Charles River

Pedestrian Bridge Over Charles River Will be Replaced

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The pedestrian bridge over the Charles River west of Watertown Square will be replaced by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The bridge will be completely replaced so it will be accessible by people with disabilities, said Dan Driscoll, DCR’s Director of Recreation Facilities Planning and Design. “The current bridge does not meet ADA requirements,” Driscoll said. The new bridge will be a prefabricated one, but for a short time there will be no pedestrian access at that point in the river, Driscoll said. The project will be bid this fall, and work will be done in the spring of 2016, he said.

Around Town

Tree Lighting Ceremony to be Held in Watertown Square

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The annual Watertown Tree Lighting Ceremony will be hosted by the Watertown-Belmont Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Watertown on Dec. 4. The public is invited to the free event on the Watertown Square Delta on Friday, Dec. 4. Santa Claus will arrive at 5:15 p.m. riding a Watertown Fire truck.

Armenians

Historical Society Hosts Film ‘The Legacy of a Lost Armenian Community’

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A film about the a small town in Turkey, from ancient times through the Armenian Genocide, will be presented by the Historical Society of Watertown at the Watertown Free Public Library. Memories of Marash: The Legacy of a Lost Armenian Community, a documentary film by Roger Hagopian, will be shown on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015 at 2 p.m. It will be hosted by the Historical Society of Watertown at the Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room in the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main Street, Watertown. The Historical Society sent out the following announcement:

This 68-minute documentary film presentation on the 100th year commemoration of the Armenian Genocide was originally created in 2002. Producer Roger Hagopian remastered the film in 2015 to widescreen format with high resolution photography, hundreds of new high resolution images and animated maps.

Business

Lexus of Watertown Sponsors Fundraising Campaign to Fight Breast Cancer

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Throughout the month of October, Komen Massahusetts partnered with Lexus of Watertown to encourage local gentlemen to step up and become a champion for the cause. The Susan G. Komen Massachusetts inaugural Pink Tie Guys reception was held this month at the Algonquin Club of Boston, Lexus of Watertown announced. Pink Tie Guys demonstrate their commitment by raising a minimum of $1,008 for Komen Massachusetts, representing the 1 in 8 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. As a proud sponsor of the Pink Tie Guys campaign, Lexus of Watertown made a $25 donation to Komen MA for each test drive done at their dealership, and also matched any donation made on-site or online. Over 30 local Pink Tie Guys, including Vincent Liuzzi, General Manager of Lexus of Watertown, was recognized at the reception and presented an exclusive Susan G. Komen pink tie to symbolize their commitment and support.

Arsenal Project

Impact on River by Arsenal Mall Rebuild, Height of Buildings Worry Residents

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The Planning Board gave their OK to changes to zoning in the area of the Arsenal Project and Watertown Mall which could lead to a major project with commercial, residential and/or office elements including taller buildings. The issue is now in the hands of the Town Council. Residents at last week’s Planning Board meeting about the Regional Mixed Use District (RMUD) brought up several concerns about how a new complex at the Arsenal Mall site could impact the town and the nearby Charles River, and said the taller buildings would be too big for Watertown. The RMUD impacts a much larger area than just the Arsenal Project. It also includes the area on the other side of Arsenal Street where the Watertown Mall and Target are located, most of Elm Street and about half of Coolidge Avenue.

Around Town

Tom Brady Makes Young Watertown Cancer Survivor’s Wish Come True

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Watertown’s Gabriel Aljalian has been busy recently. First he held the first annual Gabriel’s Day of Kindness and then he got to play football with his favorite player – Tom Brady. The Make-a-Wish Foundation made Gabriel’s wish come true earlier this month and brought the 6-year-old Watertown boy to Gillette Stadium to meet the Patriots’ quarterback. WBZ Channel 4 was there for the meeting – see photos and more here. Gabriel was one of 10 youngsters who got to toss the ball around with Brady.

Around Town

Runners Can Sign Up for the 10th Annual Donohue’s Turkey Trot

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The 10th annual Donohue’s Bar and Grill Turkey Trot is coming up on Thanksgiving, and registration is now open. The 5K run and walk will be held on Thursday, Nov. 26 beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Donohue’s Bar and Grill, 87 Bigelow Ave. in Watertown. The direct link to register is here – https://my.racewire.com/event/3381

A free breakfast will be served for spectators and runners starting at 730 a.m.

Real Estate

Real Estate Report: Homes Selling in Watertown, but Listings are Down

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Lucky 8′s! With eight new listings, eight listings with accepted offers and 8 sold listings all last week – it seems as though that was the number of the week. However, compared to last month around this time, we are way down in terms of new listings coming onto the market, according to The Madden Team’s Watertown Real Estate Market Report. Last month at this time, we had 19 new listings, so we have cut our new inventory by nearly 50 percent. The good news, especially for sellers, is that the number of properties that accepted offers has remained relatively consistent (nine last month vs.