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?

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

Because the 4th of July is on a Saturday this
year, most people (especially the the 'ville) will probably take off
for the weekend right after the fireworks. Leaving Thursday night
instead of Friday is probably the smarter thing to do, considering just
about everyone in the country will have the day off and will likely be
traveling to their Independence Day celebratory location of choice.

Around
here it will be a ghost town for a few days – many of the regular, more
visible people will head off to the Cape or up North to Hampton Beach
or Lake Winnipesaukee. You are more likely to run into a 'villen at the
Dunkin' Donuts in Falmouth on Sunday morning than you would at the
Dunkin' Donuts in Magoun Square – that's just par for the course.

Enjoy
the weekend – spent time with family, friends, a good book or a movie.
Play some golf, take a boat ride, just go for a walk – whatever suits
your fancy. This is the perfect time to wind down from the school year,
budget woes and anything else that might be on your mind lately.

Believe
it or not, in no time, it will be blazing hot, then summer will be
gone, the kids will be back to school and the election bump and grind
will be in full effect. Of course, then Thanksgiving, Christmas and New
Years will be right after that. Yes, time is flying by – so enjoy it
while you can.

When you pause to remember what this holiday
means to us as a nation, keep in mind that we are lucky to live in a
country with many more freedoms than most other nations – that we are
lucky to have evolved into the nation we are. There are well over 100
nations in the world that celebrate an Independence Day of their own –
but none have made such a global impact or have been as historic as
ours.

Keep that in mind this weekend, when you're lighting up
the grill or throwing back a few beers – enjoying the family and
friends and not thinking about work and life's stress all that much.
And remember not to drink and drive – this is one of the most dangerous
weekends when it comes to motor vehicle accidents involving alcohol and
drugs. Don't be a statistic.

Anna
Lavanga, former vice president of the John F. Kennedy School
Parent-Teacher Association, is running for Niedergang's seat. Among her
chief concerns, she said, was a lack of accountability for school
officials.

"The school system needs to be held responsible for
what it does," Lavanga said. "The open door policy is non-existent.
Parents are not getting their problems addressed. We need to protect
the children from the school system."

Lavanga, who grew up in
Somerville and graduated from Somerville High School in 1987, began
what she said was one of the first after school language programs for
elementary students, teaching Italian. She said she would like to see
more of such programs provided to students.

"I'm just going to state what I believe in and (Niedergang) will state his record, and we'll let people choose," Lavanga said.

In
response to Lavanga's concerns about school accountability, Niedergang,
the committee vice chairperson, said school staff members work hard to
address parents' concerns but that the committee is always looking at
ways to help the system improve.

"We don't do enough parent
outreach, especially to low income parents and immigrant parents,"
Niedergang said. "In order to get parents to participate in their
child's education, the district needs to go to them. I've advocated for
staff knocking on doors and trying to get parents involved."

Christine
Rafal, who describes herself as a curriculum writer and classroom
researcher, said that she decided to run for Norton's seat to give
voters a choice – adding that she has worked extensively with him in
the past.

"I obviously want to try to win, but I certainly
respect (Norton) as an opponent," Rafal said. "I really want to offer
the ward a choice because I think we both have good strengths."

Rafal
almost ran for the Ward 4 seat in 2007, when incumbent Charlene Harris
failed to turn in her election paperwork and was forced to run as a
write-in candidate, but said she changed her mind after taking out
nomination papers. Two years later, Rafal said she's ready for the
campaign, adding that while it's difficult to run against an incumbent
she wants to give Ward 4 voters a choice

"People are reluctant to put up a challenge," Rafal said. "It's a lot easier to wait for a seat to open up."

James
Norton, editor of The Somerville News and co-owner of real estate
company ERA The Norton Group, has held the Ward 4 seat since winning a
sticker race against Harris in 2007. He previously served in the
position from 1994-95 after an unsuccessful run in 1989.

Norton
said he is confident that his record will stand out in the election,
and that Rafal has yet to explain how she would be a better committee
member.

"She has no reason to run other than getting her name
out there," Norton said. "If she comes up with reasons after the fact,
she's grasping at straws."

"I'm happy to stand on the issues facing the Somerville public schools today, tomorrow and the next day," Norton added.

Both
Niedergang and Norton said they look forward to running a campaign to
share the committee's accomplishments with their constituents.

"I
take my hat off to Ms. Lavanga; I admire her for running," Niedergang
said. "I think it's lamentable that there are so few people running for
office this year. It gives me a chance to run on my record."

Norton said he will be knocking on every door in Ward 4 while the committee is in recess during July and August.

In a city in which over 29% of the population was born
outside of the country, its diversity is to be heralded. Since the
city's foundation, immigrants have been a cornerstone of Somerville's
economy and of its character. Angelo Fedele, a 5th-grader whose family
is of European descent, astutely said that the wide range of cultures
represented at his school "helps you know what other cultures do.
Diversity means a lot of people having fun," he added–an assertion
hard to refute amidst the salsa dancing and plates filled with
delicious food from every continent imaginable.

As
I look at the 5-day forecast for Somerville online, it says scattered
thunderstorms and showers. Don't the powers that be know that
Somerville's Fourth of July celebration featuring the debut of the
Sunsetters along with a lot of other great entertainment is slated for
Thursday night? Don't they know about the shopping cart vendors with
all those lighted swords and spin around toys and illuminated teeth
grilles? And what about all that fried dough? What have we done to
deserve such crappy weather? What do I tell my anxious Sunsetters who
are eager to perform as many numbers as Frank Senesi will allow us?
Obviously we won't be able to have any electrical equipment outdoors if
there is a threat of rain. I am asking every citizen of Somerville to
pray for sun! Mayor Joe has confidence that things will brighten up and
the show will go on. I hope he is right.

As you read this, I am assembling the sound system and we will rehearse with it tonight in preparation for our debut.

And
what about all of us working folk who are eagerly waiting our annual
Fourth of July getaways? I don't know about you, but I am a worry-wart
and I am getting antsy.

I want my steak tips, brewskies, buns,
burgers and weenies. And the rain isn't going to stop me. But
geez…would a little sun be asking for too much?

I might as
well use this space to talk about another summer program that is
experiencing very low enrollment. Somerville Recreation is offering
Project Star 2009 – a 6-week, 4 day a week theatre camp. The Cost is
$25 per week, which includes lunch and a couple of field trips to see
some local theatre presentations. Somerville teacher, star of Joey and
Maria's Wedding and theater aficionado extraordinaire Sophia Carafotes
will be running the camp, along with myself. Venues will include the
Winter Hill Community School, Somerville High School and other venues.
It is our profound objective to bring theatre and music back to the
youth of Somerville. If we get enough kids signed up, we will produce
the original mini-musical "Back in the 'Ville." If we only get a few
kids, we will still have a blast and perform a smaller show. We want to
build on the Project Star idea in a time when funds are at an all time
low. We cannot let the arts suffer at the hands of fiscal chaos. My
Klass Klownz group had 10 kids and that show will be on city cable
shortly. Next seasons lineup should be bigger and better.

So
tell all the kids you know who are in grades 6 to 12 that a wonderful
theatrical and music experience is waiting for them. Interested people
can call Danielle at recreation at 617-625-6600 extension 2980, or
e-mail me at jimmydel@rcn.com.

Meanwhile back to this weather –
is the Lord punishing us? I've been good, for the most part. I almost
threw my back out installing 4 air conditioners the other day and we
have only had to use them twice. I know the real summer weather is
coming, but I am running out of patience. Thank God the kids couldn't
care less about the weather. The computers, PS3s, PSPs and all that
other crap are indoors. All I know is that I will be heading up to my
little trailer on the pond Friday morning. I don't care if its raining
or snowing or if locusts are invading – Moosie the Wonder dog and I are
out of here. And mom's going away too, so the boys have to come with me
.We will take a day trip up to Old Orchard to check out the Palace
Playland. Oh yeah, I forgot those two dirty words: "weather
permitting."

The city has a lot of wonderful activities planned for the summer. There is only one thing missing. Summer.

So
lets all do those superstitious dances, rub the rabbit's feet and do
whatever else you have to do to try to appease Mother Nature. Maybe
Father Time and Mother Nature can work out a deal. In the meantime, get
out the galoshes, umbrellas and lets have as much fun as humanly
possible! No Rain! No Rain! No Rain! You can email jimmy direct at
jimmydel@rcn.com.