Hi neighbors, I hope you are safe and warm on this snowy day. Quick tips to help us all weather storms like this together: 

• Clear fire hydrants, catch basins, and sidewalks for our community’s safety
• No street parking is allowed until the snow emergency is declared over
• Please check in on your neighbors, especially the elderly or folks who might need a hand

City Council Highlights

Firearms Businesses: The Council passed an amendment allowing and regulating Firearms Businesses and associated indoor shooting or firing ranges. They may not locate within 500 feet of schools, public parks & playgrounds, or similar businesses.

Short Term Rentals: After many questions and concerns from residents, the Council sent back to the Rules & Ordinances Committee for further deliberation a proposed amendment allowing and regulating short term rentals such as AirBNB.

Progress on Charter Changes: creating a Human Rights Commission was referred to the Committee on Rules & Ordinances; creating a Council Analyst was referred to the Committee on Personnel and City Management.

City Government Highlights

See/Click/Fix: Our new 311 system -- See/Click/Fix -- is an easy way for us to "get things fixed", and it's fantastic. Use it on-line or on your mobile phone to report any issue you observe that needs attention: potholes, trash collection, a missing street sign, you name it. It is simple use and transparent, showing us all open and closed reports. Try it out -- I'd love to know what you think.

City Management: City Manager Mike Driscoll retires on Monday, 1/31. Please join me in thanking him for his dedicated to service to our city, and his legacy of fiscal strength. Tom Tracy, City Auditor, will serve as Acting City Manager and Steve Magoon, Assistant Town Manager, as Acting Deputy City Manager while we search for the new City Manager.

Annual Watertown census: Please fill in the 2022 census, which has been mailed to all residents. An accurate count of who lives in Watertown helps our government know how to best serve our community. And if you are registered to vote here, you'll remain an active voter in our records. Just mail the form in, or drop if off in the Ballot Box outside city hall or with the Clerk's office. If you have no changes, you can send an email with your name and address saying "no change" to Census@Watertown-ma.gov. If you live here and didn't get a census, contact the City Clerk. 

Watertown is creating a Board of Trustees for our new Watertown Affordable Housing Trust. We need people with experience in real estate, housing, banking, finance, law, architecture, community planning or similar areas of expertise relating to the creation and preservation of affordable housing. Letters & resumes are due Friday Feb 11th, at citymgr@watertown-ma.gov

Quick Community Updates

Get trained in Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation: Watertown's Kingian Response Team is offering a 2-day community course on Saturday, Feb 5 & Saturday, Feb 12 from 9 am to 5 pm at the Watertown Free Public Library. It will a hybrid model; people participate in-person or virtually. Register here, and please invite your friends and families! 

Watertown Mall Redevelopment: roughly 175 people attended the first Community Meeting this week, during which Alexandria Real Estate (ARE) presented their plans. Many residents commented and asked questions, most having to do with environmental impact (getting to net zero, preserving mature trees, "daylighting" the brook), transportation (amenities for public transportation users, reducing single occupant vehicles on our streets), and community engagement (keeping local retailers, ensuring the development is vibrant and accessible to residents). The second meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 1st, at 6:30 pm. Please join if you can. In the meantime I'd love to hear your concerns and ideas. 

Please help me serve our community by sharing this with others you think might find it useful. They can join this list by contacting me at either email address below.  And as always, please reach out with your questions, ideas, and concerns. I'm eager to hear from you.

Thanks, 



Nicole Gardner
District A City Councilor, Watertown
ngardner@watertown-ma.gov
nicoleforwatertown@gmail.com
617-835-4364
(she/her/hers)