[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6536658,"mediaKeyId","3736857-b12162f781923e5ac1a103f5326a091f","parentId",3736857,"title","Somerville outlines use of $528,218 in opioid settlement funds for kiosks, vending machines and care‑coordination software","audioSeconds",3311,"startMs",3315000,"endMs",3995,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3736857-b12162f781923e5ac1a103f5326a091f&start=3315&end=3","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3736857-b12162f781923e5ac1a103f5326a091f/thumbnail_3315000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6536658/Somerville-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Somerville-outlines-use-of-528218-in-opioid-settlement-funds-for-kiosks-vending-machines-and-carecoordination-software","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6536658-386158f31dcc6a34b61a8a77ebd7445d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771171872&Signature=XshZe8HRIE-GfublTUT460svoskLLhX1fjpee7trUNNgkeUvqpmWM9zjIdLJ7hejPLAzFiemoqWjL3Bj-5RbFU-JrcbemoIPeT1MZQ9X7u4VgV8238zaOriFNTmJZVPNwH~YQNPAPUnaP~KRHSI620OZ5Fg~kBrKZBqJDXjvJUY1aQ4YXD~xDJ5itTLUFVEy0yuQ0jZcZ8rGPULgjQLQiyehnuWbT1JcJSkzcBx0g8YMgeZ-OSxHlYzrm3Nup0jrsyn4zWOn1OK-0XGPlF~b37fLK6CwYhByKfhRG3NATF2pfkMofmyyBF~m9mifR8ZViaYK3uQqlcVmJwr16oKpoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Somerville City, MA","date","2025-06-10T07:51:00Z","article","City staff told the Somerville City Public Health and Safety Committee that the city will allocate $528,218 from the National Opioid Settlement Fund toward three main categories: public‑health vending machines (and ongoing maintenance), sharps‑disposal kiosks, and a care‑coordination software system for referrals among city and regional providers.

Liaison staff explained that one sharps kiosk is installed in the Davis Square area and an indoor sharps kiosk is located at the Somerville Homeless Coalition site; two additional kiosks have been purchased for installation next year. The vending machines discussed are public‑health vending machines intended to provide harm‑reduction supplies; the city will pay for maintenance and upkeep from the settlement funds. Staff said maintenance and ongoing operating costs are included in the fiscal‑year plans.

The committee also heard that care‑coordination software will be used to allow multiple service providers — city staff, regional partners and nonprofit providers — to use a single database to track referrals, avoid duplication, and reduce loss to follow‑up. Staff said this should improve continuity of care among Somerville and neighboring cities with shared agreements.

Committee members asked about restrictions on settlement funds and direct‑service spending. Director Karen Carroll, Health and Human Services, and staff said the funds must be linked to activities responding to opioid impacts and to people and families affected by opioid misuse; examples given in the meeting include harm‑reduction equipment, sharps disposal, and services identified in an opioid abatement needs assessment. Staff agreed to provide more detailed guidance on specific allowable uses and to share information about other municipalities’ use of similar software upon request.

Committee members emphasized priorities for direct services that keep people alive and facilitate access to treatment. Staff said existing uses (kiosks, vending machines, software) reflect needs identified in the needs assessment and in focus groups with people directly affected by the opioid crisis.

Next steps: staff will continue to implement the stated purchases and maintenance and provide the committee with more detailed information on restrictions and longer‑term plans as requested.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Somerville City, MA - Public Health and Public Safety - 2025-06-09 - Jun 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City staff told the Somerville Public Health and Safety Committee that $528,218 from the National Opioid Settlement Fund will fund public‑health vending machines, sharps‑disposal kiosks and care‑coordination software.","taxTitle","Somerville City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts","taxId",4564,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6536663,"Committee reviews 316 Somerville Ave. collapse; city staff say vacant‑property code would not have prevented incident",184,3050000,3234000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3736857-b12162f781923e5ac1a103f5326a091f&start=3050&end=3234","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3736857-b12162f781923e5ac1a103f5326a091f/thumbnail_3050000.jpg","/articles/6536663/Somerville-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Committee-reviews-316-Somerville-Ave-collapse-city-staff-say-vacantproperty-code-would-not-have-prevented-incident","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6536663-38cb4ec5a7f57e4319401db1513b5d4e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771171872&Signature=H4ryJCZFBeT8dVOMfAHKU1GJD~TQMi1tpzf4sKVrtPmcoOqBthYfbf2LcRfhuPNS5K0~MSJ0p0Abi~dPMUcJIU9r9gOmeTbSsDcZAidNsGOIh8D62f9JaFa-zgy~uS2J3mhnOR4qbLleRfz-Rx7MSVf0Vv1Xe2HvAG63ZHUzROvmMP7xdHe0NeEYQmqW1fDMF4QPuCJA0vYKs9LPpSuaXGKKFKgdjQEMoDN8JCP9KWQiNARL8jEZctcmWbw9suMlUAWIRpWSspmnPZKbf0UdLT5D637e36OYH9L1lHNGPW2wwqBcE13OEgDBWvn86RDmOX9kj5NH2WFXTe-egJVzVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Somerville City Public Health and Safety Committee received a staff memo about enforcement of the city’s vacant‑property ordinance, section 11‑111 of the Somerville Code of Ordinances, in light of the collapse at 316 Somerville Avenue and marked the item work complete.

Inspectional Services staff summarized the memo and told the committee that the maintenance and registration requirements in section 11‑111 had been reviewed in relation to the incident at 316 Somerville Avenue and that, according to the memo, enforcement of that ordinance would not have changed the outcome at that property. The liaison noted the memo explains which elements of the ordinance apply and which property‑specific conditions were already met by 316 Somerville Avenue prior to the collapse.

Committee members discussed the prevalence of vacant properties across the city and noted political attention to the topic in the current election cycle. Councilor McLaughlin said many vacant properties exist in multiple wards and urged more active enforcement. The committee chair said the item would be marked work complete; Inspectional Services confirmed the memo had been filed and that staff would continue to engage on vacant‑property issues as needed.

The meeting record contains no formal vote on additional enforcement steps or new ordinance language; council members asked staff to keep working on enforcement options. The committee did not adopt new penalties, changes to the ordinance text or a new enforcement timeline during the session.

Next steps: committee chair and members encouraged ongoing ISD attention to vacant properties and expect ISD to report back if additional enforcement actions or ordinance amendments are proposed.","The Somerville City Public Health and Safety Committee received a staff memo about enforcement of the city’s vacant‑property ordinance, section 11‑111, after the collapse at 316 Somerville Avenue and marked the item work complete.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6536668,"Somerville committee reviews Davis Square public-safety plan and advances call-box planning",2204,250000,2454000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3736857-b12162f781923e5ac1a103f5326a091f&start=250&end=2454","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3736857-b12162f781923e5ac1a103f5326a091f/thumbnail_250000.jpg","/articles/6536668/Somerville-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Somerville-committee-reviews-Davis-Square-public-safety-plan-and-advances-call-box-planning","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6536668-3cb698fff2b421fcd6d37c6db052d02f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771171872&Signature=FXA29gEbfWWEyCnXRGeGGqLcNTH8oNabxbg5uNlI9yX2g2s01OhGMdXa8qJpI6W8hm~QmYn~oo7Ju42cxev6ZX2U-3FZ2ATtISB~kA-SH3JkJwKifwnUfSfRG69TXg6hn~W1PnuwzclV11RS8T7UA63RIXwK3xYeg62PpP5xNPGzwW4lkLqbRBgjCR2H78mXXHles-qcHN-WnPKbsvr18M5nnOHZtaowf5qkih1CfiI2BgUhZ7lNrMgeeP9zIoDt01QUBIf9~ScAZgM3sEOdqUNiQ4DEFuCqnkSQGat6I6kS6Wn-MTH3OQTBlSkY3Ve-Rk5DCEJsTcV7CPuoD~V~wA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Somerville City Public Health and Safety Committee reviewed a draft \"shared community expectations\" public‑safety plan for Davis Square and discussed installing emergency call boxes in key locations, marking the items work complete during the meeting.

The plan was developed by a working group convened by the police chief and councilors representing Wards 6 and 7 and includes representatives from the mayor’s office, Health and Human Services, the Somerville Homeless Coalition, business representatives and residents. Chief Benford, Somerville Police Department, said the document summarizes issues raised last summer around 7 Hills Park and nearby public spaces and sets expectations for enforcement, outreach and community programming.

The plan groups responses under several headings: dealing with drug activity (distinguishing enforcement for distribution from treatment‑oriented responses for people with substance use disorders), addressing violence and public disturbances, clarifying when to call 911 versus 311, and expanding community programming and space use so people are not simply displaced into private property. The document also proposes signage and time‑limit language for park hours and describes a neighborhood engagement team model of sustained community policing.

Committee members and participating agencies emphasized that the approach is intended to be \"community driven.\" Councilor Pineda Neufeld and Councilor Lance Davis helped convene stakeholders and said the working group met repeatedly since November to draft the document. Hannah O'Halloran, Somerville Homeless Coalition, and Karen Carroll, director of Health and Human Services, confirmed their organizations participated in the process.

On emergency call boxes, Director Bill Fisher, Emergency Management, described technical and policy issues under review: possible power sources (hardwired, solar, cellular or radio), whether devices include integrated cameras, signage and color choices, and compliance with the city's surveillance ordinance. Fisher said two initial locations under consideration are the Davis Square / Statue Park area and a site near Cross Street East and Broadway, and that the city met with a potential contractor. He said the city will assess feasibility and financing and hopes to return with a proposal in the next fiscal year if the project advances.

Committee members asked for clarity on why call boxes remain relevant; Fisher said they target people who lack working cell phones or whose phones have dead batteries. Chief Benford and staff said call boxes should not replace other responses but provide an additional access point to emergency services.

The committee recorded that staff will continue weekly monitoring of Davis Square conditions, that the working group and city departments will reduce the plan to flyers and other brief communications, and that outreach and programmatic resources (library, coalition services, park programming) will be emphasized to avoid simply displacing people. The committee marked the items work complete and requested staff be available to brief other councilors and return with any required implementation details.

Next steps noted in the meeting: maintain weekly interagency check‑ins for Davis Square, finalize park signage language, continue community distribution of the summarized plan, evaluate call‑box feasibility and return with cost and procurement details for possible inclusion in the next fiscal year budget.","The Public Health and Safety Committee reviewed a community‑driven public‑safety plan for Davis Square that balances enforcement and services, and heard an emergency‑call‑box feasibility update. The committee marked the items work complete and staff will continue weekly monitoring and return with implementation details on call boxes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Somerville outlines use of $528,218 in opioid settlement funds for kiosks, vending machines and care‑coordination software

Committee reviews 316 Somerville Ave. collapse; city staff say vacant‑property code would not have prevented incident

Somerville committee reviews Davis Square public-safety plan and advances call-box planning