TOWN COUNCIL UPDATE
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Councilor Tony Palomba
Mar 26, 2018, 7:35:02 PM3/26/18
to Tony Palomba
Dear Friends and Supporters,
I hope this finds you well and managing what seems like weekly snow storms. I am sure you are like me - hoping for signs of spring. It has been too long since I have sent out a Town Council Update. I believe the last one was just before the November 2017 election! While I have expressed my appreciation to many who participated in my re-election campaign I know I have not reached everyone. To those I have not written to or spoke to, please accept my sincere thanks for your support. I can only do one thing to demonstrate my appreciation, that is to work as hard as I can to represent you and to advocate for a transparent, fair and effective town government.
With this Town Council Update I am fulfilling a promise I made last year. This and future Updates will be much shorter, with the goal of being no more than two or so pages. Updates will include highlights on pressing issues and updates on existing projects, my perspective on key proposals under consideration, and a continual appeal to hear from you! I need to hear your questions, comments and suggestions. As always please follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/councilorpalomba, take a look at my website at http://www.councilorpalomba.com/ and nudge me to be a better on twitter at https://twitter.com/MAWatertown. Thank you once again for your ongoing encouragement and support.
Changes on the Town Council
You may have heard that At-Large Councilor Michael Dattoti has resigned and will be leaving the Council on April 30. I know this was not an easy decision for Mike, but it was best for his family. Together with his partner Megan and their two children, Mike will be relocating to Winchester. I will miss Mike. He was a committed elected official who was always prepared and most importantly, someone you could rely on to do what he thought was best for the residents of Watertown.
The Town Council had two option in this situation. We can call for a special election or we can appoint an individual to fill the vacancy. At our March 13 meeting the Town Council voted 7 - 0 to choose the second option and appointed former Town Councilor Susan Falkoff to fill the position. As you remember, Councilor Falkoff did not run for re-election last November but chose to retire from the Council after serving 12 years. Members of the Council felt she was an ideal candidate for appointment as she highly respected in the community, has demonstrated a deep commitment to the residents of Watertown and has a wealth of experience. The Council did place one restriction on the appointment which Councilor Falkoff readily agreed to; that she will not rerun for election at the end of this term.
My Responsibilities for this Term
I am please do have been appointed to once again serve as the chair of the Committee on Human Services with Councilors Caroline Bays and Susan Falkoff. Recently Council President Sideris referred the issue of affordable housing to the Committee. The Committee will hold its first meeting on Monday, April 23 at 6:15 PM in the Town Council Chambers. I look forward to working with my colleagues, residents, housing advocates, developers and others to tackle this difficult but pressing issue.
I am very excited to share the news that I have been assigned to serve as the Chair of the Committee on Media and Public Outreach, a new Committee established by Council President Sideris. Our charge includes, but is not limited to, creating opportunities for the community to be more involved in Town Council and Town government. I look forward to taking up this challenge with Councilor Lisa Feltner and Councilor Caroline Bays who are also members of the Committee. We will begin our task at our first meeting on Wednesday, March 28 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM in the 3rd floor conference room at Town Hall.
I will also serve as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Public Works with Councilors Vincent Piccirilli and Kenny Woodland and the Secretary of the Committee on Public Safety with Councilors Lisa Feltner and Piccirilli. The Committee on Public Works will have its hands full with discussions of the Mt Auburn Street Project, the Watertown Square Project and projects related to the I-Cubed program with Athenahealth, while the Committee on Public Safety, among other issues, will discussing safety issues along streets where there is major construction.
I will continue serving on the Steering Committee of the Watertown Youth Coalition working with Peer Leaders to support the wellness and empowerment of Watertown youth by engaging young people, families, and the community. The Coalition and the Steering Committee are looking for new members. You can check us out by attending the 2018 Town Hall Meeting - The Well-Being of Watertown Youth on Wednesday, April 11 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the Watertown Free Public Library. You can join the discussion of the most recent Watertown Youth Risk Behavior survey and hear the perspective of youth about how to sustain and increase what's positive for youth and families in Watertown.
Finally, I will remain active with the Watertown's Substance Use Disorder Task Force, W.A.T.E.R (Watertown Accesses Treatment, Education and Resources). Into its third year, the Task Force is continuing to address the opioid epidemic in Watertown by increasing public awareness and providing opportunities to access treatment and resources. In collaboration with the Watertown Free Public Library, W.A.T.E.R. will present "Science and Stigma of Addiction in the Face of a National Opioid Emergency" on Thursday, March 29 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at the Library. The program is part of the "One Book, One Watertown 2018."
Two Important Projects That Require Your Attention!
Did you know that by 2022 most of Mt. Auburn Street could be under construction with the goal of turning four lanes into three lanes on most of the corridor, adding bike lanes, moving bus stops, and widening sidewalks? This is what the Mount Auburn Street - A Complete Streets Project is proposing. There have been three well-attended community meetings to discuss the Project, but I fear that many Watertown residents do not know about it. This is a multi-million dollar initiative that will be funded by federal monies administered by the state's Department of Transportation. Watertown is proposing the Project to be a "complete street" which means it will safely accommodate motorists, bicyclists, transit users, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. I urge you to become familiar with the the project as it will have a major impact on travel from the Cambridge town line to Patten Street. Visit the Project web site at www.MountAuburnStreet.com which provides an overview of the Project, documents and presentations from the community meetings, a useful FAQ, and comments from residents. Also, please submit your questions, comments and concerns toTe...@MountAuburnStreet.com.
Another question - What do you think about closing access to Watertown Square from Charles River Road? This is what is being proposed in the Watertown Square Improvement Project. There are four possible scenarios, each including closing access to Watertown Square, but with different suggestions about how to and where to divert traffic from Charles River Road. These options were presented to the Town Council's Committee on Public Works at a resident-packed meeting in October of last year. One of the main concerns raised by residents was the possibility that neighborhoods along the Charles River Road would experience an increase in traffic. A traffic impact study is to be undertaken this spring and there will be more committee meetings. In the meantime, please visit www.WatertownSquareImprovements.com to learn more about the Project and sign up for Project emails. Questions, comments and concerns should be sent to Team@WatertownSquareImprovements.com.
New Town Employees!
It is wonderful to announce that after more than a year's effort Watertown has hired a Transportation Planner. Laura Wiener is our Senior Transportation Planner working in the Department of Community Development and Planning. Ms. Wiener will be busy as Watertown has many traffic and transportation issues and projects in the works or pending. You can meet Ms. Wiener at an upcoming meeting of the Committee on Economic Development and Planning on Tuesday, April 3 at 7:00 PM in the Town Council Chambers where she will present an update on the Transportation Demand Management ordinance and the Transportation Management Association and related bus shuttle program. Ms. Lori Kabel will serve as the Director Public of Buildings for the Town and the School Department. She is developing a proposal for a new Public Buildings Division. This appointment is particularly exciting as Ms. Kabel will be overseeing both Town and School Department buildings.
FY 19 Budget
Planning for the Fiscal Year 2019 budget (July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019) got under way in the fall for 2017 with the presentation of the Town Manager's Preliminary Budget and the development of the Town Council's Budget Priority Guidelines. The Preliminary FY'19 expenditures are approximately $139.4 million while revenue projections are approximately $137.2 million. The shortfall (shortfalls often appear in the preliminary forecast) of approximately $2.175 million will be resolved when the final budget is presented to the Town Council in early May. The Town Council's Budget Priority Guidelines are the one opportunity for Councilors to provide input into the Town Manager's budget. My priorities included additional program staff for the Senior Center, additional staff at the Department of Public Works and the Department of Community Development to monitor major construction projects and enhance town-wide planning (see above), as well as support for IT improvements. I hope these priorities will be reflected in the final FY'19 budget.
Schools
One could dedicate a Town Council Update just to a review of the School Departments Building for the Future Initiative which proposes the renovation of our three elementary schools and either building a new or renovating the high school. Estimated cost for the three elementary schools is $125.1 million while the cost for the high school is $158.6 million. Approximately half of the high school cost would be paid by the Commonwealth's Massachusetts School Building Authority. The Town has already expended funds for a Owner's Project Manager Services (OPM) at $149,000 and for Designer Services totaling $1,378.6 million. In addition a new School Building Committee has been formed composed of School Committee members, Town Councilors, Town and School Department staff and two residents. The Building Committee will be meeting regularly and all meetings are open to the public. Also, the Town's Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee and Watertown Faces Climate Change are working to establish goals for energy efficiency and net-zero emissions. For more information about the Building for the Future Initiative visit https://sites.google.com/watertown.k12.ma.us/building-for-the-future/home.
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