Vol. 5, No. 5
February 9, 2005
Contents
1) CITY SPENDING - SOME GRITTY DETAILS
The following information came forward at the February 1, 2005 Finance Committee meeting:
A) Somerville's New "Holiday" Decorations
Some of you complained to me about the city's purchase of the decorations themselves. Some
complained about the decorations being installed at times when the city would clearly be obliged
to pay overtime. Lots of you just wanted to know what the whole display cost - so I asked, and
this is what I learned.
What it Cost
Joe Voutour, Somerville's Superintendent of Electric Lights and Lines, verbally sketched the Big
Picture: "roughly $200,000 for 200 wreaths." He also supplied a more detailed written memo,
which is posted on my web site. Some of the figures NOT included in the memo:
$187,750.00 budgeted for "holiday lighting," including wreathes, garlands, garlands, stringers,
cords, connectors, etc., estimated to have a useful life of about 5 years. $127,402.63 of this
amount had been invoiced at the time of the meeting.
Another $36,289.85 was spent on the "necessary electric systems" to support the decorations,
a one-time expenditure, according to Voutour. $37,750 was budgeted for overtime in the DPW
Building Division; $23,899.64 of this allotment has been spent already. Another $1,000 or so
will go to bucket truck rental. There have also been expenses for police details, not so far
quantified; nor has the value of regular time spent by DPW employees on this project been
estimated, to my knowledge.
Where the Money Came From
$75,000 of the funds for the decorations were a "gift" from Stop & Shop. The remainder of the
money, according to Voutour, was "within the Commissioner's [of Public Works] budget." As
such, its expenditure did not require the separate approval of the Board of Aldermen.
B) Sewer and Water Repairs
Also on February 1, Barbara Stevens, the head of the DPW Water and Sewer Division, came
to the Finance Committee to request approval of a transfer of $150,000 between line items. She
asked to transfer $93,000, $90,000 of this from Professional and Technical Services (P&TS),
to the account out of which she pays for emergency repairs to sewer lines: catch basins that
collapse, "potholes" that turn out to be sewers caving in under the road, etc. The city's 10-year
Capital Improvement Plan includes $377,000 for routine maintenance and repair; the $90,000
expenditure is additional, for this year.
Ms. Stevens also asked that $60,000 be transferred from P&TS to emergency repairs to water
service. This includes $20,000 in labor and equipment for the December 15, 2004 water main
break under Elm Street, which also spilled 62,832 gallons of water. It does not include the
spectacular January 2005 water main break on Broadway; that was an MWRA main, so the
repair cost will probably be reflected in next year's MWRA assessment.
Photos of that break
are on my web site, for which credit is due to Barbara Stevens.)
2) "LITTLE ME" - A "MUST SEE"
For those who missed the Somerville High School production of "Cabaret" last year, and have
experienced gnawing regret ever since, relief may be at hand. This weekend, Somerville High
School, in conjunction with the Music Department, offers to the public the musical comedy
"Little Me." Outside, it's winter, but in the Somerville High School Auditorium, life will be
beautiful - and accompanied by a full orchestra.
"Little Me," based on the novel by Patrick Dennis, is the hilarious memoir of movie star Belle
Poitrine. It tells the tale of her long, calamity-filled journey from 'the wrong side of the tracks'
to wealth, fame, and social position. First produced on Broadway in 1962, "Little Me" was
nominated for 10 Tony awards.
Opening night for the SHS production of "Little Me" is Friday, February 11, at 8 pm. There
is another 8 pm show on Saturday, February 12, and a 2 pm matinee on Sunday, February 13.
Tickets (at door) are $6, or $3 for senior citizens. Somerville High School is at 81 Highland
Avenue, next to City Hall.
(Thanks to Delia Marshall for the plot summary)
3) GREEN LINE "COMMITMENT" HEARING RESCHEDULED
You may have received notice of the new hearing date by now, but please remember to come,
and please spread the word. It's not entirely clear why the state is dragging out their self-selected process of "re-evaluating" the CA/T Transit Commitments. The important thing is that
Somerville turns out once again to tell the state: we're united, we're in agreement, we want the
transit improvements we've been waiting for so long.
For up-to-date information about the hearing, and transit news, visit the
S.T.E.P. website.
And every time you wait in the snow for a bus that doesn't come - think of those choice words
you can say at the hearing!
THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF TRANSPORTATION
NOTICE OF RESCHEDULED PUBLIC MEETINGS
(These meetings were previously scheduled in January but were cancelled due to snow)
Regarding the joint public meeting held on December 14, 2004 at the State House, Gardner
Auditorium, on the three remaining Central Artery/Tunnel project transit commitments, notice
is hereby given that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Executive Office
of Transportation (EOT) will extend the comment period until March 4, 2005 and will hold two
additional public meetings. The three projects are the Arborway Green Line Extension, the Blue
Line/Red Line Connector, and the Medford Hills Green Line Extension. The purpose of the
public meetings is to inform interested parties about and take public comments on the public
process DEP and EOT will conduct to make decisions and, to the extent appropriate, make
changes to the transit regulation (310 CMR 7.36) that provide for air quality improvements.
The additional public meetings are being held to allow additional testimony on these matters.
Priority will be given to individuals who were unable to provide testimony at the December 14,
2004 meeting. The public meetings will be held on:
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Agassiz School
20 Child Street, Jamaica Plain
Monday, February 28, 2005 - 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Somerville Public High School
81 Highland Street, Somerville
Written comments will be welcome at the meeting; written comments will also be accepted until
5 PM on Friday, March 4, 2005. Comments should be sent either by mail or email to:
Robert W. Golledge, Commissioner
Department of Environmental Protection
One Winter Street
Boston, MA 02108
robert.golledge@state.ma.us
and
Daniel A. Grabauskas, Secretary
Executive Office of Transportation
Ten Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116
daniel.grabauskas@mhd.state.ma.us
The public meeting site is wheelchair accessible. This information is available in alternative
format upon request by contacting Donald M. Gomes, ADA Coordinator, at 617-556-1057. TDD
Service -1-800-298-2207.
4) SCHOOL COMMITTEE NEWS
Thanks to Roberta Bauer, here is an excellent summary of the current status of the
Superintendent search:
The Somerville School Committee met last night to determine the three final candidates for the
position of Superintendent of Schools. The three finalists are Richard Silverman, Anthony
Pierantozzi, and John Bayless. It is interesting to note that the decision was unanimous.
Applications and other information about the process are still availableat the
School Department web site. The next step in the process will be a series of
three all-day visits to Somerville, one day for each candidate. Tentatively, John Bayless will visit
on Monday, February 14th; Anthony Pierantozzi will visit on Tuesday, February 15th; and
Richard Silverman will visit on Thursday, February 17th. The visits will include an afternoon
meeting, open to anyone who wants to come, at the East Somerville Community School from
3:00 to 4:30. From 6:00 to 8:00 the School Committee will interview each candidate for a
second time. The interviews will again be broadcast on cable TV. Anyone who wishes may
attend the interview in the Aldermen's Chambers in City Hall.
The interviews will have a different format from the previous set of interviews. We will depart
from the uniform scripted questions used in the first round. There will be more opportunity to
address concerns about each individual candidate and there may be more follow-up questions.
Roberta Bauer
617-628-6320
roberta.bauer@smith.alumnae.net
5) ARTSOMERVILLE, CHURCH, TEAM FOR TSUNAMI RELIEF
ARTSomerville is holding a tag sale at the Nave Gallery, Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church,
155 Powderhouse Blvd., on Saturday, February 12, from 9 am until 3 pm. All proceeds will go
to aid the Indian Ocean Tsunami relief effort. Donations are welcome.
Once you're there, check out the "Renewed" exhibit; stay for the Closing Reception, from 3 to
5 pm.
6) SAVE THE DATE! "UNCONSTITUTIONAL" SCREENING AT LIBRARY
The day after last Thanksgiving, my friend Christine Rafal called me up and invited to go with
her to the movies - "a moms' play date," she called it. A "political" movie was playing at the
Museum of Fine Arts; she'd heard it was very good - was I game? We went, and the film was
so good, that I told her afterwards I wanted to track it down, and bring it to Somerville.
So, I'm delighted to announce that on Tuesday, March 1, 2005, I'll be sponsoring a FREE
showing of the Robert Greenwald movie, "UNCONSTITUTIONAL: The War on Our Civil
Liberties." The film will be shown at the Somerville Public Library Auditorium, 79 Highland
Ave., at 7 pm. Nancy Murray, the Education Director for ACLU of Massachusetts, will be there
to discuss it and answer questions. Hope you'll be there, too.
copyright 2005 Denise Provost
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