Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/government/page/293/)
Tuesday treated one Watertown candidate well, and another finished the Primary Election on the wrong side of the vote. Former State Sen. Warren Tolman lost his race in the Democratic primary for attorney general to Maura Healey. Tolman conceded Tuesday night. Healey had received 62 percent of the vote with 89 percent of the precincts reporting. Healey faces Republican John Miller in November’s general election.
While Watertown officials look at adding more liquor licenses, they will also consider whether restaurants can have bring your own alcohol licenses. Councilor Aaron Dushku, who sits on one of the three subcommittees looking at liquor licenses, said he also wants to consider allowing people to bring their own wine or beer to enjoy with their meal. One of the reasons for having BYOB is so people can have wine and avoid the markup on the wine, Dushku said. “Residents who want to enjoy a fine wine, they can pay the value of the wine which they perceive the price to be,” Dushku said. Restaurants would still be able to charge a corkage fee.
Voters head to the polls on Tuesday for the state primary election featuring statewide races for governor, Lt. Governor and more, as well as some candidates from Watertown. Democrats will have a number of contested races to vote in. Watertown’s state house delegation – State Sen. Will Brownsberger and State Reps. Jonathan Hecht and John Lawn – are running uncontested. Republicans have candidates in about half the races, but only one is contested for the primary.
The Town Council wants to encourage more mixed-use developments to be built in Watertown with restaurants, but to do so the town would need to increase the number of liquor licenses. Three subcommittees got together this week to discuss how many licenses should be added and how they would be distributed. The discussion goes back to 2012, when councilors looked at adding 12 new licenses. Today, Watertown has 33 licenses, including seven that allow service of only beer and wine. All the licenses are accounted for, and the town cannot add any more without getting approval of a special act of the State Legislature.
Watertown’s Warren Tolman got a major endorsement in his race for Attorney General when Gov. Deval Patrick said Tolman has his vote. Tolman has received a number of endorsements, but none bigger than the state’s top elected official. “I am endorsing Warren because I know from his campaign and from a deep personal relationship with him that he will be an activist AG, and I am excited about that,” Patrick said. “From gun safety to health care costs to consumer protection and civil rights, I want an AG who will not only enforce the law effectively, but also use the influence of the office strategically to improve the lives and prospects of Massachusetts people and small businesses. Warren Tolman will be that kind of leader.”
Tolman thanked the governor for his support. “I am so grateful, and so honored, to have the support of Governor Deval Patrick,” Tolman said.
The proposal to create a Volkswagen used car center on North Beacon Street hit a road bump Wednesday night when the Zoning Board could not get enough support to take a vote on the project. Boston Volkswagen seeks to build a new used car center at 21 North Beacon St., which as been Sullivan Tire & Auto Service. The project includes renovating the exterior of the building, adding landscaping, reducing the number of service bays and parking at the building, according to Carla Moynihan, an attorney with Robinson & Cole representing Boston Volkswagen.
They also seek to add a new curb cut to create a second driveway into the property, which sits just off of Watertown Square
The Zoning Board members had some problems with the project. Board member John Gannon said the second curb cut is not allowed in the zoning rules, and he would not support a proposal with that feature. He also wondered if a used car dealership was the best use of the property.
The Charles River provides a place to stroll, see nature and even commute, and town officials looking at the Comprehensive Plan draft discussed whether it could also be a place to dine or have more active recreation. A joint meeting of the Planning Board and the Town Council’s Economic Development and Planning subcommittee was held last week to continue reviewing the Comprehensive Plan – a major planning document that will help shape what Watertown will be like in the future. The river could be a place for more town residents to enjoy and even draw people from outside of town. Town Councilor Vincent Piccirilli said that will not happen on its own. “It is not good enough to just be next to a body or water,” Piccirlli said. “You have to give people things to do.”
Some have talked about finding a place along the river to put a restaurants.
The Recreation Department has a wide range of upgrades and a few additions planned for the track and court areas of Victory Field. Plans include replacing the track, installing artificial turf inside the track, and improving the tennis and adding a multi-purpose court where basketball and street hockey can be played, said Recreation Director Peter Centola. The project is in the town’s Capital Improvement Plan, and has a budget of $2.5 million. The money would be borrowed by the town through bonds, Centola said. The Victory Field complex, which also includes the field where artificial turf was recently installed, serves not only as main recreation area for the town, it also serves as the home to many Watertown High School athletics teams and is used for physical education classes, Centola said.