In October, the health IT company began construction on a 2,500-space parking garage near its facility in Watertown. Construction is expected to finish in January 2018.
In an October letter to athenahealth, Watertown citizens who live near the parking garage expressed dismay regarding the ongoing construction. The letter signers claimed athenahealth officials did not effectively communicate their construction plans.
“Letters in the mail, public notices, newspaper notices, website postings are all good options that athena should be using. Maybe starting right about now? But no, all we hear is deafening silence. Except, of course, for all of the loud, new truck noises coming from the construction site,” the letter reads.
Watertown neighbors also conveyed concerns regarding shutting off overnight lighting at the athenahealth campus, altering the lighting on the current parking garage and implementing a parking policy for athena employees.
To facilitate a discussion with Watertown citizens, athenahealth plans to hold a meeting at its headquarters Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m. ET. In addition, the company launched a construction blog and encourages citizens to submit questions to garage@athenahealth.com.
“We at athenahealth have been working with our neighbors to improve our property and our community for several years. Since purchasing the property in 2013, we unveiled our plan to open up a formerly sealed off military base, connect a beautiful historical property to the community and create more outdoor shared space,” said athenahealth Senior Vice President and General Counsel Dan Haley. “We have collaborated with the town and with our neighbors at each step, and we are committed to continuing that engagement.”
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