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Welcome to my website. I will periodically post helpful and informative news and links pertaining to Ward 6 Somerville. Please check back often.
To contact Alderman Gewirtz click here: info@rebekahgewirtz.org May 2008 Newsletter
Dear Friends and Supporters, There is a lot going on in and around Ward 6 that I thought you'd like to know about. In this e-newsletter you will find information about events, happenings, and upcoming meetings that may be of interest to you. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others you think would find it useful or interesting. If you would like to unsubscribe you can click on the link below or send an email to me at rebekah@rcn.com with the subject line: remove. I hope to see you soon and please feel free to forward me events or information you'd like me to include in future e-newsletters. Best wishes! Ward 6 Fun FactDavis Square T Art Panels Ribbon Cutting is coming up on May 6th at 10:30am inside the T station. Since February 2006, I have been working with the Mayor's Office, the Somerville Arts Council, Tufts, and the MBTA to place new art panels on the platform of the Davis Square T Station. After a Call to Artists last summer and receiving over 200 submissions from Somerville and Tufts artists, we juried the work and selected 9 winners. The art has been fabricated on 4' by 4' panels and will replace many of the panels that are unrepresentative of the community. The panels will not impact the Children's tiles on the turnstyle level of the station - these porcelain panels are on the platform level. All are welcome to attend the ribbon cutting! 1. Upcoming Neighborhood and Community EventsSomerville Local First Launch Party, Thursday May 1st at Johnny D's in Davis Square -- 7:45 appetizers, 8:30pm program begins Join founders of Local First for a night of celebration, energy and education as the group embarks on a journey to support a vibrant local economy and a sustainable community. Appetizers will be served at 7:45 PM with a launch ceremony starting at 8:30 PM. Speakers include the Somerville Office of Economic Development, Ben Saren CEO of Citysquares.com, Steve D'Agostino, Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston and MC for the night will be Joe Grafton, Executive Director of Somerville Local First. After the ceremony, stay for some great live music, featuring DJ of the Year, DJBC. This event is free to all and we will have a suggested donation table for those so inclined. If you are a local business owner, a Somerville resident or someone who values community, this is an event you should not miss. Somerville Spring Clean Up, Saturday May 3rd 10am-12pm meet in Davis Square Plaza (Statue Park by JP Licks) Ward Six School Committee Member Paul Bockelman and I are coordinating the cleanup efforts in Ward 6 -- that's the area around Davis Square, Powderhouse Circle, Ball Square, and Elm St toward Porter Square. The cleanup mobilizes hundreds of neighbors to rake, sweep, and pick up trash in our neighborhood. The city provides all the equipment and refreshments. Bring your friends and family and spend 20 minutes or two hours helping out. You can help in two ways: First, let us know if there are areas that need to be cleaned up. Do you walk past an area every day and bemoan the trash you see? Is there a fence that always seems to collect trash? Let us know! Email Paul at pbockelman@aol.com or me at rebekah@rcn.com and we will put it on the list as a place to send a crew on clean up day! In the past, we have concentrated our efforts on the bike path, Powderhouse Park, the Brown School, and Statue Park in Davis Square. What are we missing? Second, show up on May 3rd. Bring garden gloves or garden tools if you have them. We will have cotton gloves, rakes, brooms, and trash bags. Following the cleanup, there will be a giant barbecue for everyone in the city who helped out. Somerville Open Studios Saturday and Sunday May 3rd and 4th, 12-6pm at studio, house, and apartment spaces throughout Somerville Somerville Open Studios (SOS) is a non-profit organization formed to produce an annual open studio and related events in Somerville. Through its programming, SOS gives access to the work of visual artists living and working in the city of Somerville. The goal is to broaden the public's exposure to, and appreciation of, finished works of art as well as the art-making process. This exposure both educates the community and raises awareness of the diverse artistic experience available in Somerville. For more information on this year's Open Studios, check out: www.somervilleopenstudios.org. Davis Square Budget Priorities ResiStat Meeting, Monday May 12th at 7pm, Tufts Administration Building, 167 Holland St Senior Center, 2nd Floor Here is the announcement: Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone and Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz invite Davis Square area residents to a neighborhood budget priorities meeting on Monday, May 12. Residents will have the opportunity to learn how the City's budget process works, and to list and vote on their priorities for the upcoming budget year. The meeting is open to the public, though the discussion will focus on issues specific to the neighborhoods surrounding Davis Square. This meeting is part of the ResiStat program, which is a city project focusing on increasing communication between residents and City officials to address local issues of concern. For more information, click here. Davis Area Crime Watch Meeting Wednesday May 14th at 6:30pm, Tufts Administration Building, 167 Holland St Senior Center, 2nd Floor There have been reports of car and home break-ins particularly in the Irving St, Wallace St, and Chandler St neighborhoods. The Chief of Police and other members of the police force will join us at this meeting and it's open to anyone living in the area who is interested in attending. For more information, feel free to be in touch with me at rebekah@rcn.com or 617-718-0792. Davis Area Resident Business Initiative (DARBI) meets on the second Tuesdays of the month DARBI advocates for the interests of residents and businesses and is a forum for the two groups to work together on proactively promoting and advancing Davis Square. DARBI has sub-committees on beautification of the square, greening of Davis, website, and maps and brochures. The group is open to anyone who wishes to join. The group also just produced a wonderful map of the Davis Square area with business and other locations highlighted. Maps are now in many stores throughout Davis. For more information on DARBI and to learn how to get involved check out the website at www.yourdavissquare.com.
2. Upcoming Board of Aldermen MeetingsLegislative Matters Committee meeting, Wednesday, April 30th, 7pm City Hall: Focus on Historic Preservation and the proposed Tree Preservation Ordinance. Legislative Matters Committee meeting, Tuesday, May 6, 7pm City Hall: Focus on the Responsible Employer Ordinance Housing and Community Development, Wednesday May 7, 6pm City Hall Parks and Open Space Committee Meeting, Wednesday,May 7, 7pm City Hall Legislative Matters Committee meeting, Tuesday, May 13, 7pm City Hall: Focus on the proposed Plastic Bag Ordinance
3. AnnouncementsSupport the Somerville Homeless Coalition while Receiving Bodywork Amethyst Center, a holistic health center in the heart of Davis Square, raises funds for the Somerville Homeless Coalition at their seasonal open house on Saturday, May 10th, from 1-5 pm. Receive mini-sessions of acupuncture, massage, reiki, energy work or naturopathic health consultations in exchange for a donation to the SHC. A suggested donation of $10 will earn you a session lasting approximately 15 minutes. Explore the services offered by the different practitioners at Amethyst Center and support a vital, local organization at the same time. Call in advance to schedule your session(s) or drop by the day of the fundraiser. Amethyst Center, 259 Elm Street, 3rd Floor (by the big clock on the street). Call Patty Adelsberger at 617-591-9200 for details or email padelsberger@gmail.com. The Somerville Library will have a Book Sale on the following dates: Friday, May 9th, 4:00-6:00 pm (preview sale for members $50.00 and higher -- may pay the $50.00 at the door) Saturday, May 10th, 10:00am - 4:00pm Sunday, May 11, 1:00pm - 3:00pm For more information about the Somerville Library Book Sale, please be in touch with board member, Linda Bohan at LBohan@bellatlantic.net. Become a Friend of the Davis Square Farmers Market If you live, work, or shop in Davis Square, you can become a Friend of the Davis Square Farmers Market! A Friends Group is a collection of private citizens who form a grassroots group that provides advice and volunteer/financial support to their local Farmers Market. Friends will provide advocacy, promotion, and supplemental funds to make the market a local treasure. You can be a Friend of Davis in many ways, even if you don't have the time for a big commitment. So even if you'd just like to be on the e-mail list, please contact Karen Turner at 617-599-8509.
Take the Somerville Solar Challenge!Somerville Climate Action and the City of Somerville have signed on to the "Somerville Solar Challenge" campaign. This is how it works: - If 150 businesses and/or residents donate $5/month or make a one-time $100 contribution to the New England Wind Fund, the city will receive a free 2KW solar array from the state to put on a Somerville public school. - Every dollar donated is matched TWICE by the state: 1) to the city for renewable energy projects in Somerville, and 2) to a low-income community fund available to all Mass. communities for renewable projects. So your contribution will go a long way to: 1) Help Somerville be a model community on climate-change; 2) Help transition Massachusetts from fossil fuels to renewables for its source of energy; 3) Show the community and the Greater Boston area that the Somerville business community supports environmentally-friendly practices; 4) Educate children and their parents about solar power; 5) Help low-income communities get their fair share of clean power; 6) Decrease Somerville's greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our contribution to global warming; For more information click here groups.google.com/group/somervilleclimateaction or contact Vanessa Rule at beckrule@rcn.com
Do you have an event or issue you’d like me to discuss or advertise in my e-newsletter? If so, let me know! Send an email to me at rebekah@rcn.com or call 617-718-0792. March/April 2008
Dear Friends and Supporters,
I hope all is well with you. Things are really starting to pick up in and around Ward 6 now that spring is almost here. In this e-newsletter you will find information about events, happenings, and upcoming meetings that may be of interest to you. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others you think would find it useful or interesting. If you would like to unsubscribe you can click on the link below or send an email to me at rebekah@rcn.com with the subject line: remove. I hope to see you soon and please feel free to forward me events or information you'd like me to include in future e-newsletters. Best wishes! Ward 6 Fun FactWe're half way to the HONK! Festival, which is an amazing street performance throughout Davis Square. YOU can help make the festival even better this year. See Box below for detailed information on the upcoming fundraising event. Halfway to HONK! Support HONKfest 2008, the 3rd annual festival of activist street bands, at a Halfway to HONK! fundraiser party Sunday March 30th, 6-9pm Now's the time to help fund this street festival of socially and politically activist brass bands from around the world, to be held Columbus Day weekend, October 10-12, 2008. The HONK! Festival is a non-profit, grassroots event, and although actively seeking grant money from various organizations, the festival depend primarily on donations. Organizers are hoping to include 20 bands this year, and are looking at a budget of around $50,000, mostly to help offset travel expenses, food, promotion, and venue rentals. That's a lot of money, and your help is needed to make it happen! The fund-raising party will feature: - the raucous, NOLA sounds of the Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band, and a chance to win them for a future party of your choice - the uplifting, dance-inducing, Ethiogroove music of Debo Band - the US premiere of Olivier Asselin's film, "Honk You Very Much," based on last - a showing of the 3-DVD set "Return of HONK!" by our friends at SCAT TV, also available - opportunities to support HONKfest 2008 through the purchase of very very cool - delicious food donated by fine local restaurants - a special appearance by comedian and political satirist Jimmy Tingle (if he doesn't Admission is $25/person in advance, $30 on the day of the fund-raiser. 1. Upcoming Neighborhood, Community and City MeetingsSomerville Commission for Women event honoring Women's History Month, March 19, 2008, 6-7:15pm Visiting Nurse Association Lowell St. At the Board of Alderman meeting on March 13, 2008 Alderman Heuston and I, along with the other members of the Board, declared March 19th Somerville Women's History Day. There will be an event at the VNA honoring Somerville's Best Service Provider to Women and Somerville's Unsung Heroine. All are welcome to attend. Licensing Commission Meeting March 24, 2008 Tufts Administration Building 167 Holland Street - Applications for 2 remaining beer and wine licenses There are two beer and wine licenses available in Somerville and many applicants for them. Interestingly (and probably not surprisingly), most of the applicants are currently in Davis Square. If you'd like to testify in support of one of the establishments getting a liquor license... or not, come to the Licensing Commission meeting. Right now, businesses that are applying include: Martsa on Elm, Yoshi's on Holland St, Chipotle on Elm St, Alfresco on Highland Ave, and Ten Tables (though this restaurant is not in the square yet, the owner who lives locally would like to take over Antonia's space and cannot do so without a license). Board of Alderman Housing and Community Development meeting Wednesday March 26, 2008, 6pm, City Hall Alderman Committee Room At this meeting, we will take up the pressing issue of foreclosures in the community and what we are doing in Somerville to provide people with information and help should they face this situation. If you would like to learn more about what the city is doing on this important issue, please come to this meeting. We will be briefed by staff in the Housing Department and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. Public Hearing on the Responsible Employer Ordinance, Wednesday March 26, 2008 7pm, City Hall Alderman Chambers Last year, a Responsible Employer Ordinance was proposed and the Board of Aldermen Legislative Matters committee will have a public hearing on the proposal March 26th. All are welcome to come and testify or just listen and learn about the arguments for and against the proposal. Several other communities have adopted similar ordinances to make sure contractors and businesses doing business with the city are contributing to the growth and development of their employees and offering reasonable compensation and benefits. For more information on the proposed ordinance, please feel free to be in touch with me at rebekah@rcn.com or 617.718.0792. Community Meeting about development project at 131/135 Willow Ave, Monday March This project is the large structure on the corner of Willow Ave and Morrison. During it's construction a law suit was filed by several neighbors to try to reduce the appearance of it's density. A settlement was agreed to between neighbors and the developer. Unfortunately, the agreement was not upheld and now the community must come together to determine the best course of action. If you live in this neighborhood and/or are concerned about this project, please attend this very important community meeting. Then the issue will be taken up again at the April 2nd meeting of the ZBA. If you have additional questions or would like more information, feel free to send me an email: rebekah@rcn.com or call me at 617.718.0792. Davis Square Traffic Study Group presentation to Public Health and Public Safety Committee and Traffic and Parking Committee April 7, 2008, 7pm, Tufts Administration Last summer and into the fall a group of committed citizens met together to work on developing a plan to curb traffic and speeding problems in and around the Davis neighborhood. After months of deliberation and a community event on Willow Ave to solicit input from neighbors our group came up with recommendations: willave.blogspot.com. These recommendations will be presented to these two committees of the Board of Aldermen meeting in joint session on April 7th. If you are interested in learning more about what the traffic study group came up with, please come to this meeting. For more information, feel free to be in touch with me or Mark Chase, who facilitated and organized the group at mark@goloco.com. Teen Empowerment Somerville Youth Peace Conference, "Uniting the Ville: Real Stories This exciting community event is only $3for the whole day, including lunch. Tickets go on sale Monday, March 17. For more information contact Teen Empowerment's Somerville office at 617-628-0710. The conference is hosted by the City of Somerville and Teen Empowerment. The Peace Conference depends on volunteer help to run smoothly. Contact Teen Empowerment if you'd like to volunteer or find out more. Davis Square Task Force will be meeting on April 14, 2008 7-9pm at 167 Holland St. This community group has been meeting for over 20 years to discuss issues of development and community related items of interest. Anyone can add items to the agenda for these meetings. If you have items you would like to see on the agenda, please send me an email at Rebekah@rcn.com before April 5th. Meetings are open to anyone interested in attending. Please join us! Davis Area Resident Business Initiative (DARBI) meets on the second Tuesdays of DARBI advocates for the interests of residents and businesses and is a forum for the two groups to work together on proactively promoting and advancing Davis Square. DARBI has sub-committees on beautification of the square, greening of Davis, website, and maps and brochures. The group is open to anyone who wishes to join. The group also just produced a wonderful map of the Davis Square area with business and other locations highlighted. Maps are now in many stores throughout Davis. For more information on DARBI and to learn how to get involved check out the website at: www.yourdavissquare.com.
2. My Recently Proposed Policy InitiativesIn the past several months I have proposed policies on the Board of Aldermen to improve transparency in city government, take definitive action to curb global warming in our community, and advocate for the community to come together around reading. Below is a snapshot of what I've been working on. If you have issues you'd like me to raise on the Board of Aldermen please let me know. Your ideas could shape city policy for years to come! -Rules Change to Board of Aldermen 2pm rule This proposal would require late items submitted by aldermen and the administration to be publicized more broadly and require a 2/3 vote of the Board to admit late items onto the agenda. Right now, items can be submitted late and the public does not have easy access to them. Indeed, some items are submitted during the actual meeting so written copies are not available until after the meeting. I'm looking forward to working with other aldermen on this proposal when it has a hearing before the Rules Committee. That committee meeting has not yet been scheduled. -Budget Process Reform I have proposed that the Finance Committee of the Board of Aldermen hold three hearings across the city to allow the public to have more input in the budget process. I have proposed that these meetings happen in the east, central, and western parts of the city so all residents can participate. While aldermen can only cut items from the budget, we have the advantage of a public platform to talk about issues of concern to constituents and having these hearings will allow us to get a sense of the community on what is most important to people in the city budget, which will help inform our deliberations. The Finance committee will take up this proposal at the next meeting of that committee. -Tree Preservation Ordinance This proposal would strengthen our tree preservation laws in Somerville and create an independent committee to focus on tree preservation so we can do everything possible to preserve our trees. Some public shade trees in Somerville are more than 25 years old. These trees should be respected and preserved and only taken down as a last possible resort in cases of public health or safety issues. This ordinance proposal is in the Legislative Matters committee and we are working with the administration and the Department of Public Works to craft it so that it will be most effective and beneficial to the community. -Plastic Bag Ordinance Did you know that plastic bags are non-biodegradable and can remain in land fills for as long as 1000 years? A friend of mine sent me information on this and as I learned more I became concerned about the implications for not regulating plastic bags because of the damage they cause to the environment. Just this year, NY City passed sweeping reform requiring stores of 5,000 square feet or more and chains with five or more stores to provide on-site plastic bag recycling on premises. The law also requires the creation of new bags that remind people to recycle. The problem of plastic bags littering streets is so bad in some places that they have been banned altogether. Last year, San Francisco banned plastic bags in the city. Ireland imposed a PlasTax that reduced consumption of plastic bags by 90% and according to the website www.reusablebags.com has saved 18,000,000 barrels of oil! The plastic bag ordinance proposal will be taken up in the Legislative Matters committee. For more information on plastic bag recycling, check out www.reusablebags.com. -Abandoned Bike Parts Pool Walking around Davis Square I often notice stripped bikes that need to be taken away by the Department of Public Works. Similarly, abandoned bikes must be taken away. You may wonder where these parts and bikes go once they are taken away. I found out they are stored in the basement of the police department where they remain. I have proposed that the city create an abandoned bike parts pool to make sure these bikes and parts get into the hands of people in the Somerville community who could use them. Why waste them in storage when so many people could use a bike? I'm working with the police department on this proposal and looking forward to creating the "pool". -One Book One Somerville A program is in place in many municipalities around the commonwealth to bring the community together around reading. The way it would work here is various city groups would get together to pick a book and people in the community are welcome to read the book and come to a discussion about it. Sort of like a giant book club. The director of the library has told me she has been looking into starting this program next year. Be on the look out for the Somerville book of choice!
3. Davis Square Hotel Preliminary InformationAt the Board of Alderman meeting on March 13, 2008 we approved disposition of three pieces of city owned property in Davis Square for purposes of developing a hotel and accompanying parking structure. The parcels subject to Request for Proposals are the Grove Street parking lot next to Rite-Aid, the Buena Vista Garage on the corner of Buena Vista Ave and Holland Street, and the parking lot on the corner of Herbert Street and Day Street. In order for me to vote for disposition of the property there were several priorities I had: 1) Community involvement in this process is critically important. The original proposal involved a Technical Advisory Committee that did not include members of the community. I requested community members be appointed to the committee who have an interest in and understanding of urban development and a demonstrated commitment to the community. There will be two community members appointed. If you know anyone you think should be considered for the technical advisory committee, please send me an email at Rebekah@rcn.com or call me at 617.718.0792. 2) The parking structure needs to be for the community and not used as a commuter garage. It's very important Davis Square doesn't become a place people come to park their cars and take the T to Boston so any parking structure built in the square needs to be either metered or restricted parking. This will be explicitly laid out in the RFP. 3) The building must conform to green building practices both in the actual construction of it and the operation of the hotel. This will also be explicitly detailed in the RFP. For more information about the Technical Advisory Committee or any aspect of the preliminary process for the hotel please feel free to be in touch with me at Rebekah@rcn.com or 617.718.0792.
Take the Somerville Solar ChallengeSomerville Climate Action and the City of Somerville have signed on to the "Somerville Solar Challenge" campaign. This is how it works: - If 150 businesses and/or residents donate $5/month or make a one-time $100 contribution to the New England Wind Fund, the city will receive a free 2KW solar array from the state to put on a Somerville public school. - Every dollar donated is matched TWICE by the state: 1) to the city for renewable energy projects in Somerville, and 2) to a low-income community fund available to all Mass. communities for renewable projects. So your contribution will go a long way to: 1) Help Somerville be a model community on climate-change; 2) Help transition Massachusetts from fossil fuels to renewables for its source of energy; 3) Show the community and the Greater Boston area that the Somerville business community supports environmentally-friendly practices; 4) Educate children and their parents about solar power; 5) Help low-income communities get their fair share of clean power; 6) Decrease Somerville's greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our contribution to global warming; For more information click here groups.google.com/group/somervilleclimateaction or contact Vanessa Rule at: beckrule@rcn.com Can you store music files for Somerville Community Chorus? The Somerville Community Chorus is working within a very tight budget since they raise all their own money through dues and fundraisers (and sometimes get a grant from the Somerville Arts Council). Starting last fall they paid to store four file cabinets of music that they access only a few times a year. This space has become unavailable and they would love to get the space for free. They could make a small donation, as well. If you have space and want to help the Somerville Community Chorus, contact Maddy Webster at Maddywebster@hotmail.com. Website: www.somervillechorus.com Email: info@somervillechorus.com Voicemail: 617-741-4053. Mail: 411A Highland Ave.#256, Somerville, MA, 02144. Do you have an event or issue you’d like me to discuss or advertise in my e-newsletter? If so, let me know! Send an email to me at rebekah@rcn.com or call 617-718-0792. |