HomeMy Public PortalAbout2016-05-05 Public Works Committee Report -CommunityPath2_201606101209218662Watertown Town Council
Committee on Public Works meeting jointly with the Bicycle -Pedestrian Committee
Meeting May 5, 2016
Report: June 14, 2016
The Committees met at 6:15 pm in the Council Chambers. Present were: Public Works
Committee Chair Aaron Dushku, Vice Chair Anthony Palomba, Secretary Susan Falkoff;
Bicycle/Pedestrian Committee Chair Ethan Davis, Members Andy Campagna, Sheila Fay, Sam
Scoppettone, and Maria Saiz; DPW Superintendent Gerald Mee, DPW Director of Administration
and Finance Dennis Sheehan, Town Engineer Matt Shuman, DPW Clerk Mary Haley, DPW
Consultant from Stantec Alan Cloutier and Douglas Prentiss; Senior Planner Gideon Schreiber;
Town Councilors Lisa Feltner and Vincent Piccirilli; and residents Deborah Peterson, Ernesta
Kraczkiewicz, Mark Kraczkiewicz, and Arun Sannuti. Additional Stantec personnel were present
but did not sign in.
The purpose of the meeting was to provide input on alternatives to the proposed
Watertown Community Path.
(The report from the previous [1/26/16] committee meeting on the topic is
posted here: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/18584)
Stantec's Alan Cloutier presented slides showing various alternative routes to connect Arsenal
Street to Saltonstall Park. He said that the presentation took the Tufts conceptual plan to an
engineering level. His slide presentation is at http://www.watertown-
ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19277
The presentation offering two alternative routes connecting Irving Street to Mount Auburn Street
(Eastern Section) and seven possible routes from Mount Auburn Street to Saltonstall Park
(Western Section) which consisted of several sections that could be considered independently of
each other. The presentation was very similar to the one made to the Public Works committee on
January 26, 2016 so this meeting was intended as a way for the two committees to collaborate
on considering the alternatives.
Both committees were enthusiastic about the project's appropriateness for all residents because
of the many attractions in this area that currently offer only interrupted and unsafe access for
non -automotive patrons. Several attendees added that experienced cyclists generally prefer to
travel with cars on the streets so this path will not be used as a primary transportation route for
them; a good measure of its success will be whether parents feel safe letting their 6th graders use
the path on their own.
After lengthy discussion, the two committees reached consensus on the following:
Eastern Section
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee strongly favors Alternative 2 which would go through the
former railroad bed between Arsenal and Mount Auburn Streets. This would necessitate building
a new bridge (or what looked to this committee member more like making a tunnel through the
existing structure). However, given the expense and administrative/engineering complexity of
that alternative, in the interests of getting something is place sooner, they are willing to support
Alternative 1 (along Arsenal Street) so long as it is town policy that future development does
nothing to foreclose the possibility of Alternative 2.
Western Section
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Committee on Public Works Report — May 5, 2016
The committees broke down the western section and reached agreement on the following path:
• From Mount Auburn Street through Baptist Walk on the northern side of Baptist Walk (as
in Alternative #5)
• From Spring Street through the Municipal lot, Option 4 (which is also the same as 6a &
6b).
• From Church Street to Whooley Way, on the southern side of the Fire Department
parking lot, with the parking arrangement to be determined and pending no changes in
parcel ownership.
• From Sonny Whooley Way through the Library lot, 6b seemed preferable to most, with 6a
as a close second. 6b would take the path closer to the Library which could be better but
raised concerns about pedestrian/bicycle conflict points. 6a, on the other hand, goes
through the center of the lot but would need to be designed to reduce the risk of bicycle
and car collisions. Input from the Library will be helpful here and also the route through
the police station lot/ramp needs further work.
The street crossings at Mount Auburn, Spring, Church Streets and Sonny Whooley Way also
need more detail and evaluation.
Matt Shuman and Mr. Cloutier thanked the committees for this input, which they said will give
them enough information to continue refining the engineering details. They will also be seeking
input from the Library Trustees and the Traffic Commission.
The committees also requested that the PW Department study the current traffic patterns on
Taylor Street and whether it would be wise to make the intersection with Mount Auburn Street
restricted to Right Turn Only, in conjunction with the future bicycle and pedestrian use of the
street. This is something that could be brought to the Traffic Commission before any final
decisions are made about the community path.
The meeting adjourned at 9 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Falkoff, Secretary
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