HomeMy Public PortalAbout11-25-2014 Public Works report_201411180915262721Meeting of the Committee on Public Works
Wednesday, October 22, 2014, 5:30 PM
Town Council Chambers
The Public Works Committee met to discuss 1) Church/Palfrey Street intersection report and 2) East End dog
park assessment and recommendations.
Committee Members Present: Councilors Lenk (Chair), Corbett (Vice -Chair) and Palomba (Secretary).
Attending: Town Council President Mark Sideris, Town Councilor Vincent Piccirilli, Steve Magoon, Director of
Community Development and Planning, Matt Shuman, Town Engineer, Mary Healy, Department of Public
Works Clerk, Kristel Bennett, Chief Environmental Health Officer at the Health Department, Karen O'Reilly,
Animal Control Officer at the Health Department, Charlie Breitose, Watertown News and Watertown TAB, and
ten residents (see list attached).
Church and Palfrey Street Intersection Report
Town Engineer Matt Shuman presented a safety evaluation of the intersection of Church and Palfrey Streets
prepared by World Tech Engineering. The report reviewed crash data and sight distance at the intersection and
concluded "that the intersection exhibited a history of right-angle crashes, most likely caused by limited sight
distance on the Palfrey Street approaches and drivers falling to observe STOP signs on the Palfrey Street
approaches". The report also reviewed the advantages and disadvantages of four possible solutions to address
the problem including, advanced warning signage, raised intersection, trimming of vegetation, striping, flashing
beacon, and all -way stop control.
Mr. Shuman recommended, based on similar situations and remedies used at other intersections in Town, that
the Department of Public Works do the following:
- Construct a raised intersection with textured pavement
- Relocate crosswalks closer to the intersection
- Install "Raised Intersection Ahead" warning signs
- Conduct limited tree trimming
Residents of the area expressed their appreciation that a study was completed and voiced their support for the
recommendations presented by Mr. Shuman. They asked that the recommendations be implemented as soon as
possible given that fact that there continues to be numerous crashes and near -crashes at the intersection. A
resident also asked if a "Slow —Children" sign could be installed on Church Street.
The members of the Committee also expressed their appreciation for the Department of Public Work's action on
this issue and requested that the recommendations be implemented soon.
Councilor Palomba made the following motion:
The Committee recommends that the Town Council request that the Department of Public Works implement
the recommendations in the World Tech Engineering safety study of the intersection of Church and Palfrey
Streets and do so as soon as quickly as possible.
The motion was seconded by Councilor Corbett and passed 3 — 0.
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East End Dog Park Assessment and Recommendation
Mr. Magoon, Director of the Department of Community Development and Planning, presented three options for
a dog park in the East End of Watertown.
Option A — Arsenal Park
The dog park would be adjacent to the tennis courts in Arsenal Park. The site offers ample space and parking.
The estimated cost to install fencing would be $8,000. However dog owners have raised safety concerns since
the site is isolated.
Option B — Behind the Mall
The dog park would be immediately behind the far end of the mall parking lot on private property. The site is
an open grassy, flat area with nice views and ample parking available at the mall. The estimated cost to install
fencing would be $15,000. The town would enter into a public/private agreement with the mall owners in order
to site the dog park. The major disadvantage to this option is that the pubic/private arrangement would be
temporary.
Option C — Filippello Park on Grove Street
The dog park would be incorporated into a redesign of the park entrance and areas where the Town's recycling
center and incinerator were previously located. The Department of Recreation is taking the lead on the redesign
effort. The site is located away from a residential area thus noise would not be a problem. The site has access
to water, plenty of parking and is in walking distance for many residents. The disadvantages of this site are that
it would not be ready for approximately a year and that the soil needs to be tested for contamination.
The residents attending the meeting strongly supported Option C. They reiterated the positive aspects stated
above. They also voiced support for taking the time needed to develop a "state-of-the-art" dog park recognizing
that the redesign of the park entrance and adjacent areas provided the chance to "get it done right."
Council President Sideris and Councilor Piccirilli also spoke in favor of Option C. President Sideris and the
Health Department staff urged that lessons learned from the dog park at How Park be considered when
designing the new site. This sentiment was also supported by the residents.
Council President Sideris asked that the Department of Health discuss how to restrict use of the Town's dog
parks to Watertown residents and how to support amenities at the parks through licensing and possibly a permit
fee. Ms. Bennett said she and Ms. O'Reilly were meeting to discuss these and other concern. Councilor
Palomba suggested that a member of the Dog Park Task Force participate in these meetings and that the report
prepared by the Task Force in March 2013 be a resource in planning the new park.
Councilor Corbett expressed support for public/private arrangements, but in this particularly situation thought it
would be unwise to spend $15,000 on a dog park that was not on Town property. He stated his strong support
for Option C as the most practical option.
-2 -
While acknowledging that the situation may change if the soil test proved the site unusable for a dog park,
Councilor Lenk strongly supported Option C. She was particularly pleased that the resigned of the Grove Street
entrance and adjacent areas provided a unique opportunity to incorporate the best elements of a high -quality
park into the Town's third dog park.
Councilor Lenk made the following two motions:
The Committee recommends that the Town Council approve the incorporation of a dog park into the Town's
planning of the Grove Street entrance of Fillippello Park a dog park if soil testing allows.
The motion was seconded by Councilor Corbett and passed 3 — 0.
The Committee recommends that the Town Council refer to the Committee a discussion of the policies
regulating the Town's dog parks.
The motion was seconded by Councilor Palomba and passed 3- 0.
Councilor Corbett made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Councilor Palomba and
passed 3 — 0.
The minutes were prepared by Councilor Palomba