Development

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

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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

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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

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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!

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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

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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.

Government

Watertown Health Department Holding Medical Sharps Collection

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Watertown residents can bring household medical sharps, such as needles and lancets, to Town Hall on Saturday to dispose of them. The collection will take place on Saturday, Jan. 10 from 9 a.m. to noon  in the rear parking lot of Watertown Town Hall, 149 Main St. Watertown residents may bring the following:

Used Needles, syringes, and lancets, stored in sturdy puncture proof containers
Unused capped needles, syringes and lancets in original packaging
Sharps containers. No Medical Waste or Commercial sharps will be accepted. Proof of Watertown residency is required.

Development

Town Councilor Opposes Proposed East Watertown Hotel

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East End Town Councilor Angeline Kounelis has come out against the proposed hotel on Elm Street that recently came forward. 

Elm Hospitality LLC submitted preliminary plans for a five-story hotel with more than 100 rooms to the Watertown Planning Department. The hotel would be at 80 Elm Street, right behind Target in the Watertown Mall, and would replace the former Atlantic Battery Co. facility. Kounelis said she does not believe the site is appropriate for such a project. “I will state from the start, I will not support the hotel proposal,” Kounelis said.

Government

MBTA Officials Looking For Ways to Improve Watertown Transit

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With crowded buses in Watertown and new developments the MBTA is looking for ways to improve public transportation. Mass. Department of Transportation and MBTA officials discussed possible ways to improve public transportation in town at a meeting held in December a the Arsenal Center for the Arts. Around a dozen bus routes serve Watertown, but the most heavily used ones are the 57 from Watertown to Kenmore Square (more than 12,000 riders a day), the 70/70A along Main and Arsenal streets (7,357 a day), the 73 down Belmont Street to Harvard Square (6,424), and the 71 down Mt. Auburn Street to Harvard Square (5,548).