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Yay on the tree ordinance. Not government's business.

Almost a year in this new multimillion dollar facility and these guys still haven't figured out the audio... It was 1000X better when broadcast from the old police HQs.

The audio seems purposely low, almost as if to avoid transparency.

It's important to me that the HVAC is not just hidden, but quiet.

I would like to have breakfast options

Rittie is there! 😂❤😂

The crosswalk is in front of our house and no one ~ literally no one ~ uses that crosswalk. Even when the school children are dismissed, the police department shows up for any that want to cross with their parents. Any seniors from the Sr Citizens Building that walk around the block stay on the S side of West End Ave. No one uses the crosswalk for anything. And if the existing crosswalk will be moved west, it won't be mid-block, it will essentially be at the corner of West End and Middaugh. That's not "mid-block", that' more "mid-avenue".

The colors are fine. The architect is right: this was by design so that the building doesn't overpower. I may have qualms about the height, but the facade is pleasant.

Somerville’s overdevelopment is introducing several dozen new drivers by the month at this rate. It’s become a nightmare to navigate this town and it seems like there’s no sign of slowing down the overpopulation and greed that has taken priority over preservation of town values. The signs will soon read: (Once) Historic Somerville

Seems like a bunch of stuffed shirts spouting nonsense about things that aren't any of their business. Bunch of stooge minded schleps....

Blatant ageism at 31:00.

More ‘luxury’ apartments to displace and price out life-long taxpayers. Somerville has sold its soul with greased palms and lined pockets. How long until we are just Somerville, and no longer Historic Somerville. Everything is inflated unaffordable new construction. You should all be ashamed of what you’ve allowed to happen to this town and its people.

There is never a justification for any board member to be rude to a member of the public who asks a question or makes a comment as happened at 1:49:10. "Do you want us to knock the neighbor's house down?" Terrible response. Do better.

Still no transcript, recording, or minutes.

Video cut out after 8 minutes.

Where can transcript be found??

Where is the sound??

Since the sound wasn't working, will a transcript be available soon?

I was so glad to hear responses from the board in response to a question from a member of the public. Can someone fill me in about why the borough council doesn't respond to similar questions at those meetings? TIA

Nice new Civic Center with all the 21st century tech and people don't use their mics and/or the mics aren't switched on. This is constant, on every borough youtube video from Council, to Planning Board to Zoning Board of Adjustment. Such a waste of a system meant to expand the reach of municipal government out into the public square. Perhaps hold a course to teach ALL board members how to interact with technology like you've been given?

No one can hear the speakers if they don't use the microphones. These videos are wasted when this happens, and it's typical in the new Center. Might as well be watching a silent movie. You need overhead mics. Sound in these videos was always good in the old meeting room on Bridge St.

Riveting stuff

First of all, addressing the microphone placement: there needs to be a microphone for each person at the table. Otherwise, you can't here them speaking. The same goes for the woman who does roll call (and anyone else without a mic): there needs to be an overhead mic to pick up the speech from those areas of the center. Watch this video and you'll see where things are failing when it comes to audio in the new center/meeting room.

Noice

He doesn't think having weekend hours impacts anyone or anything on West End Ave. Well. some of us LIVE on West End Ave, in our residences with our families. He thinks West End Avenue is just a place as he sees it: a place where you do business. No, it's where some of us live.

Build the skatepark

What happened to the Memorial Day parade?

I totally understand what these residents say about driving. As a pedestrian, the cars here can be overwhelming. However, I want to argue that increasing point penalties will not solve issues. Our police cannot keep up with the number of infractions caused; we just do not have the resources. Instead, please consider visually or physically narrowing problem roads, such as Mountain Ave. As these residents correctly stated, drivers DO NOT listen to speed limits. On Main St., I feel pretty safe on the West end up to the courthouse, but the streets widen up afterwards and cars - feeling safer - drive faster. The parts of the streets packed with pedestrians, trees, and obstacles force drivers to slow down as driving faster than even 20 feels uncomfortable. Mountain Ave is the complete opposite - it is a wide open street & comes straight off the highway. If we even just visually narrow the roads with paint (esp by the school thats right off the highway, not sure what is in Bridgewater's jurisdiction of car-dependent hell), that would be a good first step. Planting more trees closer to the curb, or even raised crosswalks might help. I am not sure about rumble strips, but speed bumps FORCE drivers to slow down, which is what we need. Faster traffic is infinitely more noisy! The blinking 25 limit is OK, but it is a suggestion. Drivers can ignore it. Police can't be on watch 24/7. Drivers can't ignore speedbumps, though! And speedbumps dont take time off. I appreciate the push for 25 citywide, and I think it will help curb fatalities, but it needs to be enforced by good city design (and I know we've done great in the past on this)!

Lol

Vote out the democrats and turn NJ red again. Democrats are destroying America.

Meetings with nobody present, pretty much sums it up! How about the old firetruck being taken by the flood? Let's make the fireman museum pay property taxes...

What a statement at 49:30 as if anyone would actually believe this town could be run by the 7 meatheads behind the desk who want to steamroll this entire town and replace with particle board “luxury housing” Exactly who behind the desk is on the payroll of the developers? I haven’t met many residents to who want to see their town bulldozed and turned into a parking lot or have luxury housing built in their quite neighborhood. Time to recall each one of these hacks who only seem to care about the agendas of themselves and developers.

In fact, let’s recall every single one of these fools. When they are done pretending to want to slow things down with development and the developers begin to pressure them they will all fall in line and come right back here to vote yes. Notice when a member of the community offers data that no one behind the desk was able to offer and the mayor decides to grab his gavel instead of grab a pen and write down the numbers provided so he can later investigate for validity. This town doesn’t need political operatives it needs political leaders and none of the people on the screen including the grandstander Brian Gallagher are what this town needs. There is a saying in politics that you never let a crisis go to waste. You are seeing in real time what politicians can do and will attempt to do in the wake of a pandemic and catastrophic flooding. It’s time to act and we need to act fast. RECALL SOMERVILLE

These clowns would gladly mow down every tree in Somerville and proceed to replace every piece of land with parking lots, particle board luxury apartments and wawa/quick checks convenience stores. If you’re wondering how these ordinances become approved no matter how asinine I’d invite you to ask someone to do something for you and then ask them again to do the same task only this time offer them money and watch how their priorities shift and how they suddenly become motivated to complete the task. No one cares about local politics enough to see what these members actually are running on. They just happen to have a D or an R next to their name so when the average citizen votes down the party line they are lucky enough to be on the winning end of it. None of these jokers care the least bit about what the public has to say during public comment sessions. Study the film of these meetings the same way you would if you were preparing for a sports opponent and you know what to look and listen for you will see just how full of crap they are all. The body language is all time bad and the responses/lack of responses really give you an idea of how un-relatable these people are and they are un-relatable because they think they are above you. Vote all of these politics hacks out and replace them with people who won’t turn Somerville into a giant parking lot with particle board apartments.

We will be watching for any details and information concerning changes to zoning ordinances in PO-R zone being discussed too.

No one cares about local politics so what you end up with is a group of people who were elected with less than 3,000 votes each and they will just do whatever they want paying no attention to what the people of the town want. Presumably all receiving kickbacks from developers…Nothing new here but should definitely vote all of their sorry corrupt asses out.

Roberta was being prudent with her concerns and she was pushed off. And "Well, they're doing it anyway"? Seriously, that's a reason to allow something? "It wouldn't change anybody's life that's already in there. Changing it wouldn't affect anyone" ??? Of course it might.

At ~18 min mark: a Community Residence is permitted in a PO-R zone, so why did the owner of 87 West End Ave apply for a use variance to change to a two-family residence, which the ZBA approved on Nov 3, when the stated intention, along with plans, is for a Community Residence?

The Zoning Board met Wed night, Nov 3rd and approved Use variances for 87 West End Ave (the former King's Daughter's Home). The new owner plans on a Community Residence for 8 people with developmental disabilities, staffed 24/7 in three shifts. The zoning there is PO-R, which permits Community Residences (no variance needed), but does not permit Two-family dwellings (so a variance is needed). Despite not needing one for a Community Residence in a PO-R zone, the owner applied for, and received, a variance for a Two-family dwelling. Doesn't anyone, besides we the neighbors who have an interest in what happens in our neighborhood, find that odd? No one in Municipal Government find this odd? Apparently not...

Happy to see Harold Willard and his lovely wife Linda at this council meeting. 👏 Harold is a proud American, Native American, and 20 year veteran of the U S Navy - and a great neighbor.

Honestly I don’t believe a word being said

$394,000 will probably barely be enough to fill about six potholes?

So the oldest fire truck ends up in flood waters- video footage of the hit and run aren't public... My grandfather who was a tailgunner in a B-17, shot down over Romania- always told me to never trust lawyers and bald people. You could release the footage of the hit and run at Lincoln Hose, and you're not doing any inquiries as to a fire truck the fire department wants to replace gets swamped in a flood. You're old enough not to believe in coincidence... Shame on you.

Ummm. Does she not know how apartment complexing works? Apartment complexes don’t just provide swift water rescue services, hotel rooms and rental cars during natural disasters.

It was a productive meeting and the town council is now moving on several key problems citizens have identified. The new municipal complex is a huge undertaking. Note to friends: my questions about receiving security deposit refunds are around 2 hours in.

Residents are experiencing sewage back up in their homes what is being done about our sewage system in town?

Great job Brian, thank you for standing up for the people of Somerville

It's always easy to be Monday-morning quarterback.

Unbelievable how incompetent this administration has been!

Tell it Brian!!!!