Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/government/page/40/)
By Linda ScottWatertown Resident
So … is a Watertown City Council meeting hearing worth attending? I attended one last night on zoom … a shoutout to citizens who sat through it all for hours in real time in the Council Chambers. So, is it a “done deal” by the time it gets to the hearing? Hmmm … It was all about a move by the Historic Commission to streamline its process. Not a bad idea.
Watertown City Hall
The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:
If you need assistance listening to any meeting in Council Chambers in City Hall, please ask the person running the meeting for a device when you enter the room. They will show you where you can borrow a device during the meeting. Also in Council Chambers are huge television screens that display all discussions in large type closed captions. Closed captions are a text version of spoken words. Closed captioning was developed to enable people with hearing impairments read the audio on that can’t be heard.
A view of the plans for the Watertown Mall Transformation Project. (Illustration from Alexandria Real Estate)
Wednesday night, the Planning Board will hear plans for the redevelopment of the Watertown Mall and nearby properties planned by Alexandria Real Estate Equities. Alexandria seeks a Master Plan Special Permit with Site Plan Review for what is known as the Watertown Mall Transformation Project. The plan calls for four office/lab buildings, a new retail building, two amenity spaces and two parking garages, including one that would be a separate project at 480 Arenal Way. The application reads: “The proposed master plan would create a new mix of uses within a development that spans 4 existing parcels, carried out in phases, with laboratory/R&D, retail, office, commercial and amenity space within 8 buildings (Target/building to remain), with supporting structured and surface parking.”
State Sen. Will Brownsberger
The following piece was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger, whose district includes Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston. Monday, the House and Senate finalized the Fiscal 2024 Budget. I’m including some highlights of the items that were important advocacy priorities for me. I’m also sharing the Senate President’s Press Release on the agreement for a broader overview. Overall, I am very pleased with this year’s budget and I feel that it reflects many of my stated priorities.
Photo by Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall
A pair of City Council Committees will interview nominees for appointment or reappointment to the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Board of Health, and the Affordable Housing Trust. The Committee on Economic Development and Planning will consider the appointment of Samuel Odamah to the Zoning Board in a term expiring in February 2025. They will also consider reappointing Christopher Heep to the Zoning Board for a term running until February 2028, and the reappointment of Payson Whitney III to the Planning Board for a term ending in February 2026. The remote meeting will be held Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 5 p.m. See the agenda and how to tune in by clicking here.
The candidates running for City office in 2023 have been set, and Watertown voters will have to choose from the current and a former City Council President, and will elect at least one new School Committee member. The deadline to file to run in the Nov. 7 Watertown City Election was Monday at 5 p.m.
Council President
Mark Sideris, the Council President since 2010, will face the man he defeated to become President in 2009. Clyde Younger filed to run on Monday. He served as Council President from 1997-2004, and 2006-2009, and also has been elected to the Council, School Committee, and Town Meeting, before Watertown went to the Council-Manager style of government.
Kim Hewitt was chosen to be the next director of the Watertown Free Public Library. (Courtesy photo)
The new director of the Watertown Library impressed the Board of Trustees with her knowledge of libraries, her experience dealing with difficult situations, and her vision for the library. Thursday night, the Board of Library Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Kim Hewitt as the next Director of the Watertown Free Public Library. The vote came two days after the board interviewed Hewitt, who is currently the director of the Needham Free Public Library, and the other finalist, Dan Brower, Library Director of the Cass County Public Library in Missouri. All the trustees said the two candidates were very well qualified, but Hewitt stood out with her experience dealing with a range of challenges that face public libraries these days.
Residents had a long list of requests for the qualities and qualifications they would like Watertown’s next Police Chief to have, and new initiatives they would like the new head of the WPD to take on. Monday night, City Manager George Proakis held a community forum to discuss the hiring of the new Watertown Police Chief. He was joined by two members of the consultancy firm who will run the process of evaluating the candidates. Attendees brought up a variety of areas they would like to see the next chief take on, including changes in the department. Several wanted to see the Watertown Police be more transparent, and provide more data to the public, including arrests, traffic violations, and other incidents broken down by race, ethnicity and gender.