Government

Some Changes in Store in Watertown’s Proposed Trash/Recycling Contract

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Trash collection would move to five days a week and yard waste would be collected on the same day as trash under the proposed new trash/recycling collection contract being offered to the town. Weekly recycling, however, is not part of the deal. The five year deal with Republic Services, the same company that currently picks up trash and recycling, would cost $12.43 million over that time. The contract could have been higher, said Dan Higgins, municipal services manager for Republic. “We identified ways to be more efficient and overcame projected const increases for the town,” said Higgins, who said there will be increases in wages, increased fuel costs and higher rates for disposing trash at the incinerator facility.

Government

Joint Town, Athenahealth Improvements to be Discussed by Town Council

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The public is invited to a Special Town Council Meeting to discuss a set of improvements proposed jointly by the Town and Athenahealth. The meeting will be held on Thursday, June 29 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers in Town Hall, 149 Main St., Watertown. The proposed work would be part of the I-Cubed program, in which a developer – in this case Athenahealth – bonds money from the state to pay for the infrastructure and teams with public entities – the Town of Watertown and the Department of Conservation and Recreation – to do the improvements. The bonds will be paid by the increased tax revenue going to the state from Athenahealth’s campus expansion and the additional jobs it will create. None of the money can be spent on Athenahealth’s property.

Election 2017

Decision Made on How to Fill Vacant School Committee Seat

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The School Committee will have an open seat when one of its members moves out of town, and the seat will be filled by a special election that will be on the ballot during this fall’s Town Election. 

In May, School Committee member Candace Miller announced she would be stepping down from her seat because she and her family are moving. She told her colleagues on June 5, and submitted her letter of resignation to the Town Clerk that week saying she will officially step down on Aug. 5. The decision of how the remaining 2 years and two months is made by the Town Council. Tuesday night Council President Mark Sideris recommended that a special election be called.

Government

Public Invited to Meeting About Redesigning Mt. Auburn Street

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Find out about the redesign of Mt. Auburn Street and give your input during a joint meeting of the Town Council’s Public Works subcommittee and the Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee. 

The meeting will be held on Monday, June 19, 2017 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers in Town Hall, 149 Main Street, Watertown. The project got mixed reviews when it was discussed in December 2016. The Department of Public Works sent out the following information:
The Watertown Department of Public Works will provide an update focusing on options for bicycle accommodations on Mount Auburn Street. The project team will welcome public comments on the bicycle accommodations before we refine the preliminary design of the project.

Government

Hearing on Trees Set to be Removed Scheduled for June 15

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Watertown Tree Warden Chris Hayward announced a meeting to discuss trees that are scheduled to be removed in Watertown. 
The meeting was originally scheduled to be held on Tuesday, June 13. The hearing has been rescheduled to Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 11:30 a.m. It will be held in the 3rd Floor Meeting Room in the Administration Building located at 147 Main St. Please see the attached agenda for more information. TREE Hearing List

Location

DBH

Type of Tree

Common/Spring St. Delta

8”

Chinese elm

291 Arsenal St

6”

Honeylocust

291 Arsenal St

6”

Honeylocust

330 Arsenal St

10”

Bradford pear

330 Arsenal St

11”

Bradford pear

330 Arsenal St

9”

Bradford pear

45 Robbins Road (on Orchard St)

32”

Norway maple

4 Orchard St

23”

Norway maple

58 Robbins Rd (on Orchard St)

22”

Norway maple

Hayward said that people do not need to attend the Tree Hearing to be heard.

Amstel Heritage

New Project Proposed on Pleasant Street with 58 Residential Units and Commercial Space

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A community meeting will be held for a commercial and residential development proposed for a thin piece of land on Pleasant Street currently occupied by a parking lot and warehouse. 

The meeting for the project at 385 Pleasant Street will be held on Monday, June 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Room in the Watertown Police Station, 552 Main St. According to the project narrative submitted by developers Amstel Heritage LLC, the project includes five new buildings on the current parking lot near the intersection of Pleasant Street and Rosedale Road, plus the existing warehouse. The site backs up onto properties along Waltham Street. In addition, a small public park will be built where Pleasant and Waltham Streets converge at Rosedale Road. The residential component includes 58 units.

Government

Discussions for Renovation of Arsenal Park to Start Soon, See One Possible Addition

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With all the changes coming to the Arsenal Mall, the park next door will also see some changes. Town officials will soon begin discussing how to renovate Arsenal Mall, and the changes could include the relocation of a small piece of the historic Arsenal. During a community meeting about the second phase of the Arsenal Yards project Watertown Senior Planner Gideon Schreiber said that discussions about the park will begin soon. “On June 21 there will be a meeting with an internal (town) group and abutters to discuss the process,” Schreiber said. Following that meeting, there will be public meetings to discuss changes to the park.

Arsenal Street

See MassDOT’s Recommendations for Improvements to Arsenal Street

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has released a draft of the report and recommendations for improving the Arsenal Street Corridor, and officials will host a meeting later in June to discuss the report with the public. 

The report made for MassDOT by consultants from VHB, includes improvements to vehicular, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian uses of the corridor, “with a targeted focus on enhancements to bus service along Arsenal Street and locations where the bus service ties into other crossing bus routes,” according to the MassDOT announcement. Click here to see the draft Final Report. The meeting will be held on Thursday, June 22 starting with a presentation at 6 p.m. and an open house from 7 to 8 p.m. The meeting will be in the Watertown Savings Bank Room at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St. In the draft final report, MassDOT officials write that the recommendations would require “a significant investment in potential transportation-related infrastructure.” “These projects represent an investment in total that currently far exceeds available funding as presently programmed.