Watertown Sq. Open House July 10

[Jonathan Bockian]

Dear Steve and Gerry,

I’m writing to ask you to change the format for getting resident feedback about the Watertown Sq. Improvement Project on July 10. The Open House format does not give us residents the opportunity for a community discussion, residents who show up don’t get to hear what their neighbors think, and there’s no way to get an independent sense whether the community feedback is generally one way or another. You will not have given the community an adequate opportunity to weigh in on the project proposals if you limit your format to an open house.

 

It would be better for the residents if you change the format to a community forum in which you present your information to everyone together and give everyone in attendance the chance to hear all questions and comments from their fellow residents and your responses. As a second best alternative, it would be simple enough for you to add a community forum component to the July 10 agenda, dedicated to resident comments, e.g. from 7 – 8:30. It would be better for you to sponsor a community forum than to have it organized by others.

 

Jon Bockian

 

 

From: Watertown Sq. Improvements [mailto:Team=WatertownSquare...@mail51.atl111.rsgsv.net] On Behalf Of Watertown Sq. Improvements
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2018 11:02 AM
To: jboc...@bockianlaw.com
Subject: Join Us at an Open House on July 10

 

Learn about traffic data collection and project benefits at an Open House on July 10! View this email in your browser   Join Us for an Open House   When:           Tuesday, July 10, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM Where:          Watertown Free Public Library                       Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room                       123 Main Street, 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 PM to learn more and provide comments. Download the meeting flyer or visit the project website for more information. If you were forwarded this email and would like to sign up for our email list, fill out this Subscriber form. If you prefer not to receive future emails, please click the unsubscribe link below. The Town of Watertown is redesigning Watertown Square to improve mobility and safety for all users. From new pavement and signage to lane and road reconfigurations, the improvements will benefit people who drive, ride the bus, walk, and bike to and through Watertown Square. Learn more on our website, www.WatertownSquareImprovements.com.   Copyright © 2018 Watertown Square Improvements Project, All rights reserved. You are subscribed to the Town of Watertown's Watertown Square Improvements Project updates. Our mailing address is: Watertown Square Improvements Project 124 Orchard Street Watertown, MA 02472 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

[Sarah Ryan]

Dear Steve and Gerry,

Is there any possibility of changing the format of the Watertown Square Improvement Project meeting from Open house to a more structured type of meeting?  I realize that announcements have gone out, so the time and place have already been publicized.   Still,  I have been to a couple of these open house format meetings and have left feeling that they were a waste of time.   More troubling, I do not feel that community input is adequately gathered in the open house format.   With no discourse or dialog, it is impossible to understand the different and possibly opposing points of view about these different designs.  With a public forum, these views could be presented with opportunities for discussion while everyone is gathered in one place.   

I really like Jon Bockian’s suggestion below to use some of the existing time for a community forum, or alternatively, to add a community forum from 7-8:30.    

Thank you,

Sarah Ryan 

On Jun 19, 2018, at 5:09 PM, Joseph Levendusky <jleve...@earthlink.net> wrote:

Jon Bockian has hit the nail on the head.  I would endorse and amplify what he has said.  I couldn’t have expressed how I feel about these so called open house formats more completely.  Thank you Jon.  I’ll bet many hundreds of your townfolk agree.

Please change the format as Jon says.  There is an important dynamic of community cohesion that is missing from these open houses.

Thank you,

Joe

Joseph Levendusky
13 Templeton Parkway
Watertown, MA  02472
617.515.8597
jleve...@earthlink.net

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[jbockian]

Thank you for the response. I'm disappointed but I trust there will be at least one meeting before any decisions are made about CRR, etc., where I and all attendees get to hear what everyone wants to ask and say. 

It would also be nice to have a named person take responsibility for the statement you sent even if it is on behalf of the "team" and to know who the team is. I'm not ready for a faceless town government. See "you" next week.

Jon Bockian 

Sent from my mobile device 

-------- Original message --------
From: Watertown Square Improvements Project <te...@watertownsquareimprovements.com>
Date: 7/6/18 10:13 AM (GMT-05:00)
To: Sarah Ryan <jsnm...@comcast.net>
Cc: Steve Magoon <sma...@watertown-ma.gov>, Gerald Mee <jm...@watertown-ma.gov>, Jonathan Bockian <jboc...@bockianlaw.com>, Jon Hecht <Jonatha...@mahouse.gov>, "Brownsberger, William (SEN)" <William.Br...@masenate.gov>, Mark Sideris <msid...@watertown-ma.gov>, "Piccirilli, Vincent J" <vpicc...@watertown-ma.gov>, Lisa Feltner <lfel...@watertown-ma.gov>, "Kounelis, Angeline" <akou...@watertown-ma.gov>, Anthony Donato <ado...@watertown-ma.gov>, Ken Woodland <kwoo...@watertown-ma.gov>, Tony Palomba <apal...@watertown-ma.gov>, Caroline Bays <cb...@watertown-ma.gov>, susan falkoff TC <sfal...@watertown-ma.gov>, Friends of the Watertown River <fo...@googlegroups.com>, Riverside Neighborhood Watertown <riverside-neighb...@googlegroups.com>, "N. Beacon Neighbors" <Nbeacon....@gmail.com>, Joseph Levendusky <jleve...@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Watertown Sq. Open House July 10

Dear Jon, Joe, and Sarah:

 

We appreciate your requests to change the format of the July 10 meeting on the Watertown Square Improvements Project. After careful consideration, our team has decided to maintain the Open House format for this event. The Town has had very positive responses to the Open House format in Watertown. We have found that at meetings where decisions will not be made, participants enjoy the opportunity to stop by, learn about topics of interest to them, and go home. This format requires town representatives and the consultants to engage directly with residents and respond to specific and general questions. It is more work and more direct contact. The Open House format also allows people who are more comfortable speaking one-on-one or in smaller groups to provide comments and have informal conversations with other attendees. The success of this format has also proven itself with high attendance; 84 participants attended a recent open house for the Mount Auburn Street project.

 

Over the past several months since our last presentation to the Town Council’s Public Works Committee in October, we have been collecting masses of traffic data. The purpose of this meeting is not to make decisions, but rather to share the results of the traffic data collection. Open House stations will be set up to share the traffic data and remind everyone of the project benefits and the four alternatives developed for Charles River Road (previously shared in October).  A feedback station will be set up to enable participants to react to the data and alternatives. This feedback will be displayed for all to view and documented in a meeting summary that will be posted to the project website. We intend to distill this public feedback and present it at a future public meeting.

 

While this is the chosen format for the July 10 meeting, there will be additional opportunities, including Town Council committee meetings, where participants can provide verbal feedback in a more conventional public meeting format.

 

We look forward to seeing you at the Library on Tuesday, and we appreciate your patience as the project advances.

 

Best regards,

 

Watertown Square Improvements Project Team

On Wed, Jun 27, 2018 at 9:14 PM, Sarah Ryan <jsnm...@comcast.net> wrote:

Dear Steve and Gerry,

[Sarah Ryan]

Dear Watertown Square Improvements Project Team,

Thank you for this response and for your explanation about the Open House format.  I find it interesting that everyone I know of among the politically active folks in Watertown, finds the Open House format to be abhorrent for all of the reasons that we specified in our various email messages.     This format is very intimidating to many in the community who might find these one on one conversations awkward and uncomfortable.  I fail see how this format can accurately gauge the concerns and different viewpoints of many people in the community.   The major loss here is that each of us who attends will not have a chance to hear the different and possibly opposing viewpoints.  Public meetings can get uncomfortable, but it is extremely valuable for everyone to hear all sides of this discussion.  

I will come on Tuesday and hope to have some productive discussions, but I don’t have high hopes.  

I agree with Jon Bockian’s statement as well that we are not a huge town and most of us who are involved in town politics know most of you.   Signing with a name or names would help foster the spirit of open communication. 

Thank you,

Sarah Ryan

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[anna...@comcast.net]

Dear Everyone,
I am delighted and always educated by the many ways communication is changing in the town. I enjoy some formats better than others but applaud the efforts being made by all. I think that having a meeting in the library makes the format more inviting to people who might otherwise not attend. I hope, for example, that people will bring their kids. That teens will participate. We need as many chances to grow democratic exchange as we can in the town. Kudos to "the committee". Can't wait to see who you are!
Ann Asnes

[Barbara]

Dear everyone, 

I, too, don’t quite understand the status of this call for an Open House. Public meetings were conceived to be interactive and shared. Questions were meant to be answered and discussed, not routed one-on-one through a designer, or group with subsequent voting powers. A meeting (or two!) has the advantage of being witnessed by the community and talked about, with everyone able to listen, participate, and influence and be influenced as the ideas flow, questions are asked, and answers delivered. 

Hearings serve a different function, since town bodies don’t seem to be required to respond to questions, or offer discussions. This is what makes them seem uncomfortably useless at times and one reason that developers meetings were designed. Let’s not get too far afield from a shared experience. 

This Open House model might be one step, though the design would have to be well advanced already to be presented here, as it was with Mt Auburn Street. The format displays a design and yields isolated responses given off the cuff by some viewers. Individual members of a design group may then explain their perspectives and build their sense of communal response from individuals, not the group.  I didn’t see notes being taken.  The little bits of participation allowed -- placing dots on a map — didn’t seem to add anything new.  It feels like viewers are lobbied one at a time without the advantage of building a knowledge base with other citizens. As a participant, I can tell you that it feels disjointed and disconnected, even though there is information given by the designers and staff. The most pleasant moments came with animated discussion among several citizens and staff viewing the materials at the same time. Many people just walked around without interacting. People may not be absorbing and understanding issues that are not discussed, passing them by without comment. Others left knowing the ranges of materials they knew coming in.

We want to encourage opportunities to learn and discuss with our very interested and talented community. Decision making for the benefit of our community is too important to be left without conversations in that community. Let’s preserve a strong public meeting model. It works.

Sincerely, 

Barbara Ruskin

[Libby Shaw]

Barbara, thank you for this thoughtful and eloquent presentation of fundamental principles of healthy community.

While I appreciate the argument put forth by “The Team” I share the concerns about process which you and other community members have expressed in this thread.   

Keenly wish I could be present July 10, but am away on vacation.  Hope Watertown provides good future opportunities for concerned townsfolk and the professionals responsible for planning to get together for fertile interactive community discussion of possibilities for the future of Watertown Square.

Best regards,

Libby

Libby Shaw
President, Trees for Watertown
daytime 617-253-5045
eves 617-926-0929

https://treesforwatertown.org
https://facebook.com/treesforwatertown

Begin forwarded message:

[John Hawes]

This new bridge over the river has recently opened. It looks great from the shore and is now completely accessible for wheelchairs and all users.

Unfortunately, the rails are so high and densely boarded off with attractive wood horizontal strips, that anyone in a wheelchair or a child can’t see anything crossing the river. Even for a 5’8” person, there isn’t much to see.

This seems to defeat one of the accessibility purposes.

The rail height may be required by code, but I think it has more to do with the depth of the overall truss. In any case, the standard 4” required between vertical narrow metal bars would provide some view. DCR should consider replacement.

Please take a look and express your thoughts.
John Hawes

[Donna Coletti]

I agree with John.  

Yesterday I walked across the new bridge for the first time and I felt like I was in a cattle car.  

I'm 5'6" and at my sight line is a huge dark green steel beam. I didn't think I'd miss the old bridge but....

What an opportunity missed.

John Hawes

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“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”  -Hunter S. Thompson

[Barbara]

me on vacation, too. but did experience the Mt Auburn Street redo at Open House. Yuk. and people left muttering their questions, not discussing them unless they knew someone. B

On Jul 7, 2018, at 7:56 AM, Libby Shaw <els...@mit.edu> wrote:

Barbara, thank you for this thoughtful and eloquent presentation of fundamental principles of healthy community.

While I appreciate the argument put forth by “The Team” I share the concerns about process which you and other community members have expressed in this thread.   

Keenly wish I could be present July 10, but am away on vacation.  Hope Watertown provides good future opportunities for concerned townsfolk and the professionals responsible for planning to get together for fertile interactive community discussion of possibilities for the future of Watertown Square.

Best regards,

Libby

Libby Shaw
President, Trees for Watertown
daytime 617-253-5045
eves 617-926-0929

<image.jpg>

https://treesforwatertown.org
https://facebook.com/treesforwatertown

[Lynn Bratley]

I am so disappointed with this bridge. What went wrong? All our other walkways, outlooks and bridges (Laundry Brook, Blue Heron) are light and airy and a height that invites people young and old to enjoy the view. In order to get a glimpse of the river on this bridge you have to crouch down and peer between the narrow spaces of the slats. Don't claim safety - this bridge is a ladder: in order to see the river you have to climb up to look over the top. 

Speaking of safety, in 40 years as a homeowner in Watertown - and bringing kids and grandkids down to the river - I don't think I've ever heard of anyone falling over the side of the bridge.

I've attached two pictures - one is my blocked view out (I'm 5'6") and the other shows two adult men who were crossing the bridge and who spontaneously climbed up to see the water.  What can we do to change this?

Lynn

Lynn Bratley

21 Church Lane, Watertown, MA 02472

-----Original Message-----
From: Donna Coletti <djco...@gmail.com>
To: fotwr <fo...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sat, Jul 7, 2018 9:31 am
Subject: Re: [fotwr] New DCR Bridge at Dealtry pool

I agree with John.  

Yesterday I walked across the new bridge for the first time and I felt like I was in a cattle car.  

I'm 5'6" and at my sight line is a huge dark green steel beam. I didn't think I'd miss the old bridge but....

What an opportunity missed.

On Sat, Jul 7, 2018 at 9:13 AM, John Hawes <jbh...@gmail.com> wrote:

This new bridge over the river has recently opened.  It looks great from the shore and is now completely accessible for wheelchairs and all users.

Unfortunately, the rails are so high and densely boarded off with attractive wood horizontal strips, that anyone in a wheelchair or a child can’t see anything crossing the river.  Even for a 5’8” person, there isn’t much to see. 

This seems to defeat one of the accessibility purposes.

The rail height may be required by code, but I think it has more to do with the depth of the overall truss.  In any case, the standard 4” required between vertical narrow metal bars would provide some view.  DCR should consider replacement.

Please take a look and express your thoughts.

John Hawes

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[Barbara Lyon]

I agree - my husband and I walked it 2 days ago and were surprised and disappointed by the blocked view. I had to look up and down the narrow spaces between the slats to see the river. The bridge itself is attractive and inviting; I hope the view can be expanded for people of all heights.

Thanks,

Barbara Lyon

Watertown

"The luxury of all summer's sweet sensation is to be found when one lies at length in the warm, fragrant grass, soaked with sunshine, aware of regions of blossoming clover and of a high heaven filled with the hum of innumerous bees." -Harriet E. Prescott

[Patricia Ahern]

I was so eager to finally walk over the new bridge, which looked very nice from the dam and will be inviting and nicely accessible when the landscaping settles in. I was so disappointed. I agree with John. A wheelchair user will be barricaded in and will not be able to enjoy the river. I never thought the old bridge was dangerous but now I can imagine children climbing the slats to see the wildlife, and risking injury. Another walker commented that it feels like a heavy vehicle transport route. It is only a footbridge, like the laundry bridge and the blue heron bridge further up. It is another missed opportunity. I miss the airiness of the old one. I will just have to get used to it
-Pat Ahern, Riverside St.

[Hecht, Jonathan - Rep. (HOU)]

We'll bring these comments to DCR's attention and see what can be done.

Jon

Jonathan Hecht

State Representative

29th Middlesex District (Watertown/Cambridge)

State House Room 22

Boston, MA  02133

617 722 2140

jonatha...@mahouse.gov

 

---

From: fo...@googlegroups.com [fo...@googlegroups.com] on behalf of Barbara Lyon [bcly...@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2018 10:55 AM
To: fo...@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to fotwr+un...@googlegroups.com.

[Kathy Diamond]

On the bright side, maybe it will be harder to throw a shopping cart off it.

Kathy Diamond

24 Hersom St.

Watertown, MA 02472

617 926 6025

[jbockian]

If there isn't a law or regulation that requires DCR to get resident input for projects like this (not just bigger MEPA ones) maybe there should be. If DCR must consult the town but the town's not required to get resident input that would be good to know too.

Jon Bockian 

Sent from my mobile device 

-------- Original message --------

[Jonathan Bockian]

I admit that despite my misgivings the Open House was useful, even if not sufficient. The promise, in your email and that I heard from “Team” representatives at the Open House, that there will be official meetings in the “more conventional format” before any decisions are made gives me comfort that we’ll all get to hear the questions and concerns of our fellow residents (not just “yes” and “no” stickers) and your responses. After all, in New England we take pride in the Town Meeting as our original democratic format, not the Town Open House.

 

Jon Bockian

 

From: Watertown Square Improvements Project [mailto:te...@watertownsquareimprovements.com]
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2018 10:14 AM
To: Sarah Ryan
Cc: Steve Magoon; Gerald Mee; Jonathan Bockian; Jon Hecht; Brownsberger, William (SEN); Mark Sideris; Piccirilli, Vincent J; Lisa Feltner; Kounelis, Angeline; Anthony Donato; Ken Woodland; Tony Palomba; Caroline Bays; susan falkoff TC; Friends of the Watertown River; Riverside Neighborhood Watertown; N. Beacon Neighbors; Joseph Levendusky
Subject: Re: Watertown Sq. Open House July 10

 

Dear Jon, Joe, and Sarah:

 

We appreciate your requests to change the format of the July 10 meeting on the Watertown Square Improvements Project. After careful consideration, our team has decided to maintain the Open House format for this event. The Town has had very positive responses to the Open House format in Watertown. We have found that at meetings where decisions will not be made, participants enjoy the opportunity to stop by, learn about topics of interest to them, and go home. This format requires town representatives and the consultants to engage directly with residents and respond to specific and general questions. It is more work and more direct contact. The Open House format also allows people who are more comfortable speaking one-on-one or in smaller groups to provide comments and have informal conversations with other attendees. The success of this format has also proven itself with high attendance; 84 participants attended a recent open house for the Mount Auburn Street project.

 

Over the past several months since our last presentation to the Town Council’s Public Works Committee in October, we have been collecting masses of traffic data. The purpose of this meeting is not to make decisions, but rather to share the results of the traffic data collection. Open House stations will be set up to share the traffic data and remind everyone of the project benefits and the four alternatives developed for Charles River Road (previously shared in October).  A feedback station will be set up to enable participants to react to the data and alternatives. This feedback will be displayed for all to view and documented in a meeting summary that will be posted to the project website. We intend to distill this public feedback and present it at a future public meeting.

 

While this is the chosen format for the July 10 meeting, there will be additional opportunities, including Town Council committee meetings, where participants can provide verbal feedback in a more conventional public meeting format.

 

We look forward to seeing you at the Library on Tuesday, and we appreciate your patience as the project advances.

 

Best regards,

 

Watertown Square Improvements Project Team

 

[Lisa Feltner]

I’m reminded of why efforts in NYC’s High Line included building mockups of ten. benches. It was only when Amanda Burden sat in one that they realized you’d be looking directly at railings, which would have ruined the experience…It doesn’t seem like DCR put clear thought into the human experience for the new Joseph Thompson Pedestrian Bridge.

-Lisa Feltner

On Sat, Jul 7, 2018 at 9:13 AM, John Hawes <jbh...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Libby Shaw]

I agree, Lisa.  Remarkable that the bridge designers did this, especially considering the High Line lesson was out there to be learned from.

I hope something can be done to improve on this sorry design decision.  

Best regards,

Libby

Begin forwarded message:

From: Lisa Feltner <lfel...@comcast.net>

Subject: Re: [fotwr] New DCR Bridge at Dealtry pool