Community Preservation Act

LETTER: Group of Residents Support CPA and Improving Schools

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To the editor:

“Say Yes to the CPA”

We are longtime Watertown residents with young children destined for our fine schools, and we are excited to be voting Yes on Question 5. As people who are deeply devoted to our town, we believe that the Community Preservation Act will bring innumerable benefits to us all. When we decided to raise our families here, we did so for two reasons: First, we were inspired by the commitment of Watertown Strong Schools and other advocates to making our schools great. Second – and just as important – we love the community here. Raising four young children between our two families, we enjoy using Watertown’s parks, attending concerts in Saltonstall Park, strolling along the River, and watching the construction vehicles building up our town.

Community Preservation Act

LETTER: Parent Believes the Town Needs to Focus on Rebuilding the Schools

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To the Editor,

As a parent who has been deeply involved over the past few years in efforts to improve the quality of the schools in Watertown, I am writing to express my opposition at this time to Ballot Question #5 on the Community Preservation Act (CPA). While I believe that affordable housing, historic preservation, and open spaces and recreation are all positive things for our community, our priority in the next year or two needs to be focused on the decisions we will make as a community on how to finance the renovation, expansion and updating of all the school buildings in Watertown. We are facing what I would call a “generational investment” in our public schools to ensure that our children have facilities to support high-quality 21 st Century education over the next 20-30 years. Previous generations of Watertown residents have demonstrated their commitment to high quality public education by paying for the construction and renovation of our educational facilities, and we have reached the moment when it is our turn to show our commitment – both in sustaining the investments that have been made in the past and in ensuring that current and future residents of Watertown will have excellent public education for their children for the next several decades. Those who are advocating in favor of the CPA are making the case that CPA funding in its mandated areas will enable the town to shift budget lines from those areas s into other areas, including the schools.

Elections

Information About What the CPA Will Do, How Much it Will Cost & More

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It may be the presidential election, but in Watertown much of the debate has been about a local ballot measure – Question #5 – which asks voters whether they want the town to adopt the Community Preservation Act. Conversations have become heated, and discussions have raised questions about what the CPA would mean for Watertown, and what impact it will have, and of course, how much it will cost. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, but residents can participate in early voting through Friday, Nov. 4 (click here for more information).

Community Preservation Act

LETTER: CPA Advocate Hitting the Streets to Spread His Message

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The “good folks of Watertown” were recently advised to expect the sound of “strangers knocking on their door.” Please don’t be alarmed. They’re all “good folks of Watertown” too – like me. This is my first and probably last time knocking on doors, because it’s not my favorite thing. However, it’s for a cause I believe in – adoption of the Community Preservation Act, which appears as Question 5 on the November 8 ballot. Along with my fellow members of the Watertown Conservation Commission, I have watched helplessly for years as opportunities for redeveloping property for public recreation are lost because the Town lacks a ready source of funds dedicated to such a purpose.

Community Preservation Act

LETTER: Councilor Concerned About Impact of CPA on Homeowners, Renters

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Editor,

Since the beginning of this year, I have been contacted by numerous supporters of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) seeking my endorsement for the CPA, Ballot Question #5. I have stated to all, I would be hard-pressed to ask more of my constituents, in light of the overwhelming real estate tax increase this past fiscal year. I truly appreciate everyone’s willingness to listen to my viewpoint. On Jan. 17, 2016, I sent communication to Town Manager Michael Driscoll, stressing the fiscal plight of many East Enders relative to their substantial real estate tax increases.

Affordable Housing

LETTER: Why Question 5 Offers Hope for Those Who Need It Most

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To the Editor:

On Nov. 8, Watertown voters will have a chance to approve the Community Preservation Act, which would provide funding for three kinds of projects in town: historic preservation, expanding and improving open space and recreational facilities, and providing affordable housing. These projects would benefit ALL residents of the community, and could be proposed by anyone. We strongly support approval of the CPA, both because we believe that it will enhance the quality of life in our town in many substantive ways, and also for a more personal reason: we have close friends who are homeless. They are a family of seven.

Elections

LETTER: Town Councilor Explains His Position on the CPA Ballot Question

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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I’m writing you today to share why I have chosen to vote YES on Watertown’s Question 5 -the Community Preservation Act (CPA). I have changed my mind a couple of times on this one because people that I respect have expressed a lot of good concerns on the contrary. I thought about those concerns a lot but I always come back to the same place when I do and it really dawned on me when I recently attended the 2nd annual candlelight vigil for those lost to the substance use disorder epidemic in Watertown. A great young leader in Watertown rose to speak at the end of the event and made some gracious remarks to the attendees that ended with him professing his love for our town and referring to it as “4 square miles of pure heaven.” Naturally, the event provoked feelings about a lot of things but this comment really inspired me to remember why it is that I do the work I do for Watertown. In weeks since, I’ve looked across the school-yards, playing-fields and the Council chambers and realized that even though we don’t always all agree on every issue, we all really do love this town.