city tells s omerville Media center to relocate by april 30

by Michaela Loughran Staff Writer

Originally published Feb. 27

The City of Somerville is requiring Somerville Media Center to relocate from its current home in Union Square by April 30. Formed in March 1983, SMC produces local radio shows and TV shows as well as youth programs that seek to educate children in the use of media tools to tell their own stories.

SMC also shares the building with the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers, a nonprofit that seeks to help Portuguese speakers in Massachusetts become “active participants in American society while maintaining a strong ethnic identity and a sense of community,” according to its web- site. MAPS did not respond to a request for comment.

The tenants were first notified they would have to relocate in late fall of 2019, when the aging building, which had not been renovated since the ‘90s, sustained heavy water damage. After an independent evaluation identified significant water infiltration problems, the city advised SMC that they should plan to leave the building within six months.

Denise Taylor, the director of communications and community engagement for the City of Somerville, explained that a forced eviction for SMC and MAPS “has never been on the table.”

“The City has sought to set reasonable timelines and see MEDIA CENTER, page 3