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Home My Public Portal AboutRWSAG Meeting 1 -Live Polling ResultsResilient Watertown Stakeholder Advisory Group Meeting 1 Mentimeter Results May 10, 2021 Question One: Ideas for community engagement? • Community art projects • Free food • Faire on the Square • "Town Hall" format for residents, businesses and stakeholders • Boys & Girls Club Summer Camp • Music • Boys & Girls Club • Coordination with ad hoc waste reduction committee through public works sub committee • Schools • any major solar installations going live? • farmers market • Social media pages for Advisory group • In this committee I only see white faces, I think we need some members of other ethnic groups/colors. What can we do to enable that wider involvement? • Town announcements, mailings, email blasts, events • Unity Breakfast • outdoor pop-up table/kiosk with interactive engagement for passers-by • Watertown Arts Market 8/21/21 • Library • residential and community garden shares • Bus stop "bomb" with flowers etc. • Other group meetings • River walk (e.g., educational) • Art Market (August in Arsenal Park) • Watertown Food Pantry • Facebook, Linkedln Twitter etc. • Electric vehicle chargers • engage students! • Heat smart program to incentivize heat pumps • BlueBike Town rides Question two: Where can YOU share?: Which specific organizations could you introduce us to? • Watertown Citizens for Black Lives (email discussion list) • Trees for Watertown, Kahal Braira (synagogue), Fayerweather Street School • Watertown Business Coalition & larger business community • School PTO's, Watertown School Gardens, WE3C • I run a task force for the Community Resilience Fund to help find and fill gaps in the community • Hall Avenue Social Contact Group (small) OR Harvard Univ. Community relations • Boys and Girls Club • need to better understand the "message" and the "ask" • Watertown Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee (WE3C), First Parish Church • Public works and purchasing organizations • Bike pedestrian committee • Watertown Citizens, and especially WFCC, will want to hear about this effort at every meeting. • Watertown Housing Authority • Boylston Properties - Arsenal Yards development • Watertown Bike Ped Committee Question three: What goals should we pursue for resilient Buildings & Energy systems in Watertown? • Refurbished/improved building shells for all houses • Geothermal • Promoting Walkability • composting • more solar • 1) improve the environment; 2) improve equity in exposure to harms, access to good things; 3) enhances immediate livelihood (est. health) • retro commissioning LEED • Heat smart program to incentivize heat pumps • Promoting renewables over fossil fuels • incentivize solar • electrification • Solar panels • We need to be in sync with the state goals in the new act, so specific numbers in terms of GHG emissions reductions. Commitments for 2050 and also 5 year increments. • Incentive and funding for sustainability upgrades of affordable housing • ecologically -minded plantings • Have as many buildings get to net zero • Energy efficiency requirements for new buildings and construction • Encourage heat pump technology to manage high temperature days • Upgrade the efficiency, insulation and windows • Net zero, conversion away from fuel oil, facilitation of that process • Consider microgrid pilot program • Support for high -efficiency electric devices • Backup battery systems that tap into the grid • Percentage increase in green space • More green. less toxic laden, more accessible • Solar street lights • More green space • Have Developers submit how their design reduces emissions • 1 and 5 year goals • LED lighting • A method is building energy use disclosure., and then require reductions. • Help renters and landlords transition from oil heat to renewable or low emission • Open space that people can easily walk to from home • Encourage strategic planting of shade trees • incentives for renovation of our century old houses, for energy efficiency • Support for fixed -income homeowners • Connected soils (no more solitary tree pits!) • Engagement with LANDLORDS • Green roofs • build electric infrastructure starting now • Reconstruction of streets to provide wider tree lawns -- healthy big trees do a great job of cooling hardscape • High incentives to developers to preserve existing healthy trees • Open space • Incentivize conversion from oil heat • Incentivize water recycling - rain barrels • Infiltration galleries • Much more extensive public transportation. • More shared transportation - reduce single car trips • Land bank parking spaces • Tree -lined major streets (much more comfortable for pedestrians and bikers) • Pooled shuttle service • Solve the plastic disposal issue somehow • Walkability in Watertown Square • Yes on fabric recycling • Public recycling bins • More use of our fantastic RECYCLING CENTER • More education on RECYCLING in schools (and in homes/apartments) Question four: What could resilient Natural Resources look like in Watertown? • Permeable surfaces • tree protection • Protect, increase, and diversify tree canopy • gardens without lawns • Green space from Cca • Organic lawn care • Activate the Waterfront • ordinance limiting tree cutting on private property • maintain river path and parks • Green infrastructure • ecologically -minded plantings • add to our natural resources, green infrastructure • Reduce pavement and increase previous green space • Many more trees and protection of current tree cover on private property • Move to prohibit artificial turf • Pollinator -friendly plants • enhancing/protecting small streams and ponds • incentivize native plant gardens • better access to the river • Green infrastructure treatment of streets • More Bees! • clarification of green space and reduction of artificial turf • More bike lanes • native plant education • make environment more mirror natural state • Increase the purchase of land for green space • local pesticide prohibition • Protect and restore wetlands • ecological landscaping • Clean up toxic waterways • get rid of invasive species • Revitalized local shopping. • Reduce fragmentation to support migratory species • NO MORE BAMBOO • Engage the Urban Ring. • Partner with Harvard TOMORROW and MBTA to build a new bus service • bike parking is not mitigation • light rail to Boston from Brighton Landing Question five: What does a resilient Transportation & Mobility system look like in Watertown? • Actual, real, wide, serious bike lanes • Protected bike lanes • more connected off-street bike paths • Bike/ped connections • Electric • less through traffic; less pollution; more accessible (i.e.. more people able to get from where they are to where they want to go, easily) • Reduced impervious • Electrification • Greater access to shuttle bus services • maintain the electric 73 and 71 buses • Network throughout town for safe bike paths - separated from auto traffic • More walking and biking trips, especially for trips that stay within Watertown • For the MBTA, more efficient buses • get safe bike lanes • Incentives for electric vehicle chargers like those for building upgrades • Pedestrian -only zones • Trees (to slow down traffic) • safe routes to school • what can we do with Watertown Square? • Vehicle -less walkable square • Subway • shuttles in the residential areas • Electric buses • Less Single occupancy vehicles • Options for electric vehicle chargers for renters and multifamily housing • Also with the T, evaluate the size of the buses needed on their routes • allow our kids to bike places without fear of death • Public provision of transit options for low -mobility residents • Extended redline. It's about time. • town -wide composting • make Watertown Square safer for bike/ped • Water shuttle • anti -idling ordinance • More frequent bus service • Shared autonomous vehicles • Lower traffic speeds to help people feel safer walking and biking • lower speed limits • Electric school buses • More, more, more green infrastructure! • finish the Watertown -Cambridge path (to Fresh pond) • EV charging stations everywhere • Better paved roads Question six: What goals should we pursue for Watertown's Infrastructure & Waste Management systems? • Internet -- was revealed to be poor during COVID education • MORE green infrastructure • Public Recycling bins • education about composting • curbside compost • Less waste, less waste, less waste. Less toxic material flows; Be clear where your waste goes. • Layered cip • Composting • Work towards putting electrical lines underground • CUT DOWN ON DIGGING. Dig once. do it all the first time. Power, data, water, wastewater • revisit single stream recycling • Better communication • Curbside organic waste pick-up • Add more green streets • Municipal compost program • Agree with burying our electric lines • more underground electric lines • Town -wide compost pick-up • Electric vehicle charging -- make it convenient for renters • Little bitty trash bins • have a master plan • We are getting stormier and more electric. Get the lines underground • Plastic bag ordinance • More recycling • More public solar chargers like the library • NEED A PLAN. For every street -- where the underground work is needed. • Fabric recycling • Get rid of single stream recycling, find ways to really recycle materials • Complete streets with shared use • Recycling every week and trash pickup biweekly (opposite of current) • reuse of buildings • waste management, recycling more effective (too much doesn't end up recycled) • Electric lines underground. Above is crazy Question seven: What goals should we pursue for Public Health & Community Preparedness in Watertown? • Co -benefits of reduced air pollution • Green space -- supports public health • Accessibility (age, language, physical) • clear emergency preparedness systems/protocol for vulnerable residents- low income, seniors • High School programs - make kids care • encourage people to know their neighbors • mutual aid for neighborhoods? • educate the public • community heating and cooling centers • Separate these goes. They are qualitatively different • Map the health burden of toxics, pollutants, poisonous food. Then target the most affected / vulnerable with remediation. • Fog program • Reduce heat islands • Eliminate smoking • Make sure there are cooling centers with generators • city designs to reduce heat impacts and need for AC • ordinance banning leaf blowers • Better communication • Lower pollution, improve air quality • Reduce gas leaks, lower use of gas • Equitable public health access. Inclusive • Prepare for power outages and natural disasters • equitable health impacts • Promote First Aid classes - both a way to get to know neighbors and a valuable public service • More public green space - not artificial turf, actual green space. • More trees (and not just male trees that independently cause so much of the pollen allergies) • access to more green in east Watertown • Reduce fossil fuel use, publicize health problems of gas leaks and even gas cooking • Make sure emergency preparedness meets needs of mobility -impaired • tree islands for cooling • Preparedness? We are becoming more electric in a stormier world. In which we need more trees. So put utilities underground! • teens care • education and outreach continuous