Rebekah Gewirtz

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Summer in Somerville 2010

Summer in Somerville has begun in full swing and there is a lot to do in and around the city. Most immediately, the city budget deliberations are coming up this week and next. There's a chance for you to weigh in on the budget, too. The schedule is below.

For those of you who are new to my newsletter, welcome. In this e-newsletter you will find information about events and happenings all around the Ward 6 neighborhood (Davis Sq, Ball Sq, Porter Sq, and parts of Tufts) and some events in other parts of the city that might interest you, too.

If you have information you'd like me to share with others through my e-newsletter, send me an email to Rebekah.Gewirtz@gmail.com. Best wishes for a happy summer, Rebekah

Ward 6 Fun Fact

There will be a benefit party for the annual HONK! Festival coming up on Friday June 25, 2010, 7-10pm at the Dilboy Post on the corner of Cutter & Summer St. I'll be there to help kick it off.

The HONK! Festival happens every year in Davis Square on Columbus Day Weekend. It's a weekend of great music and festivities. To learn more and to help out or contribute to the festival go to: www.honkfest.org

Constituent Corner

In this section of my e-newsletter, I'm looking to hear from you on important issues facing the city. Click on the link at the end of each question and let me know what you think. Getting your feedback on these issues is very important to me, and I hope this feature of my newsletter will encourage you to share your thoughts, ideas, and concerns. As always, feel free to contact me via email at rebekah.gewirtz@gmail.com or 617-718-0792.

1. City Budget - Outsourcing of School Custodians

   The city budget process begins tonight at city hall with a presentation by the mayor to the Board of Aldermen with his FY2011 recommendations. The budget this year will be very tough since once again we are facing a significant shortfall - about $8m. The mayor has proposed outsourcing all of the school custodians, which would cost all 40+ current custodians their jobs. Throughout this year and last there has been much made of "shared sacrifice" through tough budgets. To me, this move represents concentrated sacrifice and I'm very concerned about a policy change that mirrors private company practices that I have opposed. I'm reminded of the 100 custodial workers at the Hyatt who all lost their jobs to outsourcing. If outsourcing happens, these Somerville school custodian jobs are gone for good. Many of the custodians have lived in Somerville their whole lives and have given more than 20 years of service to the city. I'm curious to hear your thoughts about this and about outsourcing in general. Send me an email by clicking here rebekah.gewirtz@gmail.com. (To see last year's budget, click here http://www.somervillema.gov/cos_content/documents/CityofSomervilleFY10BudgetV6.pdf.

2. Davis Square Visioning

   In April, May and June working with the mayor's office, we convened a Davis Square visioning process so residents could come together to share their ideas about the future of Davis Square. After three meetings, we determined there were several items of consensus including a shared desire for vibrant streetscapes, locally owned and operated businesses, and maximizing the open and green spaces in the area. This meeting culminated in a discussion of $65,000 the mayor and I secured for streetscape improvements to Davis Square. There will be an on-going process to get community feedback about the most important areas of the square that need refurbishing. Please be on the look out for information about that process. For a full picture of the visioning process check out this link http://www.somervillema.gov/Section.cfm?org=OSPCD&page=154.

   What are your thoughts on the process and do you have ideas you want to share about the future of Davis Square? Let me know by clicking here mailto:rebekah.gewirtz@gmail.com.

3. Anti-immigrant bill in MA State Senate and Arizona

   In April, Arizona passed the strictest immigration bill in the nation, authorizing local police to stop and question anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant. This bill was met with BOTH outrage and support all across the country. Then two weeks ago, our own Massachusetts state senate passed a similar measure in their budget creating a 24 hour hotline so people can turn in their neighbors if they are suspected illegal immigrants and several other provisions that stand to harm the children of illegal immigrants. I'm very concerned about the direction of immigration policy in Massachusetts especially in light of the Arizona law. I'm concerned that people have forgotten what history shows us - that we shouldn't scapegoat any one group of people during times of hardship or frustration. With Centro Presente and others I am working on a resolution we can present at the Board of Aldermen expressing support for immigrants in our community. What are your thoughts on the bill passed in the state senate? (Just so you know - both Somerville senators Pat Jehlen and Sal DiDomenico voted against the amendment.) Send me an email by clicking here mailto:rebekah.gewirtz@gmail.com.

Community Events

Somerville Clean up and SomerStreets, June 19, 2010 (rain date of June 20th) 10am-12pm
Spring Clean Up happens in every neighborhood in Somerville on this day. Since it was rained out in May it has been rescheduled to June 19th. Residents are invited to come out and lend a helping hand to clean up the neighborhood. In Ward 6, volunteers meet in Statue Park in Davis Square at 10am to get clean-up tools and a free T-shirt! Please contact Ward 6 School committee member Paul Bockelman at pbockelman@aol.com or me at Rebekah.Gewirtz@gmail.com. for more information. SomerStreets will also be happening on June 19th. Broadway from Magoun Square to East Somerville will be closed to cars and open to everyone for walking, cycling, and dancing with Family Fun Day at Trum Field from 12-5pm. Throughout the day there will also be a Jazz and Blues Fest on Powderhouse Park from 12pm-8pm.

Somerville Climate Week: June 22nd-June 27th, 2010
Somerville Climate Action is a group of dedicated volunteers working together to raise awareness about global warming and who are taking action locally to stop it. There are many activities going on throughout this week including a climate cafe and screening of a movie called "A Sea Change". For a full list of the week's activities or to sign up to join SCA's google group, click here http://www.newenglandclimatesummer.org/.

Fourth of July Fireworks, Thursday July 1, 2010 at 6pm at Trum Field
The annual fireworks celebration will be held this year on Broadway at Trum Field. The street is closed to cars and becomes a regular summer fair with vendors selling hot dogs, streamers, and other things to help celebrate the 4th.

ArtBeat in Davis Square - July 16th & 17th, 2010
Artists and festival goers converge on Davis Square this weekend in July, transforming it into one of the area's largest and most exciting arts festivals. ArtBeat includes music, performance art, craft vendors, dance, theater, food, and more. Each year a theme is developed that serves as a launching point for artists and the community to express themselves. This year the theme is water.Artists are encouraged to explore water in its many forms- rain, puddles, ponds, oceans, ice floes. Or consider how we trap, transport and market water-via damns, pipes and fancy designer bottles. The organizers are hoping environmentalists will address shrinking water supplies, the politics of water and water pollution and that conversely, some artists will interpret the theme more playfully, exploring water-related activities like fishing, surfing and sailing. Provocative interpretations are also encouraged. For more information on Art Beat go to: http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/programs/artbeat/.

The Incredible Edible Gardens of Somerville: A Self Guided Tour on Saturday July 25, 2010 11am-5pm throughout the city.
This year's Somerville garden tour celebrates the city's expanding community of food growers and their growing environments. Every version of the urban farm- from tiny rooftop gardens to expansive community plots- will be among the over two dozen public and private sites where fruits, vegetables, and herbs create a delicious medley. Gardeners will be present to share their experiences and demonstrate gardening tips and techniques. The garden tour program booklet/ticket is $10.00 and contains a map and description of the 31 gardens and the demonstrations that will be offered that day at different sites. For more information and advance ticketing, go to www.somervillegardenclub.org.

To volunteer contact Lisa Dezmelyk, dezmellisa@yahoo.com, or Alan Schwartzman, alan_s@mit.edu.

OPENAIR Circus, July 30-August 2nd at Nunziato Field on Summer Street
The OPENAIR Circus is a Somerville based non-profit organization, offering classes for children in the summer, workshops for children and adults, and performance opportunities for its students. As a community based organization, the OPENAIR Circus works to encourage neighborhood participation in the arts, and to promote leadership and self-esteem for children and teens. Students have performed in Somerville's ArtBeat Parade and Spice of Life Festival, Cambridge's Riverfest, Caribbean Carnival and Summer in the City Program, Boston's First Night Parade and Harvest Festival, WGBH's Ice Cream Festival, and King Richard's Faire in Carver, Massachusetts. On-line registration for the annual Circus is now open! For more information about the circus or to get involved, check out this link: http://www.openaircircus.org/schedule2010.asp.

Red Bones 9th Annual Pig Pickin' Event to Support the Somerville Homeless Coalition, Monday August 2, 2010 (rain date August 9th)
This annual event is not to be missed! Chester Street from Elm to Herbert is closed to cars and there's an outdoor BBQ with owner Rob Gregory on the grill. All proceeds benefit the Somerville Homeless Coalition http://www.somervillehomelesscoalition.org/.

Live music usually includes HONK! Festival brass bands and more. For more information on Red Bones and their great events supporting the community, check out: www.redbones.com.

Somerville 7th Annual Night Out, August 3, 2010 at Foss Park from 5-8pm
This annual event organized by Somerville Cares About Prevention (SCAP) is a community crime and drug prevention event. Last year, Somerville's National Night Out was a huge success; over 900 attendees joined in for free performances, refreshments, demonstrations, and youth activities. In addition, multiple organizations had information tables to educate the Somerville community. SCAP is inviting volunteers and organizations to participate again this year. If you are interested in volunteering, email SomervilleNNO2010@gmail.com with your contact information including your name, address, and phone number. All volunteers will receive a free t-shirt.

Annual Senior Picnic, Wednesday August 11, 2010, 11am at Powderhouse Park on College Ave and Broadway
This annual picnic is a great opportunity for seniors in the city to come together with other residents and elected leaders to celebrate the summer. For more information on the senior picnic, please click here http://www.somervillema.gov/Division.cfm?orgunit=AGING. to be in touch with the Council on Aging.

Neighborhood and Alderman Meetings

City Budget meetings will be held at city hall before the Board of Aldermen and are open to the public. The meetings will take place on June 15th, 16th, 21st, and 22nd.

Starting tonight, June 15th, the mayor will make his presentation on the financial situation of the city. The Board of Aldermen will deliberate on these dates and get presentations from each department head. On June 22nd there will be a public hearing where the public will have the opportunity to give their input into the process and ideas for areas of savings and innovation. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the budget process: Rebekah.Gewirtz@gmail.com.

To see a schedule of the departments we will take up each night, check out www.somervillema.gov. Alderman meetings now stream live on the web so you can watch from wherever you may be by going to that same website.

DARBI Networking Lunch, Wednesday, June 16, 2010 12-1:30pm at Johnny D's

DARBI stands for the Davis Area Resident Business Initiative and it is a group dedicated to bringing residents and businesses together for the advancement of Davis Square. DARBI has regular networking lunches where anyone in the area is welcome to attend and meet other people who live or work in the area that you may not meet any other way. Email DARBIlunch@gmail.com to RSVP. For more information on DARBI or to get on their newsletter list, go to: www.yourdavissquare.com.

Powderhouse School focus group meeting June 23, 2010 7-8:30pm at the Tufts Administration Building, 167 Holland St.

This meeting is hosted by the City and is being referred to as an open Focus Group for residents. It is designed to get neighbors to talk about the future of the square. Some neighbors have expressed concern about a focus group strategy vs. a reuse committee because a focus group implies that the building is slated to be sold and rezoned, while a reuse committee would be geared more towards figuring out all the different possibilities for the school. In any event, the city has decided to go with a focus group approach. This upcoming meeting of the focus group is open to the public and if you're interested, all are welcome to attend.

Parks and Open Space meeting of the Board of Aldermen June 28, 2010 at 6pm at City Hall

At this meeting we will take up Off Leash Recreation area planning in West Somerville (at a designated area at Dilboy Field) and get an update on the city beginning a voluntary composting program. Alderman Heuston and I raised this idea at an alderman meeting and the administration has been exploring implementing it. I originally began thinking about this because of a response to a a Constituent Corner section of my newsletter and then members of Somerville Climate Action did research work on it, which was incredibly helpful. We have learned that the composting program may begin at Farmer's Markets and expand from there if it is a success. If you're interested in either of these topics, please feel free to join us at this meeting.

Davis Square Task Force Meeting, September 2010, date and time TBD

The date and time of this meeting has not yet been set. If you would like to join the DSTF google group, please send an email mailto:rnewman@thecia.net. If you would like to join the organizing committee, please contact Hala Jadallah by clicking here hsavy01@gmail.com.

Spotlight on a Local Business:

Toni & Ana's Furniture
Specializing in new and repainted and refinished furniture 864 Broadway near Powderhouse Rotary This is another example of a local furniture store that just opened in the area to rave reviews. The store owners are incredibly helpful and will even offer to paint your choice of furniture the color you choose. Check it out for yourself!