Development

Town Looking to Buy Small Piece of Land in Watertown

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The Town Council approved purchasing a small piece of former railroad property near Arsenal Street that could be key to nearby new developments. 

The Council approved spending $35,000 for the 3,300-square-foot parcel located at the end of Phillips Street. The state got the first right of refusal when the Pan Am Systems/Boston & Maine Corp. placed the right-of-way for a the former Watertown Branch of railroad up for sale. On Dec. 2, the town received a letter saying that the state did not intend to purchase the land, and notified officials that “The Town of Watertown has been designated as the purchaser for the [railroad] parcel.”

Business

Planning Board’s Vote a Blow to East Watertown CVS Proposal

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The East Watertown CVS proposal did not pass muster with the Planning Board, but the Coolidge Square project is not dead. Wednesday night, the Planning Board heard from developers about changes made to the proposed 13,300-square-foot pharmacy at the corner of Mt. Auburn and Arlington streets. Architect Kevin Patten of BKA Architects showed drawings of the new facade which included a scaled down front entrance that would not protrude as much above the roofline, and the glass split up by glazing so they do not look like such large panes of glass. Another alteration was the addition of more landscaping and a wall that curves to “blur the line” between what is CVS and what is the public sidewalk, Patten said.

Government

Town Council Rejects Watertown Firefighters Contract

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Despite pleas from firefighters to end the long standing contract dispute and an award decided by a neutral arbitrator the Town Council rejected the Watertown Firefighters contract on Tuesday. Members of Local 1347 have worked for more than five years without a contract. When negotiations failed, the town and the union went to mediation and finally they took the process to a state arbitrator. The arbitrator’s award came out in October, and called for $2.74 million in back pay for raises, longevity payment and for EMT qualifications. The firefighters had plenty of backing from the Watertown Fire Department – which filled the room at Town Hall, along with labor leaders from the local, state and national level.

Government

LETTER: Watertown Republicans Condemn Endorsements of Dems by GOP Officials

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The Watertown Republican Town Committee released the following statement about fellow GOP members endorsing Democrats in the Nov. 4 election:

A Resolution of Censure

Whereas; prior to the November 4th election, the GOP controlled roughly 15% of the State Legislature, and no Statewide Constitutional Office…

And Whereas; it was therefore incumbent upon all Republican office-holders and high-profile, celebrated former officer-holders, to actively support faithful Republicans seeking office, or at the very least not cause divisions by endorsing their Liberal Democrat opponents…

And whereas; in spite of the fact that former Governor William Weld endorsed Barack Obama for President in 2008, the MA-GOP Leadership embraced him upon his return to Massachusetts, welcoming him back into the inner circle of decision-makers and party strategists, further celebrating the former Governor as a great Party Patriarch by honoring him with the Prestigious Lincoln-Reagan Award, and then showcasing him at the 2014 State Convention…

And whereas; Former Governor William Weld endorsed Michael Day, an extremely Progressive Democrat, who was also endorsed by the Uber-liberal “Mass Alliance” group, over Caroline Colarusso, a well qualified conservative Republican running for State Representative in the Republican friendly 31st Middlesex District, in which the Weld endorsed Democrat, Michael Day, went on to win by 1%… And whereas; Former Governor William Weld endorsed Richard Moore, another very Progressive Democrat and entrenched incumbent over Ryan Fattman another well qualified and conservative Republican rising-star in the Worcester/Norfolk State Senate District race…

And whereas; Republican Essex County Sheriff endorsed the radical agenda-driven Uber-Liberal Maura Healey over the well-qualified Republican candidate John Miller for Attorney General…

And whereas; former MA-GOP Chair and current Chair of the MA Republican State Senate PAC, Brian Cresta endorsed Theodore (Ted) Speliotis, a Progressive Democrat who holds a 10% (f-) rating from Mass Fiscal Alliance and a similar grade from Citizens for Limited Taxation, over Republican Tom Lyons in a race for 13th Essex State Representative, in which Speliotis went on to win by 2%… And whereas; Lawrence Republican (Former) Mayor Michael J Sullivan and Republican City Councilor Marc Laplante endorsed Progressive Democrat Marcos Devers over Republican Roger Twomey in the 16th Essex race for State Representatives…

And whereas; the Republican Party unity is necessary to End to One Party Rule in Commonwealth…. And whereas; the aforementioned actions, by the aforementioned High Profile Republicans caused deep wounds to party unity, furthermore they may well have had serious negative impact on the outcomes of the aforementioned races…

Therefore be it resolved; that on this day, December 3rd, in the year of Our Lord 2014, at a regularly scheduled meeting, we the duly elected members of The Watertown Republican Town Committee condemn in the strongest possible manner, the aforementioned endorsements of Democrats by the aforementioned high profile Republicans….

Government

State Will Study Ways to Improve Mt. Auburn Street

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A section of Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown and Cambridge will be studied by the state to come up with “solutions for traffic,” the Department of Conservation and Recreation announced. The goal of the $500,000 study is to identify potential safety measures, bus prioritization, and accessibility along the intersections of Fresh Pond Parkway and Mount Auburn Street, according to the DCR’s announcement. The DCR will issue a request for proposals (RFP) within the next 45 days to select a contractor to conduct the traffic study. The areas in the study include from the Mt.

Government

School, Town Discuss Reasons for Last Year’s Budget Freeze

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School and Town officials have been looking into why the school budget got in such bad shape that a spending freeze was put into place, and then why the schools ended up with a budget surplus. The budget appeared so out of balance in January that freezes were made on most purchases, including paper for classrooms. This move was made after Town Auditor Tom Tracy recommended the School Administration do so. Special education costs also came in higher that expected, and on May 20, 2014 Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald reported a $640,000 shortfall. A week later the deficit has been adjusted to $355,000 and by June 2 the “perceived deficit” was gone, according to a report by the Council’s Education and School Systems Matters Committee. In August, the School Department reported a surplus of $770,000.

Government

Watertown Real Estate Prices Likely to Rise Again Next Year

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Last year, most areas of Watertown saw an increase in real estate values, Town Assessor Francis Golden told the Town Council, and the trend will likely continue. During his property tax presentation, Golden said 75 percent of neighborhoods appreciated last year. This resulted in an increase of property taxes of about 3.25 percent, he said (click here to read more details). Some of the additional value came from the new apartment complexes being built on the west side of Watertown, but a lot comes from appreciation of existing properties. Golden said Watertown has become a very attractive place to live.

Government

Council Puts Firefighters’ Contract on Hold

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After years of negotiations, mediation and finally arbitration the Firefighters appeared to have a contract ready to be voted on by the Town Council, but the board instead decided to postpone the vote. The arbitration agreement would have ended nearly six years the Firefighters Local 1347 have been without a contract, and would provide 2.5 percent increases in Fiscal 2012 and 2013, along with other other increases. In total the town would have to pay $2.74 million in back pay and other incentives as a result of the arbitration. Town Manager Michael Driscoll proposed using $2 million from the Fiscal 2015 Town Council Reserve and the $739,759 from Fiscal 2015 Town Health Insurance Fund. The biggest increases come from:

$992,000 in base pay for the past three years
$955,000 for EMT certification – a 3 percent increase beginning in 2009
$244,500 for overtime for the past five years
$220,000 for longevity payments
$144,800 for holiday pay

Fire Union President Rob Mannix said that the firefighters gave up items in the agreement too.