Environment

Grant for ‘Green’ Lights, Fire Negotiations Update & Heroin Crisis Discussion

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Watertown will replace several hundred street lights with energy efficient LED lights thanks to a grant awarded to the town by the state. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announced the awarding of a $207,505 Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources grant to Watertown as part of the Green Community Competitive Grant program, Town Manager Michael Driscoll told the Town Council Tuesday. The money, along with $92,495 in incentives from Eversource, will pay for the $300,000 project to replace 800 high-pressure sodium and mercury vapor street lights with LED lights, Driscoll said. The new lights will provide the equivalent amount of light while consuming 62 percent less energy,” Driscoll said. The town is expected to save $50,000 in energy costs annually.

Food

Watertown BYOB Program Hits Bump on Road to Approval

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Tuesday night, the full Town Council got its first taste of the bring your own bottle – BYOB – proposal for Watertown, but it will still be some time before the ordinance allowing the program. The proposal was hashed out over three joint meetings of the Rules and Ordinances, Economic Development and Public Safety subcommittees. The BYOB licenses could go to restaurants that do not already have a liquor license, and only establishments featuring full wait service would be eligible. One restaurant in particular, Royal, is anxious to get a license. The recently opened eatery on Main and Lexington streets does not have a liquor license and the owners say that is hurting them.

Government

Subcommittee Wants to Make Sure Sidewalk Green Areas Don’t Turn to Mud

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As the Department of Public Works officials upgrade streets and sidewalks around Watertown, they look to add a little green with a planting strip along the edge of the sidewalk, but many of these have become mud pits and bare earth. 

The Town Council’s Public Works Subcommittee seeks to prevent this from happening. Along with adding some green to Watertown’s streets, they also soak up water during rain storms which avoids sending it into storm sewers, said Public Works Superintendent Gerald Mee. Subcommittee Chairwoman Cecilia Lenk said she takes care of the planting strip in front of her home and has kept it green, but she acknowledged it is not easy. “I am an avid gardener but it is really a lot of work,” Lenk said. She also acknowledged that the planting strips are not popular with some residents and property owners.

Development

Planning Board Approves Office Complex, Worries About New Entrance

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The renovation of the Verizon facility on Arsenal Street received approval from the Planning Board, but not without concerns for how the project would impact the nearby neighborhood of Coolidge Square. The proposed project, called Linx Watertown, would have 185,000 square feet of office space, featuring a two-story atrium lobby with a cafe. It would have a significant amount of green space and would be located along the Watertown Community Path so developers hope it some employees will ride their bicycles to work. Developer Boylston Properties also believes the location close to Coolidge Square will help attract companies, which they believe will relocate from areas such as Kendall Square in Cambridge and Rte. 128.

Elections

More Potential Candidates for Watertown Election, Few Officially In

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The list of potential candidates for Watertown Town Council, School Committee and even Library Board of Trustees is growing, but only a handful have officially made the ballot as of Friday morning. The Library Board of Trustees could have three more candidates, which would set up a contested race with a potential of five people – so far – running for three seats. Sheppard Ferguson, Penelope Peoples and Karen Roubicek have all taken out papers. The only candidate to get enough signatures and have them certified by the Town Clerk’s office is incumbent Michael Hanlon. District A Councilor Angeline Kounelis could have an opponent for the first time in several years after former Veterans Agent Bob Erickson took out papers to run. Kounelis is the only candidate in that race who has been certified.

Government

LETTER: ProgressiveWatertown Hosts Teach-In on Saving the Economy

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You’ve probably heard it from Senator Elizabeth Warren already; “the System is Rigged.” Since the 1980s, all the economic growth in the US has gone to the top 10 percent, leaving nothing for the rest of us. The Tenpercenters don’t need to worry about their future; they have hired an army of lobbyists to advance their agendas, reduce their tax burdens, lighten their risk while underwriting their greed, and increase their wealth for generations. But who are the lobbyists for the rest of us? Unions used to be one of those protections, but the Republican war on unions for the past 35 years has reduced their influence.

Government

Enforcing Watertown’s Snow Rules the Goal of 2 Council Subcommittees

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Avoiding a repeat of large amounts of snow piling up on Watertown’s sidewalks as it did this winter is the goal of two Town Council subcommittees, but how do to so was the big question. The town has snow and ice removal ordinances that prohibits residents or businesses from putting snow onto public streets and sidewalks, and another that requires owners of commercial properties to shovel snow off sidewalks by 2 hours after the end of a storm. The Councilors on the Public Works and Budget and Fiscal Oversight subcommittees and residents at the meeting Tuesday night agreed that these ordinances are not being enforced. Some say they want to take the snow ordinance a step further and require residential properties to shovel their sidewalks, but others say strict enforcement will burden some residents. Whatever is done, Councilor Cecilia Lenk said she would like to see it made a priority.

Government

Help the MBTA Set its Service Priorities by Taking an Online Survey

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The MBTA is looking for input from residents to set priorities for its service, and you can participate by filling out the online survey. MBTA service for Watertown residents, primarily the buses, have been much criticized – particularly this past winter. Services include the bus routes along the town’s main corridors – the 70, 71 and 73 buses – and buses to Boston from the Watertown Yard (including the 57 and the express buses). Efforts have been started by citizens groups, such as the Watertown Public Transit Task Force, to push for better bus service in town. Then-MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott came to Watertown to listen to resident’s concerns, but she left the T after the service issues over the winter.