back then,
messing with the unspoken "no school before Labor Day" rule would have
meant serious public outcry inside the borders of Somerville, but not
today – now that's when you know things have changed around here.

The
Traffic Board, which hears petitions by residents against the city's
Traffic Commission, heard comments from the public on August 13 on a
petition submitted by the Somerville Parking Advocacy and Reform
Coalition (SPARC).

The petition, signed by 87 registered
Somerville voters, asked for changes implemented by the Traffic
Commission in May to be rescinded – including a city-wide parking
permit mandate, increased meter hours and a 50 cents-per-hour rate
increase.

The new rules, announced after the Commission's May 21
meeting, sparked outrage among some residents and Board of Aldermen
members who said the city was forcing through the changes without
consulting residents or elected officials. The Traffic Commission and
the Traffic Board are unelected bodies.

The rules had been in a
constant state of flux since May, with the Board of Aldermen split on
whether they were justified given the $1.75 million in revenue
estimated to be brought through violations. Mayor Joseph Curtatone
established the Somerville Parking Solutions Task Force in response to
outcry over the lack of public input on the changes.

Since then,
several modifications have been made, including a list of main
thoroughfares to be kept as two-hour parking during the day. The
measure will be voted on at the Traffic Commission's meeting on August
20.

The new permit rule had been postponed from an August 1
enforcement date until October 1, which Acting Director of Traffic and
Parking James Kotzuba insisted would be thoroughly publicized.

Kotzuba also noted the meter rates would not change until a new kiosk system was implemented, most likely in January.

Ward
3 Alderman Tom Taylor had attempted to voice his opposition to
city-wide permit parking at the Traffic Commission's July 30 meeting,
but Chairman Stan Koty refused to give him the floor.

At the
August 13 hearing, Taylor briefly told the Board that the majority of
the calls he received on the issue were in favor of keeping the
neighborhood unregulated. About one third of Somerville remains permit
free, with much of the area falling within Ward 3 and Ward 2 around
Union Square.

"What I would really hope is you listen to all
these folks tonight," Alderman-at-Large Bill White told the Traffic
Board. "I want the folks here to be assured their voices are going to
be heard."

Ward 4 Alderman Walter Pero, who supported city-wide
permit parking since the issue was raised at a February Aldermen
meeting, stressed that while the changes came through a "flawed
process," they will help residents of his ward who face a constant
battle with commuters and prepare the whole city for the coming of the
MBTA Green line in 2014

"We're getting the public ready for three years from now," Pero told the Traffic Board.

Of
the roughly two dozen speakers, most were opposed to at least some of
the regulation changes. The meter hour increases, including special
regulations in Davis and Magoun squares that would keep them running
until 10 p.m., were universally panned.

Joe Grafton, executive
director of small-business advocacy group Somerville Local First, said
the meter hour changes would hurt businesses by scaring away customers
who would go to Cambridge and Boston instead.

"We must not
sabotage our long-term health for our short-term needs," Grafton said,
referring to the city's budget crisis which Curtatone has said
necessitated the changes. "Local independents of Somerville are
surviving one of the most challenging economies of our time. We do not
need a competitive disadvantage."

Others expressed frustration
at the difficulty in finding parking in their neighborhood, noting they
were pleased when their neighborhoods were converted to permit-only
parking – which is possible with a petition from 51 percent of a
street's residents.

"It's a joy to come home after work and park
on my street instead of the Stop and Shop parking lot," Garfield Avenue
resident Dan Adams said.

Among the arts community members
speaking against the changes was Dan Maher, who runs a stained glass
studio in Magoun Square. He said the studio would lose 75 percent of
its available parking if city-wide permit parking went into effect.
Others presented similar concerns, noting the changes would make it
difficult for non-resident artists and students to park near their
studios.

After brief consideration, the Traffic Board
unanimously rejected each section of the residents' petition, with
Commissioner Peter Miller noting that it wouldn't be necessary to
reject the rules given the changes being made to them.

Miller also stressed that the revision process being conducted by the mayor's Parking Task Force would continue.

It's
hot. No surprises there: after some of the coolest, dampest summer
weather in years, it's finally, brutally hot. But do you know what has
become one of the "hottest" spots in town this week? It's our cooling
center at the Council on Aging: Channel 5, Channel 7. WBZ radio and our
local media have all shown up for pictures and interviews. Council
Director Cindy Hickey is getting a lot more than fifteen minutes of
fame – and she deserves it. Of course, if I got to pick what she should
be famous for, I would have chosen all of the wonderful programs she
runs for seniors, but she's also a great spokesperson to advise the
public on keeping cool and watching out for friends and family members
who might show signs of heat-related problems. So I have no complaints.

But
this latest episode of media attention reminded me of one of the
unavoidable realities of city government: no matter how hard you try,
you can't always pick what the media decides is news. Overall, we've
been lucky here in Somerville that some of our biggest successes –
SomerStat, Shape Up Somerville and Assembly Square – have gotten so
much media attention both locally and nationally. We have also been
lucky that some of our quirkier local stories – the "What the Fluff"
festival, U2 dropping in on the Somerville Theatre, and even that piece
on NPR about the resident who created a techno-pop remix out of one of
our snow alert calls – have helped build the image of Somerville as a
fun and exciting place to live, work and raise a family.

We
haven't always been so lucky: when our Police Department accidentally
and uncharacteristically threw out an old desk that still had some
stored evidence inside, the story traveled far and wide almost
instantaneously, and a lot of people had a good laugh at our expense.
And it turns out that, despite five press releases and multiple
handouts, folks are just beginning to focus on changes to our parking
policies – and much of the information they've picked up is either
outdated or just plain wrong. (Please visit the city's website, www.somervillema.gov, for the latest and most accurate information.)

So
what I'd like to do in the balance of this column is talk about a
program that I really hope will get a lot more publicity and
participation. It's the comprehensive community planning effort that
we're calling "SomerVision." We kicked off this effort back in April
with an open house at the Argenziano School in which we highlighted the
resources available for the public, and asked them to join us in
developing a shared vision of our city's future, along with the many
aspects of future development that we need to address.

Some of
the topics we touched on that day, and which continue to shape our
discussions, include the Green Line Extension, the status of the
Assembly Square Development, the future of Union Square, Broadway
rezoning, the Community Path, the hotel project in Davis Square, and
our long-term efforts to build a sustainable community and economy
built on Smart Growth principles.

Throughout the summer, our
Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development has gone on to
sponsor a series of public "trends meetings" to cover individual topics
that include current and projected changes in demographics, housing,
employment industries, transportation, infrastructure, and land use
patterns. Six of these meetings have already been held (and the News
has done a good job of covering them), but there are four more left:
August 25, 2009 at the TAB Building, 167 Holland Street; September 14,
2009 at Capuano Early Education Center, 150 Glen Street; September 22,
2009, also at Capuano; and September 28, 2009 back at the TAB Building.
(All meetings start at 6:30; for more information, please check the
website or call 311.)

We would truly welcome the public's full
participation in these events. The whole point is to tap into the
creativity, energy and knowledge of our residents to come up with a
comprehensive plan that represents all of us and can inform our
development decisions and initiatives for the next 20 years.

And,
speaking of planning and development policy, it was an eye-opening
experience to visit California last month to look at development
programs and strategies in Oakland, Redwood City and San Jose. I led a
delegation there for two reasons. The first reason was that we wanted
to learn from California communities about their experience with that
state's successful, 40-year-old Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program,
which is designed to spur economic development in targeted areas. The
second was that our OSPCD Director Monica Lamboy is a former City of
Oakland official with good contacts in the region.

We ended up
with a packed program of meetings and tours that was both intense and
fascinating. We learned a tremendous amount about how to get state
dollars to underwrite local projects, even in tough economic times.
(Massachusetts adopted a similar program called District Improvement
Financing – DIF – in 2003, and it's something we want to tap into.) I
was therefore very grateful not only to the organizers of the trip but
to Thomas Bent of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, transit advocate
Wig Zamore and Aldermen Jack Connolly, Bruce Desmond, Sean O'Donovan,
Walter Perot, and Dennis Sullivan for joining me.

Come to think
of it, we put out a press release on that trip, too – but what the
media most wanted to know was how much it cost ($18,000) and who paid
for it (business-donated community benefits funds, a federal grant; we
all paid for our meals and incidentals; no local tax dollars were used
to finance the trip).

Like I said, you don't always get to pick what the "news" will be.