Elections

Town Council Looking for Ways to Make Early Voting Work More Smoothly

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Early voting was a hit in Watertown during the Presidential Election, but the influx of people sometimes overwhelmed the staff of the Clerk’s office. The Town Council began looking for ways for it to work better next time. There were 5,855 early votes cast, with another 796 and 86 e-voters – military service men and women and others who qualify, Town Clerk John Flynn told the Town Council’s State, Federal and Regional Government Committee Tuesday night. That made up 36 percent of the votes cast. That well exceeded the number Flynn expected to see.

Government

Find Out About the ‘Road Diet’ Proposed for Mt. Auburn Street

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On Thursday, Dec. 8, the Department of Public Works will discuss proposed changes to Mt. Auburn Street, including the Road Diet. 

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., in Watertown, and will focus on the stretch between Patten Street and School Street. In the meeting announcement, the DPW said the project will information on how:

The proposed “road diet” will enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety, while also maintaining smooth vehicular flow on Mount Auburn Street. Upgrades at the Irving Street, Common Street, Walnut Street signalized intersections will accommodate new pedestrian and bicycle features.

Arsenal Mall

Developers Reveal the Arsenal Mall’s New Name, Coming Before Town Soon

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The Arsenal Mall will not only be renovated and redeveloped, but owners Boylston Properties will also rename it Arsenal Yards. Bill McQuillan, principal of Boylston Properties, revealed the new name in an article in the Boston Globe. The project has been presented to the Planning Board once, but developers will be back in Town Hall on Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. to discuss traffic and transportation. The board may vote on the project that night.

Budget Guidelines

Town Council Debates How to Get Items Into Watertown’s Annual Budget

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Each year the Town Council creates budget guidelines and Councilors can present their proposals for the budget during hearings of the Budget and Fiscal Oversight Committee. However, why some proposals make it and some do not is not always clear. 

In the presentation at last week’s  Town Council meeting, Councilor Vincent Piccirilli said the Budget and Fiscal Oversight subcommittee does not decide whether each request is a good idea or not but rather acts as an editor to take input from Town Councilors and “synthesize it into a concise, actionable document for the Manager.” (Click here to see the budget guidelines report). “The Committee may decide to not include a request because it requires policy direction from the Council before the Manager can include it in the operating budget; because it is too ambiguous to be included in the operating budget; because it is part of the Capital Improvement Program and not the operating budget; because it is within the authority of another elected body who has not weighed in it; or because it overlaps with other existing goals or requests,” Piccirilli was quoted as saying in the committee report. Councilor Tony Palomba said that he has been frustrated with his efforts to get items into the budget.

Government

Town Council Passes Rules for Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

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The Town Council adopted some rules and regulations for anyone interested in opening a medical marijuana dispensary in Watertown. At Tuesday’s meeting, the Council adopted several items that had been recommended by the Economic Development and Planning Committee. The subcommittee held a hearing in October to discuss dispensaries, and hear from some groups looking at opening marijuana facilities in town. No applications have been received by the town, but the Town Council wants to get rules into place before one comes forward. A handful of groups have approached the town inquiring about starting a facility in town, including one looking at a spot on Dexter Avenue and another on Elm Street.

Government

Construction in Watertown Square Parking Lot Will Stretch into December

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The work on the municipal parking lot in Watertown Square, which currently has exposed cavernous holes, will not be completed on time, and will stretch at least a week past Thanksgiving. The work will improve stormwater drainage in the area along Spring Street near the municipal parking lot behind CVS, said Town Engineer Matthew Shuman. “The work was scheduled to be completed by Thanksgiving, but the contractor is a little behind schedule due to some unforeseen conditions, including an old building foundation,” said Shuman. “The work is now scheduled to be complete by December 5.” The parking lot remains open, but the amount of parking has been reduced.

Elections

Election 2016: Issues with Early Voting, How Question 5 Appeared on Ballot

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The Nov. 8 election drew a huge number of Watertown voters, but there were issues with the presidential election that also featured the Community Preservation Act ballot question. Early voting proved popular with residents, and about 7,000 voters casted their ballots before election day. After filling out their voters would fold their ballots and put them in an envelope and handed it back to the staff at the Town Clerk’s office. The envelopes went to the precinct where the voter lives, and were put through the machine.