We have a lot to catch up on...

Here we go:

1) There was a discussion about the Somerville 48 hour parking rule on yelp (started by a Winter Hill neighbor):
http://www.yelp.com/topic/boston-somerville-48-hour-parking-rule-with-residential-permit

2) Danielle Dreilinger wrote about 'More cyclists are hitting the road in Somerville', noting that:"Bike use was notably low in Winter Hill and Assembly Square. Joggers, meanwhile, love the Community Path, and more people jog after work than before.":
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/somerville/2011/10/more_cyclists_are_hitting_the.html

3) Mitch is trying to rent out an off-street parking spot in Winter Hill:
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/prk/2632684906.html

4) The Bicycling New Historic Somerville brochure is online with Winter Hill hotspots (sorry I missed the actual event way back in May):
http://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/2011-FinalBrochure.pdf

5) This is cool. Mose Berkowitz-Urban Appreciator takes a stroll through Winter Hill:
http://moseberkowitz.com/blog/somerville-survey-winter-hill–-working-class-roots-uncovered-in-modern-times

6) Vegetarians in Winter Hill looking for a roomate (well, I'm assuming they are also vegetarian; otherwise it would just be weird:
$500 Nov. 1: Two Professionals Seek Vegetarian, Male Roommate (Winter Hill, Somerville)

7) A Winter Hill Resident expresses their thoughts about the Green Line Extension:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/news/x463307693/Letter-Green-Line-Extension-reason-for-moving-to-Somerville

Ok, we'll leave it at that for now. There are two other items that we should be discussing in the near future:

1) The race for Ward 4 Alderman on Tuesday Nov. 8th. If you would like to get to know some of the players, check out:

http://www.tonylafuente.com/

http://christinebarber4somerville.com/

and, this is the big one:

2) Somerville's First Foodie Crawl is Oct. 25, 6-9:30pm! Get your tickets in advance; this will undoubtedly be a good time.

Green Line Extension meetings

There are two public meetings to discuss the Green Line Extension coming up next month, on March 9th (at Brooks Elementary in Medford) and on March 11th (at Somerville High School). Oh, and if we're well behaved, "perhaps light refreshments could be offered".

Full details.

Green Line Extension Gets Green Light

From: wbztv.com

Green Line Extension Gets Green Light

BOSTON (WBZ) ―

 

State Transportation Secretary announced Tuesday he's in favor of an extension of the Green Line, as long as there's federal funding for it.

The plan would stretch the line's trolley tracks into Somerville and Medford, WBZ has learned.

The $600 million project, which has been in the works for decades, is part of a federal mandate to reduce air pollution under the Clean Air Act.

Under the plan, one track would extend from Lechmere to the Union Square area in Somerville. Green Line trolley tracks will also be laid parallel to the existing commuter rail line for several miles through Somerville and Medford with at least five stops.

Read more...

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone's 2009 Mid-Term Address

Read Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone's 2009 Mid-Term Address in the Somerville News. The steady progress throughout Somerville definitely makes me feel optimistic. Note some important shout-outs to the Winter Hill and East Somerville community, including the support of the East Somerville Community School after the 2007 fire, infrastructure and transportation development in East Somerville and Magoun Square as part of the Obama recovery plan, as well as preparation for the IKEA move to Assembly Square.

I have to admit though, I do miss Good Time.

Read more...

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."

Extension of the Green Line Extension?

This would be exciting if it happens:
"... the State is also considering extending the Green Line all the way to Route 16 at the Mystic Valley Parkway. Ken Krause represents a neighborhood group pushing for that extension to the extension. "The opportunity for 10,000 more people to be within walking distance I would say is the number one reason.""

Green Line Extension Post: Better Late Than Never...

The Green Line Extension Project has posted some new relevant info. Check this out, if you are interested in seeing the public chatter.

Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership (STEP)

http://www.somervillestep.org/

Older Article about Green Line Extension

Possibility of Green Line stops puts residents in the pink

By Danielle Dreilinger Globe Correspondent / February 10, 2008

The MBTA has considered extending the Green Line into Somerville for decades. But after the governor's October pledge to prioritize the project - and with the state bound to finish by 2014 -the long-promised service seems almost imminent.

• Graphic Green Line Extension Project

That explained the standing-room-only crowd at the Visiting Nurse Association assisted living center Jan. 29. Easily 100 people came to learn about the proposed Ball Square and Lowell Street stops at one of a series of meetings about the line.

Mike McArdle and Kristine Wickham of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, consultants working for the state's Executive Office of Transportation, posted draft maps around the room. No state officials attended.

Magoun Square: Green Line Extension, Neighborhood Meetings, etc.

The great hope for Winter Hill is that there will one day be a green line on the MBTA that takes you back home after a day of work to a mini-bustling area centered in Magoun Square where you can have some coffee or get a beer, and then pick up whatever else you might need from a local shop on the walk home. This probably will never happen without significant community involvement.

Unfortunately, this information is a little late, and there isn't much on the web, but as an FYI for the future, here are a few sites and some information that you might keep an eye on for information about future discussions, meetings, etc. related to development in the area:

Blue Mass Group
Magoun Square ResiStat
Magoun Square ResiStat Yahoo Group
Progressive Democrats of Somerville interview Joe Lynch about Magoun Square

For a little more info on the types of neighborhood discussions at the ResiStat meetings, see this pdf of the notes from the last Magoun Square ResiStat meeting.


If you have more information that would be useful to post, please get in touch.