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Councilor Tony Palomba
Aug 2, 2017, 9:41:32 AM8/2/17
to Tony Palomba
Dear Friends and Supporters,
I hope this finds you well and enjoying the summer. It is time for another Town Council Update. Given how much that has transpired since the last Update you may find this issue a bit long. Please read it at your leisure and take a moment to reply if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns. I have been posting more often on my Facebook page lately and invite you to visit https://www.facebook.com/councilorpalomba and "follow" and "like" the page. I also hope you will take a look at my web site at http://www.councilorpalomba.com/ and offer a comment on a post that interests you.
Upcoming Election - November 7, 2017
Believe or not, our municipal election will take place on Tuesday, November 8! I will be running for re-election as your Councilor At-Large. I am in the final year of my fourth two-year term and look forward to serving you for a fifth term. There will be five others running for an at-large seat. I expect it to be a competitive race for the four at-large seats. While election season does not go into high gear until after Labor Day, I am asking you now for one your four votes for Councilor At-Large and hoping you will make a contribution to my campaign by visiting http://www.councilorpalomba.com/donations/. Also, please reserve Sunday, September 17 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM for my Campaign Kick-off Party
Fiscal Year 2018 Budget
On July 1, the Town began FY18 with a budget of $132.6 million dollars. This is an increase from FY'17 of $5 million. I am happy to say that the budget funded two new positions that I had included in my budget priorities for the Town Council -a new Community Wellness Program Manager and a Recreation Supervisor. The former will be housed in the Health Department and be responsible for community wellness education and programming that addresses health priorities and healthy aging initiatives, as well as coordinating our Substance Use Disorders Task Force. The new supervisor at the Department of Recreation will be a second-shift employee overseeing and implementing recreation programs for middle and high school students.
The budget also included funding for an additional police patrol officer, a new coordinator for the Library's HATCH maker space program, and much-needed new engineer for the Department of Public Works. The School Department received a 5% increase in its budget that totaled $45.7 million and included a $1 million allocation for planning and design support so the Department can move forward with its long-term plans for renovating the Town's schools. During FY'18, we will see the Fire Department roll out its new Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedic program which is an upgrade from the Department's Basic Life Support (BLS) program. In the FY'17 budget there was funding for a transportation planner, a priority for others councilors and myself. Unfortunately the position, which was to be housed in the Department of Community Development and Planning, has yet to be filled. The funding is still in place for FY'18.
Development
Along with the issue of traffic, the topic of commercial and residential development is one I hear about the most from residents. There is no doubt, as we see new developments coming on line regularly, that Watertown is one of the towns adjacent to Boston that is on the radar of developers. We all know the trade-offs - more tax revenue and new neighbors and at the same time more traffic and congestion. While property owners have the right to develop their real estate, the Town and the Town Council has the right (and the responsibility) to do their best to control development through zoning and design guidelines and standards, and to make sure developers' permits include sufficient funding for infrastructure improvements (aka mitigation).
In the last Update, I reviewed the progress of mixed-use and commercial developments in Town. Visit http://www.councilorpalomba.com/issues-archive/ for a look at the review. Since that time, a new development has been proposed at 385 Pleasant Street. The project includes 58 residential units, nine of which will be considered affordable, in five separate buildings. There would be 10,500 sq. ft. of commercial space. The project has been discussed at one community meeting in June and at a subsequent community meeting in July as there are concerns about traffic, setbacks, and the removal of trees and a woodland berm. A residential development at 101-103 Morse Street was continued for a second time by the Zoning Board of Appeals, after residents and Councilor Feltner, who represents residents in District B, raised a number of concerns about the size of the project and available parking. These are two examples of how important it is for developers to hold community meetings (one is required by the Zoning Code and a second meeting is encouraged) and for residents to voice their opinions at Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings.
The Planning Board recently approved Phase II of the Arsenal Yards development. The major change from the original Phase II proposal was the removal of a residential apartment building that would be replaced by a Hampton Inn and Suites hotel. While the Board focused its suggested changes on the design and color of the proposed hotel, there were others, including myself, that were upset that the apartment building was being replaced because it would result in the loss of 12 affordable units. There will be a community meeting in August to discuss Phase III of the Arsenal Yards. The Linx Project at 490 Arsenal Street signed its first tenant. C4 Therapeutics, which will relocate from Kendall Square, leased 45,000 sq. ft. of the available 185,000 sq. ft. Finally, the Town Council passed a change in the Zoning Code, proposed by the Department of Community Development and Planning, that will allow the Super 8 Motel on North Beacon Street to be converted to an assisted living facility. While this may not fit the formal definition of "spot zoning," I was uncomfortable with the proposal because it was a zoning amendment for a specific owner. Further, there was no requirement that the owner proceed with an assisted living facility or that he provide affordable units in the facility. It should be noted that the Watertown Housing Partnership is now discussing the issue of affordable units for assisted living facilities.
I-Cubed
It would take an entire Town Council Update to fully explain the I-Cubed Program (Infrastructure Investment Incentive Program). Here is a quick summary. I-Cubed is a program of the Commonwealth that provides funds to a city or town for infrastructure improvements that would facilitate job growth for a business or businesses. In our particular situation, the Commonwealth will provide a $25 million loan to athenahealth for a series of approved infrastructure improvements in Watertown that would assist athenahealth in growing its employee base. The loan and debt service are repaid by the income tax revenue generated by athenahealth's new employees. Watertown benefits from an additional $18.5 million to fund infrastructure projects and athenahealth benefits because it will not have to pay $6.5 million in mitigation (a condition of its Master Plan Special Permit) and from the improvements which will facilitate its growth and economic development. The Town Council approved the proposal on June 29. The next steps are for the State's Office of Administration and Finance to approve the final proposal and then for the parties (Watertown, athenahealth, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, (since some of the proposed improvements are on DCR property) to execute an infrastructure development assistance agreement (IDAA) that specifies the details of each proposed infrastructure improvement. The funds must be used within three years, thus it is understood the nine proposed projects must be completed within three years. To see the complete June 29 presentation to the Town Council visit http://www.ci.watertown.ma.us/documentcenter/view/22639.
How can anyone object to this or even be concerned? It is easy money and a win-win for everyone. Yes, it is a win-win, but the process that was followed was flawed. There were no community meetings and no full Town Council public hearings prior to the selection of the nine infrastructure projects. For over a year, the Department of Community Development and Planning (DCDP) and the Department of Public Works (DPW) met with representatives of athenahealth and DCR to hash out the proposed projects. There was one public meeting on May 11, 2017 where the I-Cubed proposal was presented to the public. There were no changes made in the proposal as a result of that meeting and the Town Council was asked to vote on the proposal without the benefit of any committee hearings.
So, the infrastructure projects have been selected, the proposal has been passed by the Town Council, and the State is reviewing the proposal and will eventually issue bonds for the loan. When does the public have a say in what is happening? Fortunately, there will be meetings of the Committee on Public Works, of which I am a member, to discuss four of the nine projects (Watertown Square, School and Dexter Streets, Talcott Avenue, and North Beacon Street) and the Committee on Economic Development will meet to discuss the details of the IDAA. I will keep you abreast, through my Facebook posts and my web site, when these meeting will take place. I urge you to attend to learn more about each infrastructure proposal and to share your thoughts and suggestions.
Finally, a note about capacity and impact. During the May 11 public presentation and at the June 29 Town Council meeting I raised a concern about the capacity of the Town's departments to meet the demands and timelines of the I-Cubed projects and about the impact on our neighborhoods. In addition to the day-to-day demands associated with road construction projects, water and sewer projects, community meetings for new developments, etc, I listed a number of projects in various stages of development, including the Common Street renovations, Arsenal Yards, Elan/Greystar, the dog park at Filippello Park, the three developments on Arsenal Street, the redesign of Mt. Auburn Street, implementation of recommendations in the Arsenal Street Corridor and Mt. Auburn Street Corridor studies, and the community path initiative. I feel that DCDP and DPW will need additional staff in the coming years and I will advocate the same during next year's budget process. I also questioned whether Watertown residents are prepared for the cumulative impact of I-Cubed and the above projects (not to mention the possibility that four of Watertown's five schools may see major renovation) in the next three to five years. There will need to be regular updates and community meetings to keep residents abreast of the situation and to prepare them for the potential impacts.
Transportation
I am pleased to report that the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Ordinance and Regulations have been approved by the Town Council. For over a year and a half the Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation, on which I serve with Councilor Dushku, Committee Chair and Councilor Piccirilli, Vice Chair, worked with the DCDP to craft the Ordinance and Regulations which have the goal of reducing Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) trips. Now developments of a certain size or projects that generate a certain number of daily trips will be required to develop a TDM plan which would include goals and targets, monitoring measures, and ongoing reporting. The Regulations provide developers and employers two options depending on size, number of units and number of employees. Small projects will follow the requirements for a “Basic TDM” plan while larger projects need to file a “Comprehensive TDM” plan. Please visit
http://www.ci.watertown.ma.us/documentcenter/view/22201. Kudos to Councilor Dushku for his leadership on this effort that is a major step in addressing traffic congestion, reducing our carbon footprint, and developing an overall transportation plan.
There are four initiatives I would like to briefly mention - the Arsenal Corridor Study, the Mt. Auburn Corridor Study, the Mt. Auburn Street Design and the Common Street Improvements.
The Arsenal Corridor Study was funded by the Mass. Department of Transportation and began in September, 2015 with transportation consultants from VHB managing the project. You can view the history of the study, the minutes from a series of community meetings and the final recommendations at http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/planning/Main/CurrentStudies/ArsenalStreetCorridorStudy/Documents.aspx. One of the recommendations is to redesign Watertown Square by closing off Charles River Road to the intersection and realigning traffic lanes and reconfiguring the timing of traffic lights. In addition, the Study calls for improving bus service along Arsenal Street by adding express buses to shorten the time it takes to get from Waltham to Central Square (and the Red Line) and implementing "transit signal priority" (buses can control lights at key intersections) and "adaptive signal controls" (traffic lights respond to the traffic flow). Finally, there is a recommendation for express buses on North Beacon Street that would run from Watertown Square to the new Boston Landing Commuter Rail in Allston. While not in the final recommendations, some are suggesting that consideration be given to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) whose primary feature would be a dedicated bus lane. Funding for these and other recommendations would come from the MBTA and from the Town and possibly private developers.
The Mt. Auburn Corridor Study is under the auspices of the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation and is focused primarily on "improvements of Mt. Auburn Street from the Watertown line to Fresh Pond Parkway and parts of the Parkway itself". The scope, goals and results of community meetings can be viewed at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/conservation/planning-and-resource-protection/projects/mount-auburn-street-corridor-study.html. While final recommendations, both short-term and long-term) have not been issued, preliminary recommendations include creating a dedicated bus lane along Mt. Auburn going eastward to the Fresh Pond intersection with the light at the intersection prioritized for buses.
The Mt. Auburn Street Design is a long-term project that began, officially in 2007, with planning continuing for several more years with the hope that construction might begin in 2022. Federal funds would pay for the project. It is important to understand that this is a major redesign of Mt. Auburn Street from Watertown Square to the Cambridge line and that it is considered a "Complete Streets" project and therefore must consider motor vehicle and bicycle traffic, pedestrians and public transportation. You can read more about the history of the project at http://www.watertowndpw.org/Pages/construction/MtAuburnIndex including early feasibility studies and conceptual designs. The latest conceptual design calls for a major redesign of Mt. Auburn Street including the elimination of a lane resulting in two lanes and a middle turning lane, protected bicycle lanes on both sides of the street, pedestrian accommodations such as bump-outs and wheelchair ramps, and public transit improvements including transit signal priority, new shelters and a dedicated bus lane. I think it is critical that folks become familiar with this project and weigh in with ideas and concerns. I will post on my Facebook page when community meetings are scheduled, but in the meantime I strongly suggest that you take a look at the documents and maps available on the project's web site at mountauburnstreet.com.
Common Street Improvements - The designs for the new roundabout at the intersection of Common and Orchard Streets and the improvements on Common Street from the intersection to Mt. Auburn Street are nearly completed. The project is in the FY18 Capital Improvement Progam but funds have not been borrowed at this time. Visit http://www.watertowndpw.org/Pages/construction/CommonStreetIndex for more details.
New Five-Year Solid Waste and Recycling Contract
The Town has recently signed a contract, approved by the Town Council, with Republic Services for solid waste and recycling services from FY18 - FY22 at a cost of $12,430,900. New services include pick-up five days a week instead of four, an additional week for yard waste collection, and an increase in Town barrel collection from 2 to 3 days a week as well as Saturday service. Unfortunately the cost of moving to weekly recycling pick up was prohibited. However the cost of a second recycling tote will be reduced from $180 to $90. Also, the Department of Public Works and Republic Services will monitor the market for organic composting with the goal of instituting a pilot program in the future. The good news is that Watertown recycling percentage is increasing each year. The bad news is that much of what we and other communities recycle is not recyclable. What is needed, and what Republic Services promises to provide, is more education on how to recycle. (Hint: clean your containers better!) To see Republic Services' presentation to the Town Council in June, visit http://www.ci.watertown.ma.us/Search?searchPhrase=2017-06-13%20Republic%20Presentation%2006132017&page=1&perPage=10 and to learn more about our solid waste and recycling program visit http://www.watertowndpw.org/Pages/WatertownDPW_Recycling/index.
Watertown Schools
The Town Council and the School Committee met on Thursday, July 27 to hear a presentation by Ai3 Architects LLC about proposed renovations and additions of our three elementary schools. In preparing its proposal, Ai3 relied on a 2014 School Facilities Assessment and the 2016 Watertown Facilities Master Plan Study. The later study, by SMMA, was developed in conjunction with an ad hoc committee composed of school administrators, Town Councilors, parents, and teachers that met throughout the summer of last year. That study provided a range of options including either renovating or rebuilding our schools. The the Ai3 proposal recommended the former option for our three elementary schools. The architecture firm also recommended that the work on the three schools take place at the same time and that students could continue to attend the schools while construction was underway. They estimated that construction could begin in late 2019 and be completed by the beginning of 2021. I offer the recommendation that if the School Committee approves the proposal, parents and residents should be prepared for a year-long process of community meetings where the details of the renovations and additions and the proposals for funding are discussed.
You may know that Watertown has submitted a proposal to the Massachusetts School Building Association (MSBA) for the renovation of the Watertown High School. If accepted into the MSBA's grant program, the Commonwealth would pay up to half of the cost of the renovations. The process is quite comprehensive and construction would not begin until early 2021. It should be noted that this is the fourth year Watertown has submitted a proposal, but the general feeling among school and town officials is that this year may be Watertown's year!
So what about the Middle School? The Ai3 felt that the Middle School is a third priority and that the School Department should consider submitting a proposal for renovation to the MSBA in 2021. I should note that the school is having its windows replaced this summer through funding from the MSBA and the School Committee's capital budget.
Finally, while the informational presentation by Ai3 at the July 27 meeting has not been posted to the WPS' web site, you can see the proposed timeline for all five Watertown Schools at http://ma-watertown2.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/22690.
Ad Hoc Committee on Victory Field Phase 2
The Ad Hoc Committee on Victory Field Phase 2 (Ad Hoc Committee) which is composed of abutters, residents, Town Councilors (Councilor Piccirilli is the chair and I am the vice-chair) town and school officials, and a representative of town sports teams, has been meeting this summer to make recommendations on a design proposal for the oval field that would be presented to the Town Council in the fall or winter of this year. The Ad Hoc Committee has met five times and will meet again four or five times in August and September. I offer two observations at this time, 1) we are taking a comprehensive review of all elements of a potential redesign of Victory Field from lighting and parking to landscaping and storm water, and 2) the Ad Hoc Committee is wrestling with the fact that Victory Field is the high schools' sports complex as well as a town park used by residents. If you are interested in learning about the history of this project, the composition of the Ad Hoc Committee and its charge, and the decisions that have been made to date, please visit http://www.ci.watertown.ma.us/documentcenterii.asp, then click on "Recreation" and then click on "Victory Field, Phase Two Renovations - Ad Hoc Committee - 2007".
Let me end by thanking you for your support and encouragement. I am proud to be your Town Councilor.
Tony
P.S. If you are interested in installing solar panels in your home either now or in the future, please read the important post on my Facebook page - "Neighborhood Solar Extension Announcement" - at
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