Government

LETTER: Watertown Elected Officials, Residents Canvas in Support of Fair Share Amendment

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Watertown elected officials — including State Sen. Will Brownsberger (far right) and State Rep. Steve Owens (second from right — and residents gathered Saturday before canvasing in support of the Fair Share Amendment. Elected Officials and Local Activists gathered under raindrops on Saturday Morning for a city-wide canvass for the Question 1 Fair Share Amendment. 

Sen. Will Brownsberger and Steve Owens spoke to the history, extensive support and promise of the Fair Share Amendment to bring a stable new funding source for education and transportation. City Councilors Caroline Bays, Nicole Gardner, Vinnie Piccirilli John Gannon,  Tony Palomba, and Lisa Feltner along with School Committee Member David Stokes, and Library Trustees Maja Young and Sara Keary took part in the canvass. Over 30 residents set out to knock on doors and pass along the Vote Yes on Question 1 message. 

Question 1 is an amendment to the State Constitution that will allow the state to levy an additional tax of 4 percent on any personal income over $1 million dedicated to schools and transportation. Learn more about it at  Why The Fair Share Amendment | Fair Share Amendment for Massachusetts (fairsharema.com). 

In addition to attending elected officials, the canvass was supported by State Senator John Lawn; City Council President Mark Sideris; City Councilors John Airasian and Emily Izzo; School Committee Members Kendra Foley, Lindsay Mosca, Amy Donohue, Jessica Middlebrook, and Lily Layman Reed; and Library Trustees Leanne Hammond, Teddy Kokoros, and Rose Mary Su. The canvass was organized by Watertown4Fair Share, a group with members from Watertown Faces Climate Change, Progressive Watertown, and school advocates. Ann MunsonCaroline BaysDeborah PetersonLani GersonRachel KayRita Colafella

Government

Residents Can Shape Future of Watertown by Participating in Virtual Comprehensive Plan Workshop

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An image from the City of Watertown’s Comprehensive Plan Virtual Workshop website. The City of Watertown recently held a pair of in-person workshops to hear from people for the updating of the document that will shape the future of the City: the Comprehensive Plan. Those who did not attend the meetings can participate in the virtual workshop. The Comprehensive Plan guides the future not just for economic development, but also for housing, transportation, open space and recreation, and sustainability. The original plan was adopted in 2015 and the City is updating it in 2022.

City Council

Council to Look at Neighbor Notifications About Projects, Rodent Control Plan & Hiring Department Heads

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Watertown City Hall

After hearing from residents about not being informed about key meetings about development projects in Watertown, the City Council will discuss ways to improve communications with neighbors of such projects. The City will also work on creating a rodent control plan, and the City Manager will be filling three key positions. On Tuesday, City Council President Mark Sideris said that he heard from residents who were frustrated that they did not know about the proposed project at 148 Waltham St. “We it comes to development we put in place the requirement for community meetings, but one thing that came out, particularly with the Sterritt Lumber site — and I thank Councilor (Emily) Izzo for her efforts — but we don’t have a process with notifying neighbors when a hearing is coming up,” Sideris said. “We do notify the immediate abutters, but we can do a better job.

Government

City May Change Rules for Demolishing Historic Buildings

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A City Council Committee has started looking at doubling the maximum delay for demolition of a historic home or building, but also to remove many properties from consideration for the demo delays. The Historical Commission can put a delay on demolishing homes and buildings that have historic significance in an effort to find a way to preserve them, including finding a person or group to buy it and save it. The Commission can prevent a structure from being demolished. The current maximum delay is 12 months. Currently, projects that must be heard by the Historical Commission include any building 50 years old or older.

Government

Council Approves Funds for Highland Ave. Repaving, Numbers Higher Than Planned

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The City Council approved funds to repave and install new sidewalks on Highland Avenue, but the project will cost more than originally anticipated. The total cost of the project will be $2.96 million for the project that also includes Chapman Street, said City Manager George Proakis, and $2 million will come from the loan order approved by the Council Tuesday night. The remaining funds will come from other Department of Public Works accounts. The loan is more than previous years for similar projects on longer roads in Watertown. “I recommend putting $2 million toward that this year, where we originally talked about $1.5 million,” Proakis said.

100 Forge

Arsenal Yards Pulls Request for Illuminated Sign on Tower

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Dave MartinA view down the Charles River from the Bridge on North Beacon Street with the 100 Forge building at Arsenal Yards in the distance. An illuminated sign had been proposed to go near the top of the building. The owners of Arsenal Yards, Boylston Properties, have pulled a request for permission to put an illuminated sign on the top of the tower at the East Watertown complex. Bill McQuillan, principal of Boylston Properties, sent a letter to City Council President Mark Sideris and Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon informing them of the request. The Zoning Amendment for the sign on top of the 130-foot building known as 100 Forge was scheduled to be discussed at the Sept.

Government

Group Creating Tool to Keep Track of Changes to Watertown’s Charter

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The following announcement was provided by Watertown Forward:

Now that Labor Day and back-to-school transitions are behind us, apple picking, fall foliage, and politics have moved to center stage. With the Nov. 8 election just a few weeks away, it’s easy for Watertown voters to lose sight of seismic changes to our Home Rule Charter that they approved almost a year ago during November’s municipal elections. Progress on implementing the roughly 20 charter revisions remains unclear. That’s because there’s been no formal report back to residents, no ongoing updates as to implementation status, no flagging of timelines or deadlines for achieving required outcomes.