Community Health Needs Assessment Survey from Health Department

The Health Department needs your input!

Throughout the month of May, the Town of Winthrop will be conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment Survey of community residents to determine what are the health needs and issues affecting residents

Please click here to take the survey http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LWQZ6H2

Paper copies of the survey are also available at the Senior Center and library.  It should only take you 10 minutes to fill out this questionnaire.

At the end of the survey you can enter a drawing to win one of the following prizes: $50 gift card to Stop and Shop; $50 gift card to Winthrop market place; Red Sox tickets; a Resident Parking sticker.

For more information contact:
Town of Winthrop Health Department
healthinfo@town.winthrop.ma.us

Press Release: KRT Appraisal to Assist with Winthrop's Revaluation

Town of Winthrop Press Release

KRT APPRAISAL TO ASSIST WITH WINTHROP’S REVALUATION

The Town of Winthrop will be undertaking a revaluation update on all properties for Fiscal Year 2012. This update is part of an ongoing process, guided by The Department of Revenue regulations, to maintain proper values for all properties in Winthrop.

There are four major phases to a revaluation update being utilized: Data collection, Market Analysis, Valuation, and Field Review. The following is a general outline and explanation of each phase of the project. During these phases many tasks will be implemented in order to successfully complete the revaluation.

PHASE #1: DATA COLLECTION
KRT Appraisal’s staff will be conducting property inspections over the next couple of months. During this phase, Data Collectors will be going to 951 properties that have not had an inspection within the last nine years and physically inspect the interior and measure the exterior of each building. The Data Collectors note the buildings location, size, age, quality of construction, improvements, topography, utilities, zoning restrictions, if any, and numerous other characteristics both inside and out. To ensure that a home was inspected, the homeowner is asked to sign the data collection form to verify that the inspection took place. The entire process takes approximately 15 minutes for most properties.

All KRT Appraisal staff will carry Picture ID, Municipal Letters of Introduction, and have their vehicles listed with both the Assessor’s Office and Police Department

PHASE 2: MARKET ANALYSIS
A variety of resources are used to analyze the real estate market. Appraisal personnel will be analyzing recent sales that took place over the last few years to determine which market factors influenced property values. KRT Appraisal will gather and use information from The Registry of Deeds, property managers, developers, and local real estate professionals. Once all the data is collected and reviewed for accuracy, the appraiser will determine land values and set Neighborhood codes that rate the desirability of locations throughout the Town.

PHASE 3: VALUATION
Valuation is done using one of the three recognized methods: Replacement/Market Cost, Income Approach and Sales Comparison Approach. The Sales Comparison is the most widely used approach, and most easily explained to the taxpayer. During this phase, individual characteristics of the building are analyzed using information from sale properties. Each property is compared to other properties with similar characteristics. Once the market cost is determined, the improvement value is then added to the land value that was previously determined. This value is the final estimate for each parcel of property, building and land.

PHASE 4: FIELD REVIEW
Field Review is the method of checking and re-checking both the values that have been determined and the data that has been collected. During this review, properties are viewed in the field by experienced appraisers who double-check uniformity and accuracy of information.

After all phases are completed, all data, files, records, etc. used in the revaluation are then turned over to the Assessors Office.

Partial List of Approved Parking on Designated Streets Effective 4PM Today

Partial List of Approved Parking on Designated Streets Effective 4PM Today

Approved Parking Locations

Partial Parking Ban Lifted for these streets/sections of streets only.

Updated as new streets are cleared and accessible per order of Public Safety.

In EFFECT - Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 4PM

Street Name -- Parking Allowed On -- Comment

Atlantic Street -- Even side

Bartlett Parkway -- Even side

Bartlett Road -- Even side

Cottage Park Road -- Odd side -- Pleasant to Bartlett Parkway

Cross Street -- Odd side -- Locust to Main

Edge hill Road -- Even side

Fremont Street -- Odd side

Grandview Ave -- Even side

Hagman Road -- Both sides -- Posted time limits apply

French Square -- As posted -- Posted time limits apply

Hermon Street -- Even side

Harvard Street -- Odd side

Ingleside Ave -- Even side

Locust Street -- Odd side

Marshall Street -- Even side

Orlando Ave -- Even side

Palmyra Street -- Odd side

Revere Street -- Odd side -- Upland to Quincy Terr

Somerset Ave -- Even side

Summit Ave -- Odd side -- Prohibited along island

Woodside Ave -- Odd side

Residents are reminded that conditions will require careful consideration with parking on these approved locations, as safe passage on both the street and sidewalks remains a concern. Please use caution and be aware that parking in a manner that obstructs the street, handicap ramps, corners or driveways may be subject to ticketing and towing.

Thank you for anticipated cooperation.

Other streets will be announced as they become cleared and available. At such time, when they do become approved for parking, these new additions will be listed on our website's homepage at http://www.town.winthrop.ma.us. Please check our website periodically for these updates, as well as, WCAT and residents are urged to call the Department of Public Works at 617.846.1341, if they don't have access to WCAT or a Computer.

Public Safety Advisory on Potential Roof Collapses

To:  All Residents, Renters, Landlords, Home Owners, Businesses, Business Owners and/or Management Companies

Date:  Sunday, February 6, 2011

Click Here to get the full public safety advisory.

Winthrop asks for all to Help to ....

 

... dig out fire hydrants ...

assisting to remove snow and ice from and around hydrants will give seconds to respond for a greater success of fighting a fire

... dig out catch basins ...

if they are blocked with snow and ice, when the snow and ice starts to melt ... streets will flood if there is no where for the water to flow 

... dig out your neighbor's car ... 

they not be able to due to illness, or they're traveling

 ... Shovel the sidewalks in front of and around your property (home and business) ...

... Shovel yours and your neighbor's stairs and stoops (home and business) ...

they not be able to due to illness, or they're traveling

and

Be Safe - Michele Karas, AFD/MIS - Town of Winthrop

Winter of Yesteryear in Winthrop, MA ..... Photos provided by Bob Gillis/Facebook/Winthrop

a time when we did not have plows .... 

a time when residents came out to shovel out the town ..... 

now the center ... wow ... high snow banks .... looks familiar :)

a new way to get around ....

A special thank you as always to Bob Gillis of Winthrop of his great collection of yesteryears of Winthrop ... these are perfect to let us know that the snow mess and frustrations we are encountering is nothing new .... 

Thank you .... Be Safe,

Michele Karas, AFD/MIS

DPW Snow REMOVAL / Clean UP Efforts being done while PARKING BAN IS IN EFFECT

These are some pictures I captured today -- of the snow piles that were being removed today by DPW ... on Shirley Street Winthrop .... the side streets off of WSD towards Shirley were being cleared by the efforts of Winthrop DPW and help from MWRA who was called in to assist ......

shirley street near tafts ave
february 4, 2011 approx. 1:30pm

A snow bank of this size takes 

10 to 12 truck loads to take it away ......

I'm 5'3" so that can give you an idea of the size of this snow bank ... not all this small ...

These are the trucks we are using .... the largest DPW has ....

Hauling one load away of many .....
again it takes 10 to 12 loads like this to take away
just one of the snow banks like the one
I am standing in front of (above).

The Parking Ban is Still in EFFECT .... it is so SNOW REMOVAL can be done by this heavy equipment .... this is the best way to removed the snow that has accumulated ... snow plows cannot move or remove the snow is such a manner .... plows push it and sometimes push it back onto sidewalks and into driveways that have been shoveled or snow blown by residents and business owners .... the removal method that DPW is using is the best to remove it out of the area ... because it helps widen the streets and remove the snow so if and when the sun comes out and starts melting it it does not flood streets or even worse freeze when temperatures go down ....

Thank you ... MWRA

 There is a cost of this assistance for Winthrop ... just an FYI

but we do appreciate their ability to assist !!

And remember .... DPW staff is out their in the middle of the night .... when we are all snug in our houses in our beds dreaming .... moving snow ... when there is no were else to put it ....

They are working all day to remove trash, fix water main breaks, dig cemetery plots .... the lists of regular work does not stop when the snow is falling .... and can they have time to rest / sleep so there are no injuries or accidents to themselves, property or the public .....

widening the street so the front-end loader can put the snow into truck beds to be hauled away

So remember -- the snow is expected to fall Saturday again ... even though they are saying it may not be a lot compared to what we have seen over the past couple of storms .... anymore is still enough .... enough that it part of what goes into making decisions ... for the best of the community ...

Stay tuned to the local channel on WCAT if you have it .... otherwise ... stay tune to the major channels of 4, 5, 7 and 25 .... and as always ... when the information is released by the Emergency Manager .. these forms of media information will be released on our town official website and its other media, i.e. facebook, twitter, blog ....

Be Safe,

Michele Karas, AFD/MIS

Town of Winthrop