Assessor

Your Tax Bill May be going DOWN; Some Councilors Wanted a Bigger Drop

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Watertown Town HallMany Watertown property owners will have some good news when they receive their tax bills – their taxes are going down! Tuesday night, the Town Council voted to adopt the recommended rates, which will have a tax rate of 13.68 per $1,000 of assessed value (see your assessed value here). That increase the average tax bill by 4.35 percent or $236. The rates, however, differ significantly depending on type of property, Watertown Assessor Francis Golden said in his Fiscal Year 2016 tax classification presentation. (See the presentation by clicking here).

Election 2015

LETTER: Councilor Thanks Supporters, Shows Admiration for Fellow Candidates

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Dear Supporters,

I write to express my sincere appreciation to the volunteers, donors and voters who made it possible for me to win re-election to the Town Council. We came in a very strong second, winning six of the 12 precincts. It was a wonderful showing – thank you. Election campaigns are challenging endeavors that require a committed campaign committee, a dedicated team of volunteers and donors and, of course, a willing group of voters who decided to place their trust in a candidate. Fortunately I had all three!

Government

Old Waterway Discovered Running Under Watertown Square

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While doing some sewer work in the area of Watertown Square, the Department of Public Works discovered a forgotten culvert running right through the town’s biggest intersection. About 18-feet under the roadway, the DPW found a culvert – a stone pipe – that was not on any of the town’s plans, said DPW Superintendent Gerald Mee. It is likely a stormwater pipe. The culvert runs north-south, from Charles River Road to Mt. Auburn Street.

Government

Meeting Planned to Discuss Bike/Pedestrian Path in East Watertown

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The Watertown-Cambridge Greenway and Bike Path will be discussed at a meeting on Nov. 30. The public is invited to the meeting, which includes discussion of the extension of the Watertown Community Path from Nichols Avenue and Arlington Street eastward into Cambridge and ending at Fresh Pond, according to State Rep. Jonathan Hecht’s office. The project has been in the planning for a few years, and earlier this year the Town of Watertown and City of Cambridge purchased a former Boston & Maine Railroad line. The tracks go from Arlington Street, through the neighborhood south of Mt.

Development

Athenahealth Reveals Latest Plans, Residents Worry About Parking & Traffic

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Athenahealth’s latest draft of its campus master plan includes fewer buildings, but slightly more parking in its new multi-story parking garage, which concerns nearby residents. Tuesday night, athenahealth officials presented the master plan during the first of two planned community meetings on the project. The company owns the Arsenal on the Charles Complex and plans to add more office buildings, create a large glass enclosure over the “finger” buildings near the Arsenal Center for the Arts and remove much of the surface parking to make way for more open space and storm water management systems.

Along with making the campus big enough for it to be the healthcare technology company’s headquarters, the plan calls for making it more welcoming to residents, said Larry Beals, of Beals Associates, who has been hired by the company. “For years it was an Army facility with iron fences around it and entry by the public forbidden,” Beals said. “(athenahealth President and CEO) Jonathan Bush would like to do the opposite.

Development

Controlling Residential Development Weighed Against Property Rights

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A group of residents have joined with the town to try to come up with a way to prevent Watertown’s neighborhoods from being changed drastically and overbuilt, while at the same time not creating “design police.” During last week’s “Preserving Our Neighborhoods” forum at Watertown Middle School, some in attendance wanted to look for ways to control the teardown of smaller homes and replaced with larger ones. Others did not want any new rules that limit what they can do on their property. David Gamble, a consultant hired by the town to come up with the Residential Design Guidelines – ways to control the development in residential neighborhoods. He said there must be a balance.

Charles River

Pedestrian Bridge Over Charles River Will be Replaced

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The pedestrian bridge over the Charles River west of Watertown Square will be replaced by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The bridge will be completely replaced so it will be accessible by people with disabilities, said Dan Driscoll, DCR’s Director of Recreation Facilities Planning and Design. “The current bridge does not meet ADA requirements,” Driscoll said. The new bridge will be a prefabricated one, but for a short time there will be no pedestrian access at that point in the river, Driscoll said. The project will be bid this fall, and work will be done in the spring of 2016, he said.