Government

Town Councilor Wants to Created Local Olympic Committee

By |

With last week’s announcement that Boston had been chosen as the United State’s nominee to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, a Town Councilor has proposed creating a group to take on the issue from Watertown’s perspective. On Tuesday, Councilor Tony Palomba said he will propose creating an ad hoc Watertown Olympic Committee at the next Council meeting on Jan. 27. “The committee’s role will be keeping Watertown in the mix as we move forward for potential planning for Boston and surrounding areas to host the 2024 Summer Olympics,” Palomba said. Even if no events take place in Watertown, Palomba said he expects the town to be impacted by the major, two-week sporting event.

Government

OP-ED: Town Manager’s Statement on the Fire Contract Negotiations

By |

At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting Town Manager Michael Driscoll addressed the situation with the Local 1347 firefighters union contract and the Council’s vote in December. Here is his statement:

In recent weeks there have been media articles and Letters to the Editor written about the Town Council’s decision on December 9, 2014 to reject a request to fund the arbitration award that was issued in connection with the Town’s efforts to reach a successor collective bargaining agreement with the Fire Union. Some of that discussion has included comments that the Union and the Town Manager followed a process – the arbitration process – and suggested that the Town Council’s vote somehow violated that process. Contrary to what some would have the public believe, however, the Town Council, by state statute, was also given a role in the overall process and that was to decide whether to fund or not fund an arbitration award like the one that was issued in this case. As set forth in Chapter 1078 of the Acts of 1973, once the Arbitrator issued his award the Executive Branch – in this case the Town Manager – was required to submit to the Legislative Branch – the Town Council – a request for an appropriation necessary to fund the award.

Government

LETTER: Resident Thinks Town Bargained Unfairly with Fire Union

By |

We have heard several Town Councilors tell the public that funding the arbitration award for the Local 1347 would not have been fair to other public employees. They have cited the fact that all other unions agreed to accept their predetermined parameters of no raises for two years and that the arbitration award did not meet that same criteria because of an increase in EMT / Defibrillator stipend pay. Comparing the outcome of previously negotiated contracts to the outcome of an independent, third-party review such as arbitration is both deceptive and disrespectful. Town officials made a decision in 2009 to treat all public employee unions as one during the negotiation process. The town failed to realize that each separate labor union has a right to not accept those bargaining terms. The town took a risk in using this negotiation tactic as their sole collective bargaining strategy, and the result of this gamble is a lack of a negotiated contract for local firefighters. In my opinion, the town setting these parameters and expecting that all unions comply does not meet the definition of negotiation.

Development

See What the Town’s Design Standards, Guidelines Will Look Like

By |

Come and see what Watertown’s new design standards and guidelines will look like at a community meeting on Jan. 22. 

The meeting – the third in the series of community meetings on the design standards and guidelines – will be held at Watertown Middle School on Thursday, Jan. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m.

At a meeting in October, consultant David Gamble of Gamble Associates explained what design standards and guidelines can do and what they cannot do. They can:

Improve the character of new developments
Articulate standards of quality
Provide Examples
Represent spatial and dimensional criteria graphically

Gamble also warned they can also go too far, and make all new buildings look the same or be too restrictive. What they can’t do is:

Regulate building use
Replace zoning or building codes
Redesign streets and public rights-of-way
Masterplan areas of the town

The town has created a website about the design standards and guidelines: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/index.aspx?NID=831
See previous stories on this subject:
Design Standards – What They Are, What Residents Want
Town Council Rejects Moratorium, Will Fast Track New Design Guidelines
Town Hiring Consultant to Create New Design Standards, Guidelines

Government

See the Openings Available on Watertown Boards and Committees

By |

Looking for a way to give back to your community – one way is to serve on a town board, committee or commission. Here are the openings currently available. Town Manager Michael J. Driscoll is seeking Watertown citizens interested in serving on the following Town Boards, Commissions and Committees in accordance with Ordinance # 2007-46, an Ordinance on the Timing and Process of Appointments to Town Boards, Commissions and Committees. Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest accompanied by a resume or other information concerning background or experience by email to townmgr@watertown-ma.gov or Town Manager’s Office, 149 Main Street, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472. Board/Commission: Board of Health 

Description: Provide for fulfillment of its duties under M.G.L. 111:5, 26-33 and other sections including enforcement of the state Sanitary and Environmental Codes, reporting diseases dangerous to the public health, and enforcement of other applicable state and local laws and regulations.

Government

LETTER: Town Unions In Support of Firefighters

By |

Recently, the Watertown Town Council voted against a third party arbitrator’s award. This award would have settled a contract with our firefighters, who have been working without a contract for over five years. Prior to the vote, a majority of the councilors stated, “…that it would not be fair to other unions in Watertown…” as a reason not to settle the contract. We are writing to set the record straight and state that a false assumption has been made in the logic that (all) the other unions in Town would be offended if the Town settled with the firefighters. To be clear, the Watertown Educators Association, the Police Association, the Police Supervisors, the Town Hall Associates, the Custodians and Food Service Workers support the Town of Watertown accepting the arbitrator’s decision and thereby settling the firefighters’ contract.

Government

Don’t Miss Your Last Chance to Get a Flu Shot!

By |

The Watertown Health Department is offering one last flu clinic for residents. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that this flu season will be more severe that recent years, according to the Watertown Health Department. “While earlier reports from the CDC indicates that the flu vaccine is less effective this year, it still decreases the severity of the flu and recommend people, especially those with chronic health issues to get vaccinated,” said Watertown Public Health Nurse Wil van Dinter. The Watertown Health Department scheduled an additional Free Public Flu and Pneumonia Clinic at the Watertown Free Public Library on Wednesday, Jan. 14 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

One of the best ways to try to avoid the flu is good hygiene, van Dinter said. “Wash your hands often with soap and water; avoid touching your nose, mouth or eyes; and practice cough etiquette by coughing or sneezing into your arm, not your hands,” he said.

Development

Residents Say Irving Street Project is Good, But Needs Work

By |

The proposal to build a complex with nearly 270 apartments and retail space got some good reviews from residents, but they said more work is needed for the project that would go at the corner of Irving and Arsenal streets. Tuesday night, representatives from Greystar and Oaktree FX – developers of the former Pirolli brick yard – presented the latest version of the project. Some major changes have been made to the project, which is serving as a test case for the town’s design standards and guidelines. Like the project, the standards and guidelines are still being developed. One of the highlights of the most recent version is the “jewel box” bridge that spans the two buildings in the Greystar project, dubbed Elan Watertown.