Fisher Hill groundbreaking still on hold

Selectmen last week delayed a vote on issuing a request for proposals on the Fisher Hill development plan, which calls for 24 affordable housing units and several market-rate homes on a town-owned 4.8-acre site, once an underground reservoir. Last month, Nancy Daly, chairwoman of the selectmen, suggested changing some of the language in the draft to allow more leeway for a developer to negotiate with an abutter. While some committee members touted the plan as a worthy compromise, several town officials, including Town Counsel Jennifer Dopazo, praised its highly restrictive language. "It is intended to be so by the drafters," she said. The draft, called a request for proposals, could become the basis of bids to build the complex. Selectmen reviewed the plan after it was devised by a 20-person committee over an 18-month period.

The Council on Aging will begin conducting a study next month of Brookline's nearly 1,600 residents who are over the age of 85. The nine-month initiative, funded with a $14,500 grant from the Brookline Community Fund, will focus on people who live independently, according to Council on Aging Director Ruthann Dobek. "It's kind of a two-pronged study," Dobek said last week. "One part is asking them a series of questions and doing an assessment on what their needs may be. But it's also just a means of checking in, doing some outreach, and connecting them with available services." Town officials haven't conducted a survey of this kind for more than a decade, she said.

Brookline abides. Or so it will seem tomorrow night when the Coolidge Corner Theatre hosts its fourth annual Big Lebowski Bowling Party Extravaganza. In addition to screening the 1998 cult classic, the theater plans to pay tribute with a preshow costume party (break out your bowling shirts and bathrobes) and trivia challenges based on the movie. And, of course, there'll be bowling - with lawn bowling kits, that is.

Have a news item from Brookline? E-mail Richard Thompson at thompjourn@gmail.com.

Are you concerned about how development will affect flood zones? Want to have a say in the preservation of the Alewife wetlands? Now is your chance: The Cambridge Conservation Commission is seeking a resident to fill a vacancy. During the three-year term, public meetings are held twice a month to review permit applications and conduct business related to the management of Cambridge's natural resources. Those with expertise in ecology, law, and environmental engineering are encouraged to apply, but the deadline is this Friday. Send a letter of interest and a resume to citymanager@cambridgema.gov.

Friday marked the culmination of Cambridge Community Television's Summer Media Institute, when local teens' final productions were screened at CCTV's Big Studio. The six-week program, run in collaboration with the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program and City Links, an internship program for minority youths, taught the 23 participants, ages 14 through 18, several modes of media production. But don't mistake the teens for a bunch of amateurs: Several already have experience in the field and plan to pursue media production as a career. If you missed the screening, the productions will be shown on CCTV, or view them online at www.cctvcambridge.org/youth.

The Cambridge Center for Adult Education has just released its fall catalogue of courses. Registration for the term beginning Sept. 25 is now open. Along with the traditional offerings such as cooking classes and computer literacy, the center is introducing a few new events. In collaboration with WUMB-FM radio, the center will host "Wicked Smart," featuring longtime Cambridge resident Janis Pryor, who will be interviewing a variety of "thinkers, newsmakers, artists, authors, and leaders" at the Brattle Theatre. Visit www.ccae.org to reserve your spot.

Have a news item from Cambridge? E-mail Jennifer Schwartz at jensch72@gmail.com.

Ah, the sweet summer sound of airplanes roaring overhead. August has seen "a real surge of airport noise," said city spokesman Tom Champion, with 25 Somerville residents complaining to the city through Wednesday. He added that the Federal Aviation Administration, which is conducting a regional noise impact study, has demonstrated "continued refusal to discuss the issue." Wig Zamore, a Somerville resident serving on the noise study's citizen advisory group, said that group has suggested to FAA officials that planes "focus on getting higher and further away from Logan before they start to turn" toward Somerville. Champion said the city is "trying to identify other municipalities for a class action [lawsuit] should that be necessary."

Though neighbors appealed zoning board approval for a condo project at 42 Craigie St., developers have started work on the property, digging a large hole next to a much-talked-about 90-year-old elm. Neighbor Maureen Barillaro expressed concern that the tree, now festooned with safety tape, was at risk. Richard Di Girolamo, a lawyer for the developer, said the digging was "testing the corners of the foundation for the building" and complied with the conditions on the permit, which included making "best efforts" to preserve the tree. He said his clients, who include Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan, were contemplating "building at risk" while the appeal proceeds.

While all eyes not on the Olympics are on the presidential race, local politics are roiling as well. Though incumbent state Representative Carl Sciortino is running a write-in campaign to keep his seat, he's won endorsements from Governor Deval Patrick and a long list of groups, including the Progressive Democrats of Somerville, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, and several teachers' unions. He will be facing Ward 7 Alderman Bob Trane, who will release a "list of unions and supporters" in the next couple of weeks, said campaign manager Gregg Nolan. In another race, Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan said he is "definitely running" against John Buonomo for the Middlesex County register of probate job. Buonomo, a former Somerville alderman, was arrested Aug. 6 on theft charges.

Have a news item from Somerville? E-mail Danielle Dreilinger at djdreilinger@comcast.net.