Government

No Election to Fill Council Seat; Members Vote to Appoint Former Councilor

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Former Councilor Susan Falkoff, will fill out the term of Michael Dattoli.The surprise announcement two weeks ago by Councilor Michael Dattoli that he would be resigning left the Town Council scrambling to figure out how to fill the vacancy. Thursday night Councilors decided, rather than holding a special election, to reappoint a former longtime member of the board to fill out the 19 months remaining on the term. In the case of a vacancy in the first 12 months of a Council term, Watertown’s Town Charter calls for the Council to call a special election unless they decide, by a vote of at least 6 councilors, to appoint someone to fill the open seat, said Town Council President Mark Sideris. Many thought it would be hard to find someone they could agree upon, but they found someone very familiar to them and to the voters of Watertown – Susan Falkoff. Falkoff left the Council at the end of 2017 when she decided not to run, having served six terms over the past 14 years.

Letters

OP-ED: Are We Ready for Automated Traffic Enforcement?

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The following was submitted by State Sen. Will Brownsberger

Automated enforcement of speed limits and red lights could substantially reduce accidents. So far, we have not been willing to use the new technology in Massachusetts. To improve safety, I hope we can build support to experiment with automated enforcement in a thoughtful and transparent way. The technology to recognize license plates is now quite reliable. The barriers to using plate readers for enforcement of basic traffic laws are not technological.

Government

Watertown Wants Residents’ Opinions on AirBNB and Other Short-Term Rentals

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Town officials have started to discuss creating rules about short-term rentals in Watertown, such as AirBNB, and have put up an online survey to get people’s opinions on the issue. 

At a meeting in February, the staff of the Community Development & Planning Department held a meeting about short-term rentals to discuss whether they should be allowed in Watertown and, if so, under what circumstances. Technically short-term rentals are not allowed under the current Watertown Zoning Ordinance, but it has been going on. By some estimates there are dozens or even hundreds of places available in Watertown on sites like AirBNB, HomeAway or VRBO. The town has rules for hotels and for renting out rooms in an owner-occupied home, but those do not fit all the types of short-term rentals. Some people rent whole condos or homes, others just a room.  The Planning Board asked the Department Community Development and Planning to come up with an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance covering short-term rentals.

Government

Registry of Motor Vehicles Announces New Requirements for Licenses, IDs

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The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles is reminding the public that on March 26, 2018, to get or renew any driver’s license, ID card, or learner’s permit, customers will need documentation showing United States citizenship or lawful presence as required by federal and state law, according to an announcement from the RMV. Lawful presence means that a person is legally living in the United States according to federal immigration laws. All United States citizens and lawfully permanent residents have permanent lawful presence in the U.S. Non-U.S. individuals who are studying, working, or living temporarily in the U.S. may have temporary lawful presence that may vary in length. On March 26, customers will have the choice between a REAL ID Driver’s License or ID Card or a Standard Massachusetts Driver’s License or ID Card. REAL ID is a Federal Security Standard for IDs that was created in 2005 as a result of increased federal security measures after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. REAL ID will be available on March 26, 2018; however, people will not need a REAL ID until October of 2020.

Government

State Rep. Hecht Invites the Public to Attend His Officer Hours in March

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Representative Jonathan Hecht announced he will hold office hours twice in Watertown this March. Constituents are invited to meet with Representative Hecht at the following times and locations:
Thursday, March 15th, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Watertown Town Hall, 149 Main St, 3rd Floor hallway
Monday, March 19th, 5:00-6:00 p.m., Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St, Raya Stern Trustees Room
Anyone unable to attend these office hours can call Representative Hecht at 617-722-2140 to schedule an appointment at another time.

Arsenal Street

Arsenal St. Utility Poles Replaced, Crews Working to Put Wires Up

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A stretch of Arsenal Street in Watertown remains closed Sunday, two days after eight utility poles came crashing down in a Nor’easter. Watertown officials hope to have the road reopened soon, but much rewiring work remains. The poles broke on Friday, and shut down one of the town’s main roadways, but remarkably no one was injured. New poles have been been installed, and now crews from the Town of Watertown, Eversource, Verizon and others are out putting up new wiring on the new utility poles, said Watertown’s Superintendent of Public Works Gerald Mee. “It is pretty difficult to estimate when (Arsenal Street) will reopen.

Environment

Watertown State Reps. Call for State to Invest in Electric Vehicle Technology, Infrastructure

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Representatives Jonathan Hecht and John Lawn joined 36 other legislators who weighed in on the allocation of $75 million that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is scheduled to receive from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund, the two reps from Watertown announced. Members urged the Department of Environmental Protection, which is charged with dispensing the money, to invest in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and invest the balance of the funds in fully-electric transit and school buses. The money will be received as part of a multi-state settlement with Volkswagen after it used a cheating computer system that ran emissions controls during testing but not during normal vehicle operation. Emissions from these vehicles were 15-40 times the federal Environmental Protection Agency compliance level. Volkswagen has agreed to spend nearly $15 billion on remedial action, including $2.9 billion that is being divided up among participating states and territories.

Environment

Conservation Commission to Hear About Studies of Whitney Hill Park’s Plant, Animal Life; More Info from Annual Report

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The annual report on Watertown’s last piece of wooded land, Whitney Hill Park, recommends continuing to study the trees and animals on the land. The report will be discussed by the Conservation Commission on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 7 p.m. at the Lower Hearing Room in Town Hall, 149 Main St., Watertown. Activities in 2017

Several studies of Whitney Hill took place last year, looking at the plants, animals and more. Data about the lower woody vegetation (which includes saplings and shrubs) on Whitney Hill have been digitized by ConCom member Patrick Fairbairn. This will be used as a baseline to track future changes of the hill.