City committee recommends $1.1 million grant for Union Square plaza and streetscape, includes police overtime for peak casino periods

The Central City Council Finance Committee on Sept. 9 recommended approval of a $1.1 million grant award from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for design and streetscape work in Union Square and related community and safety efforts. Director Alan Inacio told the committee the award includes three subcomponents intended to complete the Union Square Plaza design, support local-business advertising on MBTA routes, and fund police patrols in areas affected by casino traffic.

"We won an award of $1,100,000 there's 3 subcategories that we were funded for," Director Inacio said during the presentation, describing the grant as intended to accelerate design and get funds committed to projects sooner. Police Director Wisdom explained that the police portion includes overtime for enforcement and community engagement during the days and times when casino traffic peaks.

"The police department has been allocated, just over $308,000 in overtime funding, which equates to around 4,000 hours of overtime to be used over a 2 year period," Director Wisdom said, adding the overtime will support increased traffic-enforcement patrols and community engagement efforts on Thursday through Saturday evenings.

Councilors pressed for more detail on patrol routes and asked for a memo with maps. Councilor Scott requested clarification about which streets would be prioritized; Director Wisdom said he would provide route maps and more detailed budgets. Chair Jake Wilson also asked that any traffic enforcement in East Somerville avoid unmarked vehicles, citing community concerns about transparency.

The committee laid the item on the table to recommend approval, and members said they want the administration to follow up with a memo specifying the patrol areas, maps and how the enforcement and community-engagement work will be scheduled.