Late Thursday night, residents in Nonantum awoke to the strange sound of midnight road work.

The crew on site wasn’t fixing a pothole, however. The workers were removing the red, white and green Italian flag lines from Adams Street.

And that set off a firestorm of outrage from Nonantum residents aimed at Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, who had ordered the removal. With Festa (the St. Mary of Carmen Festa that’s been held for the past 90 years) just a few weeks away.

“This was deliberate. This was erasure,” Fran Yerardi, who moderates the Nonantum-focused Facebook Page called The Lake, wrote on that page. “This was her way of ending Nonantum’s heritage.”

On Friday morning, Fuller issued a statement explaining why the painted lines were removed, and she said the neighborhood’s Italian background has nothing to do with it.

“Like you, I value the Italian heritage and traditions in Nonantum. I understand your concerns regarding the removal of the colors of the Italian flag from Adams Street,” she wrote.

The removal was related to state law, she explained, after city officials spoke with Festa organizers about changes to the street that would have to be made for this year’s festival. That included adding a yellow line in the middle, which means the Italian colors had to be removed. But, Fuller said, the Italian colors will be repainted on after the yellow line is added.

“We came to an understanding that State law requires that yellow center lines be on Adams Street for safety reasons due to its traffic volume and width,” Fuller continued. “We worked with the Festa volunteers so that the City would paint the center lines yellow and their volunteers are able to repaint the Italian flag-colored lines next to these yellow lines. I’m confident that we can have the yellow safety line and lift up our Italian roots.”

Fuller had not alerted the community about the plan to remove the Italian flag colors to add yellow line, so the removal came as a shock to many.

The St. Mary of Carma Festa will be held from July 16 to 20. The annual block party is in its 90th year and typically sees about 10,000 attendees.

Wondering why Nonantum is called The Lake? We have that story.