Development

LETTER: Town Councilor Worries Mall Will Change Character of East End

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Dear Chairman Hawes and Members of the Planning Board,

To put this quite simply, Watertown has not seen a development of this magnitude in recent history; a city within a city with amenities galore for its prospective residents. The urban sprawl associated with this development will change the character of the East End of Watertown and community-at-large for generations to come. Due to a prior commitment, I will be unable to attend the Planning Board Hearing on Dec. 14, 2016, rescheduled from Nov. 29, 2016.  For numerous months, many residents and I have been sharing our thoughts, comments and many concerns at neighborhood meetings and at the Special Planning Board Hearing on Oct.

Arsenal Mall

LETTER: Tower at Arsenal Mall Too Tall, Will Loom Over Charles River

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To the citizens of Watertown, regarding the Arsenal Project MP/SP proposal,

As I sat in the audience of the Planning Board meeting of Dec. 14, 2016, I was again disappointed. In over a year of meetings the issue which I thought would have been a major concern to both the citizens of Watertown, the city councilors and the city planning department employees was rarely discussed. The issue I am referring to is the development of a 12 story building (building “G”) approximately 100 feet from Greenough Boulevard. Now the reason the developer wants to build this building is obvious.

Letters

LETTER: Simple Sign at Watertown Library Warms the Heart of a Resident

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Editor,

This morning I walked through the doors of the Watertown Library and was heartened to see a simple black and white sign in the door stating “The Watertown Free Public Library welcomes and serves everyone.”  

In these divisive times it was a welcome reminder that I live in a community that is diverse and that I believe takes pride in that diversity.  This diversity was evident to me in the families that came to the door trick-or-treating on Halloween, in the number of different languages spoken in the schools and in my work as a tutor with Project Literacy. As a white woman, I am unlikely to face discrimination in Watertown and I can’t presume that there is no discrimination or acts of harassment in our town.  But in general, Watertown feels like a welcoming community and my hope is that we will all look for ways to foster that sense of community as we move forward in 2017.  

Joan Blaustein
Riverside Street

Letters

LETTER: Watertown Schools Could be Renovated Without Major Tax Increase

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To the Editor,

Why is a tax override or debt exclusion needed to fund the renovation and upgrade of the 5 Watertown Public Schools? During this recent election season, tax increases were discussed with a lot of passion both for and against the proposed surcharge to fund the Conservation Preservation Act (CPA). Another discussion conflated the CPA tax and a tax override or debt exclusion to pay for proposed renovations to Watertown’s aging schools. The message presented was that if the CPA passed, residents would be facing a second tax increase to pay for the schools. I disagreed with the premise that an override/exclusion was necessary and the only option to fund the school upgrades (http://www.mass.gov/dor/docs/dls/publ/misc/levylimits.pdf).

Government

OP-ED: Councilor on Why Property Taxes are Rising, How They Seek to Control Them

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It is unquestioned that Watertown is going through an unprecedented level of growth and change. In this type of environment, even within the confines of Proposition 2 ½, many residents struggle to pay increasing property taxes on limited incomes. In recognition of the realities residents all over town are facing, in recognition of the current and future market increases and how such trends affect our commercial and residential classes and with the Community Preservation Act being passed by voters (to be on taxpayer bills in 2018), I offer the following to the residents of Watertown as, hopefully, a form of reassurance regarding FY17 and future tax classifications. From 1998-2016 the average tax bill in Watertown increased just over 4.0% each year. Although 4.0% is the rough average, in 10 of those years the average tax bill only increased between 2.0-4.0%.

Elections

LETTER: Rough and Tumble Campaign Over, Now it’s Time to Work Together

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To the editor,

As one of the most vocal opponents of the CPA during the campaign, I’d like to congratulate the proponents on their victory.  

There is no doubt that this campaign was heated.  Often times, hyperbole came from both sides. That’s what happens in a campaign. For those of us who have been involved in politics for years, it’s not surprise, nor do we find anything out of the ordinary. Politics is a blood sport during a campaign.

Letters

LETTER: Watertown Woman Took Advantage of Solar Program, Others Can Too

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Dear Editor and Watertown Neighbors,

I know that many of you have received information about the current Watertown solar initiative called Neighborhood Solar. Two years ago, my husband, David Breakstone, and I decided to explore this option when Neighborhood Solar ran for the first time. We had no idea what to expect. I attended one of the informational meetings and found Ben Mayer of SunBug well-organized, informative, and willing to answer all questions. The program and the process made sense, so David and I asked SunBug Solar, Neighborhood Solar’s installer, to do a site visit and give us a proposal.

Elections

LETTER: Pro CPA Group Gives Examples of How CPA Used in Other Towns

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Vote YES on 5 for Community Preservation Act (CPA) It Benefits Us ALL. More money is there for us right now:

All our neighboring communities are already in: Waltham, Belmont, Cambridge, Newton. Boston strongly supports a Yes on 5 this year as well – see YesBetterBoston.com. They have all made, and will continue to make, significant and creative improvements with their CPA funds. Our contributions will continue going to other towns if we vote no.