Coolidge Square

Give Your Opinion About Parking in Watertown’s Business Districts

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Town officials seek input about what changes should be made to parking in the Watertown Square and Coolidge Square areas. Residents, workers and others can share their thoughts in an online survey, or attend two upcoming open houses about the two areas. The Town of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

Watertown has begun a Parking Management Plan for Watertown Square and Coolidge Square. The goal is to support Watertown’s retail centers and make them more user friendly and welcoming. The Plan will describe current parking needs, supply, and usage.

Around Town

Watertown Conducting Survey as Part of Creating Parking Management Plan

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Town officials want to know what people living, working and visiting Watertown think about parking in two major commercial areas in town. The Town is creating a Parking Management Plan for Watertown’s two major business districts, Watertown Square and Coolidge Square. To collect information, town officials have created an online survey. The Plan will take a fresh look at the existing parking supply, demand for parking, and look for creative ways to satisfy parking needs, according to the Town’s website. Some of the areas that the Parking Management Plan will cover are:

Improved meter technologyConsistent and easy to understand regulationsOptions for enforcementChanges that could better manage parking and meet ongoing demandOpportunities for shared parkingOther ways to support healthy and successful commercial centers

To take the Watertown Parking Survey go to: www.watertownparkingsurvey.com

Town officials will also be holding two open houses about parking.

Around Town

Santa Claus Greeted by Hundreds at Watertown Square Tree Lighting

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Hundreds turned out on a cold Friday evening for the annual Watertown Square Tree Lighting Ceremony. Photo by Charlie Breitrose

Delivered on a big red fire truck, the guest of honor at Friday night’s Watertown Square Tree Lighting Ceremony was swarmed by his many fans. The annual event on the Delta in Watertown Square drew a big crowd once again. Before Santa Claus arrived, children got a chance to say hi to Frosty the Snowman, and enjoy some cookies, hot cocoa and cider. 

Town Councilor Anthony Donato, who is also a Rotary Club member, greeted everyone, and remembered longtime community leader and supporter of the event, Paul Airasian, who passed away in September. He also thanked the veterans on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day.

Around Town

Tree Lighting Ceremony Coming to Watertown Square Soon!

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The Town of Watertown, Watertown Savings Bank, and the Rotary Club of Watertown are pleased to announce that the eighth annual Tree Lighting event will be held on Friday, December 7 in Watertown Square, according to an announcement from the organizers 

A reception will follow at the Watertown Savings Bank (WSB) main office in Watertown Square. Santa Claus will arrive to the Square by fire truck at 5:15 p.m.; the tree lights come on at 5:30 p.m.; and the reception to follow immediately after at WSB, where attendees will enjoy refreshments, holiday music, and visit with Santa Claus.  Parking will be available at WSB after 5 p.m.

“We’re really excited for this year’s tree lighting, and to continue with this wonderful holiday tradition,” said Kelly Cronin, WSB’s Community Relations Manager. This year, Dan McCarthy/DM Productions will be outside in the Square with holiday music and a special guest of their own beginning at 4:30 p.m. Watertown Rotary will also have refreshments out on the Square. Thank you to all who make this event possible: Russo’s for donating the tree; Watertown Police for providing a police detail; Watertown Fire for transporting Santa Claus; the Pleasant Street Watertown Stop & Shop and Watertown Dunkin’ Donuts for refreshments. For more information, please contact WSB’s Community Relations Office at 617-928-2336.

Bicycles

Designers Add More Options for Redesigning Watertown Square After Traffic Counts

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After taking traffic counts in the area around Watertown Square and along Charles River Road an North Beacon Street, the designers of the Watertown Square Improvement project added more options for how the intersection could be changed. On July 9, the Town of Watertown held an open house to present the latest options for reconfiguring Watertown Square. The last time the project was presented to the public, in November 2017, many residents — particularly those living between Charles River Road and North Beacon Street — opposed the idea of removing Charles River Road from the Watertown Square intersection. Representatives from the Town’s consultant on the project, VHB, said traffic counts would be done before coming back with recommendations for the project. “Based on the traffic counts, rather than reduce the options, we added more,” said Dennis Sheehan, the DPW’s Director of Administration and Finance. “If one solution would have clearly worked best we would have presented less options.”

Letters

LETTER: Proposed Road Projects Will Hurt Neighborhoods, Small Businesses

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The DPW and Planning Department have been working on improving the traffic flow through Watertown Square, as well as making it and Mt. Auburn Street friendlier to bicyclists and pedestrians. However, as usual, they are not considering neighborhood integrity, nor the needs of small businesses. It is funny to me that they are touting “complete streets,” which simply means designing for more modes of transportation than cars. Cities in Europe have been doing this type of design for over 60 years, but we have just “discovered” it here in the U.S., and we don’t do it well yet.

Government

DPW to Present Proposed Plan to Redesign Watertown Square at Meeting

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A proposed plan to redesign Watertown Square and the roads around it will be presented during a meeting hosted by the Department of Public Works on July 10. 

When: Tuesday, July 10, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Where: Watertown Free Public Library, Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room, 123 Main St., Watertown

The Town of Watertown is redesigning Watertown Square to improve mobility and safety for all users (including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and vehicles). At this interactive Open House, staff will present the Complete Streets concept plan for Watertown Square and its transportation and environmental benefits. We will also share the results of traffic data collection and analysis completed since the October 30, 2017 Public Works Subcommittee meeting, and the concept plans and alternatives for Charles River Road. Staff will be available to answer your questions and listen to your feedback. Please stop by anytime between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. to learn more and provide comments.

Arsenal Street Corridor

Residents Worry About Impact of Changes to Watertown Square, Charles River Road

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Residents living between the Charles River and North Beacon Street, east of Watertown Square, packed the Town Council Chambers well past seating capacity Tuesday night because they are concerned about traffic near their homes and how the area could be impacted by the Watertown Square Improvement project. A study of the Arsenal Street corridor for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) by consultants from VHB identified several improvements that could positively impact the major artery through the east side of Watertown. VHB’s Laura Castelli said that residents who attended public meetings about the Arsenal Street Corridor study overwhelmingly supported making improvements to Watertown Square the top priority. One major change proposed to improve flow through Watertown Square would be to remove Charles River Road from the mix, at least in one direction (in or out). The project was originally scheduled for the medium term, Castelli said, because it was thought the town would have to wait to get state road improvement funds, but it was pushed forward because it will be part of the I-Cubed project.