City of Somerville 2008 Resident Report

The City of Somerville 2008 Resident Report was published this month.
Here are some chunks about Winter Hill from this factoid filled document:

Bring us some green line super-extension:
"Broadway on Winter Hill and Mystic Ave at Temple Road were busy commercial centers, with many small mom-and-pop stores providing for most shopping needs within a short walking distance of homes. Now, however, without streetcars or accessible subway stops, Ward 4 residents rely more on cars for travel than any other ward."

Related to this:
"With the opening of a Green Line stop in Gilman Square and an Orange Line stop in Assembly Square, all Ward 4 residents will live less than a mile from a T stop and a majority will live less than half a mile from a T stop."

Maybe this explains my perceived recent increase in parking tickets on cars in the morning:
"Ward 4 has very few parking restrictions, including metered parking spots or streets with resident-only parking. This means that there are fewer parking control officers assigned to patrol Ward 4. This may account for the increased complaints of commercial vehicle parking, since violators may know that this ward is monitored less often than other wards. Both Ten Hills and Winter Hill East residents requested increased enforcement of overnight commercial parking in their neighborhoods."

Winter Hill Main Streets?
"Some Progress Planned for FY09 Initiate "Winter Hill Main Streets" Update 5/9/08: The area is not eligible for federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) so there is no existing funding available to establish an official Main Streets group. However, the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) will carry out a study of all major business districts, including Winter Hill, to determine what kind of businesses will succeed in the area and to market the area to prospective businesses."

The CDBG mentioned looks useful. It would be good to know if there is a related mechanism that WH is eligible for.

And the gratuitous Foss Park post:
"Negotiate with the State for City management of Foss Park and Veterans Memorial Ice Rink. Update 5/19/08: The City would like to assume management responsibilities of these facilities, but only after the State has made initial capital investments."

sweet.

Extending the Green Line to Medford??

Eric Moskowitz recently documented the controversy surrounding the extension of the green line through Medford in the Boston Globe:

"State officials will decide this fall whether to extend the Green Line just to College Avenue, amid Tufts University and thousands of students and staff eager for a link to Boston, or continue the tracks for another mile through the Medford Hillside to Mystic Valley Parkway, near a Whole Foods store and within a half-mile walk for nearly 10,000 residents of Medford, Somerville, and Arlington."

A Little Confused About Foss Park

I've been reading with great interest: Somerville Massachusetts, A Brief History by Dee Morris and Dora St. Martin. In it, the authors describe the story of Saxton Conant Foss, sent from Somerville to France to contribute to the effort in World War I. He was killed in the line of duty and posthumously awarded a Distinguished Service Cross. Foss Park is named in his honor.

I often see this park refered to as "Saxton J. Foss Park". There's just a minor discrpancy in the middle initial. Anyone know why?


From: East Somerville Main Streets