The View From Prospect Hill for the week of Sept. 27

The forces behind Sean O’Donovan’s withdrawal of zoning amendments allowing a 200 unit condominium at the old Max Pak factory site are misguided.
  A massive building of luxury condos would have raised important questions over traffic and environmental impact in the surrounding neighborhoods. But those questions should have been addressed in a public forum with all sides represented. Instead, the zoning has been withdrawn under unknown circumstances with nary a word from the good alderman.

What’s happening at Max Pak Mr. Alderman?
By George P. Hassett

  After two and a half years of public meetings, a 23 page planning document and a $4.2 million investment, the future development of the old Max Pak factory site was seriously threatened Thursday.
  That night, without any comment or explanation, Ward 5 Alderman Sean T. O‚ÄôDonovan withdrew the zoning amendments he proposed at a July 13 Board of Aldermen meeting that would have paved the way for a 200 unit residential development at 56 and 61 Clyde Street. And now, neighborhood residents are asking, ‚Äúwhy?‚Äù

Labor exploited at Foss park
By George P. Hassett

Each morning dozens of laborers looking for work gather on the Broadway side of Foss Park. They stand across the street in the handicap spaces of the Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot, and recently, have moved to Bailey Rd. in Winter Hill. Some mornings, the laborers race across the hazardous intersections surrounding the park, chasing the contractors with the biggest jobs.

Break in main line rusts neighborhood water

Sunday’s main water line break caused water in twelve households north of Pearl Street and east of McGrath Highway to be rusted and temporarily unusable.

The break was repaired before any street or house flooding could occur, said Executive Director of Communications Thomas P. Champion today. The city notified the twelve homes directly and used the Connect CTY service to inform 1300 other homes of the break and the rusty water, he said.

A main water line break happened Sunday morning at the intersection of Cross Street East and Broadway – details to follow on Monday.

They’re back
Divestment group gets question on the ballot
By George P. Hassett

A controversial group that was unsuccessful in getting a question on the ballot in last year’s municipal elections was successful this time around in placing two questions on the November ballot in the 27th Middlesex District.
  The Somerville Divestment Project (SDP) announced this week they had gathered the required number of signatures to place two questions concerning Israeli and Palestinian relations on the ballot in state Rep. Denise Provost‚Äôs district. The Attorney General‚Äôs office has approved the signatures and paved the way for their appearance on the ballot in precinct 3 of ward 2, all of ward 3, precinct 3 of ward 4 and all precincts of wards 5 and 6 in Provost‚Äôs entirely Somerville district.

Reality Bites by James Norton for the week of Sept. 20

I’m not beating a dead horse – I’m beating a dead Donkey, there’s a difference

It‚Äôs tough to kick the crap out of the Democratic Party when you‚Äôre from Somerville, but honestly, they make it so easy.  This year‚Äôs Democratic Primary is the perfect example of a Party gone crazy.
  Never mind the silliness that normally accompanies candidates and their respective ‚Äúpod people‚Äù ‚Äì that‚Äôs another issue altogether.  I‚Äôm talking about the movement of the ‚ÄúParty‚Äù and it‚Äôs obvious inability to stop the infighting and missteps that will undoubtedly lead to another four years of Republican rule in the corner office on Beacon Hill.

Off the Shelf by Doug Holder

The Boston Area Poetry Scene: A Plethora of Poets and Poetry

There is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t bump into a fellow poet or writer of my acquaintance. In Somerville, where I live, a poet-couple lives in a house behind me, another lives on the adjacent street, and my landlord, a poet and writer of some local fame lives downstairs. The cafes of Somerville Cambridge and Boston overflow with Bards tapping away on laptops and scribbling in dog-eared notebooks. There are poets of the “academy,” poet/scholars of the street, slam poets, black-clad avant-gardes…you name it. And there is room and a venue for them all.

O’Donovan withdraws Max Pak zoning

Ward 5 Alderman Sean T. O’Donovan tonight withdrew his zoning amendments that would have paved the way for a massive condominium complex at the site of the old Max Pak factory. O’Donovan’s withdrawal puts the future of the development in jeopardy.

News Talk for the week of Sept. 20   

The dedication ceremony at the new Dilboy Stadium was very nice last week – a crowd of about 100 people was on hand to see DCR officially turn the ‚Äúkeys‚Äù to the Stadium over to Mayor Joe. Now he has to figure out what the cost is going to be for the city to run it and who will work down there.  We heard that popular local guy Rick Willette would be moving to that position very shortly.  We‚Äôre wondering if and when Mayor Joe is going to have it approved by the Board of Alderman and what the budget will be.