Government

Town Council Decides How to Fill Vacancy on Library Board of Trustees

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One of the Library Trustees announced she will step down from the board, and the Town Council had its choice of ways to fill the vacancy. Tuesday night, Town Council President Mark Sideris said the Council could call a special election to fill the seat, left open when Gracemarie LeBlanc resigned. They could also allow the other Trustees to work with Sideris to appoint a new member. Sideris recommended that the town not call a special election to fill just one spot on the Library Trustees. Instead, the Trustees would put out a call for applicants to fill the spot.

Government

Warm Weather Brings Early End to Watertown’s Winter Parking Ban

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Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn announced a suspension of the overnight parking ban in Watertown on Wednesday. 

With unseasonable warm weather and no snow in the long term forecast, Town Council President asked Lawn and Department of Public Works Superintendent Gerald Mee to end the parking ban early, Sideris said Tuesday night. The end of the ban is effective on Wednesday night, but the Police Department asked residents to continue to park off the street to allow emergency vehicles to pass more easily.

Government

Senior Center Bids Farewell to Director After Nearly 3 Decades

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Caryl Fox treated Friday, March 6 as just another day at work, but it was her last as director of the Watertown Senior Center and her friends would not let it go without a small celebration. 

About 20 seniors who had been involved at the Senior Center and worked with Fox were joined by former Watertown Town Councilor and Governor’s Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney. She brought with her a proclamation from the Governor’s Council declaring March 6, 2016 as Caryl Fox Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Fox refused any interview, saying, “I just do my work.” She thanked those who had turned out to wish her a happy retirement. “Thank you for the proclamation,” Fox said.

Arsenal Street Corridor

State Study Finds Buses Overcrowded, Traffic Slow on Arsenal Street

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The buses that serve Arsenal Street are overloaded at peak times, and are delayed by traffic gridlock in Watertown Square and going over the bridge into Brighton. 

These are a couple of the findings of a study of Arsenal Street currently being done by the Massachusetts Department of Transit (MassDOT) in an effort to improve the corridor that will add many more jobs, housing units and retail stores in the next several years. The area is served by the MBTA’s 70 and 70A buses. MassDOT officials recently came to Watertown to present their preliminary findings (see the presentation here). The Arsenal Street Corridor is served by the 70 and 70A buses and includes 5,710 residents, 2,740 households and includes 6,630 jobs, according to the study. The study looked at commuting patterns, and found:

Watertown residents commute to: Boston (27%) Watertown (18%) Cambridge (11%) Waltham (6%) Newton (5%)
Those working on the Arsenal Street Corridor come from: Watertown (17%) Boston (16%) Waltham (8%) Newton (4%) Cambridge (4%)

Buses
In prior public meetings about the area, many have complained about crowded buses and transit running behind schedule.

Government

State Legislators Get and Inside Look at Perkins School for the Blind

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State representatives and senators from around Massachusetts got a closeup look at what goes on at Perkins School for the Blind this week on Legislator’s Day. 

The Watertown-based school and Massachusetts Association of 766 Approved Private Schools (MAAPS) invited elected officials with students who attend the school to visit campus on Tuesday. Among those who attended were Watertown’s state representatives – John Lawn and Jonathan Hecht – as well as Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo. They got to meet students and visit classrooms to see what Perkins students are learning. Perkins School for the Blind does not just teach students the academic subjects, Power said, they also teach students how to live independently after they leave Perkins. “Every class session includes social skills, self-determination and assisted technology,” Power said.

Arsenal Project

New RMUD Zoning That Will Transform the Area Around the Malls is Approved

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After months of debate and revisions, the Town Council and Planning Board approved new zoning on Wednesday that will vastly change the east end of Arsenal Street, near the two malls. 

The Regional Mixed Use District, or RMUD, will change the area from one zoned for heavy industry to a place where a mix of retail, residential and office will be allowed. This opens the way for a major overhaul of the former Arsenal Mall. The plan was approved unanimously by the Planning Board, but the Town Council split 7-2, with Angeline Kounelis and Michael Dattoli voting against the plan. Kounelis said she could support the zoning changes for the Arsenal Project, having seen proposal made by Boylston Properties, the owner of the mall. She said she could not support the zoning changes for the rest of the area, not knowing what is coming.

Election 2016

Watertown Candidates Find Success in Races for State Committee

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Super Tuesday was good for Watertown candidates. Four won their election to represent their party’s state committee, including two with contested races. Watertown Democrat Steve Owens won his race against Boston’s David Kazis with nearly 63 percent of the vote. Owens won 14,163 to 8,362. Republican Steve Aylward of Watertown received 65 percent of the vote and defeated Neil Edward St.

Election 2016

See Who Watertown Backed in the Massachusetts Presidential Primary

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Watertown residents favored Bernie Sanders by a small margin in the Democratic primary, and heavily backed Donald Trump on the Republican side in Tuesday’s Massachusetts Presidential Primary. Sanders won 8 of 12 precincts and came out ahead of Hillary Clinton in Watertown, 4,422 to 4,338 in the unofficial results from Tuesday’s election.  Martin O’Malley received 24 votes and Roque de la Fuente got 14 votes. Trump received 1,223 votes, or 49 percent of the GOP ballots. Marco Rubio narrowly beat John Kasich – 460 to 458 – for the second most votes in town.