HomeMy Public PortalAbout04-29-2010 Public Works ReportTown Council
Town of Watertown
Committee on Public Works, Meeting April 29, 2010
Report: May 11, 2010
The Committee met April 29th at 7:00 pm in the Council Chambers to discuss snow removal issues near
schools and related issues, as a follow up to the meeting on March 2, 2010. Present were: Susan
Falkoff, Chair; Vincent Piccirilli, Secretary; Tony Paolillo, School Committee Chairman; Laurie
McManus, School Committee Chair of the Buildings & Grounds Subcommittee; Jay Francione, School
Department Director of Facilities; Sgt. Joseph Deignan, Police Traffic Division; DPW Superintendent
Gerald Mee; Deputy Superintendent Sue Tamber; and DPW Clerk Mary Haley. Steve Corbett, Vice -
chair, was unable to attend. Also present were Council President Mark Sideris, Lisa Feltner, Maria
Saiz, and Deb Peterson.
1. Mr. Mee and Mr. Francione described the collaborative effort between the DPW and the school
department for clearing snow around schools. The DPW is responsible for clearing the sidewalks
on school routes (see attached). The school department is responsible for clearing sidewalks
around school properties, including handicap ramps at crosswalks. There is, in fact, some overlap,
where the DPW may plow a sidewalk and then the schools will finish clearing it. The sidewalk in
Spring St in front of the Philips School/Senior Center was identified as an area that is never cleared,
and Mr. Mee noted it is not on the DPW list. Mr. Francione stated that the School Department will
be responsible for clearing this portion of the sidewalk on Spring St.
2. Sgt. Deignan described the police department's current effort at enforcing the Town's two snow
ordinances. He feels that the way the existing ordinances are written makes it very time consuming
for the police to enforce them and then follow up on fines. After some discussion, it was agreed
that the ordinances should be updated to allow the property owner to be cited, to allow unpaid fines
to be treated in the same simple manner as a parking ticket, and that unpaid fines be added to the
property tax bill. Sgt. Deignan will propose revisions to these ordinances, which should be
reviewed by the Town Attorney, and then referred to the Rules & Ordinances Committee. He hopes
to have drafts available by the end of May.
3. Problems with traffic around the Hosmer School were discussed. Sgt. Deignan described the
ongoing situation where parents refuse to obey traffic laws, particularly on Concord Ave. The
School Department agreed to take the following steps to improve the traffic conditions:
a. Restrict parking on certain parts of Concord Rd, to insure safe passage
b. Open doors earlier to expand the time for drop -and -go, to reduce peak congestion
c. Put monitors with jackets outside to enforce no parking/stopping
d. Have school staff park in school parking lots instead of the street
4. Problems with parking and traffic around the high school were discussed. Mr. Mee described the
DPW's plans to seek state funds to reconstruct Columbia Rd, Common St from Orchard St to Mt.
Auburn St, and the delta with Spring St, to calm traffic and improve pedestrian safety. The DPW,
Police, and the School Department will continue to work together on this issue.
5. The Federal Highway Administration's requirement to plow snow on any sidewalk constructed with
federal funds was discussed. Mr. Mee stated that Mt. Auburn, Galen, and Watertown Streets are
already plowed as part of the school route program. There are no funds for the DPW to plow any
additional sidewalks. Pleasant St will not be added to the list; however it was noted that most of it is
commercial properties, so the Town ordinance requiring the abutting property owner to clear the
sidewalks applies, meeting the requirement to provide "reasonable snow removal efforts".
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.
Report prepared by: Vincent Piccirilli
Page 1 of 1
CURRENT SIDEWALK ROUTES
Westminster Ave - one side, Main St, to Bancroft St. —1,280 ft
Bancroft St. — one side, Westminster St, to Waverley Ave: 400 ft
Waverley Ave. — one side, Orchard St. to Main St. — 2,880 ft
Orchard St. — one side, Common St. to Lexington St. — 4,160 ft
Warren St. — one side, Waverley Ave to Town Line — 3,952 ft
Copeland St. — one side, Highland Ave. to Grandview Ave. — 800 ft
Common St. - one side, Orchard St. to Mt. Auburn (both sides) — 3,360 ft
Columbia St. — one side, Common St. to Broadway - 800 ft
Broadway — one side, Full Length — 512 ft
Russell Ave. — one side, Broadway to Mt. Auburn — 240 ft
Carroll St. — one side, Orchard St. to Lowell Ave. — 352 ft
Lowell Ave. — one side, Carroll St. to George St. — 640 ft
York Ave. — park side — 304 ft
George St. — one side, Orchard St. to Wilson Ave. — 928 ft
Boylston St. — one side, Mt. Auburn to Concord Rd. — 560 ft
Concord Rd. —one side, Full Length — 880 ft
Chauncey St. — one side, Concord Rd. to Hancock St. -- 288 ft
Hancock St. — one side, Full Length —320 ft
Winthrop St. — one side, Full Length _ 336 ft
Arlington St. — Dewey to Grove St. (park side) — 704 ft
Main St. — both sides, Watertown Sq to Waltham line and around Delta and Bridge —14,720 ft
North Beacon St. — Perkins School side, Watertown Sq. to Beechwood Ave. — 2,832 ft
Mt. Auburn — both sides, Watertown Sq. to Cambridge line — 20,320 ft
Galen St., both sides, Watertown Sq to Newton line — 6,496 ft
Watertown St. — one side, Galen St. to Newton line — 2,880 ft
California St. one side, Watertown St. to Newton line —1,920 ft
Saltonstall /Linear Park —1,960 ft
Merchant Row — 200 ft
Spring St. one side, Main St. to Common St. - 2,112 ft
Filapello Park — Grove St. to Arlington St. —1,760 ft
TOTAL - 78,896 ft or 14.94 miles