Government

Concerns Raised About Narrowing Mt. Auburn St. & Making it Safer for Bikes

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The latest proposal for the major overhaul of Mt. Auburn Street was unveiled by traffic engineers at Monday night’s Public Works subcommittee meeting, and they were largely met with skepticism and disappointment. The first detailed draft of what the redesigned Mt. Auburn Street could or would look like was presented in June by the traffic engineers from WorldTech Engineering. It included removal of lanes, called a “road diet” in some areas and added bike lanes along the roadway.

Government

Meeting Monday Will Discuss Major Redesign of Mt. Auburn Street

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A major redesign of Mt. Auburn Street, including a proposal to reduce the lanes to one each way, will be discussed Monday night by the Town Council’s Public Works Committee. 

The meeting is at 7:15 p.m. on Monday, November 20, 2017 in Town Hall, Administration in the Richard E. Mastrangelo Council Chamber 149 Main Street, Watertown. The Town sent out the following information:
The Watertown Department of Public Works will provide an update on the progress in designing elements of the Mount Auburn Street project at the Public Works Committee meeting. The project team will follow up on comments from the June meeting and provide an update on the project timeline and design. The Mount Auburn Street project has a dedicated website.

Environment

Charles River Watershed Group Pushing for Removal of Watertown Dam

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A short distance from Watertown Square the waters of the Charles River back up in a placid pool and then cascade several feet down into an area frequented by birds and other animals. This area, however, could be vastly changed if the Watertown Dam, which holds back the river, is removed as proposed by the Charles River Watershed Association (CWRA). 

A dam was first built in the location in 1632 as a fish weir. The dam was rebuilt in 1962 after it suffered damage from flooding in 1918 and Hurricane Diane in 1955. Earlier this month, Elisabeth Cianciola, aquatic scientist with the CWRA, spoke to the Conservation Commission about the possibility of removing the dam. “There is no recognized use for the dam,” Cianciola said.

Government

Town Council Approves Slight Increase in Residential Exemption for Property Taxes

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One issue heard often during the 2017 Town Election was residents wanting more relief on their residential property taxes. The Town Council took a step toward cutting bills by increasing the residential property tax exemption by one percentage point on Tuesday night. The residential exemption will be 23 percent in Fiscal 2018, which means owner occupied properties can get a break on taxes, but properties where the owner does not live or is not the primary residence will bear more of the burden. The annual property tax of the average valued owner-occupied home (assessed at $587,413) will be $6,092.59, which is up $160.43, or 2.7 percent. This year, for the first time, the Community Preservation Act (CPA) assessment will be added on for the first time.

Election 2017

LETTER: Candidate for Library Trustee Reflects on the Campaign

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Editor,

My thanks and deep appreciation go out to those many members of the Watertown community who so generously supported my campaign for Library Trustee. Congratulations to newly-elected Trustees Leanne Hammonds and Daniel Pritchard, whose constructive, informative campaigns also underlined the values and strengths of our superb library. I feel certain they will serve all of us well. David R. Breakstone
Pearl Street

Government

State Rep. Jonathan Hecht Holding Office Hours in November

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Representative Jonathan Hecht will hold office hours twice in Watertown through the end of the year, his office announced. Constituents are invited to meet with Representative Hecht at the following times and locations:

Monday, November 20, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St, Raya Stern Trustees Room

Tuesday, December 12, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Watertown Town Hall, 149 Main St, 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.

Elections

Town Council Winners Reflect on the Election, Look Ahead

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The dust has settled after the Watertown Town Election, and the Town Council will have two new members, and two returning for another term. The victors reflected on the election and looked forward at their upcoming term. Anthony Donato took the most votes on his first run for Town Council. He fared well across town. “I was fortunate to have a lot of support spread throughout town and for that I am grateful,” Donato said.

Elections

See the Library Trustees Precinct by Precinct, and Voter Turnout by Precinct

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Leanne Hammonds won the race for Library Trustees by more than 500 votes, and got a lot of help from two precincts. See how each of the four candidates fared in each precinct. With 2,536 votes, Hammonds won all 12 precincts in Watertown and got more than 300 votes in precinct 7 and 8 and won the precincts by 90 and 46 votes respectively. Second place finisher Michael Hanlon narrowly beat Daniel Pritchard, who won the third and final spot. Hanlon did better than Pritchard in eight precincts (1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12) while Pritchard was ahead in four, precincts 3, 4, 5, and 8.