Good morning, Medford, Thursday, March 26
There are many events and activities happening in Medford today. From live music to ice skating, with a municipal meeting thrown in for good measure.
There was a glitch with yesterday's newsletter. The email went out the night before and had no link attached. Apologies for that. Click here if you want to check it out and find out why a Medford resident was honored by the Celtics as a Hero Among Us.
On to today's news.
I attended Tuesday’s Board of Health meeting, during which representatives of the Mystic River Watershed Association gave a presentation on sewage getting into local waterways and being detrimental not just to the environment but also to public health.
There are lots of ways that fecal matter can enter the watershed. For example, dog poop that isn’t picked up washes into wetlands. Another way is by what are called combined sewage overflows, or CSOs.
In older sewage systems, such as those within the MWRA (Massachusetts Water Resources Authority) service area, storm runoff and wastewater from homes and businesses run into the same pipe on the way to the treatment plant. During heavy rains, there is just too much flowing through the pipes, and the excess needs to go somewhere. Rather than having it back up into homes or onto streets, the excess goes through an outfall pipe and into a water body.
What enters the water body is a slurry of automobile chemicals and oils, debris, dog feces, and human feces and waste. Beaches and shellfish beds sometimes have to be closed because of the contamination.
Representatives from the Mystic River Water Association are making the case that the state is not taking enough action to solve the problem and is, instead, letting CSOs continue.
We will be talking about this in more depth. In the meantime, however, here are some websites to learn more:
- Mystic River Watershed Association
- Mass. Water Resources Authority
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Now, let's talk about what is...
Happening today in Medford
Free Public Skating at LoConte Rink from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Toddler Time at 10:30 a.m. at Medford Public Library. For ages 2-3 to read, sing and learn gentle movement.
Gotta Know Medford informal office hour. We are launching our informal office hours, which will take place at various venues across the city. We're kicking it off at 11 a.m. today at Colleen's. I will be there if you want to stop in to say hi, make a suggestion, give us a news tip, etc.
The Mahler Sessions: Thomas Hampson (Baritone) at 12 p.m. at Granoff Music Center, Tufts. Part of a series of student-led conversations with leading classical musicians of today and tomorrow. Free, and all are welcome.
Art for Everyone for Seniors at 1:30 p.m. at the Senior Center.
Teen Manga Drop In Book Club at 3:30 p.m. at Medford Public Library. For teens to talk about their favorite manga series and watch anime clips.
Women Take the Reel Film Festival at 4:30 p.m. at Barnum Hall, Tufts University. Award-winning animation writer and director Ng'endo Mukii will present a collection of her short films and then host a Q&A.
"Where the Light Came In": Judith Black Book Signing and Q&A at 5:30 p.m. at Palm Press Bookstore.
Varsity Boys Volleyball Team takes on Burlington at 5:30 p.m.
Zoning Board of Appeals at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom only. On the agenda, public hearings on a series of cases.
Original Poetry Open Mic at 7 p.m. at Arts Collaborative Medford, with guest poet Richard Cambridge.
Andro Queen / Wujeria / It's Always Better Late Than Never / Ronald Raygun starting at 7 p.m. at Deep Cuts.
Did you know?
You can reserve the MakerSpace and the Tech Lab at Medford Public Library as long as you have received a General Safety badge. There are also drop-in times and regularly scheduled activities.
There are some kinds of equipment that require a special badge to use. Visit https://medfordlibrary.org/makerspace/ to learn about the types of equipment and devices, the badges you would need, and how to earn them.
In case you missed it
Budget season is upon us. Nell attended the School Committee meeting in which officials got an update on this year's numbers and an early look at what fiscal year 2027 might look like.
Nell Escobar Coakley | Staff Writer
