Government

Town Council Looking at Approving Water Main, Roofing Projects

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The Town Council will hold public hearings about $1.6 million in projects to work on water mains on several streets, and the roofs of two town buildings. The Council will take up the items at the May 12 meeting at 7:15 p.m. in Town Hall. The roofs of Town Hall and the North Fire Station will cost $262,800. Town Manger Michael Driscoll proposes take out a loan and issuing bonds to pay for the work. The low bid for the work was $219,000 and a contingency of $43,800 has been added.

Design Guidelines

Planning Board OKs Design Standards, Debates Which Projects it Should Cover

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The Planning Board gave its endorsement to Watertown’s design standards and guidelines, but made some changes to what size residential projects the to apply the new rules for what can be built in town. Thursday evening, the Planning Board held the second public hearing on the design standards, and voted 3-0 to approve the new rules. Members of the town’s Planning Department made some changes to the original proposal which was discussed on March 31 (click here to see the new draft). One of the proposed changes was to a apply the rules to residential projects of 10 units or more. The original proposal called for applying the rules to projects of four units or more.

Government

Council Subcommittee Wants to Require Residents to Shovel Snow from Sidewalks

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This winter’s heavy snows left many Watertown residents fed up with not being able to walk sidewalks covered with feet of snow, and many came out to support having an ordinance to require residents to clear snow off their sidewalks. 

The Town Council’s Public Works subcommittee discussed a possible residential snow shoveling requirement Wednesday night. After hearing from a largely pro-requirement set of residents they approved supporting a residential snow ordinance and sent it on for more study. The town already has a commercial snow shoveling requirement, and this is not the first attempt at adding a residential one. In 2012 a proposed ordinance made it to the full Council, but it was soundly defeated, recalled Council Vice President Steve Corbett, who supported it then and still wants to have a residential requirement. Bevin Croft said she did not feel safe walking with her son around her neighborhood during the snowy months this year, and prior years have been almost as bad.

Government

Town Budget Adds Teachers, Helps Police, Fire and Social Services

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Watertown’s Fiscal 2016 budget will provide a boost for the town’s schools, bolster the Police and Fire departments and look to improve public transportation. 

Town Manager Michael Driscoll presented the $119,115,250 Fiscal 2016 budget to the Town Council Tuesday night. The figure is 4.5 percent more than Fiscal 2015 – the current budget year – an increase of $5.1 million. “I believe the submitted Fiscal Year 2016 Budget focuses on achieving the long-term goal of sound financial management and fiscal stability,” Driscoll said. Watertown’s schools will add 21.2 new positions as part of the $41.9 million budget. Education funding got a 6.87 percent, $2.7 million boost in Fiscal 2016.

Development

Residents Invited to Learn About Proposed Eastside Hotel

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A community meeting will be held to give the latest update on the hotel proposed to go on Elm Street on the Eastside of Watertown. Elm Hospitality LLC will host the presentation and discussion of the revised project design for the new hotel proposed to be built at the former Atlantic Battery Site at 80 Elm St., Watertown. The meeting will he held on May 7, 2015 starting at 7 p.m. at the Coolidge School Apartments Function Room, 319 Arlington St. in Watertown. When developers made the first presentation for the hotel in January, they said it would have 102 rooms and would be an “upper, mid-range” hotel.

Government

Homeless Advocates Call for More Affordable Housing in Area

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More affordable places to live in are will help relieve the growing problem of homelessness in and around Watertown, said participants in the forum called “The Many Faces of Homelessness.” The community forum, held at Belmont’s St. Joseph’s Parish, was organized by the TriCommunity Coalition to end Homelessness – a joint effort by groups in Watertown, Belmont and Waltham. Watertown has a good stock of affordable housing, with 745 affordable units under the Watertown Housing Coalition, said executive director Brian Costello. It can take several years to get into the housing, Costello said, and and getting worse.

Government

Town Council Marks Armenian Genocide, Rebukes Turkey’s Denial of Events

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The Watertown Town Council passed a proclamation that not only recognized the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, but also rebuked the Turkish government for denying that the events in 1915 were a genocide. April 24, 2015 has been declared Armenian Martyr’s Day to mark the anniversary of the genocide, in which more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed. The Council’s proclamation, passed unanimously at their meeting on April 14, not only recognized the anniversary but also said that the Turkish government’s denial that the events were a genocide “deprives the Armenian people of a right to their history, reparations for their losses, and a return of their ancestral Armenian lands.” The entire proclamation is below:
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS: The first genocide of the twentieth century occurred in Armenia on April 24, 1915, where the systematic and deliberate extermination of more than one and one half million Armenians was carried out; in addition to the deportation of countless others; and,
WHEREAS: One Hundred Years ago, Armenians were forced to witness the premeditated murders of their families and the loss of their homeland; and,
WHEREAS: The truth and facts that the Armenian Genocide actually occurred continues to be denied to this day by the Turkish government, which deprives the Armenian people of a right to their history, reparations for their losses, and a return of their ancestral Armenian lands; and,
WHEREAS: On April 24, 2015, we will proclaim and recognize the anniversary of Armenian Martyr’s Day to remember this horrific event and its victims;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the City known as the Town of Watertown, hereby commemorates and remembers the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2015 and requests the Citizens of Watertown to give due observance of this day

Government

See When You Can Speak With State Rep. Jonathan Hecht

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If you have a question about state government or a issue you need help with, you can discuss it with State Rep. Jonathan Hecht. Rep. Hecht will hold office hours on Wednesday, May 6 from 5-6 p.m. in study room No. 3 in the Watertown Public Library and on Friday, May 8 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. in the small conference room on the third floor of Watertown Town Hall. Constituents are invited to meet with Rep. Hecht to discuss pending legislation or any other issue of concern to them. Anyone unable to attend these office hours can call Rep. Hecht at 617-722-2140 to schedule an appointment at another time.