2013 CCJ Notes (January to June)

2013 CCJ Notes - Part I
(January to June 2013)
[items moved from main page]

Campaign Finance - 2013 Cambridge City Council candidates (updated June 27)

It's still early in the 2013 municipal election cycle, but the campaign finance reports are beginning to tell a story about which candidates are planning to make a serious run for a seat on the Cambridge City Council. The figures from January 2013 through the latest (June 15, 2013) reports are posted at http://cambridgecivic.com/?p=2660. There may be additional candidates and some of the incumbents and challengers may decide against running. This story and the table will be updated periodically.

At this stage the most striking thing is the $30,550.06 raised so far this year by challenger Dennis Benzan (as of June 15). Marc McGovern ($12,552.71) and Kristen von Hoffmann ($11,224.09) have also raised significant campaign funds. Money, of course, is not the only indicator of a serious candidate - especially with at least two new very serious contenders who have not yet opened their campaign accounts. We'll be watching! - RW

Comments?

The Strange Symmetry of Cambridge History

June 28, 2013 - A recent controversy over a proposed residential project at 93 Kirkland Street for which a curb cut was sought was recently settled via a June 17 City Council vote. This was followed by a motion to Reconsider the vote at the June 24 City Council meeting. The motion to Reconsider failed and the granting of the curb cut was made final. The proponents seeking the curb cut were Mark Boyes-Watson and Muireann Glenmullen. The primary opposition came from the Dewire Family Trust representing the wishes of James and Thomas Dewire of 2 Holden Street whose families have a very long history in the neighborhood and just across the border in Somerville. There was also a petition campaign to block the curb cut initiated by some nearby residents.

To those of us who have a passion for Cambridge history, there was a magnificent symmetry in this controversy that pitted longstanding residents against what was characterized, perhaps unfairly, as an unwelcome intrusion into this established neighborhood. Indeed, in an historically significant incident 127 years earlier, it was the arrival of a saloon across the street at the site where Savenor's Market now stands that triggered a firestorm that would help to shape the civic battle lines in Cambridge for the next century. The proprietor of that saloon was a Mr. Dewire who had recently moved his business there from just up the street in Somerville. The story of "the Dewire incident," and much of what it inspired, is told in the book "Ten No-license Years in Cambridge: A Jubilee Volume" published in 1898 by the Citizens' No-License Committee.

The full story of this period is fascinating, especially when understood in the context of the civic reforms that it inspired which ultimately culminated several decades later in the adoption of the Plan E Charter (1940) and the establishment of the Cambridge Civic Association (1945) that owed its existence, at least in part, to the controversy triggered in 1885-86 when the saloon arrived across the street from Harvard Professor Charles Eliot Norton. The letter from Prof. Norton that sparked the movement follows. - Robert Winters

LETTER OF PROF. CHARLES ELIOT NORTON
Cambridge, 27 April, 1886

Editor Cambridge Tribune:

I desire to call the attention of the citizens of Cambridge to a recent proceeding of the majority of the committee on licenses supported by a majority of the Board of Aldermen which seems to me to deserve the serious consideration of every one interested in the good government and the moral condition of our city and to warrant severe condemnation.

For a considerable number of years a man named Dewire has kept a grocery, and sold liquor in a shop at the corner of Washington and Beacon streets in Somerville, close to the boundary of Cambridge. Washington Street is the continuation of Kirkland Street in Cambridge. In 1884, when Somerville voted that no licenses should be granted for the sale of liquor in that city, Dewire, finding his chance of profit diminished, bought a lot over the line in Cambridge at the corner of Lynde and Kirkland streets, a few hundred feet from his original shop, and proceeded to erect upon it a double house of some pretension, fitting up the lower story in a showy and attractive manner, with large windows and other arrangements suitable for a drinking saloon. His more modest establishment in Somerville had been a nuisance to the neighborhood; his new one in Cambridge promised to be still more objectionable. He applied to the committee on licenses in 1885 for a victualler's license, and a license to sell liquor. A protest against the granting of the license, numerously signed by residents on Kirkland and the neighboring streets, was laid before the committee; and Dewire's petition was rejected. He, notwithstanding, proceeded to open his new establishment, and, if evidence which seems trustworthy may be relied upon, to sell liquor without a license and against the law.

Soon after the beginning of the present year, he made a fresh application for a license to the committee. A remonstrance similar to that of last year was handed in. The remonstrance was signed by such well known citizens as Professor Child, Prof. B. A. Gould, Prof. J. P. Ames, ex-Alderman C. H. Munroe, the venerable Eben Francis, Mr. L. E. Jones, three ladies, householders and residents in the immediate vicinity of Dewire's saloon, myself, and numerous others. The remonstrants asked a hearing of the committee in case there should be any question as to the granting of the license, which they did not expect. To their surprise, they were summoned to a hearing on the 10th inst. Professor Child was prevented by illness from appearing, but ex-Alderman Munroe, the Rev. Eben Francis, Jun., Mr. F. L. Temple (the proprietor of the nursery gardens on the corner of Kirkland and Beacon streets), Professor Ames, Mr. Arthur E. Jones, and myself attended, and presented clearly the reasons against the granting of the license. The main objections we made were, – the lack of any legitimate ground for the existence of a drinking-shop in the neighborhood; the injury done and the nuisance created by it; the difficulty of keeping strict police supervision over the establishment on account of its position on the line of division between Cambridge and Somerville; the want of due regard to the express wish of the majority of voters of Somerville in case a license should be granted for the sale of liquor on its immediate boundary. We urged that the petitioner for a license ought to show cause that the granting of his petition would be for the public advantage, or, at least, would enable him to supply a legitimate public need. We pressed upon the committee the fact that the remonstrance of well-known respectable citizens of the neighborhood against a license ought to be a sufficient ground for rejection of any such application; that the committee were primarily bound to consider the moral interests of the community, and to protect it from the grave injury resulting from a practically indiscriminate granting of applications for licenses. We urged that an excessive number of licenses had been granted in previous years; that intemperance had thereby been promoted in Cambridge; that this was a case plainly of a sort in which no just ground whatever for the granting of the petition could be shown to exist.

The chairman of the committee, Mr. J. J. Kelley, avowed with a cynical frankness that did credit to his honesty, that a majority of the voters of the city of Cambridge having voted for license, and the estimates for the expenditure of the city having been made upon the basis of a receipt from licenses of at least thirty five thousand dollars, the committee proposed to grant licenses in sufficient number to secure that sum; and that they did not regard the moral interest of the community as a matter which deserved their consideration in the administration of the license system. Further, upon being questioned, he with equal frankness admitted that the number of licenses, nearly two hundred and twenty, granted last year, was in excess of any legitimate need of the inhabitants, leaving it to be inferred that, by the granting of a number so excessive, the habits of intemperance and drunkenness in the community were inevitably encouraged.

In spite of the views held by the chairman of the committee, the remonstrants against Dewire's petition could not believe that their arguments would not, in this case at least, prevail with the committee. They could not believe that the reasonable desires of such a number of the respectable citizens of the neighborhood, most of them old residents, all of them known well as having the real interests of the city at heart, most of them payers of large taxes, would not be heeded as against the petition of a recent inhabitant, one who had taken up his residence in the city for the avowed purpose of carrying on traffic injurious to the morals of the community and condemned by every good citizen.

It was with astonishment, therefore, that they learned a few days after the hearing that the majority of the committee on licenses, consisting of Mr. Kelley and Mr. P. A. Lindsay, had, in spite of the earnest opposition of the third member, Dr. E. R. Cogswell, himself a resident on Kirkland Street, voted to recommend to the Board of Aldermen that the petition of Dewire be granted.

The remonstrants still believed that the Board of Aldermen, upon learning the facts of the case, would refuse to adopt the report of the majority of the committee.

But, on the contrary, the Board of Aldermen, at their meeting on the 21st inst., in spite of Dr. Cogswell's presentation of the objections to the granting of the license, voted, by six to four, that the license should be granted. The names of the majority ought to be known to the citizens of Cambridge, that their course in the matter may be remembered against them. They were E. W. Hincks, G. Close, J. J. Kelley, J. Cogan, C. W. Henderson, and P. A. Lindsay.

The personal interests involved in this special case may be of small moment; it may be of little matter that the desires and arguments of a weighty body of the best citizens of Cambridge have been unceremoniously disregarded. The interests involved are not local or personal. They are those of the whole community. An outrage to the moral sense of every good citizen has been committed by those to whose guardianship not only the material but the moral interests of the city are committed. A great wrong has been done, not to the residents on Kirkland Street alone, but to every inhabitant of the city. It is a matter in which the fundamental principles of good municipal government have been brutally violated. I trust that the voice of other citizens, who have the interests of the community at heart, will be heard concerning it. I am, sir,

Your obedient servant,

Charles Eliot Norton

City Council Scoreboard: Jan 1, 2012 through June 24, 2013

Here's an update of the scoreboard of activity of the individual city councillors for the current term. Though there are other matters that occupy the time of these elected officials, the records of committee attendance and the number and type of City Council Orders and Resolutions introduced are two objective measures for which data is readily available. Here are the figures through June 24, 2013:

City Council Committee meetings chaired and attended (2012-2013) through reports of June 24, 2013
Councillor	Chaired	Attended
vanBeuzekom	8	76
Cheung	16	61
Kelley	10	56
Maher	31	40
Simmons	4	40
Davis	Mayor chairs all Council and School Committee meetings	37
Decker	14	28
Reeves	0	28
Toomey	3	27

Council Orders and Resolutions: Combined 2012-2013 through June 24, 2013 incl. late orders through June 24
	P	I	R	M	D	C	A	F
Cheung	74	51	6	33	11	221	4	6
Davis	32	12	16	4	48	279	14	2
Decker	18	7	3	1	16	114	2	2
Kelley	9	27	8	10	3	13	2	0
Maher	8	1	14	2	191	86	0	0
Reeves	15	5	2	5	42	157	3	2
Simmons	26	15	6	12	37	191	9	4
Toomey	20	22	5	19	191	110	3	0
vanBeuzekom	52	38	8	13	3	29	2	2
Total	209	155	62	91	440	1014	37	15
Total Orders and Resolutions: 2023

The distribution of Orders and Resolutions by city councillors can provide insight into how they approach their job and how they spend their time and staff resources.

P - Policy orders

I - Requests for information from the City Manager and City departments

R - Rules and procedural items, such as the scheduling of hearings

M - Maintenance orders: fixing things, putting in stop signs, potholes, traffic, etc.

D - Death resolutions

C - Congratulations, get-well wishes, birthdays, naming of street corners, etc.

A - Announcements of upcoming events, holidays, proclamations, etc.

F - Foreign and national policy matters

Year-by-year and current totals can be found on the City Council page. More detailed information on each City Council committee can be found on the City Council Committees page (including links to each committe report).

Note to City Council and School Committee candidates (updated June 30):
Please let me know soon if you've made any decisions regarding your intention to be on the November 2013 municipal election ballot. If so, please send me any relevant information about your campaign (website, Facebook page, Twitter, e-mail address, phone number, where to send donations). You can also submit any other information relevant to your candidacy (background, priorities, etc.). If you have any ideas on topics that all candidates should be asked to provide statements, please send me those suggestions.

Also, if you (or anyone else) have suggestions on what topics should be presented to all City Council candidates and/or all School Committee candidates in the 2013 election, please let me know soon. Candidates are already submitting responses.

The 2013 Candidate Pages are meant as a resource not only for voters but also for reporters and supporters who may wish to get in touch regarding your campaign. I'm also happy to list any dates for campaign kickoffs or other significant candidate events in the Election Calendar. - RW

Mayor Henrietta Davis will not seek reelection to the Cambridge City Council

Message from Mayor Davis

Mayor Henrietta Davis It is not easy to make the decision to leave behind being a Cambridge City Councillor, a job I have loved, but after 8 years on the school committee and 18 years on the City Council-26 years in all-- I've decided not to seek reelection. Thank you to my colleagues - past and present - and to the people of Cambridge for supporting me all of these years.

This recent term as Mayor has been especially gratifying. Despite the obvious challenges, there were many great days and opportunities to make a difference and to continue the mission of making Cambridge a better place.

I'm not planning to leave all the issues behind - I'll still be fighting for equity and opportunity for all Cambridge citizens (especially young people), and making sure Cambridge continues to become a model for a healthy, sustainable city, and a community that is welcoming and supportive to all our residents.

But after thirteen successful elections I'm putting away my yard signs and leaving the campaign events to others.

I will miss walking up and down our beautiful streets and the face-to-face meetings with Cambridge residents at their homes and hearing their ideas and concerns.

I'm grateful to the voters of Cambridge who have given me the opportunity to serve, to have a career through which I could follow my passion, and make a difference locally and beyond. With six more months as Mayor, I look forward to serving the rest of the term, fully engaged. There's a lot left to do this year. Then, the time will come to head in a new direction. Thank you Cambridge for what will be 26 great years.

-Henrietta

Comments?

Completing the Square

Central Square in Cambridge has once again become a focal point for planners, activists, property owners, developers, elected officials, and residents. There is much that can be said, but the primary point of this picture book is to emphasize the opportunities that exist in what may be a narrow window in time to "Complete the Square" in a manner that should satisfy most people. Here are a few images (mostly taken on Monday, June 10, 2013) to help tell this story.

It's important to understand that Central Square today is just an echo of the days when it was a prime shopping district for the residents of Cambridge and elsewhere. There are proposals today that would encourage a more diverse mix of retail and bring more residents close to the Square. This may require some creative changes in the zoning laws to bring about these positive changes. There's plenty of room for debate on location, height and density but there are good opportunities now to make some great changes for the better. - RW

This was once the site of the Cambridge Athenaeum which also served for a time as City Hall	There seems to be something missing next to the beautiful facade of the Barron Building.

This site at Pearl Street could be so much more vital than it is today.	Another strip of "taxpayers" - one story structures that occupy space formerly occupied by far more appropriate structures.
The rhythm of Mass. Ave. benefits from a mixture of taller and shorter structures, especially when the sides of the taller buildings have something to offer visually.	This is one of the most deficient parts of the Central Square streetscape - a site where new retail and residential uses would be a great benefit. Today the most prominent feature is the graffiti next door.
Central Square could be so much better than prominent displays of vandalism. There should be great buildings all the way to Norfolk St.	The site of the Middle East Restaurant today occupies what was a building with several stories. It could use some upstairs space.
Many of us remember this block when you could rent tools in one location, watch a movie in another, buy clothes at another, and enjoy some great Chinese food.	This block is improving, but we could still do better.
One of the blocks that seems to be missing a lot. The Central Square Cinema and other storefronts once occupied this space.	Lafayette Square now hosts Jill Brown-Rhone Park. This end of the Square can only improve with more residents in proximity.
Standing like a lone soldier in what should be a series of great buildings.	Miracle of Science at the eastern edge of the Square
The park is beautiful and tries to draw attention from the scene's most prominent feature - a blank pink wall.	This may be the most incomplete corner in all of Central Square. The decaying billboard on the roof guards the deficit.
The U-Haul is convenient for those who are moving, but this stretch of Main Street would be so much better with residential uses.	One of the many Quest sites recently sold which may soon potentially enhance this area.
Another missing tooth. The outline of a former building is apparent on the blank brick wall.	Ideally, the future Central Square would still retain some of its industrial past, but maybe people could live next door to the chocolate factory.
The view from Main Street across Lafayette Square	The view toward the hotel at University Park. Ideally, Central Square should have more of a rhythm of heights and density.
Architecturally Lacking - #1	Architecturally Lacking - #2
This end of Columbia St. would be so much better with more activity.	A great Central Square building
Central Square Hardware and Tool Rental was once here until a spectacular fire destroyed the building. It's now a parking lot. A view of what this block once looked like is shown at right.
Another great Central Square building	The Odd Fellows Hall (now the Dance Complex) seems to be missing a neighbor.
Vacancies where there was once a very active street	Though this site at Pearl Street is just feet from public transit and should support more height, the existing building seems to be in good shape.
The site of the former Manhattan Market has cycled through multiple commercial tenants in recent years.	The old signage on the side of the Barron Building
This block could stand to have a lot more character.	The Barron Building - another great Central Square building
Here's an example of a good-looking tall building in Central Square.	Most of us agree that we don't want this kind of tall building again.
The often-criticized Holmes Building was supposed to have cafes and other amenities on the ground floor. Instead we got banks and phone stores.	With the old pool removed, we get a brief look at the YWCA prior to new housing construction on Temple Street.
Looking across the Temple Street lot toward City Hall	The ultimate eyesore - Vail Court still vacant after decades
Lost opportunity - Vail Court still vacant on Bishop Allen Drive	View from the balcony of the new Alice K. Wolf Center
View of the Holmes Building from the Alice K. Wolf Center	View of City Hall from the Alice K. Wolf Center

Comments?

SPECIAL STATE ELECTION

Representative in Congress for Massachusetts
5th Congressional District*
(to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of Edward J. Markey)

Calendar of Events	Deadline Dates
	Party Candidates	Non-Party Candidates
Last day for a person running in the state primary to enroll in a party or for a person running only in the state election to unenroll from a party, except for newly registered voters.	May 15, 2013	May 15, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for submitting nomination papers to local Registrars of Voters or Election Commissioners for the certification of signatures.	July 31, 2013	Sept 17, 2013
Certification of nomination papers must be completed.	Aug 12, 2013	Sept 26, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for filing nomination papers, including enrollment certificate, with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.	Aug 14, 2013	Oct 1, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for filing withdrawals of or objections to all nomination papers and certificates of nomination with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.	Aug 16, 2013	Oct 3, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for filling vacancies caused by withdrawals for primary candidates.	Aug 20, 2013
*PLEASE NOTE: ALL DATES AND DEADLINES BELOW ARE THE SAME FOR ALL CANDIDATES*
Last day to register voters for the state primary; registration hours 9:00AM to 8:00PM (except in towns under 1500 registered voters, registration hours 2:00-4:00PM and 7:00-8:00PM).	Sept 25, 2013
State Primary	Oct 15, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for filing withdrawals of or objections to nominations made at the state primary and for filing written acceptances by write-in or sticker candidates who won in the state primary with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.	Oct 21, 2013
5:00PM last day and hour for filling vacancies caused by withdrawals at the state primary.	Oct 22, 2013
Last day to register voters for the state election; registration hours 9:00AM to 8:00PM (except in towns under 1500 registered voters, registration hours 2:00-4:00PM and 7:00-8:00PM).	Nov 20, 2013
State Election	Dec 10, 2013

2,000 certified signatures required for all candidates.

Please see "A Candidate's Guide to Special Elections" available from:
Elections Division
One Ashburton Place, Room 1705
Boston, Massachusetts 02108-1512
(617) 727-2828 or (800) 462-VOTE

For information about campaign contributions
and expenses please contact:
Federal Election Commission
999 East Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20463
(800) 424-9530

*Middlesex County			Suffolk County	Worcester County
Arlington Ashland Belmont CAMBRIDGE: Wd. 3, Pct. 2A Wd. 4, Pcts. 2, 3 Wds. 6, 7, 8, 9 Wd. 10, Pcts. 1, 2 Framingham	Holliston Lexington Lincoln MALDEN MEDFORD MELROSE Natick Sherborn Stoneham	Sudbury Pcts. IA, 2, 3, 4, 5 WALTHAM Watertown Wayland Weston Winchester WOBURN	REVERE Winthrop	Southborough

The Rumors Are Flying - Candidates for 2013 (originally posted Jan 19, most recent update Aug 1)

Not a day goes by these days without my being asked who the candidates will be this year for Cambridge City Council and Cambridge School Committee. [Why do they ask me?] Anyway, let's just put all this on the table - rumored candidates, confirmed candidates, rumored vacancies, etc. We'll update this as unnamed candidates sheepishly emerge and named candidates angrily deny. This way it will all be on the table.

City Council

Incumbents expected to seek reelection: Leland Cheung, Craig Kelley, David Maher, Kenneth E. Reeves, E. Denise Simmons, Tim Toomey, Minka vanBeuzekom.

Verified challengers: Dennis Benzan, Dennis Carlone, Janneke House, James Lee, Logan E. Leslie, Nadeem Mazen, Marc McGovern, Gary Mello, Gregg Moree, Ron Peden, Lesley Phillips, Sam Seidel, Jefferson Smith, Luis Vasquez, Kristen von Hoffmann, James Williamson, Elie Yarden, Mushtaque Mirza

Possible challengers: Eric Macomber, Doug Brown, Dylan Rykerson

Not running: Marjorie Decker (incumbent), Joseph "Slugs" Aiello, Larry Ward, Tom Stohlman, Mike Connolly, Henrietta Davis, Matt Nelson

School Committee

Incumbents expected to seek reelection: Alfred E. Fantini, Richard Harding, Patricia Nolan, Mervan Osborne

Verified challengers: Fran Cronin, Joyce Gerber, John Holland, Elechi Kadete, Kathleen Kelly

Possible challengers:

Incumbent who will attempt to jump to City Council: Marc McGovern

Not running: Joseph "Slugs" Aiello, Emily Dexter, James Lee, Elie Yarden, Alice Turkel

Feel free to submit the names of any other rumored or actual candidates. [If there's someone you would like to see as a candidate. we can create a category for that too. Maybe we can recruit some good candidates that way!] If you are a rumored or actual candidate, feel free to confirm or deny your candidacy. If you would like to be added as a rumored or actual candidate, just click on my initials and let me know. - RW

Cambridge Candidate Pages - 2013

2013 Campaign Event Listings and Candidate Forums

Comments? (and updates)

Hello Recycling & Composting Neighbors! - June/July 2013

Recycling Tour: 6/19
Free Compost Workshop: 6/24
Next Hazardous Waste Collection 7/13
Old Appliance Tips and Get an Energy Saving Freebie
Have a Zero Waste Party
Get More Involved and Volunteer

Recycling Tour: 6/19

We have a few open spots on our tour this Wednesday 6/19 of the Casella recycling facility in Charlestown on Wednesday, June 19 (afternoon). No children under 16. Tours last about 2 hours and involve walking on narrow catwalks and stairs, close to heavy equipment. Please note that you must be walk at a steady pace with a group. We meet at DPW and carpool. Email recycle@cambridgema.gov to sign up and we’ll send you more info. If you can’t make it, stay tuned for more dates for our new virtual recycling & trash tour, or email us to request one for your group of at least 5 people.

Free Compost Workshop: 6/24

Save your banana peels and learn to compost and reduce food waste on Monday June 24 at 6pm at Public Works 147 Hampshire St, 1st floor conference room. Learn the composting options residents have and ways to reduce food waste, from Cambridge's Recycling Director, Ms. Randi Mail. She will review best practices for outdoor composting, indoor composting with worms, options for drop-off and bicycle pickup. Composting and making soil is rewarding, benefits your garden and house plants and curbs climate change! Reducing food waste is incredibly important considering that Americans waste more than 40% of the food we produce for consumption. That comes at an annual cost of more than $100 billion. To RSVP for this workshop email recycle@cambridgema.gov.

Next Household Hazardous Waste Collection 7/13

2013 dates: 7/13, 10/19 from 9am-1pm. Click here for more information.

Old Appliance Tips and Get an Energy Saving Freebie

Residents can schedule and pay for the pickup of large items / appliances online. This includes: air conditioners, bicycles, copiers, dehumidifiers, dryers, exercise equipment, freezers, large computer monitors, large TVs, lawnmowers, metal desks, metal filing cabinets, printers, refrigerators, snow blowers, stoves, trash compactors, washers, water coolers, and water heaters. Check out these great energy savings tips for spring and summer.

Cambridge renters: Complete this City survey and receive a free 7-socket smart power strip (a $30 value)! These devices automatically eliminate wasteful standby power, saving money and energy. A widescreen TV plugged into it can save $140+/year.

Have a Zero Waste Party

Planning a zero waste event at your house? The key is careful planning and education. Serve finger foods to avoid the need for tableware. Everything used must be reusable, recyclable or compostable. Tell guests what to recycle and compost, and place signs throughout your space. Use reusables whenever possible or use certified compostable tableware. Remember, no plastic, metal or glass in your compost. Collect material in compostable bags, paper bags, or cardboard boxes. Click here to find out about where Cambridge residents can drop off food scraps. If you have a large quantity, please give us 1-2 days notice at recycle@cambridgema.gov.

Get More Involved and Volunteer

We’d love to hear from you if you can volunteer for a few hours at a Summer in the City event (schedule online). Dates include: 7/9, 7/11, 7/16, 7/18, 7/23, 7/25, 7/30, 8/1). It’s fun to talk to people about recycling, composting, and reducing waste. You can enjoy the atmosphere and get a free t-shirt. Email us today at recycle@cambridgema.gov to help!

Missed recycling or trash? Please use iReport or call DPW at 617-349-4800 no later than 12 noon the day after collection to make a request.
Request for toters, brochures, stickers or posters? Use our online form.
"Like" the Cambridge DPW on Facebook.
Please note that during holidays weeks, trash, recycling and yard waste collection is delayed one day. Check the 2013 collection schedule online for full details.

Take the 50% recycling pledge today at www.cambridgema.gov/recycle and get a free sticker!
Recycle More. Trash Less.

CambridgeMA.gov/Furniture

Vision Central Square's

3rd Annual

Concert and Picnic in the Park

Featuring the Berlin Hall Orchestra

Bring a picnic, bring your friends, bring your kids and listen to music, relax, and play

Saturday July 13th, 4:00–6:30pm

University Park & Sidney Street

between Franklin & Pacific in Central Square

Janneke House to Run for City Council

Janneke House is pleased to announce her candidacy for Cambridge City Council.

Janneke is the daughter of a police officer and a school teacher and said: "My parents taught me about the importance of public service and working for the common good."

"I grew up in a middle-class family that struggled at times. I know from personal experience how important it is to get a good education, have a roof over your head, and secure a job that pays a living wage. I will make sure that the City of Cambridge does everything it can to ensure the best possible opportunities for every citizen."

Ms. House graduated from the University of Utah with a Masters of Urban Planning, worked for Mayor Rocky Anderson in Salt Lake City on economic development and small business planning. She was the first Executive Director of Cambridge's Local First and is currently Director of Member and Community Relations for the Kendall Square Association.

Janneke House is a proud Democrat who believes in the Democratic foundation of social justice, including living wages to support families, housing availability for all levels of life's progress and a voice for everyone in their government.

She serves on the board of Emerge Massachusetts, an organization that trains and recruits women to run for office and is an active member of the Ward 8 Committee and the Cambridge Democratic City Committee.

"In my political and professional life, I support pragmatic solutions, consensus building, and good civil discourse. I recognize the strengths that make Cambridge attractive to employers, students, residents, and workers from all over the world."

"With a new city manager, a retiring councilwoman, and the continuing evolution of our neighborhoods, this election is the voters' opportunity to elect new and collaborative voices on the Council."

"I want to put my experience in local government, business, economic development, urban planning, and community building to work as a full-time City Councillor for the residents of Cambridge."

The Janneke House for City Council kickoff will be held on Sunday July 14, 2013, 4-6pm at Tasty Burger in Harvard Square. Everyone is welcome. For more information visit: www.votehouse.org.

Cambridge Candidate Pages - 2013

2013 Campaign Event Listings and Candidate Forums

2013 Municipal Election: Nomination Papers Available Starting Monday July 1

Nomination papers for City Council and School Committee will be available beginning Monday, July 1st at the Election Commission office, 51 Inman Street, Cambridge. The office will be open on Monday, July 1st from 8:30am until 8:00pm. The deadline to file nomination papers is Wednesday, July 31st at 5:00pm. The 2013 Municipal Election Calendar is posted on the Commission's website: www.cambridgema.gov/election.

The requirements to run for City Council or School Committee are:

1. The person must be a registered voter in Cambridge. To register, one must be 18 years of age by Election Day, a U.S. citizen and a resident in the City of Cambridge.

2. The person must file no fewer than fifty (50) and no more than one hundred (100) certifiable signatures of registered voters in the City of Cambridge.

The Commission has prepared an information kit for candidates containing important dates, Commission policies, services and publications. The kits will be available with the nomination papers on July 1st.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 2013.

Luis Vasquez Officially Launches Campaign for City Council

Over 115 supporters gathered this past Sunday night (July 7) at the Midwest Grill on Cambridge Street to officially launch Luis Vasquez' campaign bid for a seat on the Cambridge City Council.

"I want to represent possibilities," remarked Vasquez. "I want us to take this City by storm and create a Cambridge that is welcome to everyone, just like it used to. Why stop at affordable housing? Let's take it a step further and fight for affordable living as a whole."

Vasquez emphasized the importance of civic engagement, "My name may be on those stickers, but this is a together thing. We are gathered here today because we love our community. Let's make sure that nobody gets left behind on November 5th. I challenge you to find five people that are not registered to vote and you talk to them about why they should. I challenge you to find the voters that only vote every four years for the president and you tell them why they should vote this November, as I will be. Whether you vote for me or not, just make sure you show up at the polls. At the end of the day, if we can work through these challenges together, Cambridge wins."

Full story and pictures on Luis Vasquez' Candidate Page.

City Manager Seeks Members for Fresh Pond Advisory Board - Application Deadline Extended to July 12

City Manager Robert W. Healy is seeking Cambridge residents to fill vacancies on the Fresh Pond Advisory Board. The Fresh Pond Advisory Board was created in 2001 to advise the City Manager and City boards and commissions on implementation of the Fresh Pond Reservation Master Plan, which was adopted by the City Council in January 2001. The Master Plan provides guidance for the maintenance and improvement of Fresh Pond Reservation, a critical element of the City's water supply, and the City's most heavily used open space.

The primary purposes of the Advisory Board are to oversee the general stewardship of Fresh Pond Reservation in accordance with the Master Plan and to maintain collaborative relationships among City departments and user groups that impact the Reservation. The Advisory Board also provides a forum for public discussion and evaluation of proposals for land-use and land-management projects.

The Fresh Pond Advisory Board includes up to 18 members (up to 12 of whom are resident volunteers with active, long-term knowledge of the Reservation, who are not City employees or consultants to the City). Board members are appointed for three-year terms and may be reappointed at the City Manager's discretion. Persons with expertise in landscape architecture, park management and environmental management are encouraged to apply. The Fresh Pond Advisory Board meets at least four (4) times annually, on Thursday evenings.

For more information, call Nancy Schlacter at 617-349-4396. Interested persons should send a letter and/or resume via e-mail, mail or fax by Friday, July 12, 2013 to:
Robert W. Healy, City Manager
City of Cambridge
795 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Ph: (617) 349-4300
Fax 617-349-4307
E-mail: citymanager@cambridgema.gov.

Question: What do you call it when a 37-year Congressman in one of the most Democratically lopsided states in the USA beats a Republican unknown in a U.S. Senate race by a margin of 55-45%?

Answer: A landslide.

Cambridge City Manager to Serve Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School

Cambridge MA -- Robert W. Healy, who has served as Cambridge City Manager for the past 32 years and in city government for more than 40 years, has been named a Taubman Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's (HKS) Taubman Center for State and Local Government and the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, it was announced today by HKS Dean David T. Ellwood. Healy will begin the Fellowship in mid-July after leaving his city government position.

Bob Healy The Fellowship will allow Healy to work with faculty, scholars and students on a range of academic and research projects and to participate in seminars, workshops and public events. Healy will also teach at the Kennedy School as an adjunct lecturer.

"Bob Healy is an extraordinary public servant who has devoted more than four decades of his life to his hometown. As City Manager, he created and maintained a mutually beneficial partnership between Harvard and Cambridge, bringing people together to identify and support common interests and opportunities. The result is a stronger community for all and a remarkable wealth of insight and expertise that Bob will share with future leaders studying at the Kennedy School of Government," said Drew Faust, President of Harvard University.

"We are pleased that Bob Healy has chosen to join us at the Kennedy School," said Dean Ellwood. "Bob brings knowledge and expertise in so many facets of local governance -- from budgeting and housing to education and health care -- and we look forward to both learning from and engaging with him."

Healy will be anchored at the Taubman Center, whose mission it is to improve the governance of states, metropolitan areas and cities through research, teaching and public events.

"Local government leaders are dealing with myriad challenges, particularly during these times of budget belt tightening and economic stagnation," said Edward Glaeser, Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics and director of the Taubman Center and the Rappaport Institute. "Bob Healy has met and tackled these difficult challenges for decades, allowing the city of Cambridge to grow and prosper, all the while constantly evaluating and improving critical city services to meet the needs of citizens."

Healy was named City Manager in 1981, shortly after Proposition 2 1/2 had been passed and the city's credit rating was suspended by Wall Street rating agencies. During his tenure the city has seen its financial position improve substantially, and since 1999 Cambridge has been one of only a few dozen cities in the country to earn and maintain three Triple A bond ratings from the three major credit rating agencies. Under Healy's leadership the city has completed a multi-million dollar sewer and storm water system reconstruction project, renovated virtually all opens spaces in the city, and constructed a new architectural award winning main library and state of the art public safety facility.

"It is a great honor to become part of Harvard Kennedy School and the Taubman Center for State and Local Government," said Healy. "During my over 40 years of municipal administration, I have learned that character and unwavering commitment to professional governance defines great leaders. I am excited to share my many years of practical experience in the creative environment offered at HKS, to inspire and engage our next generation of leaders by fostering the courage, perseverance and dauntlessness necessary to meet the everyday challenges of local governance."

Healy holds a Master's Degree from UMass, Lowell; and has earned certificates from MIT Sloan School of Management, Urban Executive Program, and from the Kennedy School's State and Local Executive Program.

This story is taken from a Harvard press release (May 24, 2013).

Comments?

Kendall Square News and Events (from the Kendall Square Association)

Longfellow Bridge Public Meeting - Phase 1 Briefing
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
7:00-9:00pm
MIT, Building E25, Room 111 (E25-111)
45 Carleton Street, Cambridge, MA

Rehabilitation of the iconic Longfellow Bridge will begin soon. The purpose of the meeting is to present details on Phase 1 of the Longfellow Bridge Rehabilitation Project and the Traffic Stage 1 shift that the design/build (D/B) team, White-Skanska-Consigli (WSC), will implement in mid-July. Stage 1 will close the west side of the bridge for construction and shift Boston bound traffic to the east side. Cambridge bound traffic will be detoured using a signed route from Charles Circle to Land Boulevard using Leverett Circle and Monsignor O'Brien Highway. D/B staff from WSC will also describe traffic monitoring and management plans. Pedestrian and bicycle access and MBTA Red Line service will be maintained throughout construction.

The rehabilitation project will address the bridge's current structural deficiencies, upgrade its structural capacity and bring it up to modern code, including improved multimodal access and bridge-to-city-street connections to meet accessibility guidelines. The repairs and modifications will be consistent with the historic character of the bridge and comply with environmental standards. The end result will be a signature bridge ready for many more years of service.

Preliminary work on the Main Street median will begin on Thursday, July 27th.

To be added to the project email or US Mail distribution lists, contact Stephanie Boundy, Public Outreach Coordinator for MassDOT's Accelerated Bridge Program, at 857-368-8904 or stephanie.boundy@state.ma.us. For construction related questions, complaints or issues, contact the project hotline, 617-519-9892, or email address, longfellowbridge@state.ma.us

Key Points:

This project will start in July 2013 and construction will last approximately 3½ years with a completion date of September, 2016.
Bridge will be closed to all outbound traffic (into Cambridge).
The project will have one inbound lane (into Boston) and bike, pedestrian and train access both ways.
The bridge will be closed for 25 weekends, except for bike and pedestrians (T passengers will be bused from Park St. to Kendall/Central)
After completion of the project, historical features will be restored, it will look much of the same as it is now, but with one lane coming into Cambridge, clearer bike lanes and wider sidewalks

More information: Overview of the project PDF of the project details Youtube video showing the construction phases

The City of Cambridge offers FREE commuter information to post in common areas of your office or distribute directly to employees.

City Employees Bid a Fond Farewell to Retiring City Manager Robert W. Healy

City of Cambridge and Cambridge Public Schools elected officials past and present, as well as a large group of city Employees bid farewell to retiring City Manager Robert W. Healy at a special ceremony at City Hall on June 20. This was one of a number of events to honor Healy who has dedicated almost four decades to public service. He leaves behind a great legacy but told city department heads and city employees at the gathering that they were a big part of his legacy with their level of professionalism and commitment to public service. Although Healy is retiring on June 30, he won't be away from Cambridge for very long. Healy will begin a Fellowship at Harvard in mid-July. The Fellowship will allow Healy to work with faculty, scholars and students on a range of academic and research projects and to participate in seminars, workshops and public events. Healy will also teach at the Kennedy School as an adjunct lecturer.

Nadeem Mazen Kickoff Event, candidate for Cambridge City Council

Cambridge, MA – Nadeem Mazen, candidate for Cambridge City Council, will be holding his kickoff event July 13th, from 3:00pm-5:00pm, at Central Square restaurant ZuZu.

Nadeem Mazen At the ZuZu kickoff event, Nadeem will also be releasing The Cambridge Happy Streets Project, a free online interactive map exploring over 125 Cambridge resident and visitor interviews. Each interview investigates a community member’s happiness with Cambridge – what they appreciate about the city and what they wish could be changed.

Nadeem, a first-time candidate for City Council, is running on a platform of technology and media-based access to municipal government called Byte-Sized Politics, in which Cambridge’s unique innovative background is leveraged to make the city’s government more easily understood and engaged via new media and technologies.

Nadeem lives in Cambridgeport and owns two small businesses in Central Square. danger!awesome is a storefront for arts skill-sharing and professional development classes and Nimblebot.com specializes in developing educational media and interactive software. Nadeem moved to Cambridge over a decade ago to attend MIT.

The event is open to the public and will feature music, a cash bar, and free appetizers.

Facebook Event: http://on.fb.me/14y9UuB

Kathleen M. Kelly Announcing Campaign For Cambridge School Committee

Cambridge, MA – Kathleen M. Kelly will announce her candidacy for the Cambridge School Committee at an event on June 26 at the Atomic Bean Cafe in Cambridge.

Kathleen Kelly Kelly brings an unusual combination of education and experience, having both an MBA and an MSW. Her financial, analytic and evaluation skills will be unique assets to the School Committee in its work to determine and implement education policy in relation to the CPS budget. Kelly’s background in social work gives her a professional understanding of and insight into the challenges families and students face, and what can be done to support all students as they work to achieve their potential.

"I highly recommend Kathleen Kelly for election to the Cambridge School Committee. Cambridge is fortunate to have a candidate with her experience, education, perspective, temperament and knowledge of the city's diversity,” says Frank Duehay, former Mayor of Cambridge and former Assistant Dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education."

Kelly decided to run after receiving encouragement from friends and fellow public school parents from across Cambridge. “In Cambridge, we have a unique opportunity to realize public education's potential as an economic and social asset for all our students and our city. When my husband died and I became a single mom, the City of Cambridge programs and the Cambridge School Department resources made a difference to my family's well-being and my son's academic success. I believe every child's education improves when all families and students receive support for their particular challenges and gifts. With thoughtful policy decisions, our good public education system can become excellent for all our students,” said Kelly, explaining her reason for running.

As a member of the School Committee, Kelly plans to focus on three core values: equity, access, and excellence. Equity is critical for all students to receive an education that leads to academic success, as well as successful and civically engaged adult lives. Access to the wealth of our educational resources and opportunities must be available to all students and families. Excellence requires us to provide the resources necessary to address the breath of strengths and challenges our students bring to the classroom. Additionally, all students should experience high expectations from their teachers and through this experience learn to set high expectations for themselves. Kelly understands that the School Committee is ultimately responsible for using policies that reflect the social justice mission citizens have valued in the Cambridge Public Schools to address the challenges so many of our families and students face.

"Kathleen Kelly's decision to run for School Committee made it much easier for me to run for City Council,” said outgoing member Marc McGovern. “She is a thoughtful, level-headed collaborator who has the education, experience and commitment to make a significant difference on the School Committee. With an open seat, we need to elect someone who not only understands the educational issues facing our city but also knows how to work with others to pass sound policy for the good of all children in our district."

Kelly served on the King Open School Council and the King Open Extended Day Advisory Council. She earned an MBA from Simmons and an MSW from Boston College. As a social worker and activist, she has worked to create greater access to educational resources and opportunities for all children, mitigate the social and emotional effects of violence on youth, families, and neighborhoods, and engage parents with different experiences and backgrounds in public school activism. As a small business consultant, she worked with immigrants and women who created successful businesses. In 2012, she served as the Citywide Canvass Coordinator for the Elizabeth Warren campaign in Cambridge and is currently co-chair of the Ward 6 Democratic Committee. A resident of Mid-Cambridge for over 20 years, Kathleen lives on Marie Avenue with her husband, Brian Corr, and son, Liam, a CRLS freshman.

Kelly's campaign kickoff event will be on Wednesday, June 26, 2013 from 7:00 to 9:00pm at the Atomic Bean Cafe, 904 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. For more information, visit www.kathleenmkelly.com.

Cambridge Candidate Pages - 2013

2013 Campaign Event Listings and Candidate Forums

Kendall Square News and Events (from the Kendall Square Association)

Longfellow Bridge Construction Update
Last month, the KSA held a discussion with the design build team from Mass DOT about how our commutes will be impacted due to the Bridge closure. Below are key details and links for more information to circulate to employees and others who were not able to attend the briefing.

Key Points:

This project will start in early July (exact date to be determined)
Construction will last approximately 3½ years with a completion date of September, 2016
Bridge will be closed to all outbound traffic (into Cambridge)
The project will have one inbound lane (into Boston) and bike, pedestrian and train access both ways.
The bridge will be closed for 25 weekends, except for bike and pedestrians (T passengers will be bused from Park St. to Kendall/Central)
After completion of the project, historical features will be restored, it will look much of the same as it is now, but with one lane coming into Cambridge, clearer bike lanes and wider sidewalks

More information: Overview of the project PDF of the project details Youtube video showing the construction phases

The City of Cambridge offers FREE commuter information to post in common areas of your office or distribute directly to employees.

Cambridge Human Rights Commission Vacancy - Application Deadline Extended to June 28

Cambridge City Manager Robert W. Healy is seeking persons interested in serving on the Cambridge Human Rights Commission (CHRC). Made up of 11 volunteers who serve three-year terms, the CHRC meets on the first Thursday of every month at 6pm. The Commission seeks Cambridge residents representing the diversity of Cambridge.

Commissioners are expected to work with other members of the Commission and staff to fulfill the goals and objectives of the Cambridge Human Rights Commission Ordinance (CMC Chapter 2.76). Commissioners are expected to attend monthly meetings, participate in subcommittees on outreach and public education, and work with Commission staff on the investigation, mediation and resolution of complaints filed with the Commission which allege discrimination in housing, public accommodation, employment or education based upon race, color, sex, age, religious creed, disability, national origin or ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, family status, military status or source of income.

For more information, contact Nancy Schlacter, Cambridge Human Rights Commission, at 617-349-4396 or nschlacter@cambridgema.gov. Letters of interest, including resume and/or applicable experience, can be sent via mail, fax or e-mail by Friday, June 28, 2013 to:
Robert W. Healy, City Manager
City of Cambridge
795 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Fax 617-349-4307
E-mail: citymanager@cambridgema.gov.

Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Commissions Seek New Members

The Cambridge City Manager is seeking individuals to fill vacancies in the membership of the Half Crown-Marsh, Mid-Cambridge and Avon Hill Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD) commissions. Each of the three commissions meets monthly to review applications for demolition, new construction and alterations to buildings in the districts.

The Half Crown-Marsh NCD is an area of 200 properties located west of Harvard Square, while the Avon Hill NCD is an area of 250 properties west of Porter Square. Mid-Cambridge, the largest of the districts, is bordered by Prospect Street, Massachusetts Avenue, Prescott and Kirkland streets and the Cambridge/Somerville boundary. Each district exhibits unique architectural characteristics and development patterns. Among the purposes of a neighborhood conservation district are to conserve and maintain the distinctive features of the sites and structures that compose the neighborhood and reflect the history of that part of the city.

Appointments are made by the City Manager with regard to the diverse viewpoints expressed in the creation of the districts. Minority candidates are particularly encouraged to apply. Statutory requirements provide that some appointments be filled by homeowners or residents of the districts who have professional qualifications related to real estate, architecture, historic preservation, landscape architecture, urban planning, law or geotechnical engineering. Candidates must demonstrate knowledge and concern for the improvement, conservation and enhancement of the district.

Individuals interested in being considered should submit a letter of interest and a resumé by Friday, June 14, 2013 for the Half Crown-Marsh and Avon Hill districts and by June 28, 2013 for the Mid-Cambridge district. Submissions can be sent to the attention of:
Robert W. Healy, City Manager
City of Cambridge
795 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Fax 617-349-4307
E-mail: citymanager@cambridgema.gov.

Thanks to everyone who came out to Clean Up Central Square!!!

Jill Brown-Rhone Park On Sunday morning, June 23rd, Cambridge residents came out to pitch in cleaning up its greatest Square - Central Square. Volunteers met at Toscanni's to pick up the necessary gloves and tools before heading out to clean up sidewalks, tree wells, and all the other nooks and crannies along Mass. Ave. and side streets from Lafayette Square to Carl Barron Plaza. All this for the promise of a scoop of ice cream and a cup of coffee.

The main organizers were Patrick Barrett (who also happens to own the building in which Toscanini's Ice Cream serves its delicious ice cream) and Dan Goldstein (formerly of the Clear Conscience Cafe). Patrick's wife Norma Jean (9 months pregnant with their first child) also pitched in with the organization and work crews.

There was no shortage of City Council candidates at the event - some of whom actually pitched in and worked. This, by the way, is the first step in a candidate proving his or her committment to Central Square. Candidates included Minka vanBeuzekom, Sam Seidel, Luis Vasquez, Janneke House, and Nadeem Mazen. Councillor Tim Toomey and School Committeman Fred Fantini also made an appearance. Anyone who took pictures is encouraged to submit them to complete the day's celebration.

Above all, folks, let's continue to take care of our Central Square and to allow it to achieve its full potential.

Comments?

Legislature Allows Establishment of Mount Auburn Cemetery: June 23, 1831

ON THIS DAY...
...in 1831, the legislature granted the Massachusetts Horticultural Society permission to purchase land for use as an experimental garden and a rural cemetery. Located on the border of Cambridge and Watertown, the garden failed, but the cemetery became world famous. As the first rural cemetery in America, Mount Auburn pioneered the idea of burying the dead not in urban churchyards but in a beautifully designed, naturalistic landscape on the outskirts of the city. The idea caught on and eventually led to the creation of public parks in metropolitan areas. 180 years after the cemetery was consecrated, the dead are still being laid to rest along Mount Auburn's winding paths, in her wooded dells, and on her gentle hillsides.

Listen to this moment:http://www.massmoments.org/audio/JUNE231%2Em3u
Read more about this moment: http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=183
Visit Mass Moments to search past moments: http://www.massmoments.org

June 17, 2013 – City and School Officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School & Putnam Avenue Upper School Monday, June 17. The existing structure at 100 Putnam Ave., Cambridge will be replaced with a new energy efficient NET ZERO building design. The final construction phase shall begin following final project bids due in December 2013 and occupancy is scheduled for September 2015.

MLK School Groundbreaking

Striking a Positive Note

June 16, 2013 - Today I received a copy of a note sent by City Council candidate Luis Vasquez to his fellow candidates. His positive tone is worth mentioning. Wouldn't it be great if all candidates this year could adopt and maintain this tone?:

Luis Vasquez My fellow Cambridge City Council candidates,

It is a pleasure to reach out to you guys. As we are fully aware by now, there's a lot of us in this field. As challenging as that can make things on our end, voters have a strong pool to choose from which is a beautiful thing. It's an exciting election, and it's mostly because of our, the candidates, desires to prioritize needs over wants for our City. At the end of the day, Cambridge wins.

Each of us bring a unique set of traits, views, and characteristics to the table. It's up to us to set the tone of this election. We represent change. We're the face of new energy. But we can only be successful if we stand united.

I urge you to support one another, as I will be, and have been doing. I'm in this race because I love my City, and not to feed a personal agenda. I'm excited to see how things play out and I do remain hopeful that many of us are elected in November.

See you on the campaign trail, my friends. - Luis Vasquez

Ken Thomson, 66; cofounder of cohousing community

[Boston Globe story, June 16, 2013] Ken Thomson was not only a co-founder of Cornerstone Village Cohousing on Harvey Street about 15 years ago, he remained as a resident and leader until his recent death from prostate cancer on May 24. While looking back at my own observations made when the Cornerstone Cohousing proposal faced opposition and was finally given the green light by the Cambridge City Council in early 2000, I found the following remarks in the archives:

Feb 3, 1998 Planning Board: "In the second item, the Board approved the Cornerstone Cohousing project for Harvey Street in North Cambridge. Following the vote, N. Cambridge activist Joe Joseph launched into a scathing criticism of the Planning Board for voting to approve this housing."

Apr 27, 1998 City Council: "Several prospective residents of the Cornerstone cohousing project proposed for Harvey St. in North Cambridge voiced their opposition to a downzoning proposal for the Linear Park area that would severely restrict their ability to build this housing."

Feb 14, 2000 City Council: "Public comment was extensive, dominated by a very impressive turnout by supporters and future residents of Cornerstone Cohousing on Harvey Street. Special Permit approval by the Planning Board two years earlier spurred conservative forces in North Cambridge to file zoning petitions and lawsuits in a failed attempt to prevent this housing from being built. Future residents were made to bear significant costs due in large part to mixed messages sent by the City Council during the course of multiple filings and expirations of zoning petitions. Resident efforts actually began seven years earlier."

The group opposing Cornerstone Cohousing during those years was the North Cambridge Stabilization Committee. Some of their principle members continue today in a similar role with the Association of Cambridge Neighborhoods (ACN). - Robert Winters

Silver Maple Forest - letter from Kristen von Hoffmann

On Friday, June 14th I attended the Silver Maple Forest Day of Action, a peaceful gathering organized by Green Cambridge, TROMP, and Friends of Alewife Reservation to protest cutting down the Silver Maple Forest in the Belmont Uplands adjoining the Alewife Reservation. Cutting down this forest would be required to build new condominiums that are part of the proposed development plan for this area.

Kristen von Hoffmann While we need to focus on planning for density in and near Cambridge, we must do so with the intent to create sustainable systems, and to build a city that can thrive well into the future. By sustainable, I mean a city that preserves critical aspects of Cambridge that are unique and special, while also accounting for elements that must change.

Sustainability means building and planning with the natural environment in mind, and with respect to neighborhoods, businesses, and universities. When I look at an issue like the development of our precious, few remaining acres of wetlands, I am appalled.

How can we be so short-sighted? We are living in a world, a city, and a context that demands leadership that will fight to preserve our precious remaining open spaces. We are living in a world that demands innovative leadership, not the status quo. Instead of destroying this forest, we need to think creatively about how to design for the future, and how to build housing in places that can accommodate new development with the least hazardous impact. Razing a beautiful and rare space such as the Silver Maple Forest and uprooting a rich wildlife corridor that runs through Cambridge, Belmont, and Arlington is simply unacceptable.

The forest and wetlands are extremely important in the age of climate change, as they absorb water runoff after storms and flooding. As we are seeing greater increases in rainfall and more destructive storms, it is crucial to preserve this important open space that acts as a natural sponge and mitigates the effects of these storms.

The citizen-based Belmont Coalition and the Friends of Alewife Reservation are both plaintiffs in an active lawsuit to stop this development, and their continuous appeals have kept the forest intact so far. But time is running out. I urge you to contact your city councilors, town selectman and state legislators directly, and to ask them to stop this development from happening.

This is not the time for complacency. Please make your voices heard.

Thank you,
Kristen von Hoffmann
Candidate for Cambridge City Council

Comments?

Major Greenways Link for Watertown-Cambridge Greenway Acquired (June 4, 2013, City of Cambridge)

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the City of Cambridge are pleased to announce the acquisition of a key land parcel that will create the final link in the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway. The development of the newly acquired segments will complete DCR's goal of a comprehensive network of off-road recreational corridors between greater Boston and its western suburbs.

"Once constructed, this link will add enormous recreational and green commuting opportunities in some of the most densely populated suburban and urban areas of Eastern Massachusetts," said DCR Commissioner Ed Lambert. "DCR, on behalf of Patrick-Murray Administration is committed to providing a statewide system of greenways and trails that connect communities and promotes use of healthy and green trails."

The Watertown-Cambridge Greenway is designed to provide an alternative route for cyclists and commuters utilizing sustainable modes of transportation that are traveling between the west and urban centers in Arlington, Cambridge and Boston. It also serves as a recreational greenway and passive park with abundant native plantings and wildlife. Phase 1, a one mile segment completed and opened to the public in 2011, connects the Watertown Mall and local businesses at the intersection of Arlington, Nichols and Coolidge Streets to residential areas of Watertown and Domenik Flippello Park, a popular recreational facility in Watertown. The new properties acquired on May 22 are critical leaps forward for Phase 2, which will link the Charles River corridor, Fresh Pond Reservation, Fresh Pond Shopping Center, Alewife Greenway and T station, the Minuteman Bike Path and the Mystic River Reservation.

"I'm thrilled to see DCR continuing to make steady progress in connecting its network of paths," said Senator Will Brownsberger. "I deeply appreciate DCR's dogged pursuit of the long term vision of off-road thru-travel for cyclists and pedestrians."

The overall project serves to enhance the aesthetics of the area, improve air quality by reducing the number of motorists traveling from the western suburbs to the greater Boston area, provide a passive recreation corridor for walkers and joggers, and, when complete, provide a commuter corridor that meets all state and federal off-road pedestrian and bicyclist standards.

"With this acquisition, we are on the verge of realizing a vision pursued over the course of 20 years by many dedicated residents and several of my predecessors," said Representative Jonathan Hecht. "This is a huge moment for cleaner, healthier transportation and a better quality of life in Watertown, Cambridge and surrounding communities."

The recent acquisition from B&M Rail Road, is a $1.3 million investment in the Commonwealth's greenways, purchased with $829,000 of DCR's Land Acquisition funds and $470,000 of federal funds for green transportation The corridor is 4.2 acres located between Grove Street in Watertown and Huron Avenue in Cambridge.

"The City of Cambridge is pleased to work with the DCR to help develop this multi-use path which will provide a vital off-road transportation link that can be used by cyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities, as well as provide important open space in the region and this neighborhood of Cambridge," said Richard C. Rossi, Deputy City Manager. "We look forward to its completion."

In a separate but equally critical transaction, the City of Cambridge also acquired from B&M Rail Road, a section of former railroad corridor to the north, between Huron Avenue and Concord Avenue with Community Preservation Act funds. Cambridge reserved for DCR a 14-foot-wide trail easement over the 2,000 linear feet above Huron Ave. These two acquisitions have more than doubled the length of the original greenway; expanding the greenway from 4,600 feet to 10,200 feet in length, and connecting it with many more miles of trail.

Watertown-Cambridge Greenway

Voter Registration and Absentee Ballots for the Special State Election, June 25th

The Special State Election will be held on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 in all Cambridge Wards & Precincts for the office of Senator in Congress, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator John F. Kerry in all precincts. In addition, voters in Wards/Precincts 2-2, 2-3, 5-1, 5-2 & 5-3 will vote for the office of Representative in General Court (8th Suffolk), to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Martha Marty Walz. For Cambridge residents not already registered, the last day to register to vote was Wednesday, June 5, 2013. The polls will be open on Election Day from 7:00am until 8:00pm.

Absentee Ballots are now available for the Senate Election at the Cambridge Election Commission office. If you are a voter in Wards/Precincts 2-2, 2-3, 5-1, 5-2 & 5-3, please contact the Cambridge Election Commission office to find out when the Absentee Ballots will be available for the Representative in General Court Election. Any voter who is unable to go to the polls on Election Day due to physical disability, religious belief, or absence from the City may request an Absentee Ballot from the Commission. The deadline to apply for an Absentee Ballot is Monday, June 24, 2013 at Noon. Absentee Ballots may be mailed to voters, or such voters may choose to vote at the Commission office during regular city office hours: Monday, 8:30am-8:00pm; Tuesday-Thursday, 8:30am-5:00pm; Friday, 8:30am-Noon. The office will also be open for Absentee Voting on Friday, June 21st, from 8:30am until 5:00pm.

For any additional information, please visit the Cambridge Election Commission office at 51 Inman Street, call 617-349-4361 or visit our website at www.cambridgema.gov/election.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School & Putnam Avenue Upper School
Groundbreaking Ceremony Monday, June 17 at Noon.

Cambridge, MA -- The City of Cambridge will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School & Putnam Avenue Upper School Monday, June 17, at 12:00pm, 100 Putnam Ave. (rear), Cambridge.
Note on Directions: Please access site from Kinnaird St. or Hayes St. only. Please do not use Magee St. This is an active construction site so please stay inside marked barriers for your safety.

Project Background
In July 2012, the city’s project architect, Perkins Eastman, presented City officials with its Feasibility Study for the new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Construction Project. Three options were considered and the final decision was to replace the existing structure with a new energy efficient NET ZERO building design. During the design phases, the occupants participated in the building programming, which included education of what a NET ZERO design consists of, and why their actions when using the building will help control the energy consumption. This design is scheduled to be completed for bid in early Fall 2013.

The Construction Manager at Risk, the Rich-Caulfield Venture, began abatement of hazardous materials and demolition in April 2013. These activities should be completed by the end of October 2013. The construction start date for the foundations, steel and geothermal wells is anticipated for early Fall 2013. The final construction phase shall begin following final project bids due in December 2013 and occupancy is scheduled for September 2015. The present total project costs approved by the City Council in September 2012 was $84,550,000. Design features of the 187,000 square foot building and indoor parking garage include:

Geothermal Wells which extract heat from the ground thus helping keep energy costs low;
Daylight Harvesting which includes glass and other design elements that enable natural light to pass through the building;
Automatic Lighting Dimmer System which helps conserve energy use;
Gray Water Storage System which helps conserve water use;
30 kBtu/sf/year which describes the building’s energy use and efficiency performance. The average K-12 school in America has an efficiency rating of 169 kBtu/sf/year. This design goal of 30 kBtu/sf/year means the new school will be 82% more efficient than the average American school.

The school will contain all new facilities and equipment for its classrooms, library, auditorium, gymnasium, community rooms, new outdoor play space and improved parking. For project updates, visit the Martin Luther King Construction Project Webpage, http://www.cambridgema.gov/cmanager/mlkjrschoolconstruction.aspx.

Kendall Square Urban Renewal Project: Six Pivotal Episodes

By Thad Tercyak, Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, Associate Director, 1968-1990

In 2012, the Cambridge Civic Journal published "Kendall Square Urban Renewal Project: Initial Years, 1963 to 1982". The following commentary focuses on six pivotal episodes during the 1963-1982 time period which provided the impetus for major development in the Kendall Square Urban Renewal Project. Successful development of the Kendall Square Project was a major factor in helping to attract high-tech companies to locate in the eastern sector of the City of Cambridge. Today there are over 163 institutional research companies within a 1-mile radius of the Kendall Square Urban Renewal Project area (Source: Boston Consulting Group, Capital IQ DB, U.S. Census Bureau, National Science Foundation.)

The episodes are described in chronological order.

1. Conceptualization and initiation of the Kendall Square Urban Renewal Project

In 1963, Mr. Robert F. Rowland, a city planner with extensive urban redevelopment experience, commuted to his job with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), parking his car in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Kendall Square rapid transit station parking lot. He noticed the area north of the rapid transit station was severely underdeveloped and an urban blight with underutilized, largely vacant and obsolete industrial and warehouse buildings. Because of the extent of urban blight, there did not appear to be any prospects for private development there. As a city planner, he visualized the land as an ideal site for urban redevelopment because of its unique locational advantages, including the rapid transit station, proximity to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), direct subway connections to Harvard and downtown Boston, and easy connection to Logan Airport.

Rowland was aware President John F. Kennedy had assigned the task of sending an American astronaut safely to and from the Moon before the end of the decade to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) which was searching for a site in the Boston area for development of its Electronic Research Center.

On their own time, Rowland and two associates sketched out a redevelopment plan for the Kendall Square area which would accommodate NASA and provide land for NASA-related private development. He presented his concept plan to the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) which asked him to work with the CRA to move the plan through the redevelopment process. Rowland agreed, left his job with the BRA, was hired by the CRA and in 1964 was appointed CRA Executive Director.

In 1964, the CRA presented the concept plan to the Cambridge City Council. The Council voted to have the CRA prepare a redevelopment plan for the Kendall Square area with two objectives: (1) to provide land for both NASA and private development which would generate needed tax revenues for the City of Cambridge and employment opportunities; and (2) to secure maximum federal funds to help alleviate concerns about Cambridge's ability to finance its share of the cost to carry out the project.

With respect to the first objective, the City of Cambridge, with support from local and congressional representatives, convinced NASA officials of the advantages of a Kendall Square location. After discussions and consultations among the CRA, NASA, Cambridge representatives and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), it was determined that development could be expedited by using the urban renewal process.

2. Financing Cambridge's $6.5-million share of the project cost

With respect to the second objective, the CRA advised Cambridge officials to take advantage of a complex urban renewal financing formula which could be used to "secure maximum federal funds" to finance Cambridge's share of the cost to carry out the project.. The formula, based on Section 112 of the Housing Act of 1949, provided that expenditures by educational institutions and hospitals on facilities located within a mile of an urban renewal project that contributed to the objectives of the urban renewal project can be used as credits ("Section 112 credits") to cover the local share of the project cost.

The CRA took the lead in coordinating the efforts of Cambridge, MIT officials and congressional representatives to work out the details required to secure federal approval of the Section 112 credits financing plan. The City and MIT entered into an agreement which provided that MIT prepare a Development Plan which included MIT property located within a mile of the redevelopment area to be used for educational purposes. After the City's review and approval of the plan, the expenditures incurred by MIT to acquire land and construct buildings in accordance with the plan could be used as Section 112 credits. Subsequently, when the Kendall Square Urban Renewal Project was approved, MIT provided $6.5-million dollars in Section 112 credits to cover the City of Cambridge's entire share of the project cost.

3. NASA Quits. CRA amends Kendall Square redevelopment plan and objectives

The original Kendall Square Urban Renewal Plan covered 43 acres of land and designated 29 acres for use by NASA and 14 acres for NASA-related private development. The initial four years of the project were executed expeditiously. The CRA transferred 19 acres of vacant land to NASA for construction of a 14-story office tower and five low-rise buildings, and prepared an additional 10 acres of vacant land for future development by NASA. In 1970, without warning, NASA decided to abandon its operations in the project. It indicated it did not need the 10-acre site of vacant land designated for its development, and was transferring its interests in the project to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT established the National Transportation System Center on the site formerly occupied by NASA and named it after John A. Volpe, Secretary of DOT and former governor of Massachusetts

Cognizant that the 10-acre site originally designated for NASA's use under the terms of the original Kendall square Urban Renewal Plan was still undeveloped and in CRA possession, the CRA recognized an opportunity to expand the area of land which could be developed for private uses which would benefit Cambridge more than if the land was developed by the federal government. The CRA decided to amend the Kendall Square Plan to designate new reuses for the undeveloped land even though that meant starting again the complicated and time consuming process of preparing a second Kendall Square Plan.

The CRA commenced negotiations with DOT Secretary Volpe, making the case that DOT should relinquish its rights to Parcel 2 because NASA's withdrawal from the project was a breach of its contractual obligation with the CRA; a flagrant disregard of its commitment to the community; and had undermined the City's program to market the project area for private development. After 2 years of prolonged negotiations among the CRA, DOT, U.S. General Services Administration, and HUD, Secretary Volpe released DOT's rights to Parcel 2 to the CRA.

When NASA decided to withdraw from the Kendall Square area, the feeling in the City of Cambridge was that the project had been delivered a tremendous setback because it had lost its major developer. As it turned out, despite the years of development delays caused by NASA's the withdrawal, it was a blessing in disguise because the additional 10-acres of land plus the 14 acres already designated for private development became a 24-acre site large enough to create a critical mass for high-tech development in the Kendall Square Project which eventually helped to attract additional high-tech development in the eastern sector of Cambridge.

4. Urban Land Institute Advisory Services engaged to help break planning deadlock.

Cambridge was unprepared for carrying out the difficult and complicated tasks involved in overhauling the original plan and replacing it with an entirely new plan. Cambridge City Council created a task force comprised of representatives from a cross-section of Cambridge organizations and the Cambridge Planning Department to work with the CRA in the re-planning effort. A number of plans were developed, including proposals with contradictory project objectives, including "quick-fix" land uses, such as a beer distribution warehouse, a soccer field, open space, even restoring the Broad Canal, but the City could not arrive at a consensus.

Over time, a cloud descended over the project's development potential and grumbles concerning the apparent lack of progress in redeveloping the site began to be heard, even mockery about changing the name of Kendall Square to "Nowhere Square".

To help break the planning deadlock, the CRA retained the advisory panel services of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to review the Kendall Square Project and propose ways to move the project in the right direction. In carrying out the assignment for the CRA, panel members first spent two days reviewing comprehensive briefing materials prepared by the CRA staff and touring the project and surrounding area. Then individual panelists and teams conferred with nearly 100 community spokespersons, citizens, business persons, government officials, members of the local real estate community, and others interested and concerned with the future revitalization of the Kendall Square area.

The ULI panel concluded that only a few properties in the country had a broader array of locational advantages as the Kendall Square area and the opportunities associated with the Kendall Square Urban Renewal Project: "Cambridge Center is a unique opportunity area, one that should be reserved to maximize its locational advantages". The ULI panel presented a point of view that the Kendall Square Project was a valuable asset that has the potential to produce great benefits to the City of Cambridge; and that the CRA and Cambridge City Council should resist the impulse to dispose of the land to take advantage of its short term marketability in response to concerns being expressed about development delays. The panel urged the CRA and City to be patient and adopt an optimal type of development that reflected the highest and best use for the land which would bring the greatest long range benefit to the Cambridge community. The panel proposed a long-term, sophisticated, large-scale, mixed-use optimal type of development.

The ULI panel's professionalism and diligence in carrying out its mission impressed and gained the confidence of the CRA and Cambridge City Council which endorsed the panel's recommendations and approved a Kendall Square Urban Renewal Plan for a mixed-use development, with the general objectives of generating tax revenues and jobs.

The ULI panel also warned that attracting developers would not be easy: "Citizen concerns, political pressures, economic uncertainty, and the absence of a united and strong development process have combined to create a credibility problem with the real estate development community". The Panel advised the CRA could overcome developer skepticism about the development climate in Cambridge by establishing a record for getting things done.

The CRA responded by removing all legal and technical impediments to development; completing an Environmental Impact Statement; securing plan and zoning amendments; and carrying out a $7-million public improvements program, including construction of infrastructure and execution of traffic circulation plans.

5. Boston Properties selected to develop Cambridge Center

For marketing purposes the name Cambridge Center was adopted to refer to the 24 acres in the Kendall Square Urban Renewal Project outside of the land occupied by DOT. In 1978, the CRA invited proposals to develop Cambridge Center. Four well qualified developers were selected as finalists, including Boston Properties which was not as well known in the Boston area as the other developers. After exhaustive interviews with each developer and analysis of each development proposal, the CRA designated Boston Properties as developer for Cambridge Center because it had two significant advantages over its competition:

1. Boston Properties' two principals had worked as a team for many years producing a number of successful well-designed real estate developments nationwide. In contrast, the other finalists had undergone changes or formed new teams, making evaluations of future performance difficult.

2. Boston Properties' financial capabilities were impressive. It was well capitalized and had a net worth adequate to sustain a large and complex development such as Cambridge Center. It had current assets sufficient to fund first-rate design and site planning; a cash flow arising from a broad, geographically diverse base of real estate investments that could support substantial start-up costs and sustain development during difficult economic times; and a proven ability to manage investment property effectively and efficiently.

Boston Properties turned out to be the right choice because it had the background, experience, resources and patience to attract the type of users that met the standards proposed in the ULI recommendations, that of promoting land development to its highest and best uses. Subsequently, the development of Cambridge Center benefitted the City of Cambridge by achieving goals for the amended Kendall Square Urban Renewal Plan set by the Cambridge City Council: generating $15-million in annual property tax revenues and 7,500 jobs.

6. High-tech development

The combination of (a) the presence of MIT, an international leader in high-tech research and innovation; (b) Polaroid's decision to locate in Technology Square, a real estate development started in the 1960's by Cabot, Cabot and Forbes in partnership with MIT that also included Rogers Block, a CRA urban renewal project adjacent to the Kendall Square Project; (c) the presence of Draper Laboratories in the immediate neighborhood; and (d) decisions by the Whitehead Institute and Biogen in 1982 to locate in the Kendall Square Urban Renewal Project area were key elements leading to the emergence of high-tech development in the Kendall Square Project, and helping to attract major technology and biotechnology development in the eastern sector of Cambridge. Today there are over 163 institutional research companies within a 1-mile radius of the Kendall Square Urban Renewal Project area.

P.S. Robert F. Rowland was CRA Executive Director during all the episodes from 1963 to 1982.

As CRA Associate Director, Thad Tercyak participated directly in the episodes from 1968 to 1990.

Comments?

HISTORICAL COMMISSION ANNOUNCES PRESERVATION AWARDS

The Cambridge Historical Commission is pleased to announce the recipients of its annual Cambridge Preservation Awards. Inaugurated by the Commission in 1997, the program celebrates both outstanding historic preservation projects and notable individuals for their contributions to the conservation and protection of the city’s architecture and history.

The award winners include exterior renovations of homes at 1531 Cambridge Street, 8 Cleveland Street, 8 Cottage Street, 31-33 Fayette Street, 24 Highland Street, 102-104 Inman Street, and 122 Oxford Street. The Anthony C. Platt award for an exceptional project in a neighborhood conservation district was awarded to Adrian Catalano for the restoration of the two-family home at 38-40 Arlington Street in the Avon Hill district. Other restoration projects to receive awards are the Great Dome and Barker Library Reading Room at M.I.T.’s Building 10, Christ Church on Garden Street built in 1761, the YMCA in Central Square with its Central House residential rehab, and the former Immaculate Conception Lithuanian Church and Rectory at 424-430 Windsor Street that were successfully adaptively re-used for affordable housing by Just A Start Corporation.

Individuals to be honored for their unique contributions to preservation are Catherine Korsgren, who donated a preservation restriction to Historic New England for her Italianate home at 10 Hollis Street, the board members of the Longview Corporation at 983-986 Memorial Drive for adopting a window restoration policy, and Jane Carbone, Robert Costa, and Deb Hall, three project managers at Homeowner’s Rehab, for their many excellent examples of rehabilitation of older buildings for affordable housing in Cambridge.

Participants in the Cambridge Community Development Department’s Façade, Signage, and Lighting Improvement Program received Certificates of Merit for projects at 1166 Cambridge Street (Puritan & Co. Restaurant), 1 JFK Street (The World’s Only Curious George Store), and 1682 Massachusetts Avenue (Giulia Restaurant).

The Cambridge Historical Commission congratulates the commitment and hard work of the individuals who contributed to these projects that make Cambridge a more attractive and desirable place in which to live and work. The awards ceremony was held at Fariborz Maseeh Hall at M.I.T. on Thursday, May 30. Maseeh Hall received a Preservation Award in 2009. It is the university’s largest undergraduate dormitory and has a rich residential history.

For more information, please contact the Historical Commission at 617-349-4683.

Past, Present, and Future?

Nancy Tauber, Alice Turkel, Kathleen Kelly
Former School Committee member Nancy Tauber, current School Committee
member Alice Turkel, and School Committee candidate Kathleen Kelly on Inman St.

The Few, the Proud, the Cambridge voters who never miss an election

May 29, 2013 - I just merged the current registered Cambridge voter database with the voter history files for every city-wide election from 1997 through the recent April 2013 Special Senate primary election. There were 69,800 registered voters at the time of the April 2013 primary. The list of super-voters who have an unbroken streak voting in every Cambridge election since 1997 is now down to just 183 voters. - RW

Voter Turnout by Age - November 2011 vs. November 2012 Cambridge Elections

The overall percent voter turnout (including active and inactive registered voters) in the November 2011 municipal election was 26.4%. The overall percent voter turnout in the November 2012 federal election was 71.9%. Turnout always varies considerably by age. The chart below shows the percent turnout by age in four-year increments. The municipal election is in blue and the federal election in maroon.

Voter Turnout 2011 and 2012

Comments?

May 28, 2013 - Voters Take A Pass in 8th Suffolk Primary

Special Primary elections rarely excite voters, and the election to fill the State Rep. seat vacated by Marty Walz proved to be about as interesting as watching paint dry. Jay Livingstone bested Josh Dawson by about a 2-to-1 margin district-wide and now moves on to a meaningless general election next month. In Cambridge the margin was 676-272 (not including write-ins and other ballots that require special handling). That's a total of 948 Cambridge voters expressing a preference out of a total of 4709 registered Democrats and another 3775 unenrolled voters eligible to vote in this Democratic primary (based on the April registered voter list). That's about an 11% turnout of eligible voters - not exactly a mandate. The 8th Suffolk district includes Precincts 2-2, 2-3, 5-1, 5-2 & 5-3.

Comic Tweet - Here's how one prominent elected official tweeted about the primary:

The special state primary election to fill the vagrancy for the 8th Suffolk Rep District. Polls 7-8: http://ow.ly/lmDnP

Sometimes an anonymous note makes your day....

May 24, 2013 - A couple of nights ago I attended a gathering in Somerville about citizen journalism. It was sort of interesting, but what had me smiling was a note I found tucked under the door handle of my 1979 VW Bus when I was heading out. It was twice-folded with a little VW drawing on it. At first I thought it might just be one of the upscale invaders who didn't like the fact that I was taking a parking space best left for a Lexus or an ecologically-correct Prius. Boy, was I wrong! If my Bus could smile (and some claim that it has), then my 34-year-old friend would have been grinning ear-to-ear (or mirror-to-mirror). Here's the note and a couple of pictures. - RW

Hello Recycling & Composting Neighbors! - May/June 2013

Next Hazardous Waste Collection 6/8
Want to Donate Furniture? Super!
Get More Involved and Volunteer
Curbside Recycling… Yay or Nay?
Part-time Job: Organics Program Assistant

Next Household Hazardous Waste Collection 6/8

2013 dates: 6/8, 7/13, 10/19 from 9am-1pm. Click here for more information.

Want to Donate a Couch, Mattress or Other Furniture? Super!

Moving and can’t take it all with you? Plan ahead and call today to arrange a free pickup of your good-condition furniture with a local organization that benefits people in need. Visit CambridgeMA.gov/Furniture for our interactive list with details on pickup, drop-off, and other last minute options. Know that you can also get great gently used furniture from many of these places, too!

Get More Involved and Volunteer

We’d love to hear from you if you can volunteer for a few hours at a community event coming up. It’s fun to talk to people about recycling, composting, and reducing waste. You can enjoy the atmosphere and get a free t-shirt. Email us today at recycle@cambridgema.gov to help!

6/1, Riverfest, Noon-6pm (raindate 6/2)
6/8, Fresh Pond Day, 10am-2pm
6/15, Hoops N Health, 10am-8pm (raindate 6/22)

Curbside Recycling… Yay or Nay?

Yay!

Large Plastics: We can recycle buckets, broken laundry baskets, crates, toys, etc. Please try to donate and reuse first.
Paper Coffee Cups: Empty please, and we can even take the plastic top. No Styrofoam.
Shredded Paper: Just place in a clear plastic or paper bag.
Frozen Food Boxes: If it rips, we can take it. Rinse out food residue.

Nay!

Hangers: Reuse and donate, check with your local dry cleaner. Metal hangers accepted at Recycling Center.
Clothing & Textiles: See our google map of clothing donation spots. Good stuff gets reused and damaged stuff gets recycled.
Electronics: Find out how to recycle or donate.
Packaging: No packing peanuts, no plastic wrap, or polystyrene Styrofoam blocks. More info…

Part-time Job: Organics Program Assistant

Seeking reliable and highly motivated individual with excellent interpersonal, public speaking, and organization skills to assist with planning and implementation of 1 year pilot program to collect food scraps from residents to begin spring 2014. Cambridge residents are encouraged to apply. Click here for job description, review of resumes begins May 28th.

Missed recycling or trash? Please use iReport or call DPW at 617-349-4800 no later than 12 noon the day after collection to make a request.
Request for toters, brochures, stickers or posters? Use our online form.
"Like" the Cambridge DPW on Facebook.
Please note that during holidays weeks, trash, recycling and yard waste collection is delayed one day. Check the 2013 collection schedule online for full details.

Take the 50% recycling pledge today at www.cambridgema.gov/recycle and get a free sticker!
Recycle More. Trash Less.

CambridgeMA.gov/Furniture

Celebration of Magazine Beach Park - Saturday, June 15

Magazine Beach was an island? People swam in the Charles River? That granite-block building stored gunpowder for ships in Boston Harbor? All of these questions and more will be answered to the tune of Cambridge's finest Best Ever Chicken (bluegrass band), kite flying and races for children, learn-to-row lessons and art at Magazine Beach Park Saturday, June 15, 12-5pm. In case of rain, the art installation in the 1818 powder magazine will still be on and the music and picnic will move into the Riverside Boat Club, just across from Starbucks (at Micro Center/Trader Joe's Plaza), on Memorial Drive.

The Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association, partnering with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Charles River Conservancy, the Riverside Boat Club and many others, will offer Celebration 2013 at Magazine Beach. Their goal: to bring the community together in Cambridge's second largest park and create an awareness of its rich history and great potential: 15 acres along the Charles River. The event is a Cambridge talent show with Artforming and Danielle Sauvé using lights and sound to transform the interior of the 1818 powder magazine into a place of memories and meditation; Nancy Adams, former head of the experimental art group Mobius, leading a performance around the magazine; public artist Ross Miller, David Craft of Gallery 263 and Lars Anderas (UMass Boston graduate student) marking the shoreline of Captain's Island; and Cambridgeport's own If this park could talk signs… all over the park – just for the day – revealing the site's stories. The Riverside Boat Club, home of many rowers preparing for the Olympics, will offer learn-to-row lessons.

There will be food trucks, cold lemonade, a new history of Magazine Beach, and almost everything but swimming in the Charles River. (We're not quite ready for that.) Rain or shine, come to the park for entertainment, fun and community. It's free! For further information, go to www.magazinebeach.wordpress.com or join us on facebook at: www.facebook.com/magazinebeach.

Partners: Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Charles River Conservancy, the Riverside Boat Club, the Cambridge Historical Commission, Cambridge Historical Society, Artforming, Gallery 263 and UMass Boston
Sponsors: New England Grassroots Environmental Fund, Charles River Conservancy, Forest City & Anonymous

Magazine Beach is a DCR park in Cambridge, MA, along the Charles River.

Comments?

Magazine Beach Party

Dogtown Wisdom
Intelligence	Ideas	Use Your Head

Grand Opening Celebration and Open House for Cambridge Community Learning Center,
Multi-Service Center and Cambridge Housing Authority - Monday, June 10, 3:00-5:00pm

The City of Cambridge invites you to a grand opening celebration and open house for Cambridge Community Learning Center, Multi-Service Center for the Homeless and Cambridge Housing Authority Monday, June 10, from 3:00-5:00pm at the former site of Cambridge Police Department, 5 Western Avenue/362 Green Street. Light refreshments will be served.

5 Western Avenue The Community Learning Center (CLC) helps adults improve their lives and increase their community participation through free educational programs, tutoring, basic computer instruction. Programs include:

English language classes
Classes in basic reading, writing, and math
Preparation for the GED examinations
Preparation for college or a training program
Preparation for the U.S. citizenship test

The Cambridge Multi-Service Center (MSC) addresses the needs of homeless and near-homeless individuals and families living in our community. We provide direct services, planning and coordination of efforts for persons who are living on the street, in emergency shelters or at risk of losing their housing.

The Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) provides more than 5,000 low income families, elders and disabled individuals with affordable apartments or rental assistance.

The CHA fulfills its mission through:

The ownership and management of over 2,700 units of housing
The administration of over 2,300 Housing Choice vouchers
Continued development of affordable units
A wide range of tenant services

For more information visit their respective websites:
Community Learning Center
Multi-Service Center for the Homeless
Cambridge Housing Authority

Kendall Square Food Truck Festival
Family Day in Kendall Square - Saturday, June 8th from 11:00am-5:00pm

The Cambridge Food Truck Festival is coming to Kendall Square on Saturday, June 8th near 3rd Street and Broadway. Bring your family, friends, and coworkers to make a day of eating, kayaking on the river, shopping, and enjoying a drink after the festival at one of our many restaurants. [More information]

June 5, 2013 - 3-alarm fire at 367 Harvard Street

A 3-alarm fire at 367 Harvard Street around 1pm on June 5 was contained quickly by the Cambridge Fire Department. Check the Cambridge Chronicle for details from reporter Erin Baldassari.

May 20 Late City Council Update

The Cambridge City Council, after much heated rhetoric, defeated (on a 4-5 vote) Order #17 that would have required additional Finance Committee hearings on the School Budget (Cheung, Kelley, Simmons, vanBeuzekom voting YES; Decker, Maher, Reeves, Toomey, Davis voting NO). They then discharged the School Budget from the Finance Committee on a 7-2 vote (Cheung, Kelley voting NO). They also approved Order #9 to schedule a joint Roundtable meeting of the City Council and School Committee on June 10 at 5:30pm. All of the anticipated FY2014 Budget votes then proceeded as originally planned. The General Fund Budget ($472,820,685) passed 8-1 (Kelley voting NO); the Water Fund Budget ($14,238,700) and the Public Investment Fund Budget ($92,715,930) both passed unanimously.

The Great Cambridge School Budget Kerfuffle of 2013

May 4, 2013 - I guess it's fair to say that people like municipal elections. Note where the spikes are in the following graph of total visits per month to rwinters.com and cambridgecivic.com over the time for which detailed statistics are available. Nov 2005, Nov 2007, Nov 2009, Nov 2011. I shudder to think what we'll see later this year.

Traffic

Cambridge Delegation Partners with MassDOT to Host Ethanol Train Meetings

The Cambridge legislative delegation invites residents, homeowners, local businesses, and community organizations to join them for two public forums about a plan proposed by Global Partners to transport ethanol through the City of Cambridge using the existing rail system. To facilitate participation, two forums will be held. The first meeting will occur on June 4 at 5:30pm at the King Open School, 850 Cambridge St., Cambridge. The second meeting will take place on June 5 at 6:15pm at Graham and Parks School, 44 Linnaean St., Cambridge.

Representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation will present the findings of their ethanol safety study and answer questions from the public. Following this presentation, elected officials will facilitate an open discussion about the proposed plan and explore opportunities for public involvement.

The meetings will be hosted by the Cambridge legislative delegation, including Representatives Toomey, Decker, Rogers, and Hecht, and Senators Petruccelli, Jehlen, and DiDomenico.

MassDOT's ethanol safety study and related documents can be found at http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/planning/Main/CurrentStudies/EthanolSafetyStudy.aspx

Any questions regarding the meeting may be directed to Dan Weber at Daniel.Weber@mahouse.gov or (617) 722-2380.

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Note: Here's what Congressman Mike Capuano had to say about this in an Apr 26 letter that's included in the agenda materials for the Monday, June 3 Cambridge City Council meeting:

Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Michael E. Capuano
7th District, Massachusetts

April 26, 2013

Mayor Henrietta Davis
Cambridge City Hall
795 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139

Dear Mayor Davis:
I am writing to you in response to recent correspondence I received from the Cambridge City Council regarding a proposal to bring ethanol through several Massachusetts communities by rail. I understand the Council's concerns and support its efforts to find a safer way to transport ethanol through heavily populated areas.

As you know, my office approaches all issues honestly, even when I expect the response may not be what is hoped for. Therefore, I am compelled to inform the Council it is my understanding that neither federal nor state law seems to provide ways to prevent ethanol from being transported through any community. There are laws and regulations available to ensure safety, but bans on the transport of hazardous materials have not been upheld in court. The Council may know that the Washington DC City Council enacted a ban on hazmat transportation through the city, but it was struck down in federal court. As far as I know, no other city has passed legislation banning the transit of hazardous materials and had the ban stand up in court. Of course, if others can identify alternative paths to judicial success, I stand ready to support them.

I am sure the Council realizes that ethanol is currently transported by rail through many urban, rural and suburban communities all over the country, including in Massachusetts. It is my understanding that the Cambridge Fire department is informed pursuant to state and federal regulation of such transits and is prepared to handle emergencies related to them. I have been informed that any local or state restrictions imposed on rail transportation of hazmat are pre-empted by interstate commerce regulations. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) informs me that they do not have jurisdiction to deny ethanol or other hazardous materials transit and do not have the authority to require the use of certain routes. The FRA does regulate track safety, street crossings, operational requirements and the integrity of tanker cars. I have asked that the FRA carefully review the integrity of the infrastructure that could be used for ethanol transport and I am confident this request will be supported.

It is my understanding that substantial work must be undertaken on the rail line that connects to Global Petroleum's ethanol facility in Revere. Improvements may also be necessary elsewhere on the routing lines under consideration before they may be used for ethanol trains. I am confident that FRA will only allow ethanol trains on lines that meet FRA safety and operational standards and I will work hard to ensure that this confidence is well placed.

I have also reached out to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). It is my understanding that EPA does not have a role in allowing or disallowing the transportation of ethanol. TSA informed me that ethanol is not a Rail Security Sensitive Material (RSSM) and therefore TSA does not require additional safety and/or security measures for its transportation. Please note that if ethanol were deemed an RSSM, it is my understanding that TSA still could not prohibit it. Given that the storage facility is along the water, the USCG is required to approve the facility's security procedures. I have long experience with the Coast Guard and am confident this is a responsibility that the USCG takes very seriously.

While I regret that my initial review of the matter indicates ethanol transport cannot be prohibited, I believe my office can be helpful in other areas. One suggestion would be to have city public safety officials assess the city and region's preparedness for a release of ethanol. I have read the MassDOT report on ethanol and understand that area fire chiefs believe there is a need for staff training and equipment. My office stands ready to aggressively support any municipal or state effort to access federal funding or seek mitigation. I also strongly support making sure first responders are informed in a timely fashion when ethanol will be transported.

Although I am not optimistic that I can prevent this proposal from being implemented, I will continue doing everything I can to be sure that the interests of our communities are protected. Particularly in the aftermath of the Marathon bombings, I understand the unease you may feel and the desire to make sure that everything possible is done to protect public safety. Please keep my office informed of the Council's actions and any support I can offer in your endeavors.

Sincerely,
Michael E. Capuano
Member of Congress

The Board of The Dance Complex Announces the Appointment of Peter DiMuro as Executive Director

CAMBRIDGE, MA: The Dance Complex Board of Directors is delighted to welcome and introduce career long arts administrator and artist Peter DiMuro as The Dance Complex’s new Executive Director. From a pool of dynamic and qualified candidates, Peter distinguished himself with his unique combination of experience leading an international touring dance company, leading service organizations, collaborating with artists, mentoring dancers, developing relationships with producers and funders alike, all in addition to an extensive career performing on stages all across the world. “We are excited about Peter’s arrival and look forward to the wealth of innovative initiatives he has proposed and the terrific ideas for engaging the community and building further partnerships across the city and state, “David Dance, President of the Board of Directors of The Dance Complex states and adds, “Peter’s bio reads like a veritable ‘Who’s Who?’ in contemporary dance, and we feel so fortunate to be the future beneficiary of Peter’s vast network and extensive experience.”

The Dance Complex
Located in the historic Odd Fellows Hall, in Cambridge, MA; The Dance Complex is a volunteer-based, artist run organization dedicated to promoting, advancing, and sponsoring artistic endeavors, creative work and education in dance and the movement arts. The organization, formed from the hard work and collaboration of members of the dance community, lead by pioneering founder Rozann Kraus, has been a model of a successful volunteer-based community engaged in dance study and making since 1991. Culturally, The Dance Complex is a process; we are members of the arts community establishing a resource, referral and support center that is responsive to a wide diversity of needs for both professional dancers and those who enjoy moving.

“This community has made an incredible living, breathing monument to dance in Central Square”, Peter offers. “I look forward to guiding us to a next phase of development.” Through his appreciation of diverse ideas, approaches and people, as Executive Director, Peter will sustain and build positive relationships with other arts organizations, dancers, instructors, the City of Cambridge, and all who are committed to dance. In addition to leading the staff in the identification of best practices and future frontiers for The Dance Complex, the Executive Director will oversee all administrative and programmatic elements of activity.

A biography for Peter appears below. We look forward to introducing Peter, along with upcoming plans at the start of the fall season early in September. Stay tuned for details.

Sincerely,
David Dance
Chairman of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors: Anne Brown Allen, David Dance, Richard Getz, Mary McCarthy, Jayne Murphy, William Parsons

Peter DiMuro - Biography
Peter DiMuro gladly returns to Boston, where his first professional performance was with Gerri Houlihan’s Boston Dance Project at The Dance Complex of Cambridge. Ruth Birnberg, Susan Rose and Concert Dance Company (dancing the works of Deborah Wolf, Bebe Miller, Lucinda Childs, Wendy Perron, Keith Terry and many others) also provided Peter mentorship early in his career.

He has since woven a career as a choreographer, director, teacher, facilitator and arts practitioner/engager, touring and teaching internationally from Honk Kong to Pigeon Forge, TN, and places beyond and in-between. His Peter DiMuro Performance Associates and his fifteen-year collaboration, including 5 years as Artistic Director, with Liz Lerman Dance Exchange laid the foundation for his current creative umbrella, PDM: Public Displays of Motion, that develops and performs artistic works and cultivates dance/arts literacy, advocacy and engagement.

Peter’s work has appeared on tour and been commissioned by leading presenters, including The Kennedy Center/DC, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center/MD, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Dance Place/DC, DanceNOW at Joe’s Public Theatre/NY, Dance Umbrella, the Emerson Majestic, Bates Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, AURAS Dance/Lithuania, as well as on a nationally aired television commercial for the National Institute on Aging. As a collaborator and artistic lead at Dance Exchange, he directed seminal projects in the company’s history, including “The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Project” and the 17-city tour of “Hallelujah Project”, both engaging communities in dialogue and action to make dance/theatre. “Near/Far/In/Out” and “Funny Uncles”, both dealing with issues bridging straight and LGBT communities, toured nationally. He directs and choreographs for theatre, stage, on-site, cabaret and coaches performance. For the Massachusetts Cultural Council, along with its then Executive Director Mary Kelley, Peter designed and executed the Elder Arts Initiative, offering exchange of ideas and training among artists and caregivers working with seniors.

He was named a White House Millennial Artist in 2000, a 1995 Mayor of Boston/ProArts Arts Award recipient, and his work has received grants from the National Performance Network, the Mass Artists’ Foundation, Mass Cultural Council, MetLife Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2010, he represented the US as an emissary for the Department of State in Madrid, teaching and adjudicating an international competition for emerging artists. Peter has taught several summers at the Cornerstone Theatre Institute/LA, American Dance Festival and Bates Dance Festival and adjudicated several American College Dance Festival Association regional conferences. He has been affiliated with Tufts University (artist in residence), Drexel University (associate professor), Michigan State University (guest artist/commissionee), American University, Emerson College, Boston University, The Boston Conservatory, and several college programs throughout his career.

A believer in the multiple roles artists develop to re-create definitions of their own artistry and the field’s re-definition of artmaking, Peter created several programs for artist development and audience literacy through his directorship of Dance/MetroDC, a local service organization and a regional branch of Dance/USA. He has served on the boards of the Dance Umbrella/Boston, National Performance Network, Dance/USA, Capitol Region Educators in Dance Organization, and as a mentor and panelist for New England Foundation for the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council, D.C. Commission for the Arts. He is host and creative consultant to VelocityDC, an annual DC based showcase for the region’s eclectic dance companies.

He received an MFA in Dance from Connecticut College under Martha Myers; a BFA in Theatre from Drake University, early study with Sally Garfield, and continued study in New York, Boston and at the American Dance Festival.

Originally from Round Lake, IL (population, circa 1970: 250), he is the youngest of three children, the son of the Chief of Police (Dad, born in East Boston) and a machinist/gal Friday (Mom). He has a niece named for the Crayola crayon, Sienna.

ROBERT M. STEVENS - OBITUARY

Bob Stevens Robert M. Stevens, 66, of New Bedford, died May 19, 2013, unexpectedly at St. Luke's Hospital surrounded by his loving family.

Born and raised in New Bedford, he was the son of the late William B. and Rita (Pinto) Stevens.

Mr. Stevens was formerly employed as the Assistant Secretary of Administration and Finance under the Administration of Governor Michael Dukakis. He then worked for many years as the Director of Veterans Services for the City of Cambridge until his retirement.

He served two tours of duty in the U.S. Army, as part of the Military Intelligence Unit, during the Vietnam War. He was a graduate of UMass Dartmouth (formerly Southeastern Massachusetts University) where he served as the first minority student trustee.

Survivors include four sons, Derek Stevens and his wife Sheila, Christian Stevens and his wife Dayra, and Darren Drayton, all of New Bedford, and Sean Oliveira of Waldorf, MD; a brother, Michael Stevens of New Bedford; two sisters, Kathleen Stevens of Truro and Barbara Stevens of Provincetown; 14 loving grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

He was the father of the late Tami J. Roderick and brother of the late Richard Stevens, Bruce Stevens, and William B. Stevens, Jr.

His visiting hours will be held on Thursday from 4-8 PM in the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. Following cremation, a private family burial service will be held at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Global Learning Charter Public School, 190 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford, MA 02746. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Voter Registration and Absentee Ballots for the Special State Primary, May 28th

The Special State Primary will be held on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 for the office of State Representative for Eight Suffolk District (Wards/Precincts 2-2, 2-3, 5-1, 5-2 & 5-3) to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of State Representative Martha Marty Walz. The polls will be open on Election Day from 7:00am until 8:00pm. For Cambridge residents not already registered, the deadline to register to vote was Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 8pm.

Please contact the Cambridge Election Commission office to find out when the Absentee Ballots will be available. Any voter who is unable to go to the polls on Election Day due to physical disability, religious belief, or absence from the City may request an Absentee Ballot from the Commission. The deadline to apply for an Absentee Ballot is Friday, May 24, 2013 at 5:00pm. The office will also be open for Absentee Voting on Friday, May 24th, from 8:30am until 5:00pm. Absentee Ballots may be mailed to voters, or such voters may choose to vote at the Commission office during regular City office hours: Monday, 8:30am-8:00pm; Tuesday-Thursday, 8:30am-5:00pm; Friday, 8:30am-Noon.

For any additional information, please visit the Cambridge Election Commission office at 51 Inman Street, call 617-349-4361 or visit our website at www.cambridgema.gov/election.

Hello Recycling & Composting Neighbors! - April/May 2013

Virtual Recycling & Trash Tour: Tonight 5/21
Yard Waste Collection Starts 4/1
Clean Out Your Closet and Donate Clothes
Team GreenSense Opportunity
Household Hazardous Waste Collection 6/8, 7/13, 10/19
Spring Dates for Recycling Tours!

Virtual Recycling & Trash Tour: 5/21

Members of the public and City staff are invited to attend a virtual recycling tour tonight, May 21 at 6pm at Public Works at 147 Hampshire St in the main conference room. Recycling Director, Ms. Randi Mail will show a video, share pictures and explain how recyclables get separated and marketed to companies that make products from recycled materials, what happens to our trash as well as composting and zero waste. Please RSVP to recycle@cambridgema.gov to attend.

Yard Waste Collection Starts 4/1

Weekly yard waste collection (same pickup day as recycling/trash) begins April 1-5 through December 9-13. Place yard waste in paper refuse bags or loose in barrels, no plastic bags. Request stickers online or call 617-349-4800. From April-October, free compost is available to residents in small quantities at the Recycling Center during open hours: Tues/Thurs 4-7:30pm and Sat 9-4pm. Note that clean plastic plant pots are accepted with curbside recycling. Pemberton Farms sells the SoilSaver backyard compost bin for $60 at 2225 Mass Ave. Make sure your backyard compost bin is at least 50% “browns” (dry leaves, torn up cardboard, crumpled paper) and no more than 50% “greens” (food scraps, grass). Always bury greens or cover up with browns. Keep your backyard compost bin vegetarian (no meat, no dairy, no oils). If you cannot compost at home, find out where you can drop-off food scraps!

Clean Out Your Closet and Donate Clothes

Did you know there are 20+ places in Cambridge to donate clothes to? Did you know that Cambridge residents still trash over 1,000,000 pounds of clothing and textiles each year? Did you know that you can donate clothing and textiles that are torn, stained, broken or missing something, to Goodwill, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Got Books/Clothes, and Planet Aid? These organizations take clothing, shoes, belts, purses, hats, linens, stuffed animals, and fabric scraps. Just no dirty rags, nothing wet, nothing soiled, no carpets, no rugs, and no mildewed items. If it’s not wearable, damaged clothing is recycled into wiping rags and everything else is processed back into fibers used to make paper, yarn, insulation, carpet padding, and sound proofing. See the attached map which shows clothing drop boxes, thrift stores & consignment shops and second hand stores! [Clothing Donation Map]

Team GreenSense Opportunity

If you are between 14-18 years old and a Cambridge resident, apply to join Team GreenSense, part of the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program. We are looking for energetic, positive, curious team players to apply to join the GreenSense team for six weeks this summer, as well as a part-time employee to supervise the program. Participants will learn about local green programs, work with the DPW on environmental service projects, and create a web-video to educate others about these topics. To learn more or apply, visit www.cambridgema.gov/teamgreensense.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection 6/8 (rescheduled)

2013 dates: 6/8, 7/13, 10/19 from 9am-1pm. Bring accepted items to the Danehy Park Parking Lot on Field St at Fern St. Cambridge residents only. Items accepted include auto fluids, batteries (non alkaline), car tires, glues, medications, mercury items, paint products, solvents, and propane tanks (20 lbs or less). Click here for a full list of items accepted, alternative options and items you can bring to the Recycling Center during open hours. When deciding what items to bring to a hazardous waste collection, look for products labeled with these signal words: POISON, DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION.

Spring Dates for Recycling Tours!

Cambridge residents and City employees are invited to tour the Casella recycling facility in Charlestown on Tuesday, April 16 (morning) or Wednesday, June 19 (afternoon). No children under 16. Tours last about 2 hours and involve walking on narrow catwalks and stairs, close to heavy equipment. Please note that you must be walk at a steady pace with a group. We meet at DPW and carpool. Email recycle@cambridgema.gov to sign up and we’ll send you more info. Let us know if can drive and how many people you can take. *We will also offer a virtual recycling tour on Monday, April 22 (evening) at Public Works, 147 Hampshire St.

Missed recycling or trash? Please use iReport or call DPW at 617-349-4800 no later than 12 noon the day after collection to make a request.
Request for toters, brochures, stickers or posters? Use our online form.
"Like" the Cambridge DPW on Facebook.
Please note that during holidays weeks, trash, recycling and yard waste collection is delayed one day. Check the 2013 collection schedule online for full details.

Take the 50% recycling pledge today at www.cambridgema.gov/recycle and get a free sticker!
Recycle More. Trash Less.

MIT memorial for Sean Collier - April 24, 2013
MIT Police Officer Sean Collier Memorial Service

Anne Strong Strong, Anne M., 68, a 40-year resident of Cambridge, died on April 4 following a courageous battle with lung cancer.

She leaves behind her husband of 17 years, Charlie Allen; their daughter, Gwei Gwei Strong-Allen; two sons, Brian Jones of NY and Dylan Jones of Boston; and two step-children, Chip Allen of Somerville and Mary Allen of Cambridge and her daughter Mariana Mayes. Anne is also survived by her siblings Mary Tilghman and Selina Strong of CT; Sylvia Brooks of the Netherlands; and John Brooks of RI.

Anne dedicated her life to her family, community, and career. For the last 2 decades she worked tirelessly to create equal opportunities for inner-city girls to participate in athletics, particularly soccer. She was one of the founders of Cambridge Youth Soccer in the early 80's and was a CYS Board member up until her death. She coached Cambridge town and travel teams for years, and the City of Cambridge is honoring her with a bench in her name at Danehy Park.

Anne was a graduate of Smith College (BA, MA) and Suffolk University Law School. She devoted the early years of her legal career to public service, serving as both the Affirmative Action Officer and the Rent Control Hearing Board Officer for the City of Cambridge. She then transitioned to private practice, which she gave up in 1999 when she founded CityKicks, a program that brought the first after school soccer league to Boston middle school girls in underserved communities. After 10 years as Executive Director, she merged City Kicks with New England Scores. She was Director of Programming there until retiring in 2012.

Her passion in promoting the positive value of team sports, particularly in the ability to empower young women and engender self-esteem, was recognized with a 2002 Pathfinder Award from the Massachusetts Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. She was also the recipient of the Germaine Lawrence "Women of Excellence" award, and a "Heroes Among Us Award" at a Boston Celtics game. It can be said that her true reward was the hundreds of young girls' lives she touched.

Up until 6 months ago, Anne played in her own senior women's soccer leagues, was an avid sailor and skier and enjoyed the outdoors. Anne was also a true "Foodie;" many have enjoyed her wonderful meals and hospitality. Her energy and passion for family, friends and girls' athletics will be sorely missed. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, May 4 at 4:00 PM at St. James's Episcopal Church, 1991 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA.

In lieu of flowers please send contributions to the Strong Girls Fund, online at http://americascoresboston.org/annestrong/ or by sending a check payable to "America SCORES Boston/SGF" to America SCORES Boston, 29 Germania Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.

Oliver S. Brown - contributed by Glenn Koocher Oliver Brown

Oliver S. Brown has passed away. Ollie had retired to Maine after leaving the Cambridge Public Schools in the late 1980s.

Ollie turned around the business and operations side of our school department and was regarded as the Babe Ruth of school business officers in Massachusetts. Highly overqualified, this descendant of old Yankee stock gave as much as he took from the likes of Al Vellucci, Tom Danehy, and all the classical independents as he helped cut waste, fraud, and patronage in the Cambridge Public Schools.

We were lucky to have him. Ollie was consulting in Oakland in the early 1970s when the Symbionese Liberation Army executed the superintendent of schools there in the parking lot, and, apparently, his wife, "Lollie" (I am not making this up) told him to enjoy himself in Oakland, but she and the kids were coming back to Boston.

Oliver was also referenced, although not by name in one of the Martin books of fiction (Harvard Yard, the novel). He was a direct descendant of Robert Calef who challenged Cotton Mather's beliefs in witches and had his books burned in the Harvard Yard as a result. To compensate, we asked Derek Bok, at one of our annual dinners, to compensate Ollie $20 for the damage. Bok actually paid and we all enjoyed the evening. That episode was noted in the novel.

Ollie also boasted that however long our families might have lived in Cambridge, he had direct descendants going back to the Revolution and before and had visited his grandmother in Cambridge as a child. So one day, I decided to look up the family and found his great, great, great, great, great grandfather, Calef Brown, had been here at the time of the 1790 census. However, I noted that the household included white males, white females, children, and two slaves. So I explained to Ollie that I wouldn't tell anyone…… except Al Vellucci.

When Ollie retired, we had a great roast for him and raised money for a book fund. Fred Fantini hosted. He took more crap from politicians than he needed to, but he provided the adult supervision to the School Committee's avidity to spend wildly for more than 15 years. - Glenn Koocher

Oliver Schoonmaker Brown, 82
BRUNSWICK -- Oliver Schoonmaker Brown died on Friday, April 5, 2013, at the Togus VA Hospice and Palliative Care Unit in Augusta of complications from Parkinson's Disease. Oliver was born in Boston, Mass. on April 10, 1931, the son of Amos Howard Calef Brown and Dorothy Glennie (Loud) Brown. He graduated from St. George's School in Newport, R.I. and Bowdoin College, class of 1953. Immediately after graduation, he received a commission in the U. S. Army and served in the Transportation Corps in New York and Korea. Following his service, he earned a Masters Degree in Education and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study from Harvard University. He later continued graduate studies at Columbia University.

In September 1952, Oliver married Eleanor Appleton Buxton of Concord, Mass., at All Saints Chapel, Orr's Island.

Oliver spent his professional life in education. He taught at the Emerson School for Boys in Exeter, N.H., was a teacher and principal in the elementary schools in Weston, Mass. and served as Superintendent of Schools in the Addison-Rutland Supervisory District in Fair Haven, Vt. from 1961-1965. Following further study at Columbia, he and his family moved to Philadelphia where he became Director of the Financial Planning and Budgeting Project for the Philadelphia Public Schools.

In 1970, Oliver joined Price Waterhouse & Company in Philadelphia and New York as a management consultant primarily in urban school districts. Following his tenure with Price Waterhouse, in 1973 he became deputy superintendent of schools in charge of financial planning and management in the Cambridge, Mass. public school system. He participated as part of a team in the successful racial integration of the city schools and the merger of the vocational and academic high schools among other projects.

After 14 years with the Cambridge School System, he retired in 1987 and founded his own company, Oliver S. Brown Associates, Inc., consulting for another ten years in rural, suburban, and urban public school systems in many parts of the country, including Detroit, Indianapolis, and Rockford, Ill. He and his family moved many times over the course of his career, and he and Eleanor finally settled in Brunswick in 1988 after spending many summers at Orr's Island. Oliver served as editor of the Massachusetts School Principals Association Bulletin, President of the Massachusetts School Business Officials Association, and wrote many articles on school finance for local, state and national publications. From 1978 to 1991, Oliver taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in school finance and management.

Oliver was one of the founders and president of the Friends of Peary's Eagle Island, the home of Admiral Robert E. Peary in Casco Bay. He and Eleanor were communicants at St. Paul's Church in Brunswick and All Saints Chapel, Orr's Island, where Oliver served as treasurer for many years and as chair of the Memorial Garden Committee from its inception. He served on the board and as a volunteer at the MidCoast Hunger Prevention Program.

Oliver enjoyed tennis, downhill and cross country skiing, sailing and boating on Casco Bay, golf, bird watching, genealogy, and especially being at their house on Orr's Island with his family where they spent many summers. His fondness for the poems of Robert Peter Tristram Coffin, whose course he took at Bowdoin, lead to the collection of his works and the memorization of many of his poems.

Oliver was predeceased by his parents; his sister, Ellen Chantal Field, and his brother, Amos Howard Calef Brown, Jr. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, his brother, George Alvin Loud Brown of Camden and his wife, Constance, his sisters, Phebe Haskell Chase of Newport, R.I., and Glennie Wilding-White of Algoma, Wis.; his sons, Edward Olcott Brown and wife, Cheryl, of Gwynedd Valley, Penn., Calef Rogers Brown and wife, Anissa, of Vancouver, Canada, his daughters, Phebe Hart Brown of Brooklyn, N.Y., Eliza Baldwin Brown Cobb and her husband, Edward, of South Portland; and his seven grandchildren.

The family would like to express their thanks to CHANS Hospice of Brunswick, and the staff at the VA Hospice and Palliative Care Unit at Togus for their kind and compassionate care of Oliver.

A celebration of his life will be held at All Saints Chapel, Orr's Island, in June. Condolences and memories can be expressed at www.brackettfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
The Memorial Garden
All Saints Chapel
Orr's Island, ME 04106 or:
The VA Hospice and Palliative Care Unit
Togus VA Medical Center
1 VA Medical Center
Augusta, ME 04330

Published in Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram on April 9, 2013

Election Commission Officers for 2013

The Board of Election Commissioners elected officers at its Annual Organizational Meeting on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. Elected as follows were: Ethridge A. King, Jr., Chair; Peter Sheinfeld, Vice-Chair; Polyxane S. Cobb, Secretary; and Larry W. Ward, Vice-Secretary. Mr. Peter Sheinfeld was recently re-appointed by the City Manager Robert W. Healy for a term beginning on April 1, 2013.

For any questions or additional information, please visit the Cambridge Election Commission office at 51 Inman Street or call (617-349-4361) during office hours: Monday, 8:30am-8:00pm; Tuesday through Thursday, 8:30am-5:00pm; and Friday, 8:30am-Noon. Please visit our website at www.cambridgema.gov/election.

Help Wanted - City Boards & Commissions

Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities
Cambridge City Manager Robert W. Healy is seeking persons interested in serving on the Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) advisory board. Made up of 11 Members who serve three-year terms in a volunteer capacity, the CCPD board meets on the second Thursday of every month at 5:30pm. CCPD seeks to build a membership that reflects the cultural and racial diversity of the city, is cross-disability in nature and representative of the different geographical areas of the community. Members must be current residents of Cambridge.

CCPD works to maximize access to all aspects of Cambridge community life for individuals with disabilities, strives to raise awareness of disability matters, to eliminate discrimination, and to promote equal opportunity for people with all types of disabilities – physical, mental and sensory. CCPD members are expected to work with other members and CCPD staff to fulfill the goals and objectives of the CCPD Ordinance (Cambridge Municipal Code, Chapter 2.96). CCPD members are expected to attend monthly meetings, participate in subcommittees and work on various short and/or long-term projects, as needed.

For more information, contact Kate Thurman, Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities at 617-349-4692 or ccpd@cambridgema.gov. Interested persons should submit a letter by Tuesday, April 30, 2013 describing their relevant experience and the kinds of disability-related issues or projects that interest them (along with a resume if possible) to:
Robert W. Healy, City Manager
City of Cambridge
795 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
Fax: 617-349-4307
E-mail: citymanager@cambridgema.gov

Vote Tuesday, Apr 30, 2013

Special U.S. Senate Primary Election

The SUNDAY before an election is the perfect day to STUDY the candidates and make an informed choice about who should REPRESENT you throughout the next bit of our collective history.

DEMOCRATS
Stephen F. Lynch
Ed Markey

REPUBLICANS
Gabriel Gomez
Mike Sullivan
Dan Winslow

Find your polling place at http://wheredoivotema.com

Hello Recycling & Composting Neighbors! - April/May 2013

Yard Waste Collection Starts 4/1
Clean Out Your Closet and Donate Clothes
Spring Dates for Recycling Tours!
Household Hazardous Waste Collection 4/20
Nominations Sought for Outstanding City Employees

Yard Waste Collection Starts 4/1

Clean Out Your Closet and Donate Clothes

Spring Dates for Recycling Tours!

Cambridge residents and City employees are invited to tour the Casella recycling facility in Charlestown on Tuesday, April 16 (morning) or Wednesday, June 19 (afternoon). No children under 16. Tours last about 2 hours and involve walking on narrow catwalks and stairs, close to heavy equipment. Please note that you must be walk at a steady pace with a group. We meet at DPW and carpool. Email recycle@cambridgema.gov to sign up and we’ll send you more info. Let us know if can drive and how many people you can take. *We will also offer a virtual recycling tour on Monday, April 22 (evening) at Public Works, 147 Hampshire St.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection 4/20

2013 dates: 4/20, 7/13, 10/19 from 9am-1pm. Bring accepted items to the Danehy Park Parking Lot on Field St at Fern St. Cambridge residents only. Items accepted include auto fluids, batteries (non alkaline), car tires, glues, medications, mercury items, paint products, solvents, and propane tanks (20 lbs or less). Click here for a full list of items accepted, alternative options and items you can bring to the Recycling Center during open hours. When deciding what items to bring to a hazardous waste collection, look for products labeled with these signal words: POISON, DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION.

Nominations Sought for Outstanding City Employees

Cambridge City Manager Robert W. Healy is seeking nominations for the 2013 Outstanding City Employee Awards program which recognizes employees for exemplary performance and contributions that go above and beyond job requirements. Nominations will be accepted through Wednesday, April 10 either online at www.cambridgema.gov, by e-mail to mcarvello@cambridgema.gov, by fax to the Personnel Department at 617-349-4312, or by mail/in person to the Personnel Dept, 3rd Floor, City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue.

Missed recycling or trash? Please use iReport or call DPW at 617-349-4800 no later than 12 noon the day after collection to make a request.
Request for toters, brochures, stickers or posters? Use our online form.
"Like" the Cambridge DPW on Facebook.
Please note that during holidays weeks, trash, recycling and yard waste collection is delayed one day. Check the 2013 collection schedule online for full details.

Take the 50% recycling pledge today at www.cambridgema.gov/recycle and get a free sticker!
Recycle More. Trash Less.

If you support recycling and finding solutions to pollution, you may also find this interesting:
From garbage to fuel: Santa Cruz nonprofit pushes program to turn plastic pollution into power

Voter Registration and Absentee Ballots for the Special State Primary, April 30th

The Special State Primary will be held on Tues, Apr 30, 2013 for the office of Senator in Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator John F. Kerry. The last day to register to vote was Wed, Apr 10, 2013 until 8pm. The polls will be open on Election Day from 7:00am until 8:00pm.

Please contact the Cambridge Election Commission office to find out when the Absentee Ballots will be available. Any voter who is unable to go to the polls on Election Day due to physical disability, religious belief, or absence from the City may request an Absentee Ballot from the Commission. The deadline to apply for an Absentee Ballot is Mon, Apr 29, 2013 at Noon. Absentee Ballots may be mailed to voters, or such voters may choose to vote at the Commission office during regular city office hours: Mon, 8:30am-8:00pm; Tues-Thurs, 8:30am-5:00pm; Fri, 8:30am-Noon.

The office will also be open for Absentee Voting on Fri, Apr 26th from 8:30am until 5:00pm. For any additional information, please visit the Cambridge Election Commission office at 51 Inman Street, call (617-349-4361) or visit our website at www.cambridgema.gov/election.

Road Closures related to MIT Police Officer Sean Collier Memorial Service April 24

Cambridge Police Department announced various road closures beginning before the morning rush hour on Wednesday, Apr. 24 for the memorial service of MIT Officer Sean Collier at Noon. This service is only open to members of law enforcement and the MIT community with valid MIT IDs.

Road Closures:
   • Vassar St: between Audrey St. and Mass. Ave. Wednesday, Apr 24 at 6am.
   • Mass. Ave: from Albany St. toward Boston Wednesday, Apr 24 at 7am.
   • Memorial Drive: between Mass. Ave. and BU Bridge Wednesday, Apr. 24 at 12am.
   • Mass. Ave. Bridge into Cambridge: Wednesday, Apr. 24, at 7am.

These road closures are going to have a major impact on traffic in the city. Police are asking residents to plan ahead, seek alternate routes, and use public transportation whenever possible. Further updates about road closures and other traffic issues will be posted on the Cambridge Police Department's website at www.CambridgePolice.org. Information can also be found by following @CambridgePolice on Twitter.

It is anticipated that on the order of 10,000 people will be in attendance.

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. -- Blaise Pascal

April 20 - Those who murdered and maimed at the Boston Marathon and who subsequently murdered MIT Police Officer Sean Collier have now been killed or captured. Cambridge, Watertown, and surrounding areas are no longer in a state of siege. There are a few things that come to mind now that I've finally been able to sleep after this ordeal.

There should now be no doubt that surveillance cameras are valuable tools for identifying criminals and helping to bring them to justice. Elected officials who fail to understand this should not be elected. The argument that these cameras infringe on civil liberties is an argument I no longer wish to hear.
If ever there was any doubt that the dissemination of local news is important, this should no longer be in doubt. How that information is distributed is rapidly evolving, but it now clearly includes such tools as Twitter and other forms of social media. It's also clear that when so many people are taking part in the rapid exchange of information, it's important that everyone understands that there have to be some rules, especially regarding things that could make it more difficult for the police and other officials to do their work. Those rules are not yet established, but experiences like this help to create them.
I greatly appreciated all of the people I know who openly expressed their anger and their unvarnished points of view during this ordeal. I find honesty very refreshing. What I despise is when the thought police try to dictate what emotions you're allowed to have. Put it all out there, folks. Repressing your honest thoughts is like stifling a sneeze.
To all the conspiracy theorists with their "false flags" and other rubbish, get a life. - Robert Winters

Comments?

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day - Saturday, April 20
The City of Cambridge is sponsoring a Household Hazardous Waste collection day on Saturday, April 20, from 9am-1pm, at the Field Street Parking Lot at Danehy Park (on Field St. at Fern St.).

This event is free, and open to all Cambridge residents (proof of residency required). Proper disposal of household chemicals helps protect public health and the environment. For more information, call Public Works at 617-349-4800. To learn more about accepted materials, other guidelines and future dates, visit http://www.cambridgema.gov/theworks/ourservices/recyclingandtrash/hazardouswastecollection.aspx.

April 19 - For updates on the ongoing manhunt for the murderers of an MIT police officer, try Twitter. Also WCVB who have been following it continuously through the night. These are the same subhumans who did the Marthon Day bombings. One of the animals has been killed and the other is being hunted in Watertown in the vicinity of the Arsenal Mall.

''We believe this to be a terrorist,'' Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said. ''We believe this to be a man who came here to kill people.''

Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev won a scholarship from the City of Cambridge in 2011. He's still on the loose.
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/cambridge/2011/05/cambridge_announces_2011_city.html

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/user/muazseyfullah - Allah is the one.
Unbelievable.

It's interesting that ZUBEIDAT TSARNAEV, age 55, the shoplifting woman (probably the mother of the murderers), is listed as an active registered Cambridge voter (registered Feb 24, 2012), though she has not yet voted. How'd she manage to become a registered voter? Is she a US citizen?

Bombing suspects have international ties and have been in US for as long as a year, law enforcement sources say nbcnews.to/11k4DVY - — NBC News (@NBCNews) April 19, 2013

Once Upon a Marathon

Green Building at MIT April 16, 2013 - I led an 8-mile AMC Local Walk yesterday from the Forest Hills T station to Heartbreak Hill where we then watched the Marathon runners before heading back into Boston. After a walk from the Boston College area to the Reservoir stop on the Green Line, several of us were packed into a trolley heading toward Park Street. We never arrived. We were approximately under the Copley Square station when the bombs exploded above us. I didn't hear them, but when we were evacuated at Arlington Street you could tell that something was extremely wrong. When we got out into the street there were emergency vehicles racing from everywhere. At first nobody knew what was happening. When word started to spread that there had been a bombing, it was accompanied by word that it had been a diversion and that other bombings might follow. There was a lot of worry in the faces of most people. Thankfully, no other bombs followed.

Though I was pretty tired after walking perhaps 9 miles already, I had to then hike over to the Charles/MGH station to get back to Cambridge. Near MGH you could see hospital staff running toward MGH as the ambulances were arriving. I was practically the only one not staring into a cell phone or texting messages to people. It was surreal. From Central Square, yet more walking to get home and even in Cambridge you could see and hear the emergency vehicles racing toward Boston and toward suspicious sites in Cambridge. Like everyone else, watching the TV was like watching a horror movie.

Today I'm reading messages from politicians trying to get in air time. Spare me. Like millions of people in this area, I don't want to hear any more messages from politicians expressing concern. I don't want to hear about peace vigils or about why we should not give in to fear. Any fear passed quickly for most people. I want only that justice be done. Any person or group of people who would do such a thing should be treated like a disease and removed from the civilized world. Any philosophy or ideology espoused by such people should be damned. - Robert Winters

Comments?

Cambridge Delegation Announces Ethanol Train Meeting (see UPDATE below)

Cambridge’s legislative delegation invites residents, property owners, and local organizations to participate in a public forum about a proposed plan to transport ethanol through the City of Cambridge by rail. The forum will be held Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 6:00PM at the King Open School, 850 Cambridge St., Cambridge. Representatives from MassDOT will present the findings of their ethanol safety study at this meeting, followed by an opportunity for a dialogue between the public and elected officials.

“Ethanol is a highly volatile substance, and this proposal presents a clear and present public safety risk for the people of Cambridge. Without concerted action, the burden of emergency preparedness will fall on Cambridge taxpayers, while a Fortune 500 company pads its profits,” Representative Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. said. “I hope that everyone who has an interest in the future of Cambridge will attend this meeting.”

“Public safety and the environment remain central issues in the shipment of ethanol through the Commonwealth,” said Senator Anthony Petruccelli. “I continue to stand in opposition to the issuance of the Chapter 91 license to Global and I am committed to working with my fellow legislators in assuring that our public safety officers are prepared to protect our communities.”

“The plan to bring ethanol via train through Cambridge raises serious public safety concerns and potential negative environmental impacts for its residents and for the residents of its surrounding communities,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico. “Ethanol is a highly flammable liquid, and this project will greatly increase the risk of spills, releases, and fires along the route in which the 1.8-million-gallon ethanol-carrying train would pass. I urge all residents to attend the meeting to learn more about these risks and how they can be mitigated. We need answers to these serious questions.”

“Running trains carrying ethanol through densely populated residential neighborhoods carries serious potential consequences,” said Senator Patricia Jehlen. “Cambridge residents should take this opportunity to learn more about the process and ramifications of the proposal, and have their voices heard.”

“This meeting is a great opportunity for residents to learn about MassDOT’s safety study and to speak directly with their legislators about how we can stand together to oppose this plan,” said Representative Marjorie Decker. “Please attend this vitally important meeting.”

Representative David Rogers said, “Shipping ethanol through Cambridge will create an unacceptable transfer of risk from a private company to the general public. I am concerned about both the potential for a catastrophe and the ongoing financial cost to the City of Cambridge.”

This meeting will be hosted by the Cambridge delegation, which includes Representatives Toomey, Decker, Rogers, and Hecht and Senators Petruccelli, Jehlen, and DiDomenico.

MassDOT’s ethanol safety study and related documents can be found at http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/planning/Main/CurrentStudies/EthanolSafetyStudy.aspx

Any questions regarding the meeting may be directed to Dan Weber at Daniel.Weber@mahouse.gov or (617) 722-2380.

UPDATE: Cambridge Ethanol Train Meeting Agenda Changed, MassDOT Safety Study Presentation Being Rescheduled

Due to the tragic and disturbing nature of the events that occurred at yesterday's (Apr 15) Boston Marathon, the Cambridge state legislative delegation has chosen to abbreviate this meeting regarding the transportation of ethanol that was originally planned for 6pm this evening at the King Open School. The delegation has decided that it will go forward with the meeting in a shortened format, and will postpone the presentation of a Massachusetts Department of Transportation safety study by Department officials. Residents who still wish to attend will have an opportunity to discuss their questions and comments with their elected representatives. Residents who attend the meeting will also be able to obtain copies of MassDOT's safety study presentation. The Cambridge delegation plans to reschedule a full meeting with Department of Transportation officials and will announce the rescheduled meeting's date, time, and location in the coming days.

"A Better Future for A Better Cambridge"

How can we plan for urban growth in Cambridge to promote a more diverse, livable, and sustainable city for all residents?

An esteemed panel will address the coming demographic shifts that will put further pressure on the Cambridge's housing market and our transportation systems, and talk about solutions that can make Cambridge a leader in defining a new urban America in the age of climate change.

Frederick P. Salvucci, Former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation and current MIT Professor of Civil Engineering
Barry Bluestone, Founding director of the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University
Amy Cotter, Director of Regional Plan Implementation for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)

Moderated by Renee Loth, Editor at ArchitectureBoston and former Editorial Page Editor for the Boston Globe.

Thursday, April 11th
7:00PM
Cambridge College
1000 Massachusetts Ave.

All are welcome! Please register online to let us know you'll be participating in the discussion: http://abettercambridge.org/register-forum

Sponsored by A Better Cambridge | Working to build a more diverse and dynamic Cambridge on the path toward sustainable growth.

Web: http://abettercambridge.com | Facebook: http://facebook.com/ABetterCambridge | Twitter: @ABetterCambMA

Apr 8 update on the MIT/Kendall Petition

The MIT/Kendall zoning petition was ordained as amended on a 7-1-1 vote with Councillor vanBeuzekom voting NO (as expected) and Vice Mayor Simmons voting PRESENT. The revised Letter of Commitment from MIT was approved unanimously.

Prior to final ordination a series of amendments were proposed by several councillors. Councillor Kelley objected strenuously to the late arrival of the proposed amendments and, in doing so, he came across as the smartest guy in the room. There were so many opportunities to propose amendments during the months, weeks, and days leading to this vote, that there was no excuse for trying to rush these amendments through. Nothing good came of it.

The late parade of amendments began with Councillor Cheung proposing some modifications of the percentages in section 13.83.2(d). This squeaked by on a 5-4 vote with Councillors Cheung, Decker, Reeves, Simmons, and vanBeuzekom voting in favor. Next came Councillor Cheung's amendment to increase the maximum height of the proposed residential tower from 300 ft. to 350 ft. That failed on a 4-5 vote with Councillors Cheung, Reeves, Simmons, and vanBeuzekom voting in favor.

Then Councillor vanBeuzekom proposed a reduction in the maximum permissible nighttime noise levels from 65db to 55db. Councillor Kelley opined that this was a matter that should be viewed in a citywide context. The amendment failed 4-5 with Councillors Cheung, Simmons, vanBeuzekom, and Mayor Davis voting in favor. The next amendment by Councillor vanBeuzekom to require "net zero" energy standards enjoyed a temporary victory on a 5-3-1 vote with Councillors Cheung, Decker, Simmons, vanBeuzekom, and Mayor Davis voting YES; Councillors Kelley, Maher, and Toomey voting NO; and Councillor Reeves voting PRESENT. Later in the meeting, when informed that this burden could threaten MIT's other commitments, Mayor Davis reluctantly asked to change her vote from YES to PRESENT which defeated the amendment 4-3-2. This was a vote change that Mayor Davis clearly did not relish, but she did it for the greater goal of passing the entire package.

The last amendment was from Councillor Decker and will likely be the one that brings some repercussions. She proposed that the $10 million that was to be dedicated to a Community Fund be transferred to a general mitigation fund not tied in any way to the K2C2 principles. It is my understanding that this has the effect of cutting out the role of people from the adjacent neighborhood organizations in the mitigation fund. The amendment passed on a 5-4 vote with Councillors Cheung, Decker, Reeves, Simmons, and vanBeuzekom voting in favor.

It was also revealed that Councillor Decker's Order #1 to increase the Inclusionary Zoning percentage from 15% to 18% was meant to be a citywide proposal. She withdrew her Order and will resubmit it as a citywide proposal at a later date. - RW

Traffic Nightmare Notice

On Sunday, April 7, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation will be closing the bridge that carries Memorial Drive over the rotary at the BU Bridge in Cambridge. The bridge, known as the Reid Overpass, will be closed to all vehicles, as well as to cyclists and pedestrians in both the eastbound and westbound directions. All vehicles will be diverted to the surface roadways and through the BU Bridge/Brookline Street rotary, and back on to Memorial Drive. The overpass will be closed to allow crews to perform structural repairs; the work is anticipated to last six months. For transportation news and updates visit the MassDOT website at www.mass.gov/massdot. The bridge work is not related to the Western Avenue Reconstruction Project, but we wanted to make sure that those in the Western Ave neighborhood were notified, as this bridge closure may affect your commute.

April 3 - MIT president, senior faculty and deans ask Cambridge to approve MIT's zoning proposal (MIT News)

MIT faculty/deans support letters for Kendall Square Initiative

Deborah Fitzgerald, Kenan Sahin Dean, School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; Professor of the History of Technology, Program in Science, Technology, and Society

Marc Kastner, Dean, School of Science; Donner Professor of Science

Adèle Naudé Santos, Dean, School of Architecture and Planning; Professor of Architecture and Planning

David Schmittlein, John C Head III Dean, MIT Sloan School of Management; Professor of Marketing

Ian A. Waitz, Dean, School of Engineering; Jerome C. Hunsaker professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Cynthia Barnhart, Associate Dean, School of Engineering; Ford Professor of Engineering; Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Jaime Pedire, Department Head, Aeronautics and Astronautics; H.N. Slater Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Douglas A. Lauffenburger, Department Head, Biological Engineering; Ford Professor of Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Biology

Klavs F. Jensen, Department Head, Chemical Engineering; Warren K. Lewis Professor of Chemical Engineering

Andrew J. Whittle, Department Head, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Edmund K. Turner Professor

Anantha P. Chandrakasan, Department Head, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Joseph F. and Nancy P. Keithley Professor of Electrical Engineering

Munther A. Dahleh, Associate Department Head, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

William T. Freeman, Associate Department Head, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Stephen C. Graves, Interim Director, Engineering Systems Division; Abraham J. Siegel Professor of Management Science; Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Systems

Christopher A. Schuh, Department Head, Materials Science and Engineering; Danae and Vasilis Salapatas Professor of Metallurgy

Mary C. Boyce, Department Head, Mechanical Engineering; Ford Professor of Engineering

Gareth H. McKinley, Associate Department Head, Mechanical Engineering; School of Engineering Professor of Teaching Innovation

Richard K. Lester, Department Head, Nuclear Science and Engineering; Japan Steel Industry Professor

April 3 - MIT doubles down on Kendall Square redevelopment (Erin Baldassari, Cambridge Chronicle)

April 3 - Roundtables allow councilors to brainstorm (Marjorie Decker, letter to Cambridge Chronicle)

April 3 - Cambridge School Committee approves $151M budget (Erin Baldassari, Cambridge Chronicle)

April 2 - Time to move forward with MIT proposal (Sam Seidel, letter to Cambridge Chronicle)

Apr 6 - Cambridge Redevelopment Authority looks to the future (Leah Burrows, Cambridge Chronicle)

Mar 28 - Cambridge Redevelopment Authority selects new executive director (Erin Baldassari, Cambridge Chronicle)

Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) members voted 4-0 on March 27 to enter into contract negotiations with MassDOT Transportation Planner Tom Evans to be their next executive director.

Housing and the Kendall Square/MIT Petition

There was a forum at MIT on Wed, Feb 6 hosted by the MIT Graduate Student Council that addressed some of the issues associated with the current MIT/Kendall Sq. zoning petition now before the Cambridge Planning Board and the Cambridge City Council. This forum was intended for an MIT audience, and only MIT affiliates were invited. It was an honor to have been asked to be a panelist at this forum. The forum was very well attended and required an overflow room to accommodate all the graduate students, undergraduates, post-docs, faculty, staff and administration who came to hear the plans and ask questions.

The good folks of the MIT GSC know how to run a very good meeting that showcases multiple viewpoints while refraining from advocacy. Special acknowledgement goes to GSC President Brian Spatocco who deserves to one day be the mayor or governor of somewhere, somehow, based on his ability to be so informative, fair, and objective.

After the introductions, the forum opened with Israel Ruiz (MIT Executive Vice-President & Treasurer) and Steve Marsh (Managing Director of Real Estate, MIT Investment Management Corporation - MITIMCo) explaining the elements of the zoning petition and its purpose. The panelists were Martin Schmidt (Associate Provost & Prof. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science), Linda Patton (Asst. Director of Off-Campus Housing), Bob Simha (Director of Campus Planning, 1960-2001 and DUSP Lecturer), Jonathan King (Prof. of Biology), Robert Winters (mathematics lecturer, editor of Cambridge Civic Journal), Ruth Perry (Prof. of Literature), and Thomas Kochan (2030 Faculty Task Force & Professor of Management).

Though the organizers were aware of which panelists might speak favorably or unfavorably about the zoing petition (so that they could provide balance), there were no conditions on what specific topics each panelist could address. I chose to focus on the context of housing for graduate students and on the affordability of housing in general. I tried to look at things from my point of view as someone who was an MIT graduate student starting in 1978 and who bought a three-family house in 1985 where I continue to live today. Though I may have skipped a point or two, here are the points I tried to make during my presentation:

The situation as it used to be (circa 1978):

1) There was a significant supply of multi-family housing stock in Cambridge.

2) Rent control was the law for much of the housing stock.

3) The great majority of graduate students preferred to live off-campus rather than in MIT dormitories.

4) Most graduate students were content to live in housemate situations, often with 3 or 4 or more to an apartment. Luxury accommodations were not in demand.

5) There were relatively few post-docs.

6) Kendall Square as a job generator did not really exist.

What happened? (the perfect storm)

1) Rent control ended as a result of a 1994 statewide initiative petition.

2) Much of the multi-family housing stock was converted to (high-end) condominiums.

3) Kendall Square and elsewhere was developed without concurrent housing – greatly increasing the pressure on existing local housing stock for both rental and ownership opportunities.

4) There was a significant increase in post-doc opportunities (in lieu of tenure-track faculty opportunities) – significantly increasing the grad/post-doc pool of people competing for housing.

5) Changing expectations – grad students/post-docs are demanding much higher quality housing, often shunning housemate situations.

6) Among some grads/post-docs, there is a greater need to be close to their labs.

7) There has been a national shift toward people preferring to live in urban environments, reversing the earlier pro-suburban movement among faculty, professional people, and seniors.

8) Any new housing built in and around Kendall Square will also be occupied by people who work in Boston and elsewhere.

The Net Effect:

All of these factors (and more) affect the availability and affordability of housing in and around Cambridge - not just for graduate students but for everyone. The problem is pervasive and is compounded by the resistance by many existing residents toward the construction of new housing in Cambridge and elsewhere. The isolated construction of a limited amount of housing anywhere in Cambridge will have a negligible effect on the overall housing problem. Indeed, it can even paradoxically have the opposite effect by attracting people toward this limited supply of new units who will then bid up the price to create a local "bubble" in the price of housing.

Indeed, the only way to reverse this "perfect storm" is to advocate for significant amounts of new housing in Cambridge, in Somerville, in Allston, in Charlestown, and elsewhere in the greater Boston area. Only when there is a range of housing choices at various rents and locations will any kind of rental housing market be restored in which people can make rational economic choices such as living a little further away or in less luxury in exchange for paying less rent. Trying to create a smattering of "affordable housing" units via inclusionary zoning or government subsidy will never have more than a limited effect on the essential problem. There are just too many factors conspiring to make housing unaffordable. If graduate students really want affordable housing, they should be clamoring for many thousands of housing units to be built everywhere in the area - and not just in Kendall Square and Cambridge.

Locally, it may well be that condominium conversion has had the greatest impact on this loss of affordability. Where once there were streets lined with two-family houses and triple-deckers that provided affordable housing for a resident owner AND for the other tenants in a building (including many graduate students), there are now luxury condominiums where the prices have been bid up to the point of unaffordability except for those in the upper income echelons. The only "working class" residents remaining are those who bought their housing long ago, inherited it, married well, or those with some expertise in benefiting from government-subsidized housing and related programs.

There are also people like me who bought their homes and continued to rent apartments to graduate students, post-docs, and others and who managed to pay off their mortgages without ever excessively raising rents. My affordable housing continues to provide the affordable housing for two other families who were graduate students when they first arrived. Cambridge would be a better place today if more of its two- and three-family homes had never been turned into luxury condominiums. Failure to put some limits on that condominium conversion may be the single greatest reason why MIT graduate students can no longer find affordable housing opportunities in Cambridge. This is also one of the greatest public policy failures by Cambridge elected officials who put all their faith in rent control. Building "affordable housing" today really is like closing the stable doors long after the horses have run away.

The MIT/Kendall Petition

This petition basically redefines the upper limits (heights, density) of what might be constructed in the area east of Ames Street, south of Main Street (plus the area around One Broadway to Broad Canal), and down to Memorial Drive. This petition is both timely and appropriate. This area has always had a mix of uses, including industrial uses. It's also located at a major Red Line T station, and virtually all planning professionals agree that it's best to concentrate density close to public transportation. The petition would only define the envelope of what could be built and not precisely what will be built.

Any debate regarding the appropriateness of commercial buildings vs. academic buildings vs. residential buildings in the petition area should really not be taking place before the Cambridge Planning Board or the Cambridge City Council (though this may affect how the petition is received by these respective bodies). This debate is properly one that must occur within the MIT community – administration, real estate investment people, faculty, staff, and students – and preferably also among those who live and work in the surrounding area.

MIT/Kendall plan - courtesy of Israel Ruiz
photo from MIT's The Tech

Text of MIT/Kendall Petition

Jan 11, 2013 Memo from Community Development Dept. (CDD)

Regarding the graduate student housing issue

MIT can provide a good "Plan B" option for graduate students and post-docs by having ample on-campus and near-campus MIT-owned residential properties (especially for those who need to be close to labs, etc.), but this will barely make a dent in the larger problem. Many, perhaps most, graduate students and post-docs will continue to seek housing options off-campus - preferably within walking or bicycling distance. The focus has to be on increasing housing options within a reasonable distance of the MIT campus and not just on building housing within the MIT campus. Unfortunately, this is not something that MIT can unilaterally accomplish. It also requires action by local and state government AND by the developers who will ultimately build sufficient housing to restore some kind of viable housing market. Building "affordable housing" is fundamentally just politically expedient window-dressing.

A note on transportation

People really are choosing to be less reliant on automobiles, so public transportation infrastructure has to grow and to provide more frequent service and more reliable connections, and the entire system has to evolve from a hub-and-spokes model to more of a regional network. Otherwise we will be forever limited by the capacity of the hub in Boston. In the coming decades it will be very advantageous if a variety of new transit lines can be developed that do not require passing through the hub of Boston.

Etcetera

Whatever comes of the MIT/Kendall petition and of future plans for the petition area, it is essential that the results should not be boring. There really is a place for food trucks, diners, bumper cars, miniature golf, and other things that will have great appeal to many people - especially to MIT affiliates who have always had a love for things eclectic, entertaining, and affordable. There's a reason why those food trucks are so popular. Those whose memories go back several decades understand that those food trucks are modern versions of the old F&T Diner. There has to be a place in the future East Campus where modern-day memories will be created - the 21st Century incarnations of the F&T, Pritchett Lounge, and the Muddy Charles Pub. People can reasonably debate the relative merits of housing vs. academic buildings vs. commercial buildings that will help finance long-overdue renovations of existing MIT buildings. However, if the future is boring and pathetically predictable, that will be unforgivable. - Robert Winters

Comments?

F&T 1

F&T 2

F&T 3

East Cambridge Dollars for Scholars

East Cambridge Dollars for Scholars (formally the East Cambridge Scholarship Fund) is currently accepting applications for the 2013-2014 academic year from East Cambridge residents who are attending, or planning to attend, a college or university, graduate school or vocational/trade schools. Applications may be obtained by writing to:

East Cambridge Dollars for Scholars
P.O. Box 410026
Cambridge, MA 02141

or by emailing eastcambridgedfs@hotmail.com. In addition, applications are available at the East End House, the Frisoli Youth Center, the Kennedy Community School Office, the Sixth Street O'Connell Library and State Representative Tim Toomey's office on Cambridge Street. The deadline for submitting an application is April 8, 2013.

Thank you.
East Cambridge Dollars for Scholars

Mar 22, 2013 - A Brief Stop at City Hall on the Way to Something Better

The Cambridge City Council had a Roundtable meeting this morning to ask some questions about the MIT/Kendall zoning petition that's now in the queue for possible ordination in a few weeks. As most of you know, Roundtable meetings do not allow public comment nor are they televised, but in a delightful comic sideshow a couple of people did their best to thwart the purpose of such working meetings by engineering a live internet feed of the meeting. The law certainly permits this, but it seems an especially impotent gesture to set up a live feed purely based on resentment of the Council's majority vote to schedule this as a Roundtable meeting, especially when there have already been many Planning Board and Ordinance Committee meetings on this topic.

Planning Board Chair Hugh Russell opened his remarks by noting that the zoning for this area in Kendall Square has remained largely unchanged since the original enactment of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance in 1924, with the only serious change being the citywide rezoning that took place around 12 years ago. [The adjacent area is under the control of the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority which is covered under the zoning ordinance but as several planned unit development (PUD) zones.] The current petition would, in addition to some other incentive provisions, restore in this area much of what was reduced in the citywide rezoning. Hugh noted that the physical reality of the area has not kept up with the intellectual activity of the area, and that some "tweak" in the zoning was appropriate to achieve the best outcome. He characterized the K2C2 study as an enormous contribution and, while noting that they've been on this topic since 2010 deliberating and consulting everyone, it is time to act now and to move on to other matters. The Planning Board is happy with the MIT part and the design guidelines, and they are eager to move on to the Central Square piece and the other areas of the K2C2 study.

Stuart Dash (CDD) spoke of the many City efforts to balance work and housing in Cambridge, including 4000 units of housing built or in development since 2001. NorthPoint is only now commencing new housing construction, and the Twining development (Kendall Square) and the Faces site (Alewife) are nearing completion. He referred to the Osborne Triangle area between Kendall and Central Squares as potentially providing additional housing to accommodate some of those who work in Kendall Square.

Councillor Leland Cheung noted recent concessions as part of this zoning petition to address setback issues adjacent to the Red Cross building in Kendall Square, placing a cap on parking, and ensuring a better retail environment. He was also very pleased by the recent appointment by MIT of Prof. Clay to chair the study now underway on housing needs for graduate students and post-docs (and others) affiliated with MIT. [This is an issue being exploited now by reactionary activists opposed to the MIT/Kendall petition.] Councillor Cheung also commended MIT's commitment to providing pathways for apprenticeships for local residents.

In response to a question about the need to significantly alter the area adjacent to the Kendall Square T entrance, architect David Manfredi noted that this entry to the MIT area now seems more like a narrow alley than a gateway to MIT and that some greater width was necessary. This might necessitate some alteration or removal of the MIT Press building, though he later emphasized that too much width can drain the energy of the space. He said that to create human scale, it is helpful to have buildings set back above the second story and to have multiple retail tenants on the ground floor. He said that streets need to be "a little messy" in order to be great streets, and that this is often not the case when the principal tenant of a building wants to use their ground floor "to make a corporate statement." He noted that MIT's intent here was the contrary - to create a sense of place - and that storefronts would ideally be 20-30 feet wide instead of 200 feet wide. He said that MIT already was rich in iconic images such as its domes and the Infinite Corridor, and that anything designed in Kendall Square should be equally iconic. Above all, he stressed that whatever design is developed should be inviting - open and welcome. "We don't want to build walls. We want to build an open, inviting network of connections."

In response to questions from Mayor Davis, David Manfredi noted that along Main Street the median will be removed, on-street parking would be restored, and that sidewalks would be widened to 16 feet from building to curb. He also explained that building heights would be capped at 150 ft. at Memorial Drive. The current height limit is 120 ft. but some existing buildings like 100 Memorial Drive are twice that height.

In response to questions from Councillor vanBeuzekom, David Manfredi noted that sidewalks that are too wide can dissipate energy, and stated that two-sided retail is preferable to have a great street. He again noted that when a corporate tenant decides to dedicate their ground floor to retail, this can have negative consequences on the pro forma of the building, i.e. it can be more profitable to not include this retail. It's a question of priorities. In the development world, it's most unusual to dedicate most of the ground floor to retail, but this is a statement of MIT priorities to create a sense of place in this area.

Councillor Reeves in his statement used the unfortunate phrase "raped buildings" to describe historic buildings with radically altered facades. This led to Councillor Decker objecting to the term and Reeves reluctantly agreeing to the phrase "stripped buildings." Only at this point were the familiar interpersonal problems among some councillors starting to emerge. I have no idea what the councillors said after that because I had to leave to head to MIT for our weekly staff meeting and Friday seminar.

Down at MIT we were treated to a fabulous seminar with Professor David Kaiser on the interwoven histories of politics and general relativity - with a special emphasis on Albert Einstein. My day only got better as it wore on. Did you know that after Einstein became a worldwide celebrity when his general theory of relativity was demonstrated in a 1919 total solar eclipse, massive demonstrations followed in Germany against relativity theory? The theme at these rallies was that all great theories were discovered by Aryans. I am a huge fan of David Kaiser. Last year he gave a talk at the Democracy Center in Harvard Square entitled "When the Hippies Saved Physics." You have to love life in Cambridge. - Robert Winters

Kendall Square, a brief historical sketch - by Sam Seidel (Mar 17, 2013)

Letter from Tom Stohlman (Mar 19, 2013)

To the City Council,

The City Charter says:
"Except in the cases of executive sessions authorized by section twenty-three A of chapter thirty-nine, all meetings of the city council shall be open to the press and to the public, and the rules of the city council shall provide that citizens and employees of the city shall have a reasonable opportunity to be heard at any such meeting in regard to any matter considered thereat."

It appears sometime in the past, someone crafted an interpretation of these words which would allow the City Council to meet and not give citizens "a reasonable opportunity to be heard at any such meeting in regard to any matter considered thereat." I'm sure it may have been for some good reason along the lines of, "We, the City Council, need to be able to meet and discuss matters before us without devoting the whole meeting to listening to the public talk about matters before us."

Thus the "roundtable" meeting was born. I think it was illegal then and I think it is illegal now.

The City Council Rules were voted without (much) debate at the beginning of your term, and reflect the wishes of some long-gone previous incarnation of the City Council. The rules are broken, in multiple senses of the phrase. The rules are ignored when they get in the way. The rules are invoked inconsistently to stifle debate. The rules are also broken if they actually keep you from doing your job.

I know you all and I know you are capable of having a discussion among yourselves and giving the public "a reasonable opportunity to be heard at any such meeting in regard to any matter considered thereat." It's your meeting and you control it, not some long-gone previous incarnation of the City Council, not the City Manager, not the City Solicitor, and not the public.

The City Charter gives you that power. All it asks in return is that you do what it says. I recognize that my Charter right must be invoked reasonably and I want you to devote as much time as you can to discussing this among yourselves in whatever way you find most useful. Even if the Charter didn't require it, you should open all your meetings (and sub-committee meetings) to whatever form of public communication (speech, TV, Internet, letters, emails, etc., etc.) is reasonably available and you should give the public a reasonable amount of time to be heard (literally).

I ask that you get a fresh start, and embrace the spirit of the Charter's words this Friday at 9:30am. Find a way to hear the public while having a (real) discussion among yourselves and City staff about this important matter before you, the MIT PUD5 Zoning Amendment.

Best,

Tom Stohlman
19 Channing Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-547-5246
tstohlman@alum.mit.edu

Comments?

Quick Notes on what went down at the Mar 18, 2013 City Council meeting:

1) Many people showed up to protest the impending termination of the Longy School's Preparatory and Continuing Studies program. The City Council's University Relations Committee will address this at a meeting on Wed, Mar 20 at 2:00pm in the Sullivan Chamber of City Hall.

2) Throngs of soccer players, parents, and coaches came out to question Councillor vanBeuzekom's Order #9 that recommended delaying the installation of artificial turf on soccer fields at Danehy Park. The Order was subsequently withdrawn. (It would likely have been defeated.)

3) Open Houses on the MIT/Kendall Square Initiative (zoning petition) are scheduled for Sat, Mar 23 from 10:00am to noon and Tues, Mar 26 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at One Broadway, 1st Floor, next to Firebrand Saints. Look for the blue windows.

MIT/Kendall Open House

4) There was a somewhat disjointed discussion on the appropriateness of a proposed Ordinance Committee roundtable meeting this Fri, Mar 22 at 9:30am to discuss the details of the MIT/Kendall petition. The debate centered on whether it should be televised and whether public comment should be permitted. The procedural compromise was to change this to a City Council roundtable meeting (which are not televised and where public comment is not permitted). Ordinance Committee Chair David Maher promised that there would be another Ordinance Committee meeting on this topic prior to a final vote on ordination. It was also stated that this petition will expire on April 15 rather than April 24 as previously established. Apparently even though state law sets the deadline at 90 days after its first Ordinance Committee hearing, section 1.52 of the City's zoning ordinance sets the deadline at 90 days after its initial Planning Board hearing (who knew?). The Law Dept. recommended the Apr 15 deadline. After the discussion the City Council passed the petition to a 2nd Reading. This puts it in the queue to be voted for ordination after Mar 28 and before the Apr 15 expiration date.

5) Councillor Decker announced that the state has designated Homeowners Rehab, Inc. (HRI) as the agency to negotiate the sale of the 2 Mt. Auburn St. housing currently owned and managed by Harvard University. She indicated some hope that good news may follow regarding the long-term affordability for tenants of this building. - RW (additions and corrections welcome)

INNOVATION DISTRICTS: FAD OR FUTURE?

Innovation Districts: Fad or Future?

Innovation districts are all the rage, with cities around the world attempting to create them. What makes them work – the presence of a world class university, the proximity of research labs to start-ups, or the easy access to venture capital? Along with these questions is a question of self-interest Can they be replicated? A panel of experts wilI discuss the phenomenon of innovation districts and examine whether they are a passing fad, or are here to stay.

Tim Rowe
Founder, Cambridge Innovation Center

Guillaume Pasquier
Deputy Director, Paris Saclay

Gavin Kleespies
Executive Director, Cambridge Historical Society

David Dixon
Principal, Goody Clancy

Marc Draisen
Executive Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council

Sam Seidel
Moderator, Former Cambridge City Councillor

Wed, April 3, 2013, 6:30-8:00pm, 48 Quincy St, Piper Auditorium
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Presented by HUPO Free. open to the public

Mar 19, 2013 - Our friend Saul Tannenbaum reports that at tonight's Central Square Business Association Annual Meeting, Richard Rossi announced that when he becomes City Manager on July 1, his Deputy City Manager will be Lisa Peterson, the current Commissioner of Public Works. Personally, I am very pleased to hear this. - RW

Longfellow Bridge Construction Animation

Harvard Freshman Says He Will Seek Cambridge City Council Seat (Sonali Y. Salgado, Harvard Crimson)

Logan E. Leslie, current Harvard freshman and former Marine, told The Crimson Monday that he plans to seek a seat on Cambridge's City Council. If elected, the 26-year-old, who lives off-campus with his wife and daughter, would be the first Harvard College student on the Council in recent memory.

Friday, March 8 - Reckless Endangerment

I'm a very law-abiding cyclist. I stop for all red lights, I obey all traffic laws, I have working lights on my bike, and I wear a very bright jacket for maximum visibility. I even give grief to other cyclists who don't obey the law. This afternoon while cycling home from MIT on Massachusetts Avenue, I was run off the road by an aggressive motorist in a small-to-medium sized white car who apparently didn't want to share the right-hand lane with a cyclist who had no other options because of the snow. I did not crash and I was not injured because I was able to use evasive action. Normally I find Mass. Ave. to be the safest option on my ride home because it has adequate width for all vehicles. The registration of the car is Mass. 889-WL8. Could someone advise me how I might go about having this psychopathic driver cited for reckless endangerment? - Robert Winters

Shredding Day - Saturday, March 9, 2013

Local officials from the Consumers' Council, Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, the U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service will be helping residents safely dispose of unwanted records at a free document shredding event. On March 9th, consumers are invited to bring their personal documents to the Central Square Post Office, 770 Mass. Ave., from 10:00am to 2:00pm to use these shredders.

This free event will take place outside the Central Square Post Office – held snow, rain or shine – and will provide an opportunity for the public to securely dispose of personal and confidential paper documents. Documents will be destroyed on the spot in a highly advanced technical mobile shredding truck. Ten minute drop-off parking will be available on Massachusetts Avenue (between Sellers & Pleasant Street), Pleasant Street (between Mass. Ave & Green Street), and Inman Street (between Mass. Ave & Bishop Allen Drive). Please contact the CCC's Consumer Information and Public Assistance Hotline with any questions at 617.349.6150 or consumer@cambridgema.gov, or visit our website at http://www.cambridgema.gov/consumercouncil.aspx.

Cambridge council approves new life sciences building in Central Square (Brock Parker, Boston Globe)
An objective, fact-based account of the vote on the Forest City petition.

Central Square: Third time's the charm for Forest City (Erin Baldassari, Cambridge Chronicle)

Feb 25 Update: The Cambridge City Council tonight unanimously ordained the MIT/Forest City zoning petition. Later in the meeting they voted 7-2 (Kelley, vanBeuzekom NO) to approve the contract with Richard Rossi as Cambridge's next City Manager starting July 1, 2013. Then they had a recess to sign the contract and have a few photos taken. Here's one sent by Councillor Leland Cheung:

Rich Rossi contract signing

Who Speaks for your Neighborhood?

Feb 13, 2013 - Tonight I attended a forum organized by the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association (MCNA) that was supposed to focus on "the proposed new vision for Central Square" that grew out of the Central Square Advisory Committee 2011/12 recommendations (which still have not been formulated into any zoning proposal). I went there naively hoping that the MCNA might actually put on a balanced presentation that focused on facts and not distortion. The forum was a disappointment. The MCNA does a very poor job of promoting its events, and attendance at the forum was dominated by adherents of the Cambridge Residents Alliance (CRA), the group that has distinguished itself over this past year primarily by its misinformation campaigns regarding Central Square and elsewhere. There were also, not unexpectedly, an array of City Council aspirants eager to get their names and faces around town and to capitalize on the CRA's alarmist rhetoric.

The forum organizer/moderator was John Pitkin who I might have thought would understand the value of "smart growth" and of the energy efficiencies that could be possible with the provision of new housing close to public transit. He is, after all, one of the most outspoken people I know regarding climate change. I came away from the forum with the feeling that it was little more than reactionary conservativism toward any change to what exists today - especially any change that might involve new construction in Central Square. The online flyer for the event stated that there would be a 3-person panel consisting of one representative of the Cambridge Residents Alliance (Jonathan King); another person (Jesse Kanson-Benanav) representing A Better Cambridge (ABC), a group that embraces smart-growth principles; and one member of the Central Square Advisiory Committee 2011/12 (Esther Hanig) who also identifies with ABC. Upon arrival, two additional CRA advocates (Bill Cunningham and Lee Farris) were added to the panel to tilt the balance in their favor. The misinformation regarding Central Square plans flowed freely.

The falsehood that there was ever a plan to tear down the public housing at Newtowne Court was again repeated. It was stated that the current Forest City zoning petition seeks to double the allowable density on the 300 Mass. Ave. site - also false. Mr. King stated that Jill Brown-Rhone Park came about as a result of a hard fight by community activists - which is totally false. The design of that park was promoted by the planners within the Community Development Department (CDD) for many years. It was universally supported by all parties. Mr. King painted a picture of Cambridge as a place where kids would no longer be able to get to soccer practice due to the traffic, and where seniors would no longer be able to cross the street. He cynically suggested that City planners might one day build housing projects on Joan Lorentz Park, on Dana Park, and on other parks. It was a stunning performance and all recorded for future editing as part of this year's municipal election campaign. It's so good to know that the MCNA is doing its part to spread falsehoods. There was fortunately one representative from CDD (Stuart Dash) who was able to dispel many of the falsehoods, but there's only so much you can do to hold back a tsunami of misinformation.

This unpleasant experience got me to thinking of the status of the various neighborhood associations that exist or once existed in Cambridge. Nobody believes these associations are in any way representative of their respective neighborhoods, but some of them have been known to accomplish some good things or provide useful services.

The Agassiz Neighborhood Council continues to soldier on in its longstanding service-oriented tradition. I remain a fan.

The Porter Square Neighbors Association (PSNA) maintains a very active and informative listserv and has regular meetings. They also have managed to maintain some balance in their prespective - no small feat in a Cambridge environment.

The East Cambridge Planning Team has been an active participant in all matters relating to Kendall Square and East Cambridge, though their website seems to now be abandoned. They have some excellent Board members.

The Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association has been growing a bit sketchy of late, but they do meet somewhat regularly and maintain an active neighborhood listserv (though its moderation policies could use a little scrutiny).What they could really use is some new blood.

The Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association (MCNA) has been around for decades, but they remain insular, their website has been "under construction" for ages, and they have proven themselves incapable of setting up and managing a neighborhood listserv. [I actually created a Google Group for this purpose and volunteered to help get it going, but the MCNA never responded. It may be time to just move forward on this independently if the MCNA has no interest in fostering a broader neighborhood conversation.]

The Area 4 Coalition exists apparently as a listserv and they reportedly meet occasionally. They have always suffered, like other neighborhood associations, with being dominated by factions that eventually drive others out. Their once-interesting and useful website has been abandoned.

The Wellington-Harrington Neighborhood Association seemed to revive a few years ago and they still have a website, but it has not been updated in nearly 3 years.

Vision Central Square was a nice group that did their best to promote Central Square as a family-oriented area, but their website is now abandoned and they have not met in ages. Their listserv still exists, but only a few people seem to participate.

There's also a Cambridge Highlands Neighborhood Association, but their website appears to be no longer maintained and I don't know if they have an active neighborhood listserv.

The North Cambridge Stabilization Committee long ago became the private playground of a few activists, and their website has not been updated in a long time except for meeting notices. It appears that you have to be part of their Yahoo Group to hear about their meetings. I'm not at all convinced whether people in North Cambridge ever saw them as representing their neighborhood.

It's unclear whether the Harvard Square Defense Fund exists any more, though I suspect they do still exist on paper even if only for the sake of threatened litigation.

We are pretty clearly at the point where neighborhood associations have become marginal players in the landscape of civic affairs. Many of them exist only so that a few individuals can appear to be more influential than they actually are. We have become a city of individuals, and that's probably a good thing. I suspect the most valid associations now are centered around youth sports and around the religious congregations and, though I'm not at all religious, this seems like a perfectly good thing. Perhaps we should abandon the neighborhood designations and go back to parishes. At least charity would then be a part of the mission.

Among city-wide organizations, the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA) might still exist on paper, but it essentially folded for good about 10 years ago. Other organizations with an axe to grind have tried unsuccessfully to sell themselves as citywide civic organizations - like the Association of Cambridge Neighborhoods (ACN) and now the Cambridge Residents Alliance (CRA) which share many of the same members as the ACN, but these entities will continue to be limited by their narrow vision, their one-sided views, and their oppressive negativity.

I find myself these days wishing that something like the CCA of its early days existed today - an organization that at least sometimes tried to promote "good government" and a well-managed city while creating a structure under which civic-minded people could cooperatively become involved in City affairs. The CCA was also a vehicle through which candidates of far greater substance than the ones now coming out of the woodwork could contemplate seeking public office. I fear that this year's municipal election may well turn into a circus in which rational voters will have no choice but to stick with as many incumbents as possible - and that's hardly the ideal most of us would like to see.

More to follow. I have a few more things to say. - Robert Winters

City Council Scoreboard: Jan 1, 2012 through Feb 11, 2013

It seems like a good time to highlight the scoreboard of activity of the individual city councillors for the current term. Though there are other matters that occupy the time of these elected officials, the records of committee attendance and the number and type of City Council Orders and Resolutions introduced are two objective measures for which data is readily available. Here are the figures through Feb 11, 2013:

City Council Committee meetings chaired and attended (2012-2013) through reports of Feb 11, 2013
Councillor	Chaired	Attended
vanBeuzekom	5	45
Cheung	6	35
Kelley	6	31
Maher	20	26
Simmons	2	26
Davis (Mayor chairs all City Council and School Committee meetings)		21
Decker	8	18
Toomey	3	18
Reeves	0	15

Council Orders and Resolutions: Combined 2012-2013 through Feb 11, 2013
	P	I	R	M	D	C	A	F
Cheung	57	31	2	17	5	110	3	5
Davis	31	11	9	4	34	199	10	2
Decker	15	5	2	1	13	99	1	1
Kelley	4	19	6	7	3	12	1	0
Maher	5	1	9	1	155	60	0	0
Reeves	12	4	2	4	33	141	3	2
Simmons	16	8	3	10	25	148	3	2
Toomey	18	18	3	15	171	78	2	0
vanBeuzekom	40	28	6	12	3	23	2	2
Total	160	107	40	63	355	718	25	11
Total Orders and Resolutions: 1479

The distribution of Orders and Resolutions by city councillors can provide insight into how they approach their job and how they spend their time and staff resources.

P - Policy orders

I - Requests for information from the City Manager and City departments

R - Rules and procedural items, such as the scheduling of hearings

M - Maintenance orders: fixing things, putting in stop signs, potholes, traffic, etc.

D - Death resolutions

C - Congratulations, get-well wishes, birthdays, naming of street corners, etc.

A - Announcements of upcoming events, holidays, proclamations, etc.

F - Foreign and national policy matters

Hello Recycling & Composting Neighbors! - February 2013

Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet
Free Document Shredding 3/9
Unstoppable Rise of the Share Economy
School Sustainability Pledge
Numbers Corner for Recycling & Trash

Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet

Did you know that the Cambridge Police Department has a collection drop box for unused medications at 125 Sixth St, first floor lobby? Place medications in a sealed bag and place in the box. Items accepted: prescription & over-the-counter, vitamins, medication samples, veterinary medications and narcotics. No open containers of liquid and no syringes. Why turn in unused drugs? Children and animals could be poisoned if they find and swallow drugs, drugs can be scavenged and illegally sold, unused drugs are environmental toxins; flushing them down the toilet or sink can release them into our drinking water and soil. Also, the Health Center at 119 Windsor St accepts needles and syringes in a puncture-proof container (detergent bottles, coffee cans), sealed with tape. Bring sharps containers to the ground floor kiosk at the Health Center. No loose needles, no medications and no other medical supplies. Residents may request sharps containers at the Health Center.

Free Document Shredding 3/9

The Cambridge Consumers' Council, working in cooperation with the US Postal Service, is offering free document shredding on Saturday, March 9th from 10am-2pm, at the Central Square Post Office, 770 Mass. Ave., rain or shine. Members of the public can securely dispose of personal and confidential paper documents. Documents will be destroyed on the spot in a highly advanced technical mobile shredding truck and sent for recycling. Ten minute drop-off parking will be available on Massachusetts Avenue (Between Sellers & Pleasant Street), Pleasant Street (Between Mass. Ave & Green Street), and Inman Street (Between Mass. Ave & Bishop Allen Drive). Please contact Corey R. Pilz with any questions at 617.349.6150 or consumer@cambridgema.gov.

Unstoppable Rise of the Share Economy

Check out this great article in Forbes Magazine about the real trend of the sharing economy, which has created markets out of things that wouldn't have been considered monetizable assets before, such as a camping tent never used, pooch friendly room in your house, a drill lying fallow in a garage, a car sitting in someone's driveway, or even your vacant home when you're not there. Also in addition to www.craigslist.org, www.freecycle.org, www.reusemarketplace.org is a free regional network to find, sell, trade, or give away reusable and surplus items that would otherwise be disposed as trash. Businesses, institutions, governments, and organizations in MA, CT, RI, VT, NY, NJ and DE can create accounts and post listings. Anyone is welcome to search or browse the posted items.

School Sustainability Pledge

Check out the new Cambridge Green Schools Initiative Sustainability Pledge which covers multiple environmental categories including products, food, energy, waste and greenspace. Questions or feedback? Contact Sustainability Manager, Kristen von Hoffmann at kvonhoffmann@cpsd.us.

Numbers Corner for Recycling & Trash

Help the City meet its goals to reduce trash 30% from 2008 levels by 2020 and 80% less by 2050. For households, this means 16 lbs of trash per week by 2020 and 5 lbs/week by 2050. 25% of what we throw away is still cardboard, paper, and containers! The average household could recycle at least 5+ more lbs/ week or 260 more lbs/year. Further reduce trash by choosing to reuse. Visit our Get Rid of It Right page for where to donate clothing, furniture, household goods, electronics, and more.

	Curbside Recycling	Trash
2012	9,205 tons 8 pounds per household per week	15,254 tons 18.7 pounds per household per week
Percent Change	1.3% increase over 2011	3% decrease over 2011
Figures shown include residences served by City trash and recycling services and City buildings. Business, universities and many large multi-family buildings get private service and are not included here. Recycling only includes paper, cardboard, and containers collected in the curbside program. It does not include other materials collected for recycling or composting including appliances, electronics, or yard waste. As of February 2013, 44,200 households get City recycling service. 31,400 households get City trash service.

Missed recycling or trash? Please use iReport or call DPW at 617-349-4800 no later than 12 noon the day after collection to make a request.
Request for toters, brochures, stickers or posters? Use our online form.
"Like" the Cambridge DPW on Facebook.
Please note that during holidays weeks, trash, recycling and yard waste collection is delayed one day. Check the 2013 collection schedule online for full details.

Take the 50% recycling pledge today at www.cambridgema.gov/recycle and get a free sticker!
Recycle More. Trash Less.

If you support recycling and finding solutions to pollution, you may also find this interesting:
From garbage to fuel: Santa Cruz nonprofit pushes program to turn plastic pollution into power

Bill McDermott makes a point at the Cambridge Election Commission (2003)

Feb 28 - Distinguished Boston elections lawyer killed in Southie car accident (Dave Wedge, Boston Herald)
We know Bill McDermott in Cambridge as well. He provided legal services for several Cambridge city councillors in relation to the municipal elections, especially recounts. Bill was elections commissioner under former Boston Mayor Kevin White.

I found a picture I took of Bill making a point at the Cambridge Election Commission in 2003 in his element - surrounded by petitions for a controversial referendum. Click on the photo for larger resolution. - RW

Feb 26 - I just came back from an Ordinance Committee meeting on the MIT/Kendall petition that had a scheduled start time of 4:30pm. After brief presentations from the petitioners and from the Community Development Department, we were treated to three city councillors filling out the time until 6:30pm with their thoughts. I was not the only member of the public who had intended to speak but gave up waiting for the opportunity. Maybe I'll write up my comments and post them here or mail them in to the City Council, but I think it will be some time before I again choose to waste two hours waiting before giving up. - RW

On the agenda for the Feb 25, 2013 Cambridge City Council meeting:
Proposed contract between the City of Cambridge and Richard C. Rossi as the next City Manager for the City of Cambridge.

[original PDF from Communications & Reports from City Officers]

Feb 24, 2013 - Kristen von Hoffmann announces candidacy for Cambridge City Council

Cambridge resident Kristen von Hoffmann has formally announced her candidacy for Cambridge City Council.

Von Hoffmann, who currently works as the Sustainability Manager for the Cambridge Public Schools, plans on bringing her experience in sustainable practices, financial savings, and education to the municipal government.

Kristen previously taught 5th grade for several years in the area and also founded a local 501(c)(3) non-profit, Greenfox Schools, Inc., that has taught environmental science and math curriculums in Cambridge Public Schools. She was hired in 2010 as the first Sustainability Manager for the Cambridge Public School District. Notably, while she has served as Sustainability Manager, initiatives launched by her office saved the school district $300,000 in under two years.

In regards to her campaign, she states, "I look forward to spending this year listening to the residents of Cambridge, engaging in conversations that explore our values, and using our skills and experience together to improve the well-being of our city."

Janie Katz-Christy, Director of the Green Streets Initiative and a local Cambridge parent says, "I've known Kristen for many years now, as a colleague and friend, and have been impressed with her effectiveness, intelligence, and ability to collaborate. I am confident she will be a force for the best interests and overall well-being of the City of Cambridge."

Election Day is on Tuesday, November 5th. For more information about Kristen and her campaign, please visit www.kristenforcambridge.com [link removed] or email info@kristenforcambridge.com.

Kristen's Candidate Page can be found at http://vote.cambridgecivic.com/vonhoffmann.htm.
All of the announced and prospective candidates can be found on the 2013 Cambridge Candidate Pages.

Feb 21 post-midnight - Another successful collaboration with the DPW crew doing some midnight snow clearing on Broadway. I showed them where the storm drains were and they cleared away most of the snow and ice with a bulldozer. I finished the job with a shovel. This is how it's supposed to work, fellow Cantabrigians. - RW

Feb 20 on Facebook - I used to have great misgivings about bike lanes, and in some cases I still do. I don't like the fact that to some people it means that cyclists MUST stay in their separate lane. Cyclists can and should occupy whatever position in the road offers the greatest safety, and sometimes this is NOT the bike lane. It's also true that according to state law, motorists making a right turn are required to move as far right as possible prior to their turn. This means that they SHOULD occupy the bike lane at that point if the bike lane is at the far right road position. I find it infuriating that motorists often turn across the bike lane. I also find it infuriating that cyclists will pass a right-turning vehicle on the right. This is INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS.

Cycle tracks are even more dangerous at intersections because turning vehicles are often unaware of a cyclist hidden behind parked vehicles and a variety of sidewalk features. The cyclist often only becomes apparent as you're turning into him. There are other reasons why cycle tracks can be intrinsically dangerous in urban settings. That's why as a daily cyclist I am resolutely opposed to them on ordinary streets. They're fine and even useful alongside limited access roads. It's unfortunate that there are City planners who promote them without question and actively squelch any concerns or objections. - RW

Jan 30, 2013 - Update on the Forest City Zoning Petition: The City Council's Ordinance Committee had its second public hearing on this matter. Forest City representatives submitted a revised letter of commitment clarifying payments to be made and a timeline for those payments should the zoning petition be approved. The letter also makes official the change to 25 affordable low-income deed-restricted dwelling units to be built as well as the commitment to extend the affordability period for existing dwelling units within the existing University Park area. Rather than read my interpretation or any other person's interpretation, you should read the actual letter of commitment.

It is likely that the Ordinance Committee report will be on the Feb 11 City Council agenda. The matter might then be passed to a 2nd Reading and be in the queue for ordination as soon as Feb 25. How this throughly reasonable proposal is ultimately voted at the City Council will speak volumes about the existing city councillors. I look forward to the twists and turns of rhetoric. - RW

Jan 29, 2013 - Donald Hornig, former President of the Cambridge Water Board, passed away last week at the age of 92. Professor Hornig, formerly a resident of Longfellow Park in Cambridge, also served as the President of Brown University and worked on the Manhattan Project. He was a remarkable man. - RW

Former Brown University President Passes Away (Harvard Crimson, Jan 29, 2013)

Jan 25, 2013 - The City Council's Ordinance Committee met last night to hear testimony on the MIT/Kendall petition. Sometimes the testimony you hear at these meetings might lead you to believe that Cambridge had passed a mandatory hallucinogen ordinance - where reality is abandoned and fantasy reigns. One example last night was an MIT professor effectively claiming that the MIT faculty was opposed to the petition as filed. It's certainly true that there is an MIT faculty newsletter that's been around since 1988 that supports this point of view, but the good professor fails to say that he was one of the originators of this newsletter and that it has always been his mouthpiece for expressing HIS point of view. My impression is that most of the MIT faculty are neutral on this petition. Elsewhere in the materials for this Ordinance Committee meeting was a report from the Faculty Task Force appointed by the MIT Provost that contained these:

Conclusions and Recommendations [MIT News article][Full Report]
Given these findings, we support moving forward with MIT's submission of the rezoning petition provided that:

1. A comprehensive urban design plan for East Campus is conducted and completed after the petition is approved but before anything is built in the area covered by the petition. The plan needs to consider alternatives to the current MITIMCo diagram for commercial building sites, floor plates, program, heights, and scale of development, keeping in mind the findings described above.

2. This Task Force or a similarly constituted faculty group participates directly in the East Campus planning process and design of the Kendall Square project.

3. The work of preparing and deliberating a plan for East Campus, and subsequent development of the area, including Kendall Square, is guided by a set of design principles, described in the next section.

These are all reasonable recommendations and I doubt whether you'll find many MIT affiliates who disagree. The filed zoning petition simply defines the envelope of what could be built in the zone that's primarily bounded by Main St., Wadsworth St., Memorial Drive, and Ames Street. (There's also an important part that contains the property at One Broadway up to the Broad Canal.) The ultimate decision regarding what happens in this zone will grow out of internal discussions within MIT involving its administration, the faculty, and the MIT Investment Management Company (MITIMCo). Any member of the MIT faculty who has issues with the current plan should be arguing his case within MIT - not at the Cambridge Planning Board. Ultimately any development plan will still have to go through a design review process with the Planning Board.

It was also suggested at this meeting that this area south of Main Street was being sacrificed to commercial development instead of being reserved for "the academic mission" of MIT. It's abundantly clear that the street frontage on the south side of Main Street has always been in commercial use. The proposed plan would add several buidings along and immediately behind Main Street that would have commercial uses, but the remainder of the 26 acres would reman dedicated to academic uses and housing. Unless you looked at the maps provided, you might never have guessed this from some of the fantastic testimony. - RW

Jan 22, 2013 - The Cambridge Planning Board tonight unanimously recommended the current Forest City zoning petition. The City Council's Ordinance Committee held a public hearing on the petition on Jan 16 and forwarded it to the full City Council w/o recommendation while also keeping the matter in committee. ~~It could be passed to a 2nd Reading as soon as Mon, Jan 28 which would make it eligible for ordination as early as mid-February~~. There will be another Ordinance Committee meeting on the petition on Wed, Jan 30. The expiration date of the petition is Apr 17. (Zoning Petitions)

It has become abundantly clear that there is a group of people now trying to use opposition to this petition as a launching point for a political campaign focusing on the Nov 2013 Cambridge municipal election. They have made no secret of their desire to "replace the City Council." Some of the organizers identify themselves as the "Cambridge Residents Alliance" which began as a group of Essex Street residents opposed to the building of housing on the parking lots on Bishop Allen Drive. Others in this group are recent veterans of the "Occupy" movement (let's call them Occupants) who oppose anything associated with corporations (and property owners in general). Others identify with a group called the "Association of Cambridge Neighborhoods" which claims nonprofit status and which is about as representative of Cambridge neighborhoods as a ham sandwich.

It will be interesting to see how this petition is eventually voted at the City Council. The Occupants have repeatedly accused several of the elected councillors of corruption - a fabulous way to win friends and influence people. If rational behavior is the standard for City Council votes, there should be a near-unanimous vote to approve the petition and move on to more important matters. The proposed amendment and related development plan aligns well with recent recommendations of the Central Square Advisory Committee 2011/2012. It will dramatically improve the retail frontage of a block that has been an embarassment for decades. The new retail will focus on local businesses. The new development will provide office space (primarily) for Millennium - a locally spawned company that works primarily in oncology research and development, i.e. cures for cancer. The latest letter of commitment also promises the development of housing wherever a future Cambridge site can be located that will include a minimum of 25 "affordable" inclusionary housing units.

Every election year brings its share of familar faces, interesting new candidates and campaigns, and also its share of annoying and obnoxious people. I suppose this year is no exception. Maybe this will be the year when some of the new people will show up to vote in the municipal election. These include many people who actually work for a living in places like Kendall Square and elsewhere. It will be good to hear from the many people who would like to see more middle-income housing opportunities in Central Square and elsewhere. Those voices will be a lot more interesting than those who never miss a public hearing and claim to represent working people but who have never worked a day in their lives (while occupying publicly-supported housing). - RW

Anthem of the Cambridge Residents Alliance [extended version with foreign subtitles!]
as performed by Professor Wagstaff (a.k.a. Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx) and the faculty of Huxley College

Jan 8, 2013 - The Continued Deceptions of the Cambridge Residents Alliance (Saul Tannenbaum)
This is a follow-up article to:
Dec 14, 2012 - The Misinformation Campaign of the Cambridge Residents Alliance (Saul Tannenbaum)

Jan 8 Update - The Cambridge Planning Board expressed unanimous approval of the Forest City Zoning Petition at tonight's meeting. The matter will have a final review and (presumably) be formally approved at the next Planning Board meeting on Tues, Jan 22. [It's on the agenda of the City Council's Ordinance Committee on Thurs, Jan 17. The expiration date of the petition is Apr 17. (Zoning Petitions)]

Jan 16 Update - The Ordinance Committee forwarded the Forest City Zoning Petition to the full City Council w/o recomendation and kept the matter in committee. Another meeting on this subject is scheduled for Wed, Jan 30 at 4:30pm.

Thanks to Cambridge Public Library Archivist Alyssa Pacy for forwarding this gem from the Sept 28, 1861 issue of the Cambridge Chronicle found by Dan Sullivan:

End of the World

"THE END OF THE WORLD, postponed from 1843, is to take place on Saturday, the 12th of October, a fortnight from to-day, at least so say the Millerites. Unless the end comes before breakfast in the morning, we shall publish the Chronicle as usual on that day."

Subscribe to The Cambridge Room for plenty of tasty Cambridge history.

Hello Recycling & Composting Neighbors! - January 2013

Pilot Compost Program at the Winter Farmers Market
Curbside Collection Schedule 2013
Recycle Phonebooks
Christmas Tree Recycling

Pilot Compost Program at the Winter Farmers Market
DPW is pleased to announce a new pilot program for Cambridge residents to drop-off food scraps for composting. From January-April 30, 2013, Cambridge residents can drop-off food scraps at the Cambridge Winter Farmers Market on Saturdays from 10am-2pm. The market is held in the gym of the Cambridge Community Center at 5 Callender St, in the Riverside neighborhood. The toters for compost will be kept on the Howard St side of the building. Residents can place food scraps in these green toters at any time. Just open the combination lock (code 480 posted on the toter), make your deposit, then replace the lock. The lock discourages disposal of other items in the compost toters.

Place food scraps in compostable bags (such as BioBags sold at Whole Foods) or in paper bags. No plastic bags. Yes: all vegetable & fruit scraps; coffee grounds, filters & tea bags; eggshells & nutshells; grains & baked goods; meat, fish, bones, cheese (please wrap in newspaper or paper bags); food-soiled napkins & paper towels (no tissues); food-soiled, biodegradable paper products (only US Composting Council certified, no plastic coated. No soup, liquids or grease; no Chinese takeout containers; no plastic, Styrofoam, metal, glass or other non-biodegradable items; and no yard waste.

As always, Cambridge residents can drop-off food scraps at the Recycling Center during open hours (147 Hampshire St, Tues/Thurs 4pm-7:30pm and Sat 9am-4pm) and at Whole Foods (115 Prospect St, Everyday 7:30am-10:30pm). [MORE]

Curbside Collection Schedule 2013
Recycling, trash, and yard waste is weekly on the same day. Yard waste collection begins again April 1 through December 10-14. Set out by 7am on collection day or after 6pm the night before. No trash in plastic bags the night before. During winter, do not place barrels or toters behind snow banks, please clear snow to curb. The sidewalk should be completely clear for pedestrians, including wheelchairs and strollers. For more on how to clear sidewalks, click here. During weeks with a holiday, collection is one day behind (if your pickup day is usually Wednesday, during a holiday week, your pickup day will be Thursday, etc.). 2013 holidays include: Martin Luther King Day (Mon 1/21), President’s Day (Mon 2/18), Patriot’s Day (Mon 4/15), Memorial Day (Mon 5/27), Independence Day (Thurs 7/4), Labor Day (Mon 9/2), Columbus Day (Mon 10/14), Veteran's Day (Mon 11/11), Thanksgiving (Thurs 11/28) and Christmas (Wed 12/25).

Recycle Phonebooks
It’s the new year and phonebooks are coming… please make sure to recycle extra phonebooks in the curbside program. Remove plastic bags or plastic wrap. If you haven’t already done so, register for FREE at www.catalogchoice.org to create an account and choose to opt out of mail from over 4000 companies. For example, you can stop getting weekly circulars from Global Direct, they will honor opt-out requests, so add them to “your choices”. To date, over 3700 Cambridge residents have signed up and opted out of nearly 25,000 different unwanted mailings!

Christmas Tree Recycling
If you missed curbside collection of bare trees, not to worry. You can still bring your bare tree to the Recycling Center at 147 Hampshire Street during open hours: Tues/Thurs 4-7:30pm, Sat 9am-4pm through Saturday January 26, 2013. Remove stand and all decorations. No plastic bags. Every year, residents recycle thousands of trees which are used as mulch or composted.

• Missed recycling or trash? Please use iReport or call DPW at 617-349-4800 no later than 12 noon the day after collection to make a request.

• Request for toters, brochures, stickers or posters? Use our online form.

• "Like" the Cambridge DPW on Facebook.

• Please note that during holidays weeks, trash, recycling and yard waste collection is delayed one day. Check the 2013 collection schedule online for full details.

Take the 50% recycling pledge today at www.cambridgema.gov/recycle and get a free sticker!
Recycle More. Trash Less.

If you support recycling and finding solutions to pollution, you may also find this interesting:
From garbage to fuel: Santa Cruz nonprofit pushes program to turn plastic pollution into power

Sad News - State Representative and City Councillor Tim Toomey's father passed away on Wednesday, January 16.

TOOMEY, Timothy J., Sr. of Belmont formerly of East Cambridge, Retired Lieutenant Cambridge Police Dept., January 16. Beloved husband of the late Eileen C. (Dinan) Toomey. Son of the late Joseph and Mary (Cullinan) Toomey. Loving father of Eileen A. Toomey of East Cambridge, Rev. Kevin G. Toomey, Pastor, St. Raphael Church, Medford, State Representative and Cambridge City Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. of Cambridge, Mary P. Toomey of Belmont and John D. Toomey of Littleton. Beloved "Pops" to Kyra and Natasha Toomey. Dear brother of Mary Toomey of Wollaston, the late Margaret McIntire, Dorothy Toomey McColgan and Joseph P. Toomey. Loyal companion of Jameson. Also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins. Funeral from the Donovan-Aufiero Funeral Home, 140 Otis St. (at 6th St) EAST CAMBRIDGE Tuesday at 10 AM followed by a Rite of Christian Burial in the Sacred Heart Church, 49 Sixth St., Cambridge at 11 AM. Visiting Sunday, January 20 from 2-6 PM and Monday, January 21 from 3-8 PM. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Sacred Heart Memorial Fund. Late WWII Army Veteran.

Name		Timothy J. Toomey, Sr. (November 10, 1919 - January 16, 2013)
Service Information		Tuesday, January 22, 2013 - 11:00 AM Sacred Heart Church, 49 Sixth Street, Cambridge, MA 02141
Interment Information		Mt. Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Visitation		Sunday, January 20, 2013 - 2:00-6:00 PM Monday, January 21, 2013 - 3:00-8:00 PM
Memorial Donations		Sacred Heart Memorial Fund, 49 Sixth Street, Cambridge, MA 02141

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE SOLICITING MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
FOR THREE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITEES

Application deadline is Friday, January 11.

BICYCLE COMMITTEE
This committee works to improve conditions for bicyclists in the City of Cambridge and promote bicycling as a means of transportation. Activities include organizing and participating in public events such as biannual community bike rides; reviewing plans for road construction; commenting on proposed development projects; creating promotional materials to encourage bicycling in the city; and working with City departments on network planning. This committee generally meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 5:30–7:30pm at City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway.

PEDESTRIAN COMMITTEE
This committee works to promote walking and to help create a more comfortable, safe, and pleasant environment for walking in Cambridge. It advises on the design of roadway projects and policies related to traffic calming, traffic signals, and sidewalk design. It also identifies intersections and other locations where it is difficult to walk, makes suggestions about proposed development projects as they affect people on foot, and undertakes other activities to promote walking. This committee generally meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from 6:00–8:00pm at City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway. (November and December meetings are on the third Thursday.)

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
This newly established committee will advance an agenda for a robust public transportation system for those who live and/or work in Cambridge. The committee will be composed of a cross section of stakeholders including businesses, large institutions, commuters, persons with disabilities, low income, elderly, youth, students, and advocates. The committee will guide city positions and policies regarding long term sustainable funding for transit by the Commonwealth, service planning for expansion or modification of bus routes, and service reliability and improvements including ways to better design our street network to prioritize bus transit. This committee will generally meet on the first Wednesday of each month from 5:30–7:30pm at City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway beginning in 2013.

Beginning in 2013, in place of individual committee meetings, these three committees will meet jointly on occasion to advise the city on higher level sustainable transportation policy.

APPLY
Applications are sought by dedicated individuals who live or work in Cambridge. Members are expected to attend monthly meetings as well as engage in projects outside of regular meetings. To apply, please prepare a cover letter indicating which committee you are interested in, a description of your interest in the topic, and any specific issues you would like to contribute time to working on. Please be sure to include your mailing address, phone number, and email. Send to:

Robert W. Healy, City Manager
c/o Jane Maguire,
Community Development Department
344 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139
Email: jmaguire@cambridgema.gov

Application deadline is Friday, January 11.

Appointments are made by the City Manager and are for two years of service. For more information, call 617-349-4610.

Campaign Finance - 2013 Cambridge City Council candidates (updated June 27)

The Strange Symmetry of Cambridge History

Mayor Henrietta Davis will not seek reelection to the Cambridge City Council

The Rumors Are Flying - Candidates for 2013 (originally posted Jan 19, most recent update Aug 1)

City Council

School Committee

Hello Recycling & Composting Neighbors! - June/July 2013

Recycling Tour: 6/19

Free Compost Workshop: 6/24

Next Household Hazardous Waste Collection 7/13

Old Appliance Tips and Get an Energy Saving Freebie

Have a Zero Waste Party

Get More Involved and Volunteer

Janneke House to Run for City Council

2013 Municipal Election: Nomination Papers Available Starting Monday July 1

Luis Vasquez Officially Launches Campaign for City Council

City Manager Seeks Members for Fresh Pond Advisory Board - Application Deadline Extended to July 12

Cambridge City Manager to Serve Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School

Kendall Square News and Events (from the Kendall Square Association)

City Employees Bid a Fond Farewell to Retiring City Manager Robert W. Healy

Nadeem Mazen Kickoff Event, candidate for Cambridge City Council

Kathleen M. Kelly Announcing Campaign For Cambridge School Committee

Kendall Square News and Events (from the Kendall Square Association)

Cambridge Human Rights Commission Vacancy - Application Deadline Extended to June 28

Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Commissions Seek New Members

Legislature Allows Establishment of Mount Auburn Cemetery: June 23, 1831

Striking a Positive Note

Ken Thomson, 66; cofounder of cohousing community

Silver Maple Forest - letter from Kristen von Hoffmann

Voter Registration and Absentee Ballots for the Special State Election, June 25th

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School & Putnam Avenue Upper School Groundbreaking Ceremony Monday, June 17 at Noon.

1. Conceptualization and initiation of the Kendall Square Urban Renewal Project

2. Financing Cambridge's $6.5-million share of the project cost

3. NASA Quits. CRA amends Kendall Square redevelopment plan and objectives

4. Urban Land Institute Advisory Services engaged to help break planning deadlock.

5. Boston Properties selected to develop Cambridge Center

6. High-tech development

HISTORICAL COMMISSION ANNOUNCES PRESERVATION AWARDS

Past, Present, and Future?

The Few, the Proud, the Cambridge voters who never miss an election

May 28, 2013 - Voters Take A Pass in 8th Suffolk Primary

Comic Tweet - Here's how one prominent elected official tweeted about the primary:

Sometimes an anonymous note makes your day....

Hello Recycling & Composting Neighbors! - May/June 2013

Next Household Hazardous Waste Collection 6/8

Want to Donate a Couch, Mattress or Other Furniture? Super!

Get More Involved and Volunteer

Curbside Recycling… Yay or Nay?

Part-time Job: Organics Program Assistant

Celebration of Magazine Beach Park - Saturday, June 15

Grand Opening Celebration and Open House for Cambridge Community Learning Center, Multi-Service Center and Cambridge Housing Authority - Monday, June 10, 3:00-5:00pm

June 5, 2013 - 3-alarm fire at 367 Harvard Street

May 20 Late City Council Update

ROBERT M. STEVENS - OBITUARY

Voter Registration and Absentee Ballots for the Special State Primary, May 28th

Hello Recycling & Composting Neighbors! - April/May 2013

Virtual Recycling & Trash Tour: 5/21

Yard Waste Collection Starts 4/1

Clean Out Your Closet and Donate Clothes

Team GreenSense Opportunity

Household Hazardous Waste Collection 6/8 (rescheduled)

Spring Dates for Recycling Tours!

Election Commission Officers for 2013

Hello Recycling & Composting Neighbors! - April/May 2013

Yard Waste Collection Starts 4/1

Clean Out Your Closet and Donate Clothes

Spring Dates for Recycling Tours!

Household Hazardous Waste Collection 4/20

Nominations Sought for Outstanding City Employees

Voter Registration and Absentee Ballots for the Special State Primary, April 30th

Road Closures related to MIT Police Officer Sean Collier Memorial Service April 24

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. -- Blaise Pascal

Once Upon a Marathon

UPDATE: Cambridge Ethanol Train Meeting Agenda Changed, MassDOT Safety Study Presentation Being Rescheduled

"A Better Future for A Better Cambridge"

Apr 8 update on the MIT/Kendall Petition

Mar 28 - Cambridge Redevelopment Authority selects new executive director (Erin Baldassari, Cambridge Chronicle)

Housing and the Kendall Square/MIT Petition

The situation as it used to be (circa 1978):

What happened? (the perfect storm)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School & Putnam Avenue Upper School
Groundbreaking Ceremony Monday, June 17 at Noon.

Grand Opening Celebration and Open House for Cambridge Community Learning Center,
Multi-Service Center and Cambridge Housing Authority - Monday, June 10, 3:00-5:00pm