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.

Elections

Watertown Republicans Endorse Geoff Diehl in Massachusetts U.S. Senate Race

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Representative Geoff Diehl, candidate for U.S. Senate, announced that he has received the endorsement of the Watertown Republican Town Committee, according to a press release from Diehl’s campaign. 

“I am pleased that the Watertown Republican Town Committee will be supporting my candidacy for the Senate. Their support shows our growing movement,” said Diehl. “We have worked with Geoff Diehl for years. We were proud to stand with him on the successful effort to repeal automatic gas tax hikes – saving taxpayers $2 billion. Geoff is a proven leader which is rare in this day and age.

Around Town

Public Hears About Narrowed List of Projects to Improve Roads, Bicycling, Walking in Watertown

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A variety of projects – from the Community Path to crosswalks to traffic calming – made the first cut in the creation of Watertown’s Complete Streets Prioritization Plan. Town officials, however, still seek input about which should make the final list of 15-20 projects. Wednesday night, consultants hired by the town to create the Prioritization Plan discussed why some of the projects made the grade and others did not. The town will be able to apply for funding from the Mass. Department of Transportation (MassDOT) for projects on the Prioritization Plan.

Government

Town Councilor Announces He Will be Stepping Down, Moving Out of Watertown

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Recently re-elected Town Councilor Michael Dattoli announced Tuesday night that he will be stepping down because he and his family will be moving out of Watertown. Dattoli, a Councilor-At-Large, will be resigning effective April 30, 2018. He won reelection last November. “This a surprise to many of you, but my wife Megan and I and my family – after very careful consideration – have a very exciting opportunity,” Dattoli said during he meeting. “The timing is very unexpected but for personal reasons, and there are many of them – and they are difficult, we are relocating out of Watertown.”

Government

Watertown’s Director of Public Buildings Brings Military Background to Town & Schools

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In her previous life, Watertown’s first Director of Public Buildings, Lori Kabel, made sure that our nation’s Air Force bases worked well and now she looks to do the same for the town’s schools and municipal facilities. Kabel, who retired as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Air Force, worked on 10 bases across the United States as well as places around the globe, including Iraq, Germany, Korea and the U.K.

While the scenery will be different, Kabel said her work will not be totally different. “This jobs ties with military very much because I was a civil engineer with the Air Force,” Kabel said. “So, I did building maintenance as well as construction management for the bases that I was assigned to – So very similar; a small town is a like a small base.” Kabel will play a big role in the oversight of the upcoming school building projects, known as Building for the Future, which will include renovating or rebuilding the three elementary schools as well as Watertown High School.

AirBnB

Town Mulling Over How to Handle Airbnb, Other Short-Term Rentals in Watertown

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The Town of Watertown does not allow short-term rentals, such as can be found on Airbnb or one of several other similar websites, but when you look up Watertown those websites dozens or even hundreds of potential rentals pop up on the map. 

Watertown officials are trying to figure out how to handle such rentals and, whether they are banned or allowed with certain conditions, the policy will need to be enforced. Wednesday night, the Department of Community Development and Planning held the first community forum to start diving into the complex issue. Town Council President Mark Sideris said that he believes the status quo is not working. “We have an issue we need to address and we can’t say we don’t want to do anything. It is going on now,” Sideris said.

Government

Town Officials Exploring Prohibiting Self Storage in Watertown’s Zoning

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The Town Council has started the process of prohibiting self-storage facilities in Watertown’s Zoning Ordinance. The move came after the Town Council approved a zoning change relating to self-storage facilities in January. At the hearing, which reduced the parking requirements from one spot per three storage units to one for every 10,000 sq. ft of gross floor area, some Councilors and several residents questioned whether this is the kind of business Watertown wants and where it should go. The parking change amendment came from the Watertown Department of Economic Development and Planning but was first requested by the owners of 80 Elm Street – a location where plans for a self-storage facility may be brought forward.