Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/tag/letter/page/3/)
WCA-TVHelen Chatel leaves Watertown Cable Access Television after 9.5 years as executive director. Good day Watertown,
Today is my last day in the office at WCA-TV. As I reflect back on the 9.5 years here, I remember how much my life has changed and with it WCA-TV and Watertown. When I arrived we only went live with Town Council, Planning and Zoning and School Committee. We rarely covered subcommittee hearings.
Dear Honorable City Councilors:
For comparison purposes: take a look see at the attached photograph that depicts a simple, tasteful, understated, illuminated sign at the Encore Boston Harbor [Casino] in Everett, MA. Refer to the sign with any number of adjectives; it’s still an elevated, rooftop illuminated sign. Is this what we want intruding on the tranquil skyline of Watertown’s 4.17 square miles? In my opinion: NO. Encore BostonA view of the Encore Boston casino.
At this moment, there are folks working hard to convince our City Council to put the best interests of people who don’t live here above the best interests of our town, our neighbors and future generations who will live in Watertown. It seems that there has been an organized movement — what community organizers refer to as an Astroturf campaign — to make a case for private gain over public good. An Astroturf campaign is a carefully constructed PR campaign disguised to appear as grassroots opinion. At issue is a request by Boylston Properties to change our zoning to allow a 10 by 105 foot illuminated commercial sign on top of the tallest building in Arsenal Yards. The sign would be visible from many areas along our riverfront.
Dear Watertown, Community,
I have been advocating for Dark-Sky lighting standards across our community for many years. As a follow-up to Jon Bockian’s very thoughtful letter and citizens’ comments, here’s some additional info for your review. According to the International Dark-Sky Association (darksky.org) research, “The inappropriate or excessive use of artificial light – known as light pollution – can have serious environmental consequences for humans, wildlife, and our climate. Components of light pollution include:
Glare – excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort
Skyglow – brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas
Light trespass – light falling where it is not intended or needed
Clutter – bright, confusing and excessive groupings of light sources
Light pollution is a side effect of industrial civilization. Its sources include building exterior and interior lighting, advertising, commercial properties, offices, factories, streetlights, and illuminated sporting venues.
Dave MartinA view down the Charles River from the Bridge on North Beacon Street with the 100 Forge (or Building G) building at Arsenal Yards in the distance. An illuminated sign has been proposed to go near the top of the building. To the Editor,
Boylston Properties is requesting a zoning change to allow it to place a large, illuminated sign at the top of the 130 ft. high Building G in Arsenal Yards. This is a very bad idea for the following reasons:
1. It constitutes a “branding” of Watertown.
A friend of mine went to observe the Planning Board Meeting for the Russo and Sterritt sites onWednesday night. It went until 11:00 p.m., and she left in tears … not because either of those projects affected her personally, but because a large group of neighbors came with their constructive comments and valid concerns and went home feeling unheard. The plans were accepted using none of their input. The plans were finalized, voted on and approved as soon as the public’s comments concluded. The people most directly affected by the change to their neighborhood had no, zero, zip say.
Much has changed in Watertown over the past 10 years, that is for sure, and one area we should be proud of is the transformation of the East End and the revitalization of the Arsenal Street corridor – specifically turning the older and declining Arsenal Mall into a delightful destination for our community, and surrounding communities and neighbors.
This development and the ripple effects of its success have afforded and will continue to afford our little City quite a bit. There are the surface benefits – dozens of new restaurants and shops, hundreds of thousands of square feet of outdoor space, adding to a renovated Arsenal Park, andweekly community events that frequently benefit local charitable organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club and the Food Pantry.
And there are the less obvious but glaringly important benefits – thousands of new local jobs, millions in real estate tax revenue which resulted in three new public schools that did not require a tax increase for residents, and not to mention the nearly 2,500 new life science employees and residents who will undoubtedly shop and eat in businesses ALL over Watertown, not just at Arsenal Yards. Yes, we should be proud of this development. We should be proud of our City Government, which had the vision to include a development like Arsenal Yards in their last Comprehensive Plan from a decade ago. Further, as taxpayers and voters, we should encourage our City Government to support the economic success of the development, which is closely tied to the success of many aspects, including the revenue, of this City.
Our City Council will soon vote on a proposal to allow a large, illuminated sign for Arsenal Yards – effectively a glowing billboard with ten-foot tall letters – to shine from atop the 130-foot high-rise tower looming over the Charles River, its park and paths. The proposal was written by the developer of Arsenal Yards. If the proposal passes, the Planning Board will be poised to give the developer a permit for the sign. Allowing the amendment and the sign would be a tragic mistake. The path of the Charles River through Watertown is widely known as a rare urban gem.