Winter Hill Reborn

More Somerville Bloggin'

2008-05-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

A new blog to add to the bloggiest town around; check out Somerville Voices, covering the vast conversations in and around Somerville.

Green Line Extension Post: Better Late Than Never...

2008-05-15T04:05:00.000-07:00

The Green Line Extension Project has posted some new relevant info. Check this out, if you are interested in seeing the public chatter.

Winter Hill in Photographique

2008-04-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

Old closed down William's Candies @ Broadway and Edgar with creepy munchkins:

Trader Joes in the old Winter Hill Star Market Location?

2008-04-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

In all seriousness, I don't know if there is already an official plan for what will take the place of the Winter Hill Star Market, but people have suggested that it would be great to have a Trader Joe's in there.

If you agree, please take a look at the Trader Joe's location request form.

Otherwise, if you know of any official plans for this location, please do let us know.

Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership (STEP)

2008-04-02T04:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.somervillestep.org/

Older Article about Green Line Extension

2008-04-02T04:18:00.001-07:00

Possibility of Green Line stops puts residents in the pink

By Danielle Dreilinger Globe Correspondent / February 10, 2008

The MBTA has considered extending the Green Line into Somerville for decades. But after the governor's October pledge to prioritize the project - and with the state bound to finish by 2014 -the long-promised service seems almost imminent.

Graphic Green Line Extension Project

That explained the standing-room-only crowd at the Visiting Nurse Association assisted living center Jan. 29. Easily 100 people came to learn about the proposed Ball Square and Lowell Street stops at one of a series of meetings about the line.

Mike McArdle and Kristine Wickham of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, consultants working for the state's Executive Office of Transportation, posted draft maps around the room. No state officials attended.

Top Seven Most Bestest Things into which to turn the Winter Hill Star Market

2008-03-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

It's old news that the Winter Hill Star Market has died an ugly death. I was looking at Moominmolly's photograph of the stripped out interior, and having been bored silly by the food sellership suggestions came up with some Better Ideas.

1) Roller disco slash derby dames emporium:
Hell we'll throw in a liquor license and a wrestling rink to give BLOWW a permanent homebase at the same time. Slow skates for the kids and spotty chaperoning.

2) Gun range:
Itchy trigger fingers don't scratch themselves, and we might as well be blasting targets rather than 15-year olds. Friends of the range will enjoy larger caliber artillery and grenade toss after closing time at the neighborhood bars.

3) Cyrogenics facility:
Seriously, bring Ted Williams home! Maybe we can get one of the less expensive parts of Walt Disney too to draw in the touristy-types. Let riff-raff from MIT fund the place by selling futures promising to back up their massive cerebelli.

4) Biodome:
I'm not exactly sure how this would work but I image we could get Pauly Shore to show at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Suffice to say if I can talk my way on to the steering committee ligers will be included. All predators, all the time? That'd help ticket sales.

5) Float construction center:
Given the ridiculous lack of floating Pink Panthers or petal powered confections in the recent St. Patrick's Parade, the greater metro area would benefit no end by having a cavernous space in which glue sticks could be traded as the currency of the realm.

6) Fluff museum:
Exhibits related to construction of fluff, properties of fluff, illicit uses of fluff. A section on functional fluff (fluff as adhesive, caulking material, junior high science experiment though make sure your mom helps you use the microwave oven). Stuff like that. Plus, Fluffers McBunny.

7) Indie IMAX: Here's how Winter Hill can top Somerville Theatre and their small screen ilk (Coolidge's itty bitty screening room may die of jealousy). Massive screens, 3D-ification of low budget indie documentaries and smell-o-vision. Make it so! Including sea plane!

Thought Exercise

2008-03-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

1. Richard Trum Playground is in Winter Hill.
2. Who is Richard Trum?

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Random Fact about Winter Hill

2008-03-24T16:23:00.001-07:00

From:

Real Estate is Fun

Some Things You Do Not Need to Know About...

The smallest national park in the United States is in Somerville...on Winter Hill. ...it marks the spot where Paul Revere evaded capture during his "one if by land" gig. Speaking of that gig, the Brits took thier first hostile action against the emerging revolutionaries when they struck the old Mollet Grist Mill in Somerville in 1774. They confsicated 212 barrels of gunpowder and angered thousands of musket toting farmers.

Winter Hill Has a Dog Park: Saxton Foss Park

2008-03-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

Saxton Foss Park

49 Fellsway West, access the park via Broadway and McGrath Highway
Local residents are drawn to this fully equipped park for the swimming facilities and athletic fields. Dog owners should note that the park also has public restrooms and lighting for walks after dusk.

On-leash

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Magoun Square: Green Line Extension, Neighborhood Meetings, etc.

2008-03-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

The great hope for Winter Hill is that there will one day be a green line on the MBTA that takes you back home after a day of work to a mini-bustling area centered in Magoun Square where you can have some coffee or get a beer, and then pick up whatever else you might need from a local shop on the walk home. This probably will never happen without significant community involvement.

Unfortunately, this information is a little late, and there isn't much on the web, but as an FYI for the future, here are a few sites and some information that you might keep an eye on for information about future discussions, meetings, etc. related to development in the area:

Blue Mass Group
Magoun Square ResiStat
Magoun Square ResiStat Yahoo Group
Progressive Democrats of Somerville interview Joe Lynch about Magoun Square

For a little more info on the types of neighborhood discussions at the ResiStat meetings, see this pdf of the notes from the last Magoun Square ResiStat meeting.

If you have more information that would be useful to post, please get in touch.

Reason 45 for why Somerville is GREAT.

2008-03-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

On the southeast border of Winter Hill, where Highland Ave meets Medford St, a nostalgic SomerVillain adds an entry to our cataloging of all things Winter Hill with reason #45 why Somerville is great:

While we’re talking about memories: the Lowell Street bridge, located between Highland Ave. and Medford St., has been under construction for about 8 years and is finally finished. But before it went under construction, it was the wildest bridge around. If you we’re driving, and hit the bridge at say, 25 mph, you would get a little airborne. Being around 14 at the time, we’d get our moms to hit the bridge fast so that we’d get airborne. Any city that has a bridge that shoots your car into the air, even if it does decide to rebuild it, is cool.

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Winter Hill: Land of Charity: The Alliance for Cultural & Economic Exchange

2008-03-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

There is a general lack of a web presence for Winter Hill, with most of the attention going to events around the High School. However, with a little digging, it's good to find a gem of benevolence hiding in the wilderness north of Highland Ave. The Alliance for Cultural & Economic Exchange, mixes chocolate with charity, with goals of funding scholarships for Ecuadorian secondary school children and young leaders, and market development in local handicrafts and tourism.

Chocolate 2008 is currently planned for June. You might want to register.

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Another look at ice cream in Winter Hill

2008-03-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

We had an ice cream post a while back. I don't know if Louie's was listed:

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Didja know about the Cambridge Somerville Medford Acupuncture Clinic in Winter Hill?

2008-03-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

Me neither:
http://www.chiwellness.com/acupuncture_somerville_ma.htm

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Winter Hill East has an outlet

2008-03-17T05:25:00.000-07:00

The folks of Winter Hill East (east of Medford) have a good line of communication:
From the City of Somerville Website:
http://www.somervillema.gov/section.cfm?org=somstat&page=1046

There is more like this for other sections of town on the SomerStat page. Related posts are upcoming:
http://www.somervillema.gov/section.cfm?org=somstat&page=1016

Thank you for visiting the Winter Hill East ResiStat page! ResiStat is a city project to increase communication between residents and City officials in order solve local problems quickly and efficiently. ResiStat meetings allow residents to get information about their neighborhood and the City in general, and to raise questions and comments about City services. This page includes upcoming meeting announcements, presentations and notes from past meetings, and a link to join a Yahoo! email list for this group. All ResiStat meetings are open to any Somerville resident, though any neighborhood-specific information at Winter Hill East ResiStat meetings will focus on the neighborhoods on the Eastern and Southern slopes of Winter Hill.

The next Winter Hill East ResiStat Meeting will be:
Thursday, March 20 at 7:15 PM
The Healey School, 5 Meacham Street
Join the Winter Hill East Yahoo! Group for email updates.

Join the Winter Hill East Yahoo! Group for email updates.

1/17/07 Neighborhood Meeting
Presentation
Notes
11/15/07 Neighborhood Meeting
Presentation
Notes

Winter Hill East Map

A map of the Winter Hill East ResiStat neighborhood. All neighborhood boundaries are approximate; anyone is welcome at a ResiStat meeting.

Catching up with the Best of 2007

2008-03-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

Winter Hill owns five of the top spots in the Somerville News "Best of 2007" including:

Best Pizza: Mamma Lisa’s – Winter Hill
Best Sub Shop: Leone’s Sub & Pizza – Winter Hill
Best Liquor Store: Winter Hill Liquors – Broadway and Temple Street
Best Electrician: TD Electric – Winter Hill
Best Barber Shop: Tony’s Barber Shop – Winter Hill

Congratulations to the winners. It's a start, but I'm hoping for more top spots from the Wintervillains in 2008:
http://somervillenews.typepad.com/the_somerville_news/2008/01/the-winners-of.html

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Virgies? No. Madison's on The Ave? No. Highland Kitchen? Yes.

2008-03-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

When I first moved to Somerville there was a dive bar up Highland Ave called Vergies. At least I think it was called that. This wasn't a dive bar like the Model or the Silhouette. This was a real dive. After I lived there a little while, Virgies was closed for renovations, and Madison's on the Ave sprung up in its place. I went there once. Not too much later, Madison's was closed for renovations, and now, the Highland Kitchen has popped up. Rumor is, it's pretty good, and it might actually be there for a while.

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Highland Kitchen satiates Somerville neighborhood's cravings

By Katie Johnston Chase Globe Staff / January 19, 2008

SOMERVILLE - I've always dreamed of living within walking distance of a restaurant with delicious, affordable food, a decent bar, and a comfortable vibe. A place I could go to a few times a month to have dinner or a drink. A place I could call my hangout.

So when Highland Kitchen opened around the corner from my house last month, my hopes were high. I knew it was owned by the former chef at Green Street Grill in Central Square, where I had feasted on mahi mahi with mango-avocado salsa and sampled lip-scorching curried goat stew. And when I heard Tom Waits playing on the jukebox the first time I walked in, and saw the silver menus gleaming with promises of brandy flips and chili cheese fries, I was instantly smitten. Halfway through our first drinks, my husband and I were on a first-name basis with the bartender.

Read more:
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2008/01/19/highland_kitchen_satiates_somerville_neighborhoods_cravings/

Mapping Winter Hill

2008-03-09T15:18:00.001-07:00

Ok, here's a start. Feel free to correct my boundaries:

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Shout out for Big Money

2008-02-09T16:15:00.000-08:00

http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/archive/x1615371793

Winter Hill Bank receives 'Outstanding' rating for community reinvestment

Fri Oct 05, 2007, 04:48 PM EDT

Somerville - Winter Hill Bank has been awarded an "Outstanding" rating, the highest rating possible by the Office of Thrift Supervision for the bank’s commitment to the letter and spirit of the Community Reinvestment Act .

Passed by Congress in 1977, CRA encourages financial institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate including low and moderate-income neighborhoods consistent with safe and sound banking operations. Federal regulators monitor whether banks are fulfilling their CRA obligations and they rate each bank based on their performance in lending, service and investments in the bank’s communities.
According to Sandra L. McGoldrick, President and CEO of Winter Hill Bank, "We are extremely proud to receive this high rating. We work hard to address the needs of every neighborhood we serve and this rating recognizes the strong commitment that the bank and our employees have to the community; not only today, but since our inception in 1906.”
Winter Hill Bank is a Mutual Federal Savings Bank with offices in Somerville, North Reading and Chelsea.

Obama, Former Wintervillain

2008-02-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

It looks like Hillary Clinton is going to take the popular vote in the Massachusetts Democratic primary, though she and Barack Obama will be splitting the 93 proportional delegates. It will be interesting to see how Barack Obama does in Somerville, where he apparently lived while attending Harvard. Town by town results can be found here - Somerville has as of now 0% reporting.

IKEA recruits locally

2008-01-27T11:30:00.000-08:00

East Somerville residents will have first crack at jobs at the new Assembly Square IKEA.

Happy Elections Everybody!

2007-11-05T20:21:00.001-08:00

Since I believe every anonymous thing I read on the interwebs (and you should too)...

I was eating at a local store, when I saw O'Donovan's cronnies from the DPW come in and tell the owner "If you don't take down that Lynch sign, the DPW employess will never eat here again." Ohhh, I'm shakin' in my boots.

Parade Precautions

2007-10-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

There are no parade precautions in place as the parade tomorrow will come no where near Winter Hill. Proceed as normal, until next Veteran's/Memorial Day/Honkfest.

Count your blessings

2007-10-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

Be happy Winter Hill residents, dance, be joyous for your continued lack of a green line extension, for it is only this lack that forces you to drive and thus keeping each and every one of you safe from having to take a 12:20 train home during the sixth inning of what I'm sure was just another Sox win of typical import. None of us (drunks and tramplers alike) really wanted to see that comeback rally anyway.