(click to enlarge)

The City of Somerville is forming a civic advisory committee to inform the redevelopment of city-owned properties in Gilman Square from now through construction. There are many steps in the redevelopment process and this committee will be a sounding board for the neighborhood through each phase. We are looking for a diverse group of Gilman Square residents, business representatives, and institutional leaders who are excited to gather ideas from the community and share updates with their neighbors.

Collaboration supports the city’s Accelerating Reinvestment in our Communities program

The City of Somerville announced that it is working with The Democracy Collaborative, an economic policy research and development organization, to help the city design its Accelerating Reinvestment in our Community (ARC) initiative.

More than 80 volunteers helped Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services deliver thanksgiving dinners on November 25. Among those helping out were (front row, L to R): Cora Smilack, Katryna Hadley, Susan Goldin, Eda Kosma, Julie Constantine, Viet Van, and Lindsey Smilack; (back row L to R): Bob LaPointe, Lyn Hardy, and Daniel Morrissey; (on stairs) SCES Nutrition Director is Meghan Ostrander.

More than 80 volunteers converged at Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) on Thanksgiving morning to help deliver 535 holiday meals.

SCES delivers a Thanksgiving meal – with turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and pumpkin pie – to local older adults who want one each year. The program typically gets around 320 requests, but had 550 requests last year, said SCES Nutrition Director Meghan Ostrander.

Here is the COVID-19 update for Thursday, December 9. Please also check somervillema.gov/covid19 for information and resources that are updated often.  

Dramatic rise in local case numbers: Somerville tallied 592 positive tests for the COVID-19 virus in November. That is up from 311 in October and is the highest monthly total since March. Residents are urged to practice caution, masking in all public spaces, and planning carefully around travel and gatherings in order to prevent a generalized outbreak like the city experienced last winter. Sadly, the number of known Covid deaths in Somerville now stands at 98. See the latest Somerville case data at somervillema.gov/covid19dashboard.

As we enter the darkest season of the year, an alleyway in Union Square will be lit by a large-scale light sculpture called Iluminaciones by Zebbler Studios. The pixel-mapped LED sculpture debut will be the evening of Thursday, December 9, to kick off the Somerville Arts Council’s month-long Illuminations celebration. Iluminaciones can be found between 329 and 341 Somerville Avenue.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

The Enchanted Village at Jordan Marsh, which was there since the 1940’s, closed in 1972. It reopened again at Jordan’s furniture in Avon in 1990. Here were some memories of the wonderful Christmas tradition. The animatronic vintage Christmas themed scenes are part of my childhood holiday memories. The following recollections are from those who remember those magical visits to The Enchanted Village.

On December 2, the Kiwanis Club of Somerville inducted two new members. Jill Bowdring, an Account Executive for Superior Promotions and Paula Vancini, the Principal at Vancini Accounting joined the ranks of local business leaders and active retired members to become Somerville Kiwanis members. Jill’s sponsor was her father, James Bowdring, who has been a member for 27 years. Paula’s sponsor was former Mayor Eugene C. Brune. The Somerville club was founded in 1925 and is part of Kiwanis International.

The City of Somerville City Council Legislative Matters Committee is considering ways to make donations of impounded bicycles to worthy nonprofit organizations.

By Eileen Qiu

Last week’s Legislative Matters Committee meeting revolved around jumping through legal hoops to find a practical way of donating unclaimed bicycles, as well as potential laws surrounding biotechnical jargon.