Author: Daisy Levine

Medford firefighters are fed up with their station.

Citing rodents, bugs, and mold in the Main Street headquarters — where they eat, sleep, and live almost as much as their own homes — they’re asking for help from city officials, a year after voters shot down a $30 million proposal to build a new station.

In late August, the Medford firefighters’ union, Local 1032 took to Facebook with their complaints. They posted photos and videos taken inside the Fire Department headquarters, along with a letter to the health director describing the problems and asking the city for help to “mitigate the filth.”

Firefighters have been complaining about the station for years, but they lobbied against November’s ballot question, saying the plans were inadequate.

City officials would not speak with Gotta Know Medford about the firehouse and referred a reporter to a communications director, who emailed a statement saying the issues have been largely resolved.

Gotta Know Medford attempted to speak with firefighters about the conditions, but none would talk on the record. One firefighter did speak at length with a reporter but later asked to have his name withheld for fear of retaliation.

“We just want a fire station that doesn’t have mice and rats crawling around,” he said. “I don’t think that’s that much to ask.”

He said city officials have ignored the firehouse conditions since firefighters lobbied against last year’s ballot question. The firefighter stopped speaking with Gotta Know Medford in early October, though, saying city officials were starting to pay attention to the problems and he didn’t want to jeopardize that progress.

In a written timeline shared with Gotta Know Medford, the firefighter cited two incidents in late July and early August. One involved a firefighter finding a mouse eating through the tinfoil on his food container. A week later, another found droppings beside the coffee pot in the morning.

The firefighters’ union then posted on its Facebook page photos and videos of mice crawling out of food pantries, bite marks torn through insulation, and corners of the station covered in droppings.

“We want a mayor that works with us collaboratively and stands up for civil service employees and protects her employees from an infestation of mice,” one firefighter wrote on Facebook, “which our current living conditions entail.”

The union also shared a letter from Local 1032 President Danielle Marcellino to Medford Health Department Director MaryAnn O’Connor.

“We have been trying to work with the Chief and the City Administration to mitigate numerous issues, specifically: rodents, insects/mites, and feces that are found in every corner, cabinet, and under every piece of furniture or appliance,” Marcellino wrote in her letter, dated Aug. 25. “The Union officials have been more than patient with our chain of command, but at this point the lack of action is far beyond acceptable.”

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and Fire Chief Todd Evans both refused to speak with Gotta Know Medford and referred a reporter to communications director Steve Smirti. Smirti would not speak with a reporter but provided a written statement.

Once city officials received the union’s letter, they contacted pest control, sealed access points, and conducted a deep clean of the kitchen, Smirti wrote.

“To give some context, there were no rats on the premises, it was mice. And mice are attracted to food waste that is not properly disposed of,” Smirti wrote in an email. “We learned that personnel were leaving food unattended and that’s going to attract mice and insects, just like if you or I didn’t clean up after ourselves at home.”

He said the station hasn’t had a mouse problem since, “probably due to the staff doing a better job disposing of food and cleaning up after meals.”

But the firefighter who spoke with Gotta Know Medford said mice were still in the station as of late September. Terminix was coming weekly, advising firefighters not to use the oven or the stove, forcing firefighters to spend excess money on takeout. Pest control experts raised health concerns over discolored droppings that may suggest the mice have ingested poison, “a hazard to our health,” the firefighter said.

Asked why firefighters lobbied against the $30 million ballot initiative that would have funded a new fire station, the firefighter said fire personnel were not consulted after one initial meeting. The mayor did set up a committee, he said, but that committee never met.

City Council President Isaac “Zac” Bears said Medford clearly needs a fire station.

“It’s been clear for a long time that we need a new fire headquarters,” Bears said. “Our firefighters deserve a much better facility than what we have now.”

He said that although he was disappointed that the ballot question was shot down — and the current facility is “disgusting” — he was even more frustrated by the reason behind it.

“I understand that they are not happy with each other, and haven’t been for a long time,” he said. “[But] I really would like to see leadership from the mayor to come together with the fire union and to let us know what the plan is. Just because that question didn’t pass, doesn’t mean we don’t need to get this done.”

Lungo-Koehn has not communicated any plans regarding the firehouse to anyone on the City Council, Bears said.

Daisy Levine is a journalism student at Boston University. This story is part of a partnership between Gotta Know Medford and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

There’s a time machine just north of the Mystic Valley Parkway, right where you hit Medford Square.

It looks like a bar, but it’s actually part record store, concert hall, sandwich shop and pinball arcade. It’s everything you didn’t know you needed. What’s more – it’s where local bands want to play.

Ian McGregor originally imagined something a lot smaller, but it turned into much more. When he opened Deep Cuts in 2023, he just thought it would be cool to bring together all the things he really loves.

“From booking shows forever to working in kitchens, I just wanted to combine it all,” said McGregor. “This was kind of the end goal.”

Deep Cuts, at 21 Main St. in Medford, is a hub for vinyl, tapes and CDs that doubles as an independent live music venue where you can also go into the other room and play pinball or eat a sandwich.

It started as a pop-up deli in 2018. McGregor then turned it into a takeout sandwich shop in a West Medford storefront in 2021. In 2023, he opened Deep Cuts in Medford Square, with a bar, record shop, pinball room and concert hall that can hold 240 people.

It was an idea born out of doing something for the local music scene, McGregor said. He began booking indie shows with company Eye Design in 2010, after spending 20 years in the restaurant industry, and decided to combine the two things he knew the most about.

Serving local regulars is important, McGregor said, but it’s not just the customers he’s concerned about. Deep Cuts also stands as an initiative to keep local bands on the horizon, providing a consistent place for them to play.

“We try to get as local bands as possible, ’cause it’s their home,” he said. “Regulars is what keeps things going.”

For their support of the local music scene, Deep Cuts has been nominated for the Boston Music Awardsunder the Music Venue of the Year (under 250 capacity) category.

Founded in 1987, the Boston Music Awards honors artists, industry leaders and others involved in the local music scene. The awards ceremony takes place Dec. 17 at Big Night Live, 110 Causeway St., Boston.

Medford has several other nominees at this year’s Boston Music Awards. Check them out here.

The members of Declaw, a Boston-area grunge band that plays regularly at Deep Cuts, say they owe much of the band’s success to the place. They say they’re eternally grateful that a place like that can exist outside Boston’s zip codes, where venues are more competitive.

“It just goes to show how natural this place is,” said Declaw bassist and vocalist Jovani Villegas, who lives in Somerville. “What they do for the scene, and [what] they do to support us and make us feel like we have a home to celebrate our music, to celebrate our releases, all that stuff.”

Daniel Hastings began working with McGregor in 2018, at the sandwich pop-up, “to see how that would go,” McGregor said.

“The dream was always to stick with them until they accomplished this, basically,” Hastings said. “It was me and Ian, basically there [in West Medford] every day, making sandwiches together, having a blast.”

Deep Cuts keeps adding new things to keep the place fresh as the years come.

“It’s really cool to see Ian talk about this for over 10 years, and then to see it come together was amazing,” Hastings said. “We’re still building. We’re still figuring this out…It’s awesome to be part of it.”

Daisy Levine is a journalism student at Boston University. This story is part of a partnership between Gotta Know Medford and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

One of the Boston Music Awards nominees can’t book any shows Sunday through Thursday — those are school nights. He promised his mom he’d make As and Bs, with a small exception for algebra.

Kobe Saperstein is an 18-year-old Medford High School senior. He’s also KSAP, a rapper who is nominated for a Boston Music Award for his music video “100 Miles.”

“It’s gotten really serious,” he said. “Ever since I’ve gone all in on it, I’ve revolved my whole life around it. Everything I do every single day is music.”

Founded in 1987, the Boston Music Awards honors artists, industry leaders and others involved in the local music scene. The awards ceremony takes place Dec. 17 at Big Night Live, 110 Causeway St., Boston.

Medford has several other nominees at this year’s Boston Music Awards. Check them out here.

Becoming KSAP

Saperstein was once a typical high school kid. He played on the basketball team and went to parties. He gave all that up to be KSAP.

Now, he wakes up and heads straight to school, no matter feeling tired from shooting content the night before. He then heads to the gym — not just to stay in shape, but to keep his mind clean and focused. His Saturday mornings are reserved for writing content and scripts for social media, and those take about four hours. Every two weeks, he releases a new song.

The BMA-nominated “100 Miles” video doesn’t look like it would star a kid who still waits on a report card. From models, money and sports cars to profanity and beer — which KSAP can’t legally drink — it’s a slick, professional piece of work.

Daron “D4” English, creative director at Boston’s AVARIA Studios, was shooting a music video in a restaurant when Sheri approached him.

“She came downstairs and was like, ‘You gotta listen to my son,’” he said. “She starts playing the music on the phone. And, mind you, this kid’s only 14. I’m like, ‘Oh! This kid’s only 14?’”

English reached out and shot the video for the song “Friends” while Saperstein was just making his way into high school (English also went to Medford High). He became his manager.

“I think a lot of students have other hobbies outside of school. Some are still trying to figure out what it is that they love,” English said. “Not that other kids aren’t special, but to know what you want, and nothing else matters in this world besides getting what you want [makes him special].”

English directed the BMA-nominated “100 Miles,” off of Saperstein’s debut record, “Didn’t Ask to Feel This Much.” They rented a car and went down to Rhode Island, back to Boston and close to New Hampshire. Over two days, they spent about 36 hours shooting the six minutes that would make it to YouTube. The video has hit 130,000 views.

Saperstein is so lucky, he says, to be the type of person people look at and say, “Wow, he just does what he wants.”

His mom, he said, is his biggest inspiration. Saperstein doesn’t have a dad in his life, and Sheri taught him everything he knows about determination, entrepreneurial spirit and visualizing your future.

But she still wants to keep him in check.

She made him give candy out to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. When he answered the door, though, the kids’ jaws hit the floor.

“They’re like, ‘Oh, my God, KSAP lives here!’” Sheri said. “It was so funny, just another notch, you know. This is my celebrity.”

She tries to be a sounding board for anything he needs. She plays devil’s advocate, teaching him how to process and receive criticism in a healthy way.

He can still pursue that music career as long as he gets those good grades.

“[I was] brought up in a household where my dad was a doctor, my mom was a teacher,” she said. “[My brother and I] wanted to skew from that path, and we weren’t allowed to do so…As a parent, I want Kobe to be able to do what he wants to do and not have to circumvent any of his dreams and put them on hold.”

If, in the end, he has to go with a Plan B, she says, she knows he’ll still thrive.

“He is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever come to know as a student,” said Heather McLaughlin, Saperstein’s favorite teacher at Medford High. “The fact that he is up ‘till, like, one in the morning doing music stuff and then he comes into school and he’s locked in…He’s motivated. He’s motivating and inspiring to those around him.”

McLaughlin said he doesn’t let the stardom get to him. He collaborates with other students, remains a team player and is a joy to be around his classmates.

“When I have a conversation with him, he’s wise beyond his years,” she said. “He’s really just grateful and humble about every experience he has in life and he always takes everything as a learning lesson.”

Even so, Saperstein said he walks down the halls and sees a difference. It may just be school, but it’s his first recognition of fame.

“I’m happy people around me get to experience it as well, because I live a double life,” he said. “You can do this, too. You can do whatever you want.”

It is a double life, he said, but “I’m KSAP every single day, every second of the day.”

“It takes dedication. It takes those nights missing out on a party,” he said. “I’m always going to get that experience, once I get it. It’s not a problem for me.”

He made sacrifices, he said, when he gave up some of those normal things about being a kid. Does he regret it? Absolutely not.

“I’m just very blessed to be able to be in a position to show people that you can do anything you put your mind to,” Saperstein said. “A kid from Medford isn’t supposed to be doing things like this.”

Daisy Levine is a journalism student at Boston University. This story is part of a partnership between Gotta Know Medford and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

In 2019, three developers proposed building affordable housing projects that would add more than 1,000 apartments to Medford in the midst of a housing crisis.

Nearly seven years later, construction has barely begun on two of them, and the third has been withdrawn after what the city says were contentious meetings with the developer.

Gotta Know Medford’s review of the proposals, as well as interviews and emails with city officials, revealed the projects were held up by the city’s claim that it had protection from a state law that lets affordable housing projects bypass certain local regulations.

City officials “basically demanded, through the court process, a seat at the table” so they could negotiate amenities they wanted the project to include, such as green space and bike lanes, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said in an interview.

The city’s claim that it had “safe harbor” from the state law — which relied on a calculation of affordable housing stock in Medford that was ultimately ruled erroneously by a state board — took years to resolve.

Construction projects typically undergo local reviews to ensure they comply with zoning regulations before they’re built. But a state law known as Chapter 40B, the Comprehensive Permit Law, allows developers to forgo some local zoning regulations if less than 10% of the housing in town is considered affordable or if less than 1.5% of a community’s total land area zoned for residential, commercial or industrial contains affordable housing. Housing is considered affordable if it costs no more than 30% of the household’s income.

Three developers proposed 40B housing projects in Medford in 2019.

The Davis Companiesmet with Medford city officials on Jan. 15, 2019, about a planned development at 970 Fellsway, a former box factory. The project would create 278 apartments.

Davis filed an application for funding to the state subsidizing agency, MassHousing, in November of that year.

Mill Creek Residential hand-delivered a letter to MassHousing on July 30, 2019, for a project at 4000 Mystic Valley Parkway that would create 400 housing units, according to its permit application.

Combined Properties proposed 378 apartments at 280 Mystic Ave. in 2019, but has since withdrawn its application, according to the city.

None of the three developers would speak with Gotta Know Medford for this story, nor would MassHousing.

Medford’s zoning board rejected all three projects.

“It wasn’t that we [the zoning board] didn’t want the housing,” Lungo-Koehn said. A 40B project is “only allowed if you have under 10% affordable housing,” she said, “[and] we had more.”

The mayor said the city rejected the projects not because it didn’t want more affordable housing, but because it wanted a say in how the projects were built and what “community benefits” they included.

The developers challenged the city’s numbers. In October 2020, Davis and Mill Creek filed a joint motion to the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development saying they believed Medford was ineligible for safe harbor status.

The DHCD ruled in favor of the developers. The Medford zoning board appealed that ruling to the Massachusetts Housing Appeals Committee in October 2023.

The developers made their own calculations to counter Medford’s claim that more than 10% of its housing was affordable, and the Housing Appeals Committee could not find proof that the city met the housing minimums and denied it safe harbor status.

A year later, Combined Properties challenged the city on the same grounds over its proposal for  280 Mystic Ave. The DHCD ruled in the developer’s favor, Medford appealed, and the Housing Appeals Committee issued the same ruling: “The undisputed facts show that the City of Medford has not achieved the general land area minimum safe harbor.”

After the Housing Appeals Committee ruling, the Medford zoning board approved the Mystic Valley Parkway and Fellway projects and issued building permits this summer. Both are now in the early stages of construction. The proposal for Mystic Avenue has been withdrawn.

Gotta Know Medford spent weeks trying to get an explanation from city officials about why the projects have taken so long. City spokesperson Steve Smirti eventually provided a written statement from Lungo-Koehn saying the city had been negotiating with the developers to get the community benefits it wanted.

Alicia Hunt, Medford’s director of planning, development and sustainability, provided a statement by email blaming the developers for taking too long.

“It wasn’t that the city delayed GIVING the permits,” she wrote. “The Applicants took a long time APPLYING for the building permits.”

Hunt also placed some of the responsibility on the state, citing the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act, or MEPA, an environmental review process that she said can take as long as 18 months.

But Tara Smith, press secretary for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (formerly DHCD), said, however, that the state couldn’t be entirely responsible for a project taking that long: “That [MEPA] wouldn’t explain going back to 2019.”

At a press conference in September at 970 Fellsway, Gov. Maura Healey said she wants to streamline some of these regulations to fast-track housing development.

“This is about cutting red tape,” Healey said, which would speed up review times from a year down to 30 days for housing projects across the state.

None of the Medford officials cited the long dispute over the city’s safe harbor claim as a reason for the projects’ delays.

“At the time (2020/21) the City believed it qualified for Safe Harbor status and went to court to defend that designation,” Smirti wrote in an email to Gotta Know Medford. “The state ultimately ruled against the City, so negotiations renewed with these developers.”

Roberta Cameron, a local housing advocate, said she is concerned about the state of affordable housing in Medford.

“I’ve talked with many people. The problems are growing more intense,” said Cameron, who volunteers with Housing Medford, a group of affordable housing activists. “Medford has been very slow to enact policies that address affordable housing needs.”

Cameron posts items about affordable housing anecdotes daily on Housing Medford’s Facebook page, in hopes that any anecdote — good or bad — will lead to change.

“We need more housing,” she said. “We need to make housing more affordable, and we need more consumer protection to support both homeowners and renters who are trying to live in the homes in Medford, and we need to do all of those things at the same time.”

Daisy Levine is a journalism student at Boston University. This story is part of a partnership between Gotta Know Medford and the Boston University Department of Journalism.