Government

Town Looking at Raising Age of Buying Cigarettes to 21

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A public hearing will be held to discuss raising the legal age of tobacco sales in Watertown. The current minimum age to buy tobacco products in Watertown is 19, but the proposal from the Board of Health would raise it to 21. The hearing will be held on Monday, Oct. 20 at 8:15 p.m. in the Council Chamber in Town Hall, 149 Main St. The town has two regulations for tobacco, and the Board of Health also seeks to combine them into one called “Regulation Regarding Smoking and the Sale and Use of Tobacco and Nicotine Delivery Products.”

“We hope this will eliminate any confusion finding all of the tobacco regulations in one place,” said an announcement by the Board of Health.

Government

See How the Schools Used Nearly $1 Million From the Town

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At Monday’s School Committee meeting, Watertown School officials detailed how they used an infusion of nearly $1 million it received from the town budget last spring. The one-time funds were provided as a boost to the curriculum. The money went to upgrade technology and to update curriculum materials, said Assistant Superintendent Dari Donovan. The district received $210,000 from the Fiscal 2014 budget and $750,000 from the Fiscal 2015 budget. Due to tight budgets, curriculum materials have not been updated in some time, Donovan said.

Development

Watertown Could Get 15 More Liquor Licenses for Restaurants

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In hopes of attracting more restaurants and commercial or mixed-use developments, Town Councilors have been exploring how to add up up to 15 liquor licenses in town, but they still must figure out where to put them. Watertown has 32 liquor licenses given to the town by the state through a quota system based on the town’s population. Communities can ask for more through a special act of the State Legislature, which is what the Town Council plans to do. A joint group Council subcommittee – Rules & Ordinances, Economic Development & Planning, and Public Safety – met Tuesday to discuss the issue. The group looked at adding 15 to accommodate recently approved projects with restaurants, projects coming down the line with restaurants and some of additional projects.

Development

Traffic a Concern for Some With Proposal to Renovate Grove Street Site

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Residents recently got their first look at local developers plans to redevelop the former GE Ionics building at 65 Grove St. Cresset Grove LLC. unveiled its proposed plans to redevelop the former GE building during a community meeting at the Coolidge School apartment complex on Monday Sept. 29. The proposed plans includes large glass windows that would make the building more transparent, a roof terrace, improved drainage system in the parking lot, and a four-story 350 car garage with a bamboo screen wall along the back.

Development

East Watertown CVS Project on Next Planning Board Agenda

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The CVS/Pharmacy proposed to go at the corner of Mt. Auburn and Arlington streets is on the agenda for the Oct. 8 Planning Board meeting. Developers, Coolidge Square II LLC,  held a community meeting in August where many residents worried about the amount of traffic coming in and out of the new store. Others did not like the reconfiguration of the parking lot that would serve not only the CVS but also other businesses on the block such as the Mt.

Government

LETTERS: Two Write In Support of the Victory Field Phase 2 Project

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Watertown Recreation Director Peter Centola shared a couple of letters supporting the proposed renovation of the track area of Victory Field:

The Watertown High School Athletic Program has benefited greatly from the Victory Field Renovation Project. It has been two years since we first took the field on Thanksgiving Day versus Belmont. We have received many days of playability that we would never have had on the grass field at Victory. We have had very few cancellations due to poor weather. The number of athletes that use the field can be seen on a daily basis.

Elections

Find Out How Faire on the Square Goers Voted on the State Ballot Questions

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The Watertown Democratic Town Committee ran a straw poll at Saturday’s Faire on the Square to see people’s opinion on the four state ballot questions. The majority of respondents also supported the repeal of the Massachusetts Gaming Act and opposed the repeal of the state’s gas tax, said Steve Owen, chairman of the Watertown Democratic Town Committee. Participants were asked to vote “yes” or “no” on the four questions which will appear on this November’s ballot. Of 165 Faire-goers who participated, 69 percent indicated they would vote “No” on Question 1, which would repeal the state’s recently enacted gas tax.  Respondents overwhelmingly supported Question 2, the expanded bottle bill, with 77 percent voting “Yes” to a measure that would add a 5 cent deposit to water and juice containers.  Question 3, which would repeal the state’s 2011 Gaming Act, was supported by 66 percent of those polled. Question 4, which would guarantee earned sick time for all Massachusetts workers, was supported by a record 92 percent of respondents, according to the WDTC’s press release. “This is the sixth year we’ve done a straw poll at the Faire on the Square,” Owens said, “and we’ve never before had anything poll as high as the earned sick time ballot question.”

The poll is not a scientific one, but Owens said the winners of the Committee’s straw poll have gone on to win in Watertown four out of the previous five years.

Around Town

Find Out the Next Step for the Victory Field Project

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Having heard from the public about the proposed renovation of the track area of Victory Field, the Town Council has asked for revisions and will hold a meeting to discuss the project soon. At Monday’s Town Council meeting Town Council President Mark Sideris announced the next steps for Phase 2 of the Victory Field renovation. The proposed project includes replacement of the grass with artificial turf, a new track, resurfacing the tennis courts and the tot lot, addition of lights to the track and replacement lights on the courts. Also, a multi-use court would be added where basketball and street hockey could be played, and a new parking area would be created. Sideris said he and other councilors attended the two public meetings and heard the input from residents.