HomeMy Public PortalAboutmin 03-11-2014_201403201536588404ELECTED OFFICIALS:
Mark S. Sideris,
Council President
Stephen P. Corbett,
Vice President
Aaron Dushku,
Councilor At Large
Susan G. Falkoff,
Councilor At Large
Anthony Palomba,
Councilor At Large
Angeline B. Kounelis,
District A Councilor
Cecilia Lenk,
District B Councilor
Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr.,
District C Councilor
Kenneth M. Woodland,
District D Councilor
Watertown Town Council
Administration Building
149 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Phone: 617-972-6470
TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014 AT 7:15 PM
RICHARD E. MASTRANGELO COUNCIL CHAMBER
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
DRAFT MINUTES
1. ROLL CALL: A regular meeting of the Town Council was called to order at 7:15
pm in the Richard E. Mastrangelo Council Chamber, Administration Building.
Present for the meeting were Councilors Aaron Dushku, Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony
Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk, Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M.
Woodland, Vice President Stephen P. Corbett and Council President Mark S.
Sideris. Also present were the Town Manager Michael J. Driscoll, Town Attorney
Mark Reich and Council Clerk Valerie Papas.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. EXAMINATION OF MINUTES: February 25th. Councilor Piccirilli moved to
accept the minutes of February 25th, seconded by Councilor Woodland and adopted by
unanimous voice vote with Councilors Aaron Dushku, Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony
Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk, Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M.
Woodland, Vice President Stephen P. Corbett and Council President Mark S. Sideris
voting in the affirmative.
4. PUBLIC FORUM: The Chair recognized the following:
1. Eileen Kurboski provided a brief overview of the dangers of Plastics.
2. Joe Lenvendusky spoke to the issue of bad MBTA service and in support of the town
being proactive in addressing the issue.
3. John Franchot, Birch Road — spoke for the need of more kiosk for Charlie Cards and
in support of expanding MBTA service.
4. Pam Gorgone — stated that MBTA service has gone down hill.
5. PRESIDENT'S REPORT:
The Chair stated that the School has appointed the following to the Technology and
Communication Information Group: Michael Shepard, Robert LaRoche and George
Skuse.
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6. PUBLIC HEARING AND VOTE:
a) Public hearing and vote on a Proposed Loan Order authorizing the Town Treasurer
with the approval of the Town Manager to borrow monies in the amount of
$300,000 under Chapter 44 of the General Laws or any other enabling authority for
the construction, reconstruction, and improvements of municipal outdoor
recreational and athletic facilities at 552 Main Street Park, including the payment of
all costs incidental or related thereto; which sum shall be in addition to the amount
of $183,000, which has previously been appropriated for park improvements and
included in the tax levy.
The Chair recognized the Manager who provided a brief overview of the Loan
Order. Mr. Peter Centola, Recreation Director also briefly spoke to the issue. It was
noted by Mr. Centola that there have been more than eight public meetings on this
project and that there was enormous input from the public. Mr. Centola indicated
that the proposed outdoor facility is projected to begin in April with a completion
date of September. He spoke in support of the fiscally sound loan order and asked
for the Council's support.
The Chair opened up the hearing to the public. There being no comments, the
hearing was closed.
Councilor Piccirilli moved the Loan Order as presented, seconded by Councilor
Woodland.
Councilor Woodland spoke in support of the project noting the many public
meetings that were held and the input from the public. He thanked Mr. Centola on
the process and the abutters for their input.
Councilor Lenk spoke in support of the project and thanked everyone who
participated in this project which she noted is a great addition and fully accessible
park.
Vice President Corbett spoke in support of the project and noted all the public input
and dialogue that went into this.
Councilor Kounelis spoke in support of the project noting that it was fully vetted by
the BFO subcommittee.
Councilor Piccirilli spoke in support of the project noting the tremendous amount of
input from the public.
Councilor Falkoff spoke in support of the project and asked what type of
maintenance will be required for the "rain garden".
Mr. Centola and Councilor Lenk spoke to the question and indicated that rain
gardens are built to be low to no maintenance.
The Chair echoed the previous comments regarding the amount of input that went
into this project from the public and spoke in support of the loan order.
The motion was adopted by unanimous roll call vote with Councilors Aaron
Dushku, Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk,
Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, Vice President Stephen P. Corbett
and Council President Mark S. Sideris voting in the affirmative.
7. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
a) Committee on State, Federal and Regional Government report and action on a
proposed citizen resolution in support of the MBTA riding public of Watertown; and the
establishment of a task force on public transportation — Angeline B. Kounelis, Chair.
Councilor Kounelis read the committee report. Councilor Piccirilli moved to accept the
report, seconded by Councilor Woodland and adopted by unanimous voice vote with
Councilors Aaron Dushku, Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis,
Cecilia Lenk, Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, Vice President Stephen P.
Corbett and Council President Mark S. Sideris voting in the affirmative.
ACTION ITEM AND VOTE: Councilor Kounelis moved to send a letter to Dr. Scott
including the six points outlined in the committee report, seconded by Councilor
Woodland and adopted by unanimous voice vote with Councilors Aaron Dushku, Susan
G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk, Vincent J. Piccirilli,
Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, Vice President Stephen P. Corbett and Council President
Mark S. Sideris voting in the affirmative.
Councilor Dushku thanked town leaders for addressing this matter and also a thank you
to Mr. Joe Levendusky for stepping up to the plate in bringing this to the forefront.
b) Committee on Economic Development and Planning report and action on
appointments to the Zoning Board of Appeals; status of the Comprehensive Plan;
and Pleasant Street Corridor — Stephen P. Corbett, Chair. Councilor Corbett read
the committee report. Councilor Lenk moved to accept the report, seconded by
Councilor Woodland and adopted by unanimous voice vote with Councilors Aaron
Dushku, Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk,
Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, Vice President Stephen P. Corbett
and Council President Mark S. Sideris voting in the affirmative.
Vice President Corbett announced that he will be stepping out of the Council
Chamber and recusing himself from discussion or vote on the ZBA appointments in
order to avoid any conflict of interest.
ACTION ITEMS AND VOTES:
Councilor Piccirilli moved the re -appointment of Christopher Heep, seconded by
Councilor Woodland and adopted by unanimous voice vote with Councilors Aaron
Dushku, Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk,
Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, and Council President Mark S.
Sideris voting in the affirmative. Vice President Stephen P. Corbett was not
present.
Councilor Piccirilli moved the appointment of John Gannon, seconded by Councilor
Woodland and adopted by unanimous voice vote with Councilors Aaron Dushku,
Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk, Vincent
J. Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, and Council President Mark S. Sideris
voting in the affirmative. Vice President Stephen P. Corbett was not present.
Councilor Piccirilli moved the appointment of David Ferris, seconded by Councilor
Woodland and adopted by unanimous voice vote with Councilors Aaron Dushku,
Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk, Vincent
J. Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, and Council President Mark S. Sideris
voting in the affirmative. Vice President Stephen P. Corbett was not present.
Vice President Corbett returned to the Council Chamber and took his seat.
Vice President Corbett moved to formally support asking the Administration to direct Mr.
Magoon to draft proposed zoning changes to the Pleasant Street corridor, seconded by
Councilor Woodland.
Councilor Palomba asked what kind of changes and would it need to be limited to the
Pleasant Street Corridor.
Mr. Magoon, Director of Community Development and Planning stated that the 4
changes would be: setbacks; tiered step -backs; access to the river; and designation of
areas strictly commercial and that the proposed ordinance would include a first reading
and referral back to the planning board for their recommendation.
Councilor Dushku stated that he would like any proposed step -backs for both sides of
Pleasant Street as well as more access to the river and pass through to the new residential
developments.
Councilor Piccirilli stated that these are all recommendations included in the
Comprehensive Plan but that it is important to act on this as soon as possible and not
wait until the CP process is finished.
Councilor Falkoff and Lenk spoke in support of moving quickly.
Vice President Corbett spoke in support of the draft ordinance being referred back to
subcommittee for public input.
Councilor Woodland spoke in support of the proposed changes and thanked Mr. Magoon
for addressing the issue with urgency.
Councilor Palomba noted his concern about Arsenal Street and other developments in
town.
Councilor Falkoff pointed out that in approving the zoning amendment there would be at
least two public hearings; one at the Planning Board meeting and at the Town Council
meeting.
The Chair thanked the committee for addressing this issue and stated that what we have
on Pleasant Street is not what the Council had envisioned when they supported the
Pleasant Street Corridor project. He noted that they had envisioned more of a mixed use
spoke in support of reserving some of the spaces for commercial use.
The motion was adopted by unanimous voice vote with Councilors Aaron Dushku,
Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk, Vincent J.
Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, Vice President Stephen P. Corbett and Council
President Mark S. Sideris voting in the affirmative.
c) Committee on Public Works report on a Dog Park and Streets and Sidewalks —
Cecilia Lenk, Chair. Councilor Lenk read the committee reports. Councilor
Woodland moved to approve the report, seconded by Councilor Piccirilli and
adopted by unanimous voice vote with Councilors Aaron Dushku, Susan G. Falkoff,
Anthony Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk, Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr.,
Kenneth M. Woodland, Vice President Stephen P. Corbett and Council President
Mark S. Sideris voting in the affirmative.
With respect to the dog park, it was noted by Mr. Magoon that the proposed dog park at
Walker Pond will happen regardless of a Council vote.
ACTION ITEMS AND VOTES:
Councilor Lenk moved that the Town present a detailed proposal, including a budget
and timeline, for the establishment of a dog park at How Park and that the Town
continue to investigate the possibility of establishing a dog park at Arsenal Park or
Filippello, seconded by Councilor Woodland and adopted by unanimous voice vote
with Councilors Aaron Dushku, Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B.
Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk, Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, Vice
President Stephen P. Corbett and Council President Mark S. Sideris voting in the
affirmative.
Councilor Lenk moved the proposed list of street/road improvements and overlays,
seconded by Vice President Corbett.
Councilor Dushku asked if any of the streets on this list were holdovers from last
years' list.
Councilor Lenk stated that the only road left was Union Street and indicated that the
committee tries to get the list of roads as early as possible and are on a different
process now.
Councilor Palomba indicated that the list was designed to achieve the goal of
completing all streets/roads on the list.
The Chair indicated that he raised concern that last year Union Street did not get
completed and as a result the committee came up with an achievable plan.
The motion was adopted by unanimous voice vote with Councilors Aaron Dushku,
Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B. Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk, Vincent J.
Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, Vice President Stephen P. Corbett and Council
President Mark S. Sideris voting in the affirmative.
8. NEW BUSINESS — none noted.
9. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE TOWN MANAGER:
a) Request for Confirmation of reappointment to the Board of Election Commissioners.
So referred.
b) Associate Member to the Planning Board. The Manager provided a brief overview
of a matter regarding appointing an alternate member to the Planning Board.
The Chair spoke in support of referring this back to subcommittee for further
discussion.
Attorney Reich read the Zoning Act, Chapter 40A, section 12 and noted that after
further study of the matter it was found that such an appointed associate member
would not be able to discuss or vote on any matter that was not related to a Pleasant
Street Corridor special permit application and that asking a member of the public to
volunteer on such a limited basis would not be practical.
Councilor Falkoff asked if the Council could draft a special act for legislation.
Attorney Reich stated yes but more discussion would be needed.
Councilor Piccirilli stated that there needs to be more discussion on this perhaps at
the subcommittee level in order to come up with a solution for the Planning Board.
The Chair spoke in support of the referral and to revisit the Planning Board being the
special permit authority on the Pleasant Street Corridor.
Councilor Kounelis concurred about going back to a two board process which
worked well for many years.
Councilor Lenk concurred with having the matter referred back to committee.
Councilor Palomba moved the referral to the committee of Economic Development
and Planning, seconded by Councilor Dushku and adopted by unanimous voice vote
with Councilors Aaron Dushku, Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B.
Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk, Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, Vice
President Stephen P. Corbett and Council President Mark S. Sideris voting in the
affirmative.
The Manager stated that he has appointed Mr. Dennis Duff to the Logan Advisory
CAC committee with Harvey Steiner as an alternate.
10. REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION:
Councilor Dushku asked for an update on the status of the Stormwater Ordinance; and
vacant positions at Public Works of Town Engineer and Finance Officer.
11. ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Councilor Kounelis announced a list of projects earmarked in two pending versions of
the state's Transportation Bond Bill in the link below:
http: //willbrownsberger. com/forums/topic/transportation-bond-bill-local-projects/
Councilor Dushku announced a 5k race on April 19th with more details to come in the
following weeks.
Councilor Dushku announced the Lowell School PTO Auction currently online.
Councilor Palomba announced the following events:
Watertown Community Gardens, Wednesday 6pm at the Middle School.
202 Arsenal Street project, Thursday at 7pm at the Library.
Watertown Education Foundation fundraiser, March 14th 7:30 pm.
School Committee subcommittee meeting on budget; March 17th at the high school.
Music Fest, March 28th at the Middle School.
The Chair announced an outdoor concert on April 19th with details to be provided in the
coming weeks.
12. PUBLIC FORUM:
Gaye Hilsenrath, 36 Mt. Auburn Street — spoke to the issue of a water bill.
13. ADJOURNMENT AND EXECUTIVE SESSION: There being no further business
to come before the Town Council, Councilor Woodland moved to adjourn the meeting at
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8:35 pm and enter into executive session to discuss strategy with respect to litigation as
such discussion in public may have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the
governmental body, seconded by Councilor Palomba and adopted by unanimous roll call
vote with Councilors Aaron Dushku, Susan G. Falkoff, Anthony Palomba, Angeline B.
Kounelis, Cecilia Lenk, Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr., Kenneth M. Woodland, Vice President
Stephen P. Corbett and Council President Mark S. Sideris voting in the affirmative.
Addendum