Government

City of Watertown’s Inauguration to be Held at Commander’s Mansion

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Watertown’s elected officials will take the oath of office during a ceremony to be held on Jan. 2, 2024 at the Commander’s Mansion. The newly elected (or re-elected) members of the City Council, School Committee, and Board of Library Trustees will be sworn in at the event that will take place at 7 p.m. at the historic mansion at 440 Talcott Ave. in Watertown (next to Arsenal on the Charles and Arsenal Park). The swearing in will include City Council President Mark Sideris; City Councilors At-Large Tony Palomba, Caroline Bays, John Gannon, and John Airaisan; District Councilors Nicole Gardner (District A), Lisa Feltner (B), Vincent Piccirilli (C), and Emily Izzo (D); School Committee members Kendra Foley, Lisa Capoccia, and Rachel Kay; and Library Trustees Teddy Kokoros, Maja Young, and Sarah Murphy-Holroyd.

Government

Councilor John Gannon Hosting Annual Public Meeting

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City Councilor John Gannon

As part of the changes to the Watertown Charter all City Councilors must have an annual meeting to meet with the public. City Councilor John Gannon, a Councilor at-large, announced dates for his constituent meeting. See info below. City Councilor John Gannon’s Annual Councilor Meeting is Wednesday Dec. 13, 2023 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Lower Hearing Room in City Hall.

Around Town

Watertown Square Ideas Include Rerouted Roadways, Shops on Expanded Delta, More Paths

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Residents look at the maps from the table work sessions in the Watertown Square Area Plan design charrette. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

After an intense two days of gathering input from the public and looking at different ways to improve how Watertown Square works, the City of Watertown’s consultants presented two ideas that would significantly change traffic patterns in the intersection, but would not have a rotary. The two main contenders for the new Watertown Square layout are known as “Four Corners” and “Mini Main Street.” Both ideas would significantly shrink the amount of space dedicated to roadways and would increase the size of the Delta and other green spaces, as well as provide parallel parking, wider sidewalks, bike accommodations, and easier bus connections, the consultants said Thursday night. On Wednesday, urban designer Jeff Speck presented three drawings, the Four Corners, Mini Main Street and also one known as the Deltabout, where traffic would flow counter clockwise around the Delta.

Government

First Drafts of Watertown Square Redesign, Changes to MBTA Discussed at Design Workshop

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Some of the preliminary sketches for a redesigned Watertown Square prepared by the consultants. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

All day, Wednesday, hundreds of residents gave their opinions about what they want Watertown Square to look like when it is redesigned, and the City of Watertown’s consultants showed some first efforts at ways to improve traffic flow, as well as the pedestrian experience in the area. Urban Designer Jeff Speck showed a packed room several options for ways to change the design of roadways in Watertown Square. Some included roundabouts, some opened the roadway around the Delta to all traffic (not just buses as it is now), and many altered the roadways leading into the Square. By eliminating some of the spokes going into the main intersection would make traffic lights simpler, said Ralph DeNisco, a traffic engineer from VHB.

Government

Council’s Budget Priorities Include Supporting Small Business, the Climate & Energy Plan, and Education

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Watertown City Hall

The City Council finalized Watertown’s budget priorities for the next fiscal year which include focuses on small business, implementing the Comprehensive Plan and Watertown Square Area Plan, the City’s shuttle bus program, and more. Many of the same guidelines returned from the 2024 Budget Policy Guidelines, including street and sidewalk repair, a 3.5 percent increase in the education budget, rodent control, launching the 311 constituent services system, and reusing the former North Branch Library

Among the guidelines are the long-standing effort to seek economic development and this year it includes a new focus on “small business, retail corridors, and emerging industry clusters.” The guidelines also include a priority to implement the updates recommended in the Comprehensive Plan update, as well as the ongoing redesign in the Watertown Square Area Plan. That plan includes redesigning the intersection, increasing housing density, strategies for small business, and better use of City owned land. This would be done, in part, by enhancing “the capabilities of the Department of Community Development and Planning by adding resources and/or redeploying existing resources to achieve the goals of the Plans.”

Government

See What Will be Discussed During This Week’s Watertown Square Design Charrette

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This week will be an important one for the shaping of the future of Watertown’s center, and many of the main business districts in town. The City of Watertown, working with a team of consultants, will conduct a three-day design charrette where they will seek input from the public about a variety of topics. All the events will take place from Nov. 28-30, 2023, at 64 Pleasant St., Watertown (the former Sasaki building). This is the same location as the kickoff presentation for the Watertown Square Area Plan in October where some examples of redesigns and the consultant’s philosophies were presented.

Government

Watertown Closings and Trash Collection Delays for Thanksgiving

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The Thanksgiving holiday will impact Watertown City facilities, as well as trash collection this week. See details in the City of Watertown’s announcement:

Watertown City Hall and Senior Center will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 23 and 24, 2023 and the Library will be closing at 5 PM on Wednesday, November 22 and will be closed on Thursday, November 23, 2023 for Thanksgiving. 

Please be aware that there is NO trash or recycling pickup on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23, 2023. The holiday postpones pickup by one day to Friday, November 24, and Friday’s pickup will be on Saturday, November 25, 2023.

Government

City Responds to Complaints About Highland Ave. Road Project

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Crews work on Highland Street over the summer as part of the ongoing road reconstruction project. A combination of weather and challenges with contractors have delayed a major road project in Watertown, said City Manager George Proakis, but there are steps being taken to prevent such delays. Last week, for the second meeting in a row, City Councilors got an earful from residents dissatisfied with various aspects of the Highland Avenue project. Many complained about the lengthy amount time that the project has taken to be completed (and more work still remains), and that sidewalks are often left torn up for an extended amout of time. Others said their driveways have been narrowed after years of having wider entrances, and some were upset about the safety of school children crossing at Copland Street to get to Cunniff Elementary School and at Lexington Street heading towards Watertown Middle School.