These are just some of the municipal meetings and civic events for the coming week. More are on the City of Somerville website.
Opinion on McGrath Boulevard
City Council Traffic and Parking Committee, 6 p.m. Monday. This committee run by city councilor Naima Sait hears what the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee has to say about the state’s $120 million McGrath Boulevard project, which is intended to take down the highway separating East Somerville and put the replacement road on a “diet” to two lanes from three in each direction in multiple locations. With designs at the 25 percent stage, the project is expected to go out to bid next year and see construction begin by 2028. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Healey and Winter Hill plans
School Committee, 7 p.m. Monday. Superintendent Rubén Carmona speaks on improvement plans for the Healey and Winter Hill Community Innovation schools, and the committee gives a second reading to a space summary and educational program for a combined Winter Hill-Brown school on its way to the state for construction funding. The meeting considers authorization to sign contracts with a district financial officer and with the Somerville Educators Union for 2026-2027. At Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Ave., Central Hill, and watchable online and by Zoom videoconferencing.
Pot-friendly comedy, later hours
Licensing Commission, 6 p.m. Tuesday. King’s Court continues a bid to open seven days as a weed-friendly club for comedy and music above the Cookies cannabis shop at 71-72 Union Square, after operating as a Friday-Saturday operation in Boston and Cambridge’s Harvard Square. Commissioners grappled in November with the proposal for a 21-plus, members-only club (memberships to be applied for online) that would share an entrance with Cookies but not be part of the store – and not even have a sign of its own. Also: The Jersey Mike’s sub chain comes to 365 Revolution Drive, Assembly Square, just five months after one opened in Cambridge’s Central Square.
Three eateries seek later hours, continuing a trend in Somerville: El Jalisco, 145 Broadway, East Somerville; the Tropical Smoothie Café, 22 McGrath Highway, Inner Belt; and Chipotle Mexican Grill in Davis Square all want to close later, open earlier or both. (The Dunkin’ Donuts at 222 Broadway, Winter Hill, across from Foss Park, also wants later hours, but that decision is with the Planning Board.) At Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Ave., Central Hill, and watchable online and by Zoom videoconferencing.
Lessons from winter’s snowfall
City Council Sustainability and Infrastructure Committee, 6 p.m. Wednesday. This committee run by city councilor Jesse Clingan considers how well snow clearing went this winter and lessons learned from the recent dump of more than 30 inches, as well as removal of snow from dead-end streets, private ways and alleyways in a timely manner. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Zoning for affordable housing
Planning Board and Land Use Committee, 6 p.m. Thursday. Affordable housing would be able to go bigger with more flexibility in dimension and fewer use restrictions under zoning changes proposed by mayor Jake Wilson; and four city councilors ask for a change regarding accessory dwelling units (sometimes thought of as “in-law apartments”). Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
State changes in cannabis cafes
Board of Health, 6 p.m. Thursday. Cheryl Sbarra of the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards presents on the state’s changes on rules for cannabis cafes, and members get an update on tobacco enforcement. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
How quick-builds come together
Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday. City staff explains how they develop designs for street reconstruction and sometimes controversial quick-build bike lane projects, and the committee delves into an MBTA bus change coming next month: Routes CT2 and 85 are being combined into a new Route 85 with service between Assembly Square and the Ruggles station in Roxbury, and the CT2 route name will be eliminated. The combined 85 adds service to 20 stops not served by the CT2, said officials at the transit agency. (We wrote about it here.) At 101 South St., Boynton Yards, and watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Maintaining the public schools
School Committee Facilities and Maintenance Subcommittee, 6 p.m. March 23. A group led by Leiran Biton and Laura Pitone examines custodial staffing at each public school and maintenance issues in the East Somerville, Capuano and Edgerly schools, as well as whether hot water has been restored to all parts of the Capuano Early Education Center. If not, members want a timeline for full restoration. They also ask for updates on the Massachusetts School Building Authority process for construction for the Winter Hill and Brown schools and get one on Kennedy schoolyard renovations. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.