Environment

Town Looking for Ways to Reduce Amount of Water Going into Storm Drains

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The Town of Watertown has multiple incentives to reduce the amount of rain water flowing into storm drains and eventually into the Charles River, including preventing street flooding and reducing the amount of pollution going into the river – which will be part of the new and stricter Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements. The EPA requirements come out in Jul and the town will receive a new permit which will include more stringent requirements to reduce pollution of the river. The Department of Public Works seeks to find ways to prevent rain water from running down streets and driveways into storm drains, and out into the Charles River, because stormwater is a major cause of pollution in the river. Sometimes small storms can be worse for pollution than bigger ones, Shuman said. “We call it the first flush,” Shuman said. “The first quarter inch of rain picks up all the pollutants from the roads and it runs into the storm drains.”

Government

Athenahealth Hosting Info Meeting on Joint Effort to Improve Roads, Paths Near its HQ

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Find out more about the I-Cubed program that the Town of Watertown, Athenahealth and the Department of Conservation and Recreation are exploring, and would result in improvements to the public roads and infrastructure near the Athena headquarters. The state would contribute $25 million to improve infrastructure around the Arsenal on the Charles, which is home to Athenahealth and other businesses, as well as the Mosesian Center for the Arts. The money comes from tax revenue created by new jobs added by Athenahealth. The proposed work would improve the roadway, intersections, streetscapes, and increase connectivity of public transportation, pedestrian paths and bicycle routes. In February 2016, Athena said the following improvements would be included in the I-Cubed projects:

Arsenal Street – streetscape improvements, bus stop and shelters and improved crosswalks
North Beacon Street – improvements at the intersections at Greenough Boulevard and Charles River Road (including a traffic signal at Greenough), cycle tracks, streetscape and stormwater improvements
Squibnocket Park – parking, pedestrian access including paths and boardwalks along the river, river overlooks, canoe and kayak launch and storage house
Arsenal Park and Commander’s Mansion – improvements to Talcott Avenue, a path through Arsenal Park and the Commander’s Mansion

According to the state’s website, I-Cubed projects must include an economic development project approved by the municipality.

Department of Public Works

See the Road Projects in Watertown that the DPW Will Work on This Year

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Spring is here, which means the start of construction season for road projects. The Department of Public Work has a long list of projects they are working on, and projects they have coming down the road. See if your street or ones in your neighborhood made the list:

2017 Water Main Replacements

The Town’s annual water system improvement program seeks to replace undersized or inadequate water mains to improve water quality, fire flows, water pressure and volume. The following streets are included in this year’s program:
Katherine Road (Church Street to Common Street)
Priest Road
Hazel Street (Quimby Street to Dexter Ave.)
Westland Road, Woodleigh Road, and Edgecliff Road (Hillside Ave. to Woodleigh Road)
Bellevue Ave.

Government

Zoning Board Discusses Medical Marijuana Facility, Delayed Final Vote

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The proposed medical marijuana facility went before the Zoning Board, the final approval required before it would be allowed to open in East Watertown, but the vote will have to wait until May. Natural Selections has applied to open a facility in a building at 23 Elm Street, behind the one that is home to A-Affordable Auto Insurance. The Zoning Board asked about the building it would go into and about how the dispensary would work. Only patients who are registered with the state and have a Medical Marijuana ID, or registered  personal care givers will be able to go to the center to get cannabis, said attorney Stephanie Haughey. Aidan O’Donovan, chief operating officer of Natural Selections, said that smoking or any other form of consumption of marijuana will not be permitted on site.

101-103 Morse Street

Zoning Board Asks Developer of Morse Street Project for More Details

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The Zoning Board of Appeals told developers looking to change a former massage school into an apartment complex that their plan needs more work before it can get approval. The complex at 101-103 Morse Street, south of the Charles River in Watertown, most recently was occupied by the Cortiva Institute, but when the massage school left property owner Kamran Shahbazi decided to change it into a residential building. The current plan calls for 44 apartments – 3 studios, 32 one-bedrooms, nine two-bedrooms and one three-bedroom – to be constructed. This is down from 49. One of the main complaints the ZBA had about the plan was a lack of information and clarity in the plans submitted by the developers, including images of what it would look like, more detailed architectural plans and descriptions of the project.

Fiscal 2018 Budget

Town Manager Unveils FY2018 Budget Which Includes Five New Positions

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The Fiscal Year 2018 Watertown budget presented by Town Manager Michael Driscoll is nearly 4 percent higher than Fiscal 2017 and includes a 5 percent increase for the Watertown Public Schools and new positions for a handful of municipal departments, including the Police Department and Library. Tuesday night Driscoll presented the budget to the Town Council for the 25th time, see the presentation here. The town budget totals $132.6 million, which is $5 million more than the previous year. Local real estate and personal property taxes total $94.8 million and State Aide accounts for $12.1 million. Local receipts – inspection fees, motor vehicle excise taxes and hotel excise taxes – provide $11.9 million for the budget.

Community Preservation Act

Council Asked to Weigh in on Who Should Select Community Preservation Committee

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The Town Council will be asked to decide who should appoint certain members of the Community Preservation Committee – the Council itself or the Town Manager. 

The Community Preservation Committee will make recommendations on how Watertown’s Community Preservation Act (CPA) money will be spent. The Town Council ultimately approves the projects, which must fall into at least one of three categories – affordable housing, historic preservation and open space/recreation. Towns and cities can decide who will be part of their Community Preservation Committee, but five positions are mandated by the state statues: member of the Planning Board, a member of the Conservation Commission, a member of the Historical Commission, a member of the Housing Authority Board and a member of the Parks Commission. Those members are chosen by their respective board or committee. Watertown does not have a Parks Commission, so the Council’s Rules and Ordinances subcommittee decided Monday night to have someone who “acts in the capacity or performs like duties of the Board of Park Commissioners.”

Around Town

Watertown Boy, Age 2, Needs 24 Hour Nursing Care; Family Struggles to Find Nurses

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At the age of 8 months, a Watertown boy named Lucca needed an emergency tracheotomy and now he requires round-the-clock nursing care. His family has found, however, that there are not enough in-home care nurses available to meet his needs. Lucca must have fluids suctioned every half hour to keep his airways clear. He has been authorized to receive 63 hours of in-home nursing care each week, and his family mostly uses the nurses at night so they can sleep, according to his family. Massachusetts faces a shortage of Continuous Skilled Nursing care, in part because of the low pay rates (often $20 an hour or less) due to the state’s reimbursement rate.