Government

Budget Calls for More Police and Firefighters in Watertown

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Watertown will have more police officers and firefighters on duty with the Fiscal 2015 budget getting a boost from federal grants. The budget presented by Town Manger Michael Driscoll on Tuesday includes funding for a new police officer, as well as funding to cover the town’s matching portion for three positions funded by a grant. In May the Police Department will apply for the COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) Hiring Program run by the U.S. Department of Justice. The federal grant covers 75 percent of the salary for a police officer for three years. The town covers the rest and must keep the officer on for at least a year after the program ends, Driscoll said.

Around Town

New Group Seeks Watertown’s Input on Public Transit

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Watertown residents concerned about how the town is served by public transportation are invited to join a discussion this week. The newly formed Watertown Task Force on Public Transit will meet for the first time on Thursday, May 1 at the Watertown Free Public Library in the Trustee’s Room at 7 p.m.

The town has officially requested the MBTA to engage in dialog about the state of public transit in town, and the task force is gathering comments from residents. “We are going to set up a permanent body of citizens to debate and talk about public transit issues, and bring up ideas and propose solutions to the state representatives and the MBTA,” said Joe Levendusky, a resident who helped start the task force. ”

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The meeting will help lay out the comments that will be presented to Beverly Scott, general manager of the MBTA, who is expected to attend a Town Council meeting on May 27, Levendusky said. The task force is an initiative of Sustainable Watertown.

Around Town

Watertown Budget Will Be Revealed This Week

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Details about the Fiscal 2015 budget – including how much money the schools will receive – will be made public on Tuesday evening. Town Manager Michael Driscoll will present his budget to the Town Council on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Town Hall. The School Committee approved Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald’s request for $42 million from the town, which would be $6 million  or 16 percent more than the funding received in Fiscal 2014 (click here for more details). When Driscoll presented his preliminary budget in October he said all departments, including the schools, should expect a 3 percent increase. Two weeks ago, Driscoll said the school budget request, which included more than 30 new jobs (including 22 new teachers), would actually cost the town $341,ooo more than requested because of health care and other benefits.

Business

Three Groups Pledge Money for Community Path Extension

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The extension of Watertown’s Community Path could soon become a reality thanks to a pledge from three local businesses. The owners of the Arsenal Project (formerly the Arsenal Mall), athenahealth and Tufts Health Plan have teamed up to offer $25,000 to go toward designing the new section of path from Arlington Street in Watertown to Fresh Pond in Cambridge, said Bill McQuillan, principal with Boylston Properties – which bought the Arsenal Mall last year. The money will cover half the cost, with the Department of Conservation and Recreation covering the rest. “If there are funds for projects like the Community Path they need to be shovel ready – they need to have plans drawn up,” McQuillan said Thursday night. “The DCR doesn’t have the money, so we co-funded the project.”

Around Town

Funding for Watertown Dog Park Approved

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Dogs will soon have a place to run off leash in Watertown after the Town Council approved funding to build a dog park. The dog park will be located at How Park, on Pleasant Street, and will include a 200-foot x 100-foot fenced in area. The cost of installing the fencing will be $5,600, and the Council also approved $400 for any cost overruns. The vendor, Ideal Fence Inc., told Community Development and Planning Director Steve Magoon that the fence could be installed as soon as two weeks after the funding is approved. Town Councilor Aaron Dushku noted that the fence on the schematic drawings has only one gate.

Government

New Strategies to Fund Watertown Schools Sought

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Instead of relying on the state and town for money to run the schools, Watertown officials are searching for new ways to pay for equipment and even for staff. The Fiscal 2015 school request is $6 million higher than last year, but the town will not likely be able to cover the whole request, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said Tuesday. Instead, school officials will have to prioritize what they want in the request. Meanwhile, the Town Council’s Education and School System subcommittee brainstormed ways to come up with more money for the town’s schools. They examined ideas provided by the Watertown Strong Schools advocacy group in a report (read the report here, with funding ideas on Page 57).

Government

School, Town Officials Hashing Out Watertown School Budget

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The Watertown School budget for Fiscal 2015 came in 16 percent higher than the previous year, but Town Manager Michael Driscoll planned for 3 percent increase. Now he and Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald are looking at how much the education budget can increase. The pair, along with School Committee Chairwoman Eileen Hsu-Balzer sat down last Thursday and Friday to go over the request for more staff and for goods and services. The schools want the equivalent of 32 more full-time positions, including 22 teachers. [ad]

He said the total request, $42 million, would not be realistic in one year, and would not be sustainable under Proposition 2 1/2 rules where towns can only increase the tax levy more than 2.5 percent without going to voters.

Government

Public Works Wins Award for Work When Bombing Suspects Came to Town

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Watertown’s Public Works Department may not get the same heralding as the Police and Fire departments for the work during the search for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, but the workers will get a big accolade this summer. The American Public Works Association announced it will present Watertown with the Exceptional Performance Award in Adversity at the annual conference in Toronto this August. On April 19, 2013, after Watertown Police faced off with the Boston Marathon Bombing suspects the Public Works Department closed off many streets in town and provided lights, among other things, to help law enforcement and the search for the second suspect.  

Public Works Director Gerald Mee received the announcement earlier this month, and Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced it at Tuesday’s Town Council Meeting. “I appreciate their efforts and it is well deserved,” Town Council President Mark Sideris said at the meeting.