Development

Council Stresses Importance of Transportation Planner, Worried About Development

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The position of Transportation Planner has been discussed for years and the town has searched for someone to fill the role, but has struggled to find someone qualified to do the job. Tuesday night the Town Council stressed to Community Development and Planning Department Director Steve Magoon that they want the position filled. 

The Transportation Planner would deal with issues such as traffic, public transportation and the planned Watertown shuttle. Magoon appeared before the Council for his budget hearing. During the discussion, Councilors also worry that the Planning Department has enough resources to deal with all the development in town. Filling the Transportation Planner position has been high on Magoon’s list.

Police/Fire

Watertown Firefighters Battle Warehouse Fire, Hot Weather

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On one of the hottest days of the year, Watertown Firefighters had to battle a fire on the roof of a warehouse on Bridge Street. The warehouse, which is attached to the back of the Olympia Moving & Storage building, was being demolished on Wednesday. Watertown Fire officials believe that is what started the blaze. “We are pretty certain that the were beginning to cut with a power saw and the sparks caught the corrugated foam under the rubber roof – the insulation – on fire,” said Watertown Deputy Fire Chief Rob Iannetta. A second alarm was not required to battle the blaze, Iannetta said, but an additional fire engine from Newton came to assist the Watertown Fire Department.

Fallen Firefighter

Town Covers Cost of Fallen Firefighter, Will Cover Future Fire, Police Funerals

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The Town of Watertown paid for the cost of the funeral and burial of fallen Firefighter Joseph Toscano, and the Town Council approved a policy that will do the same for future tragedies involving Watertown firefighters or police officers. The state has an optional law that communities can adopt that allow them to pay for the funeral and burial expenses of a firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duty up to $15,000. Watertown had not adopted the law, but the Town Council unanimously approved it at its May 9 meeting. At their previous meeting on April 25, the Council approved a transfer of $9,896 from the Town Council Reserve to the Funeral Expenses Account to cover the funeral and burial costs of Joseph Toscano, who was honored by a funeral procession through Watertown Square and services at St. Patrick’s Church.

Environment

LETTER: River Clean Up Removed Trash, Items Already Re-accumulating

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To the Editor:

Two weeks after the Annual Charles River Cleanup, April 29, I went back to the area behind the Stop & Shop, 700 Pleasant Street.  On the day of the Cleanup, members of Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the Environment hauled from the banks of the river bags and bags of trash, including a large car part identified as a catalytic converter. By noon the area looked immaculate. On my follow-up visit, trash had started to re-accumulate. Back again along the banks were scatterings of sanitizing wipes and advertising flyers.

Government

Calls for Watertown to Become Sanctuary City Continue as Neighbors Adopt Policies

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As more area towns pass ordinances to declare that undocumented immigrants will be protected from federal efforts to deport them, the debate continues whether Watertown should join the growing list of Sanctuary Cities and Towns. The ordinances typically declare that local police departments will not check immigration status as part of routine matters, but they will if a crime is committed. Also, illegal aliens are not protected by the Sanctuary City ordinance if they have committed a felony or violent crime. Local supporters of Watertown becoming a Sanctuary Town held signs in Watertown Square followed by a rally at a nearby church attended by hundreds. The next week, dozens packed the Town Council Chambers to voice their opposition to the Council passing a Sanctuary City ordinance.

Development

Residents Question $25 Million in Improvements Proposed by Athenahealth, Town

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Watertown could get $25 million in improvements to roads, parks and paths without putting up a dime, but attendees of a meeting last Thursday were not leaping to seal the deal. 

The proposed work would be part of the I-Cubed program, in which a developer – in this case Athenahealth – bonds money from the state to pay for the infrastructure and teams with public entities – the Town of Watertown and the Department of Conservation and Recreation – to do the improvements. The bonds will be paid by the increased tax revenue going to the state from Athenahealth’s campus expansion and the additional jobs it will create. None of the money can be spent on Athenahealth’s property. Thursday night, Athenahealth officials presented the list of projects it would do with the money. They include:
$7.5 million – Arsenal Street: roadway and sidewalk improvements, upgraded traffic lights and timing
$900,000 – Sewer improvements on North Beacon Street and Greenough Boulevard
$6.3 million – Roadway improvements to North Beacon, a cycling and pedestrian path, signal upgrades
$1.7 million – Watertown Square repaving, sidewalk improvements, upgrades to traffic, pedestrian signals and timing, and realigning Charles River Road
$700,000 – Completing the improvements of the Watertown Riverfront Park on the north bank of the Charles River
$1.7 million – Greenough Boulevard: bicycle and pedestrian path upgrades, improvements to the roadway and signal upgrades (including a traffic light at Greenough and North Beacon)
$2.7 million – Squibnocket Park: adding a canoe/kayak launch, a boardwalk and river overlook, and landscaping
$400,000 – School Street/Dexter Avenue/Walnut Street: sight-line improvements and curb realignments
$400,000 – Arsenal Park: extension of the Community Path through the park
$2.7 million – Drainage and parking improvement on Talcott Avenue near the Commander’s Mansion, cosmetic improvements to the Mansion and grounds and realignment of Talcott Avenue, and possibly linking it to either North Beacon or Greenough
The I-Cubed program would be a “win-win” for Athenahealth and the town, said  Mark Blair, the company’s Manager of Environment and Construction.

Government

Small Road on the Southside Has More Than Its Share of Issues

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Each year, to celebrate the end of school, the residents of Theurer Park in Watertown shut down their street and have a block party. Kids can run around in the street and ride their bikes without fear for their safety, but the rest of the year their parents make sure they stick to the sidewalks. 

The street is a short, block-long road on the Southside of Watertown, but it has more than its share of problems, residents say. Speeding cars, pot holes, mud-filled planting strips and lack of crosswalks – problems facing many streets in town, but few suffer from all of them. Filled with two-family homes, Theurer Park also has 18 children and 15 dogs residing there. With all the problems, residents point to one.

Environment

New Tree Planted in Watertown Square to Honor Watertown’s Tree Warden

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A tree grows in Watertown Square – and it’s no ordinary tree. This tree honors Watertown’s own Tree Warden, Chris Hayward, for being named Massachusetts Tree Warden of the Year. 

Hayward received the Tree Warden of the Year award from the Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters Association earlier this year, and as part of the award he got to have a tree planted in his town in his honor. On Wednesday morning, a white fir was planted on the Watertown Square Delta, just a stone’s throw from the bus stop. A couple dozen people came to congratulate him, including co-workers, elected officials, residents and his wife, mother and mother- and father-in-laws. The evergreen is about 10 feet tall, but it could grow to several times that height in about 80 years time.