Government

LETTER: State Legislature Should Pass Rep. Hecht’s Transparency Amendments

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To the Editor:

Please note, this is my personal position not that of the Library Board of Trustees. The Massachusetts Legislature is the second oldest deliberative body in the world (after the U.K. Parliament). But far too often, no deliberation actually happens there. 

Thursday, Watertown State Rep. Jon Hecht fought to change this by filing three common sense transparency amendments to the House rules. His amendments focused on insuring that legislators have time to read what they’re voting on, and insuring that testimony at hearings and recorded votes in closed-door committee meetings are available to the public. They would have made a more democratic and transparent House — good government principles that Watertown residents like myself expect.

Development

LETTER: East End Resident’s Property Negatively Impacted by Excavation for Project Next Door

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Neighbors of the project at 71 Salisbury Road say the excavation has impacted their properties, and they did not receive notice. The following statement was presented to the Watertown Town Council on Jan. 22, 2019:

My wife and I bought a small house in Watertown 8 years ago and we have begun our family there. We love being in Watertown and intend to continue as a part of the community we have found here. In the past week a developer has begun construction on the lot abutting ours. They are constructing a spec house in place of the previous house which was razed 3 years ago when they acquired the land. This new house is to be put on the market as soon as it is completed. The developer delayed construction these years as they sought a solution to squeeze a two-family structure on the small lot but apparently decided that pursuing a special permit would invite too much push back.  

Now they have pulled a permit for construction ‘by right’ and as a first step have undertaken blasting away the large rock ledge upon which the old house was constructed. They have continued this excavation into a second week using two earth moving machines, one to blast the rock and one to scoop it into a line of waiting dump trucks, right up to the property lines on all sides. The grade has been lowered significantly across the entire parcel such that at my property line there is now a shear face of exposed soil and bedrock where the incline which used to continue from our property into theirs has been blasted away. 

As a result two mature maple trees on our property have had their roots exposed and torn away. No attempt whatsoever was made to protect these trees even though doing so would pose no impediment to the construction of the house which they have permitted. Only willful disregard for the impact on neighbors property and desire to remove as much of the existing topography as possible has led to the damaging of these trees.  

Roots of trees on properties abutting 71 Salisbury Road have been damaged by the excavation on the site.

Letters

OP-ED: Citizen Group Critical of Slow Roll Out of Watertown Shuttle

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The following piece came from the Watertown Transportation Task Force:

The Watertown Transportation Task Force (WTTF) today released a report on the status of proposed shuttle buses for Pleasant Street and Arsenal Street, titled, “Shuttle Buses for Arsenal and Pleasant Streets: What’s Happened, What Hasn’t, Why?” The report is critical of the lack of progress made to date and recommends changes the Town should make going forward. The Task Force report describes the efforts to get shuttle buses running along Pleasant Street to Watertown Square and along Arsenal Street to a mass transit station. It recommends that the Town should fully enforce special permit conditions which require “proportionate financial participation” by developers to fund effective TMA shuttle operations. The WTTF has strongly advocated for shuttle service, but the report also proposes that Town funds should not go to any shuttle program until (1) a realistic multi-year financial analysis forecasts the budget for shuttle operations on each corridor and estimates any budget shortfall due to inadequate private funding, and (2) strong pre-conditions are set for all Town contributions to a shuttle program. The concept for the shuttles was that a Watertown Transportation Management Association (known as a TMA) would be created to implement transportation demand management programs for large new developments along these corridors which would include shuttle busses.

Around Town

LETTER: Neighbors Upset by Two Story Addition 5 Feet From Rear Property Line

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Neighbors on the back side of 73-75 Morse Street worry that having a two story garage right near their property line will hurt the value of their homes. Editor:

We are writing as a concerned and outraged neighborhood about an egregious construction situation at 73/75 Morse St. If this is allowed to be completed, it will set a precedent that could be repeated throughout Watertown. If stopped, it would set a precedent that this kind of thing isn’t allowed or tolerated in this town. The new owner-builder of this property has permission from the town to re-construct the two houses and garage that were there.

Letters

LETTER: Resident Reflects on Trip to Germany, Christmas Markets and the EU

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To the Editor:

I had a lovely time visiting Christmas markets – Weihnachtsmarkt – in Germany with my best friend from first grade. In 1972 she settled in Munich with her German husband. For most of the years since then we have stayed in touch, and get together when she travels Stateside to visit family. This was my second time to Germany; the first in 1970. Here are a few takeaways from my latest adventure:

Germany is very clean.

Around Town

OP-ED: Steps to Stop Your Kids from Drinking, Using Drugs

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The following piece was signed by: Michael Lawn, Chief of Police, Laura Kurman, Senior Program Director, Wayside Multi-Service Center, Dede Galdston, Superintendent of Schools, and Larry Ramdin, Director of Public Health:

With the holiday season underway and the opening of retail marijuana shops in Massachusetts, adults are urged to pay special attention to teenagers’ behavior around alcohol and other drugs. The Watertown Youth Coalition’s (WYC) partner agencies, Wayside Multi-Service Center, and the Watertown Police, Schools and Health Departments remind adults that teen alcohol and marijuana use can lead to unsafe behaviors that put their health and safety at risk. After all, it is all our responsibility, as a community, to help teens make healthy decisions and stay safe. Underage substance use affects everyone in the community and delaying use has shown to be protective as every year a teen does not use alcohol, the odds of lifelong dependence decrease by 15 percent. In the most recent Watertown Youth Risk Behavior Survey, administered to middle and high school students last year, of those who reported drinking, most reportedgetting alcohol from older siblings /friends or from home without their parents’ knowledge.

Environment

LETTER: Author of Watertown’s Solar Requirement Thanks Supporters, Urges More Action

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The following statement was read, in part, to the Town Council on Dec. 11, 2018, by Watertown Resident Jocelyn Tager. The requirement to have solar power systems on new developments over a certain size was passed by the Town Council on Nov. 27, 2018, making the town the first in the state to adopt such a requirement. Here is the full version:

My name is Jocelyn Tager.

Letters

LETTER: New Federal Rules Threaten Watertown Cable’s Funding, Station Seeks Support

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Good Afternoon,

On behalf of WCATV, I am reaching out to you today in regards to a policy proposed by the FCC. This policy will eliminate a major source of funding from Comcast and RCN and could result in Watertown Cable and other community media centers closing their doors in every community across the country. The policy will change the “franchise fee” structure that has been in place since the 1980s, and would allow the cable companies to charge cities for access to historically “in-kind” resources such as cable channels, I-net services, and access to their system to deliver content to people’s homes. The current franchise fee structure is the lifeblood of community media centers across the country and without that funding, it would be nearly impossible for stations to continue the important work they provide for all communities. This would cost our local governments millions of dollars, and would force them to choose whether supporting community media is more valuable than the millions of dollars of lost revenue.