Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/government/page/168/)
District A Town Councilor Angeline Kounelis provided the following piece and documents:
Dear Mt. Auburn St. Team, et al,
In recent history, how many times has the intersection of Mt. Auburn St. at Arlington St.
The renovation of Mt. Auburn Street, including the “road diet,” took a small step forward Tuesday night when the Town Council gave a preliminary nod for the first set of designs in a long process before the $14 million project becomes a reality. The plans given a tentative OK by the Council include the Complete Streets plan to reduce the number of lanes for motor vehicles from two in each direction to one, and adding left turn lanes at many intersections, and bike lanes along the entire length from Patten Street to the Cambridge line. Parking for Businesses
Conditions were placed on the approval after Councilors received more than 80 emails over the weekend from concerned customers of Pet Haven Animal Hospital. The plan had called for removal of on-street parking in the “T” intersection on Mt.
Watertown’s Filippello Park draws many visitors, from those going for a stroll, to children enjoying the playground, to sports leagues playing on the softball or soccer fields. The demand usually ramps up during the evenings, and park users will park on nearby streets, so residents of those areas struggle to find a spot of their own.
Monday night, the Town of Watertown held a meeting about plans for the park during the fall, but the room full or residents had bigger issues on their minds. Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon announced that the two playing fields at Filippello Park will not close, as previously discussed, during the fall. The Town looked for field space in other towns, or at Daly Field, in Brighton, but little was available, and none with lights. With the fields remaining open, parking had to be found because the main lot off Grove Street will be closed while the entrance that end of the park is renovated during the fall.
Representative Jonathan Hecht will hold office hours once in Watertown this July, his office announced. Constituents are invited to meet with Representative Hecht at the following time and location:
Tuesday, July 24th, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Watertown Town Hall, 149 Main St, Watertown, 3rd Floor hallway
Anyone unable to attend these office hours can call Representative Hecht at 617-722-2140 to schedule an appointment at another time.
(The following piece was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger (D – Belmont) who also represents Watertown and parts of Boston)
When I cycled across the country in 2011, I saw a lot of roadkill. I was constantly aware that all it would take was one mistake by me or by one of those caffeinated guys in big rigs and I’d look about the same. On the open road, I developed a profound gratitude towards the tens of thousands of drivers who did not hit me. The Senate just approved a safety package that would require a clearance of at least three feet for vehicles passing vulnerable road users like highway workers, cyclists and pedestrians. It would add an additional foot of required clearance for each ten miles per hour of speed.
The Diehl for Senate campaign provided the following press release:
Representative Geoff Diehl, the endorsed Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, announced that he has received the endorsement of Republican State Committeewoman Deborah Dugan of Watertown. “I am pleased to endorse Geoff Diehl for U.S. Senate. As a State Representative, Geoff has done more for the people of Massachusetts than Senator Warren has done as a United States Senator,” said Dugan. “I am honored to have received Debby’s endorsement. She is extremely hard worker and her strong support will help us win Watertown,” said Diehl.
At its next meeting the Planning Board will hear arguments from the developers of Arsenal Yards about their requested amendment to increase the allowable height in the area to 197 feet. The proposed amendment to the Regional Mixed Use District (RMUD) section of the Zoning Ordinance would increase the maximum height by 67 feet over the currently allowed 130 feet. The maximum height is allowed if a parcel is 10 acres or more. The Planning Board will discuss the amendment on July 11, 2018 at the meeting that begins at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. The item is comes after two other cases.
The reconstruction of one section of Filippello Park got the Town Council’s approval, and a meeting will be held the temporary closing of the field on the Grove Street side of the park. On June 26, the Town Council approved borrowing $1,287,000 to fund the renovation of the area near the park entrance off Grove Street. The lowest bid came from Heimlich Landscaping & Construction, which was one of two bids, said Glenn Howard, landscape architect with CDM Smith. Many of the Councilors said they happy to approve the funding for the park improvements, which passed 9-0. “I am really excited about this,” said Councilor Anthony Donato.