Vol. 4, No. 10
June 13, 2004
Contents
1) BUDGET PREVIEW; PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED
While the theme of last year's budget was "layoffs," the theme of the Fiscal Year 2005 (FY
'O5) budget is "reorganization." Mayor Curtatone is proposing a number of changes in the
organization and management of Somerville's work force. While the official word is that there
are "no layoffs," this budget takes advantage of "vacancies" and eliminates other positions
entirely.
OHCD Transformed
Perhaps the biggest change is the renaming of the Office of Housing and Community
Development as the Mayor's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. More
than just a name change, the move will consolidate the city's land use planning, permitting, and
enforcement functions. The new MOSPCD will take over the Inspectional Services Division
from the Department of Public Works, and fold into it the Housing (Sanitary Code) Inspectors
from the Health Department.
Making the Board of Health History
The Board of Health has been completely eliminated from the FY '05 budget. On June 10, 2004,
the Mayor submitted to the Board of Aldermen a request to "accept" a Home Rule Petition
amending the City Charter so as to replace the Board of Health with "a commissioner of health
and an advisory council of health." Almost all the remaining employees of the Health
Department would be the school nurses.
Other Departmental Downsizings
Members of some city boards and commissions - Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals,
Condominium Review Board, for instance - are each paid a few thousand dollars a year, and are
provided with administrative staff. Conservation Commission members, although they perform
statutory duties, are unpaid. In the new budget, their only staff person will be eliminated, and
their annual budget reduced to just over $2,000.
Human Rights Commission members are also unpaid. Although they have the duty of hearing
and investigating discrimination complaints, they lost their part-time investigator in the FY '04
budget, and are slated to lose their executive director in FY '05. Their annual budget is about
to be reduced to $1,000 plus some small change for printing and stationery. The whole Human
Rights Commission budget is about half the extra annual stipend paid to the individual in the
personnel office for service as the city's Affirmative Action Officer.
Brief Context
A) Revenue
Although Somerville is still in a lean fiscal situation, we are level funded for state aid this year.
The whole city budget is up by over $4 million, to be financed by raising the levy limit (for
property tax purposes) to the maximum allowed under Proposition 2 1/2. Property taxes will
consequently go up again. The city will also be selling another school this year, the Durrell, on
Beacon Street.
B) Expenditures
There has been so much reorganization of departments and expenses in this budget that it is
difficult to make direct comparisons with FY 2004 outlays. The '05 budget, however, includes
funding for a new Somerstat initiative at $124,434, and a new capital projects management
department at $201,773 (half of that to be paid by grant funding). There are several new
positions and some salary increases on the city side; the school side grants a 2% pay increase
for both union and non-union employees.
What Next?
The Committee on Finance started its budget meetings with department heads last week, but
most of the review will take place three evenings this week. These meetings are open to the
public, but are not public hearings. There will be a public hearing on the fiscal '05 budget at
6:30 pm on Monday, June 21. The full schedule for budget review is as follows:
Monday June 14 (Committee Room)
6:00 Fire Dept.
7:00 City Clerk
7:15 Law Dept.
7:45 Communications
8:15 Information Technology
8:45 Strategic Planning & Community Development
(includes ALL Inspectional Services)
Tuesday June 15 (Aldermen's Chambers)
6:00 Police Dept.
7:00 E-911
7:15 Personnel
7:30 Elections
7:45 Council on Aging
8:00 Health
8:15 Libraries
8:30 Recreation
9:00 Arts Council
Wednesday June 16 (Committee Room)
6:00 DPW/Administration
6:45 DPW/Electrical
7:00 DPW/Engineering
7:15 DPW/Highway
7:30 DPW/Sanitation
7:45 DPW/Buildings and Grounds
8:00 DPW/Water
8:15 DPW/Sewer
Monday June 21 (Aldermen's Chambers)
6:00 Auditing
6:15 Veteran's Services
6:30 PUBLIC HEARING
6:45 Executive Dept.
7:00 Review
It is quite likely that the budget will be approved at the June 24 meeting of the Board of
Aldermen. The public hearing is the only real chance for input to the Board of Aldermen, who
must approve the budget. While we have no power to add items to the budget, we do have the
power to cut.
2) TRANSPORTATION OPEN HOUSE
The Boston Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) invites anyone interested in
transportation in eastern Massachusetts to drop in and speak with them offices anytime between
10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15. Visitors can learn about the MPO decision-making process, and how they utilize the recently developed TIP criteria.
MPO members and staff will be available to talk about this year's transportation planning
activities and to hear our ideas for future planning and projects. These comments will provide
input into the development of the FY 2005 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and the
fiscal years 2005-2009 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Technical staff will be
available to answer questions on all aspects of transportation planning, from the use of the
regional model in transportation planning, demand forecasting, and traffic analysis.
The location is the MPO Conference Room, Central Transportation Planning Staff, State
Transportation Building, Suite 2150, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA. For more information, call
Bill Moore at 617-973-7144 (bill.moore@ctps.org) or check the
MPO website
3) ASSEMBLY SQUARE DEVELOPMENT NEWS
A) Design Review of Gateway, Mall Proposal
On Tuesday, June 15, at 7:00 pm, the Assembly Square Design Review Committee (DRC) will
meet to discuss the Mystic Avenue Gateway design and the Assembly Square Mall/Main Street
Priority Development Process application. The meeting will be held in the Aldermanic
Committee room, and is open to the public. Contact Stuart O'Brien at 617-625-6600 ex. 2526
or
sobrien@ci.somerville.ma.us
B) Public Hearing on Mall Proposal
The Assembly Square Limited Partnership (ASLP), owner of the mall site, has filed four permit
applications with the city's building department. The applications are for:
1) subdivision of the 26-acre mall site into nine lots;
2) "demolition/alteration" of the mall "to permit re-tenanting" of five new retail spaces of under
75,000 square feet each, in a one-story building of approximately 336,808 square feet, not to
exceed 50 feet in height;
3) new construction of a 368,000 square foot "mixed use - office, retail, residential" structure,
with 239 residential units, up to eight stories in height (90 feet), "with accessory underground
and surface parking," on 4 lots (3.53 acres) of the present mall site;
4) new construction of a freestanding, one story, 7,500 square foot restaurant on the mall site.
The public hearing before the Somerville Planning Board is scheduled for Wednesday, June 16,
2004, at 6:30 p.m., in the Aldermen's Chambers. Complete applications may be viewed on the
third floor of City Hall during regular business hours.
According to ASLP's plans, new tenants of the mall would include Sports Authority, TJ Maxx,
Bed Bath & Beyond, and Christmas Tree Shops. The restaurant has not yet been publicly
identified. The Somerville Chamber of Commerce states that the re-tenanted mall could open in
January, 2005.
4) FARMERS' MARKET BACK IN DAVIS SQUARE
The Somerville Farmers' Market is back for the season, every Wednesday from noon until 6:00
pm, in the Day Street parking lot in Davis Square. Because the spring has been so warm, the
selection of early vegetables has been excellent. Expect to find several varieties of fresh lettuce,
spinach, chard, asparagus, herbs, hothouse cucumbers, and lovely strawberries, with more
produce coming in each week.
The variety of foods has grown to include several kinds of cheese, fresh breads and pastries,
honey, maple syrup, and organically raised meats. There are also healthy perennials in pots,
annual bedding plants, herbs, everything else you might want for your garden, and exquisite
bouquets of fresh cut, organically raised flowers from Fertile Crescent Farm. Say hello to
market manager Shaun Gaines, and ask about upcoming special events.
5) HISTORIC SOMERVILLE ORGANIZES
"Historic Somerville," is a new organization devoted to raising public awareness of the need to
preserve our historic homes, institutions, monuments, collections, and more. Its first meeting
will be on Saturday, June 19, at 4:00 pm, in the Somerville Museum. For more information,
contact
Barbara Mangum
6) SUMMER ACTIVITIES TO PLAN FOR NOW
A) Jobs/Opportunities for Teenagers
The City of Somerville is accepting applications now for a youth leadership development
program for 14 and 15 year olds. There are also summer job possibilities for 15 year olds with
working papers, and for older teens. Positions include both outdoor and indoor work for the
city, as well as jobs with private businesses. For more information, or to apply, contact Mike
Buckley at 617-625-6600 ex. 2120, or
mbuckley@ci.somerville.ma.us
B) ArtBeat Parade!
Last year the ArtBeat Opening Parade didn't happen, a victim of city budget cuts, and we
missed it. This year, a few interested residents are organizing to have the parade kick off
festivities on Saturday, July 17 in Davis Square, where the streets will be blocked off. The
theme of this year's ArtBeat is "play." Anyone who wants to "play" in the parade, individually,
or as part of a group, should contact Lori Segall
C) Help Bring the Big World to the Mystic Projects
Last year tight budgets and program cutbacks seemed to be a widespread feature. Learning that
there was very little programming for kids aged 11 to 15 at the Mystic Housing Projects last
summer, I collaborated with the Welcome Project to present a program that met twice weekly
on afternoons in July. Called STRETCH, the program was an expanded version of activities I'd
been doing in a fifth grade class at the Healey School that year - introductions to the culture and
history of other countries through art and artifacts, stories, food, costume, customs, language,
and drama.
Last summer, our intrepid group "visited" Japan, India, Russia, Mexico, Guatemala, and El
Salvador. This summer, kids would like to "travel" to Brazil and China as well, to learn some
calligraphy, and to experience adventures they haven't even thought of yet. That's where you,
dear reader, come in.
Although I had the excellent help of my daughters last summer, and a guest "tour" of El
Salvador by Nelson Salazar, more volunteers could take us more places, and teach us lots more
things. Have you lived abroad, traveled, or studied somewhere in the world that you could tell
us about? Dig out those artifacts and recipes, give me a call at 617-628-1130, or contact me at
denise@provost-citywide.org
Last summer's program was advertised as meeting from 2:00 to 3:30 on Tuesdays and
Thursdays, at the Mystic Activity Center. Kids would typically hang around until 5 pm or later.
I hope to keep the same time slot, subject to confirmation, of course. Kids as young as six and
seven sometimes joined the group, and everyone had a good time - you would too, if you gave
it a try. Think about it.
7) BIKE PATH MEETING
On Tuesday evening, June 15, at 6:30 pm, there will be a presentation of preliminary designs
for the extension of the Community Path (aka Bike Path) from Cedar Street to Central Street.
The preliminary plans would extend the Path from Cedar along the old Arlington and Lexington
Branch Line right of way, up the embankment by the VNA building, through a small wooded
lot, and through the Somerville Hospital parking lot on Central Street. Somerville has obtained
grants to pay for the design work.
The meeting location is the VNA Community Room at 259 Lowell Street. Questions? Contact
Stephen Winslow, the city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, at 617-625-6600 ex 2519 or
at swinslow@ci.somerville.ma.us
copyright 2004 Denise Provost
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