A city councilor wants to see the city's trolley used for intra-city transportation instead of being kept under wraps except for special events.
"We cannot have a $100,000 vehicle sitting in the garage, just waiting for a parade," said Councilor at large Sarafina "Sally" Collura.
Collura, chairwoman of the council's Community Development Committee, said she would like to see the council reconsider how the trolley is used. She wants the vehicle to shuttle people from the city's hotel district to downtown as a way to boost tourism and economic development.
In meetings with the mayor and other city officials, downtown merchants have complained about the lack of parking and the effect it has on business.
Collura, also a Moody Street business owner, said using the trolley could help rectify that problem. She says the city is not getting the full value for the vehicle.
"Stimulate economic development, that's the bottom line," Collura said. "Dust it off, and put it to good use."
The council approved the purchase of the trolley several years ago at the request of Mayor Jeannette McCarthy, not long after she first took office. The mayor had originally proposed using the vehicle for intra-city transportation. McCarthy said that she used $100,000 that the city had available for tourism, but it wasn't enough to purchase the vehicle. Watertown Savings Bank then stepped in and offered to cover the rest of the cost, about $15,000, which the council voted to accept as a gift.
McCarthy said at that time, there was some resistance on the council to the purchase. The council's approval included a caveat that the trolley only be used for special events.
Last year, McCarthy asked the council in writing to consider using the trolley to connect the Rte. 128 business/hotel/industrial areas to the downtown corridor. However, the restrictions placed on the vehicle have yet to be lifted.
McCarthy said yesterday that if the Community Development Committee wants the idea brought before the full council again, she would go to work on the issue once more.
''I'd be happy to revisit it," McCarthy said.
Councilor at large Patrick O'Brien, a member of the Community Development Committee, said yesterday he's willing to consider using the trolley for transportation, but wants to know how much it would cost, what the schedule would be, and how it would be staffed.
"I have a lot of questions about it but I'm open to the concept of it," O'Brien said.
Collura said her committee would examine the idea at its meeting on May 19.
Richard Conn can be contacted at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com.
