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Home My Public Portal About2017-10-30_DPW_report_Wat_Square_ProjectWatertown Town Council Committee on Public Works October 30, 2017, 6:30 PM REPORT: November 28, 2017 The purpose of the meeting was to review conceptual plans for improvements to Watertown Square that include significant changes to Charles River Road. This document is intended as a brief summary of the meeting; more complete minutes were prepared by the DPW consultant, Regina Villa Associates*. In attendance were: Committee Members Aaron Dushku (Chair), Susan Falkoff (Secretary), Tony Palomba (Vice Chair); Representative Jonathan Hecht; Town Council President Mark Sideris, Town Councilors Michael Dattoli, Lisa Feltner, Vincent Piccirilli; DPW Superintendent Gerald Mee, Assistant Superintendent Dennis Sheehan, Town Engineer Matt Shuman; Senior Planner Gideon Schreiber; representatives from VHB Engineering, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (der), WorldTech Engineering (WTE); Regina Villa Associates (RVA), MA Department of Transportation (DOT), the MBTA, Athena Health, and many members of the public. A complete attendance list is included in RVA's detailed minutes*. Councilor Dushku opened the meeting, explaining that Athena Health and the MA DCR have been admitted into the i-cubed program which will fund $25million in infrastructure improvements to Watertown. At a public meeting last summer, changes to Watertown Square were ranked as the #1 priority by residents. Councilor Palomba referenced concerns about community input when the Council voted to approve i- cubed. He explained that President Sideris referred various parts of the i-cubed plan to Council committees for further public input and discussion. This is the first of those meetings. Laura Castelli of VHB narrated a PowerPoint presentation of the project team's current thinking about how to improve traffic flow in Watertown Square. The slides showed several different alternatives under consideration and are available at https://static l .squarespace.com/static/59e50be849fc2b3fd20a30cb/t/59f8a85071 c 10b6b85a3653b/150946 8255715/Watertown 10-30-17 Presentation final.pdf. More information about the project, a chance to add questions or comments and sign up for project email updates is available at www.watertownsquareimprovements.com. Emails can be sent to the project team at Team@WatertownSquareImprovements.com Councilor Dushku added his desire for the creation of a pedestrian plaza and seating areas adjacent to the existing bus and taxi stands. Nancy Farrell of RVA chaired the public discussion. Some key points were: • Concerns about how re-routing Charles River Road (CRR) could lead to increased traffic through the neighborhood. • It is already difficult to leave the neighborhood, especially during the morning commute so how could the roads handle more traffic? • Maintaining a safe and quiet neighborhood feel is the highest priority for residents. • Speeding and safety on Irving Street are particular concerns. The light changes so quickly people use it as a speedway. [Councilor Dushku said that tweaks to the lights will be upcoming]. The safety of residents of the group home is an additional concern. • The proximity of Perkins School for the blind increases the need for safe streets. • Some questioned the need to make changes to CRR if the goal is to make a better cycling experience. What about cars? The logic of making CRR one-way was confusing to some. • Dan Driscoll of DCR expressed his support for the project for all that it would do to expand open space along the river and he supported the idea of a pedestrian plaza which would provide a nice gateway to the Charles River path at the square. • A concern was raised about increased rodent activity (rats) in the neighborhood and Superintendent Mee agreed to follow up with the Health Department about mitigation measures. After the public spoke, Ms Farrell gave Town Councilors a chance to comment. Lisa Feltner, the District Councilor, asked that traffic studies be done at different times of year, not just in summer, and that public outreach is enhanced. Councilor Dattoli said there is a need for a more complete traffic study for the entire town. Councilor Palomba asked that the study area for traffic be expanded north and asked if a raised table could be helpful for the corner of Irving and Riverside Streets. He asked that public meetings be held before the planning is too far along and that materials be made available online well before the actual meeting to allow for more informed and meaningful commentary. The public seemed generally reassured by the presentation as it had been rumored that decisions were already 'set in stone', which is not the case. Poster -boards describing the various alternatives for CRR were available for viewing both before and after the meeting. Councilor Falkoff made the motion that the project team proceed with additional data collection and analysis as proposed. Councilor Palomba seconded the motion and it carried 3-0. Councilor Falkoff made the motion to continue the committee discussion at a later date and when more data became available while making the effort to disseminate information to the public well in advance of said discussion. Councilor Palomba seconded the motion and it carried 3-0. Respectfully submitted, Susan Falkoff, Secretary Edited, Aaron Dushku, Chair *The full Regina Villa meeting minutes, an attendees list and public comments received at the meeting through various means is available at this web location: https://staticl. squarespace.com/static/59e5Obe849fc2b3 fd20a3Ocb/t/5a0dfbe49140b7748b2bb1 dc/1510865893398/ 103017+Public+Meeting+Summary final.pdf Page 2 of 2