Somerville Happenings: Upcoming Meetings, Openings, Deadlines

SOMERVILLE, MA – There's a lot happening in Somerville this month. From community meetings, to affordable housing opportunities, to openings on resident advisement committees – it's hard to keep track.

Fortunately, Patch has you covered. Here's a look at the goings-on around Somerville in the coming weeks:

Applicants Sought for Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change

From the mayor's office: Mayor Curtatone is seeking applications from Somerville residents to serve on the Mayor’s Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change (CEUCC). The CEUCC advises the City and the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Environment on climate change and energy policy issues and assists the City in program design and outreach related to these topics.

In the past, the Commission has advised the City on a number of topics, including energy performance of city buildings, the Residential Energy Efficiency Program, community choice aggregation of electricity, and residential solar. Commission members will advise the City on upcoming sustainability initiatives including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change impacts, innovative approaches to energy efficiency, and community outreach and education on climate change and energy. The CEUCC typically meets monthly at on the second Wednesday of the month from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Tufts Administration Building located at 167 Holland Street.

The CEUCC is composed of seven Somerville residents and one City staff member who serves as an ex-officio member. Appointments are for a period of three years. The City seeks Somervilleresidents with a background in energy, climate change, and community outreach to apply by submitting a resume and a letter of interest that specifies the applicant’s relevant background and purpose for serving on the CEUCC. While the CEUCC principally provides technical and policy advice to the City, members of the community with an interest in sustainability and experience in community engagement are encouraged to apply.

Applicants are encouraged to attend one or more CEUCC meetings prior to submitting a letter of interest. The next two meetings are scheduled for December 7, 2016, and January 11, 2017. Please submit a letter of interest by close of business (4:30 p.m.) on January 31, 2017, by email to Oliver Sellers-Garcia, Director of Sustainability & Environment, at ogarcia@somervillema.gov.

Six Affordable Rental Units Available at 315 Broadway, Somerville

Applications Due Dec. 15

From the Housing Division: The Housing Division of the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development is currently accepting applications for six (6) affordable rental units offered through the City’s Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance for the development at 315 Broadway. The application deadline is Thursday, December 15th, 2016, at 4 p.m. The deadline will be followed by a lottery on Wednesday, January 4th, 2017, at 10 a.m. in the Aldermanic Chambers located on the second floor of City Hall.

The six (6) units are part of a 46-unit development located at the corner of Broadway and Temple Street in the Winter Hill area of Somerville, MA. For specific information about the development by Young Investments, LLC you can visit the website at www.315broadway.com.

Three units will be restricted to households at or below fifty percent (50%) of Area Median Income (AMI), and three (3) rental units will be restricted to households at or below eighty percent (80%) of AMI. The affordable units at 315 Broadway range in size from one to two bedrooms. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, and the head of household cannot be a full-time student.

These affordable units do not come with a rental subsidy. However, if the household has a rental subsidy it can of course be used for these units. For all affordable units, the rent is reduced from market rent. Tenants are responsible for paying full amount of rent and utilities each month. Please note utilities will fluctuate depending on tenant usage and are not included in the monthly rent. Utilities include water and sewer, heating is natural gas, and stove is electric. A breakdown of the units, bedroom size, and rents can be found in the table below. All applicants selected for the affordable rental opportunities must be recertified for income eligibility on an annual basis. To check if you qualify for income limits, please visitwww.somervillema.gov/incomelimits or contact the Housing Division contacts listed below.

To request an application please contact Ithzel Polanco-Cabadas at ipcabadas@somervillema.us or 617-625-6600 ext. 2286or Vicki Wairi at vwairi@somervillema.us 617-625-6600 ext. 2588. To be notified of any future inclusionary housing rental or homeownership opportunities please contact Ithzel Polanco or Vicki Wairi to be added to our listserv.

Somerville Seeking Residents to Advise on Capital Improvement Projects

From the mayor's office: The City of Somerville announced today that it is forming a community advisory committee to assist in the review and recommendation of capital improvement projects for upcoming fiscal years. The committee, which will comprise five community members, will work with City staff to review and provide feedback and recommendations, on behalf of the entire community, on project prioritization.

Background

The City has historically released a multiyear Capital Investment Plan (CIP) annually that establishes specific timelines for needed capital improvement projects, ranging from annual street and sidewalk repairs to major building and open space improvements to critical infrastructure upgrades. Moving forward, the City will continue to establish specific timelines for critical projects, but will now also work annually with the CIP Advisory Committee to review and prioritize additional projects based on available resources and community needs. All capital projects are submitted to the Board of Aldermen for funding approval.

Qualifications and Requirements

The City is seeking five community members (residents, business leaders, community stakeholders) who have a strong knowledge of the City of Somerville and the interests of the general community, with preferred backgrounds in fields such as urban design, municipal government and/or government management, and capital finance, though all interested community members are encouraged to apply.

Advisory Committee members will be appointed for two- or three-year terms, and will be required to attend regular meetings over the course of several consecutive months each year to meet with City staff, and to discuss projects and create a set of recommendations.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter to SomerStat, the Mayor’s Office of Innovation and Analytics, by Monday, January 9, at 5 p.m., by emailing Michael Mastrobuoni (MMastrobuoni@somervillema.gov).

ArtFarm Community Meeting 12/14

From the mayor's office: Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston, the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD, and the Somerville Arts Council invite all interested community members to a meeting to discuss ArtFarm, a urban ag and cultural site development, on the former waste transfer site at 10 Popular St. in the Brickbottom neighborhood.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 14, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. Presentations by the design firms of Over_Under and Groundview will review both the recently concluded program design and the timeline and development phases moving forward.

For more information, please contact Gregory Jenkins at gjenkins@somervillema.gov.

Somerville’s “Equity & Inclusion Conversation Series” Continues 12/14

From the mayor's office: Join the City of Somerville for the next conversation in our continuing Equity and Inclusion Conversation Series, with a conversation focused on LGBTQ issues.

Hosted by Betsy Allen, Manager of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the City of Somerville’s Department of Health and Human Services, the December 14, 2016, conversation will be moderated by:

• Devan Foster, Somerville Human Rights Commission
• Kaisy Rosario, City of Somerville’s LGBTQ Liaison
• Jonathan Aguilar, Somerville Teen Empowerment
• Courtney O’Keefe, former member of the Somerville Board of Aldermen

Since the conclusion of the 2016 election season, we’ve heard from a number of residents in our LGBTQ community of the widespread fear, concern and, at times, intimidation that they are experiencing. This conversation is intended to raise awareness of the issues, to outline support services, to discuss strategies for moving forward and to continue to foster a sense of unity and solidarity with every resident in the City of Somerville.

The City of Somerville’s conversation series was re-instated in Fall 2015 to discuss issues surrounding race and racism, nationally and locally. The series is sponsored by the City’s Health and Human Services Department.

For more information, contact Betsy Allen at 617-625-6600 ext. 2323.

Have an upcoming meeting or event you'd like us to share? Email alex.newman@patch.com with the details.

Image via Flickr user Eric Kilby, licensed under CC by-SA 2.0