Around Town

Watertown City Hall, Senior Center & Library Closings This Weekend

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

Hours at some of Watertown’s municipal buildings will be impacted by Good Friday, Easter and Patriots Day. The City of Watertown sent out an announcement saying that City Hall and the Senior Center will close at 1 p.m. on April 15 in observance of Good Friday. Both buildings will be closed on Monday, April 18 for Patriots Day. The Watertown Free Public Library will be closed on Sunday, April 17 for Easter, and on Monday, April 18 for Patriots Day.

Around Town

Finalists Named in Watertown Library Director Search, Public Interviews Scheduled

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Watertown Free Public LibraryThe Watertown Free Public Library. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Library:

The Board of Trustees of the Watertown Free Public Library (WFPL) began searching for a new library director earlier this year, following the retirement of Leone Cole, who had served in that role for 27 years. The Trustees initiated this search in January with the help of Bernard Lynch of Community Paradigm Associates. After receiving 15 applications, the Preliminary Screening Committee selected five candidates to interview last month. That pool was then narrowed down to three finalists who were recommended to the Trustees.

Government

Residential Snow Shoveling Ordinance Being Reviewed by Council Committees

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A pair of committees of the City Council began working on changing Watertown’s Snow Removal Ordinance to include rules for residential properties, including required width of shoveling, deadlines, and fines. The Joint Committees on Public Works and Rules & Ordinances discussed the changes during a virtual meeting on March 29, and discussed some significant changes to the ordinance. Eventually the proposed ordinance will be presented during a Public Forum, and then considered by the full City Council for approval. Classification of Properties

One of the first changes was how to define properties, and which rules would apply to each classification. The current Snow Removal Ordinance has different rules based on the zoning of the area, business districts vs.

Government

Help Shape Watertown’s Future by Taking Community Preservation Survey

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

Help shape Watertown’s future in the areas of open space, community housing, outdoor recreation, and historic preservation. Learn about the first Watertown Community Preservation Act (CPA) projects to be recommended for funding in the process too. Please take a few minutes to complete our survey to inform the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) in updating the Community Preservation Plan. According to CPA law, we must hold a public hearing and prepare an annual update of the Preservation Plan—that means hearing from you. Take the survey –  Community Preservation FY 2021-22 Community Survey

Thanks in advance for your input.

Capital Projects

Capital Projects Include Community Path, Work at Middle School, Reuse of Old Police Station

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The City Council approved the recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2023-27 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which includes extending the Community Path, improvements to Watertown Middle School, reusing the old Watertown Police Station, along with road repair and other projects. The 34 recommendations of the FY23-27 CIP includes $27.6 million in capital spending in Fiscal year 2023, which would be 7.71 percent of the total projected City revenues not including the funds for the Building for the Future school projects (16 percent with them). That figure fits within the City Council’s budget guideline to spend between 7.5 percent and 8 percent of the City Operating Budget on capital projects, said Council Vice President Vincent Piccirilli. Community Path

Three of the CIP recommendations related to extending the Community Path, which currently goes from Arlington Street, behind Target to School Street, and runs along Arsenal Street. The path will be extended from Taylor Street (off Arsenal Street) to Saltonstall Park.

Development

Major Residential, Retail Project Proposed for Main Street, Near Watertown Square

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Icon ArchitectureA view of the proposed project at 104-126 Main St. from Main Street. A five-story mixed use project with housing units on top of retail and commercial space may be coming to Main Street. The development would include properties that currently include the Post Office, a restaurant, a boutique and other properties. The pre-application plans were sent to the to the Watertown Planning Department for review on March 31 show 146 residential units in four stories.

Around Town

Semifinalists Interviewed by Library Director Search Committee

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Watertown Free Public LibraryThe Watertown Free Public Library. The semifinalists for the Watertown library director were interviewed last week and finalists will be chosen by the Preliminary Screening Committee. The job posting closed on March 18, and 15 people submitted applications, said Leanne Hammonds, chair of the Board of Library Trustees. “We reviewed the applications in an executive session and narrowed down to five candidates,” Hammonds said. “At this point in the process, the candidates are not public knowledge and our interviews this week will be in executive session.

Government

Deadline to Apply for Residential Property Tax Exemptions Coming Up

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Some Watertown resident qualify for residential tax exemptions, but to take advantage they must apply by April 1. There are several exemptions or reductions for qualifying veterans of the military, as well as for the blind and qualifying seniors. All owners of residential property in Watertown who make it their primary residence can qualify for the residential exemption of more than $3,000. Some of the exemptions are:

Seniors 65+, $1,000

Seniors 70+, surviving spouse or minor child of deceased parent, $350

Blind, $1,000

Community Preservation Tax Exemption, low or moderate income, entire surcharge

Disabled veteran, 10% disability letter, $800

Disabled veteran, letter for permanent loss of one hand, foot or eye, $1,500

Disabled veteran, letter for permanent loss of two hands, feet or eyes, $2,500

Disabled veteran, total disability letter, $3,000

Veteran, died in combat, all property taxes

Veteran, 100% disability letter, $2,000

Senior Tax Work off, up to $1,500

Veteran Tax Work off, up to $1,500

Click here to see the exemptions offered by the City of Watertown with basic qualifications. 

Exemption applications can be submitted to the Watertown Assessor’s office online by clicking here