Government

Attorney General’s Office Presenting Open Meeting Law Training in Watertown

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The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office is holding an open meeting law training session in Watertown. The Open Meeting Law Training will be conducted by attorneys from AG Healey’s Division of Open Government. The educational forums are offered free of charge. All members of public bodies, municipal employees, and members of the general public are encouraged to attend. Individuals interested in attending an educational forum are asked to register in advance by emailing OMLTraining@state.ma.us or by calling 617-963-2925, and providing: 1) their first and last names; 2) phone number; 3) town of residence; 4) the public body/organization they represent, if appropriate; and 5) the location of the educational forum they will attend.

Government

State Looks for Ways to Improve Traffic, Transportation on Arsenal Street

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Residents attending the MassDOT’s community forum Tuesday night heard some things they already knew – traffic and bus service is bad on Arsenal Street – and other things they didn’t want to know – it will get much worse unless something is done. 

The Department of Transportation’s consultants from VHB told residents that traffic could increase significantly the next 25 years and that will result in more crowded and more late MBTA buses. They also discussed ways to improve public transportation and traffic on the Arsenal Street Corridor during the second community meeting on improvements to the area. Traffic will increase 17 percent in the morning peak traffic hour and 21 percent in the evening peak traffic hour, said Laura Castelli, a consultant from VHB. Looking at traffic flow, most of the congestion currently is at the two “gateways” to the Arsenal Corridor: Watertown Square and the Western Avenue/Soldier Field Road interchange on the other side of the Arsenal Street Bridge, Castelli said. Currently, 15-35 percent of stops are above capacity the way the MBTA measures it – all seats are full during non-peak time and in peak times, the bus is at capacity for sitting and standing.

Elections

LETTER: Resident Opposes CPA, Wants to See Money Spent on Schools

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The Community Preservation Act (CPA) will create an additional tax burden on Watertown homeowners where funds will be controlled by the small group people who campaigned for it. Meanwhile, Watertown’s schools need funding for essential improvements. The CPA will, “…establish a dedicated funding source” for the specific wants of a minority of Watertown residents. That is probably why it is being pushed by the Historical Society of Watertown (Society), Invest in Watertown (Invest), and five members of Watertown’s Town Council (Council). These people treat Watertown homeowners and renters as an endless source of money for them to spend, no matter that many homeowners have higher priorities such as schools, homes, and family. Watertown homeowners can ill afford a continuing, “…additional excise of [2%]…” to fund the Society’s intense desire to socialize at the “Shick House” or Invest’s on Walker Pond and dog parks. Watertown homeowners are not a bottomless piggy bank; they cannot fund the wants of every interest group’s pet project. As desirous as it may be for Invest’s supporters to see an entirely new bureaucracy dedicated to dog parks, ponds, and open space, the CPA sends no money to where it is most needed: the Watertown Public Schools.

Government

Committee Named to Discuss Renovation of Track Area at Victory Field

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Town Council President Mark Sideris named a nine-member committee to examine the renovation of the track and courts area at Victory Field in Watertown. 

The committee will make recommendations on the renovation of the athletic and recreation complex on Orchard Street, with one caveat, Sideris said. The field in the center of the track must remain natural grass, he said, because that was the most controversial part of the first proposal to renovate the area two years ago. The meetings of the Victory Field Ad Hoc Committee will be open to the public. The committee members are:
• District C Town Councilor Vinnie Piccirilli, chair 0f the Victory Field Committee
• Councilor At-Large and chair of the Human Services Committee Tony Palomba, vice chair of the committee
• Director 0f Recreation Peter Centola
• Watertown High School Athletic Director Mike Lahiff
• Community Development & Planning Director Steve Magoon or someone he appoints
• Watertown Youth Soccer President Mark Leonard
• Resident and abutter Elodia Thomas
• Resident Elliot Friedman
• Resident Ann Marie Korte

Government

Town Balks at Request for Temporary Lights for Watetown Youth Soccer

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Town officials denied the request from Watertown Youth Soccer for temporary lights to be placed at a park in town this fall. The soccer program has been growing rapidly, and now has more than 600 children participating. WYS do not have not have enough room on fields during daylight hours to accommodate all the teams.

A proposal to put temporary lights at Arsenal Park was brought to the Town Council from the Human Services committee in September. The Council decided the idea needed more work, and there were questions remaining, such as who would pay for the rental, fueling and operation of the lights. Last week, official met and decided the lights would not be a good idea, said Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon.

Development

Townhouses on Masonic Temple Site Get Approval from Zoning Board

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A five-townhouse development on the Watertown Masonic Temple site got the go ahead from the Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday. The project received unanimously approval from the ZBA, the final approval needed for the project to begin. The development, proposed by PNG LLC, will have two buildings, a three-unit one facing Church Street (across from the First Parish Church) and another two-unit building on the back of the property. ZBA member Jason Cohen said he liked the project, but he had one suggestion about the porches that run along the front of the building, undivided. “This is the kind of housing we are looking for in the town,” Cohen said.

Elections

LETTER: Watertown Schools Parent Group Says Fund Schools, Not CPA

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Fund Schools First, Vote No On The CPA

Watertown Strong Schools (WSS) is urging Watertown voters to vote no on ballot question #5 regarding the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Here’s why:

The funding needs of our schools should be Watertown’s highest priority at this time. • All 5 of our schools are in urgent need of renovations and physical upgrades so that our buildings can support the overcrowding issues facing our Elementary schools and the high-quality 21 st Century education that all our children deserve. • The Watertown Public Schools (WPS) Facilities Master Plan study is almost complete, and initial cost estimates are that we will need at least $200 million to upgrade our school buildings. • We believe that the passage of the CPA in November could jeopardize the willingness of Watertown residents to vote in favor of a debt exclusion override that will be necessary in the next 1-2 years to fund these essential school renovations.

Government

Watertown Shuttle Won’t Roll Out Until Spring, Could Include Newton

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Watertown’s new shuttle will not be starting this fall, as officials hoped, but the shuttles could serve more than just Watertown, and may extend to Newton. 

Thursday night the Town Council’s Ad Hoc Transportation Committee discussed the transportation management association, which will include a shuttle. Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon said the effort to bring a shuttle to town will not happen as quickly as originally planned. “It will not be rolling out until the spring,” Magoon said. “Quite frankly we are not there yet.” The budgeting for the shuttle and figuring out how much member businesses, residential developments and the town will have to pay has not been completed, Magoon said.