Schools

Sign Up for the Annual Watertown Education Foundation Spelling Bee

By |

It’s time to sign up for the annual Watertown Education Foundation Spelling Bee! The WEF sent out the following information:

The Watertown Education Foundation in conjunction with the three Elementary PTO’s, is hosting the 6th annual Spelling Bee on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 for grades 1-5. All of the funds generated will go directly back to the respective PTOs. The format for this Bee is different than the popular notion of a “traditional” spelling bee – one child standing alone on a stage in front an auditorium full of people.

Environment

Watertown DPW Receives Grant to Reduce Water Pollution, Improve Quality

By |

The Town of Watertown has been awarded a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to fund various planning activities that support identification and implementation of green infrastructure and other techniques to reduce non-point source pollution and improve water quality in impaired waters, the Department of Public Works announced. The term non-point source pollution refers to contaminants that are carried to a waterway as a result of precipitation and stormwater runoff from the land or infiltration into the soil. Common types of non-point source pollution include phosphorus and nitrogen from lawn and garden fertilizers, bacteria from pet waste and waterfowl, oil and grease from parking lots and roadways and sediment from construction activities and soil erosion. Stormwater from the Town’s drainage system flows directly to the Charles River without treatment and is one of many contributors to pollution in the river. Green infrastructure is an approach to managing stormwater. Instead of flowing through downspouts, pipes, and other engineered systems directly to water bodies, green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and other natural elements to reduce the amount of stormwater and stormwater pollutants.

Real Estate

Several Open Houses to Choose From in Watertown This Week

By |

There are a number of open houses in Watertown this week, including some new listings

$679,900 – 5-7 Mangano Ct., 2 unit, 10 total room, 4 total bedroom 2 family, Open House: Saturday 12-2 p.m. Sunday 12-2 p.m.

$599,900 – 70 Lincoln St., 10 room, 5 bed, 2f 0h bath colonial, Open House: Sunday 12-1:30 p.m.

$734,900 – 1 Oakley Road Unit 1, 7 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse, Open House: Sunday 1-2:30 p.m.

$550,000 – 121 Lexington St., 7 room, 4 bed, 1 bath colonial, Open Houses: Friday 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Saturday 12-1:30 p.m.

Sponsored by:

$555,000 – 24-26 Morse St. Unit 2, 8 room, 4 bed, 1.5 bath 2/3 family, Open House: Sunday 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

$549,000 – 123 Waverley Ave. Unit 123, 7 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 p.m. Sunday 12-1:30 p.m.

$965,000 – 24-26 Morse St., 2 unit, 14 total room, 7 total bedroom 2 family, Open House: Sunday 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

$475,000 – 24-26 Morse St. Unit 1, 6 room, 3 bed, 1.5 bath townhouse, Open House: Sunday 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Schools

Watertown School Enrollment Projected to Grow Faster in the Next 10 Years

By |

Watertown’s schools could grow twice as fast in the next decade as it did the previous 10 years, with new enrollment projections anticipating more than 200 coming to town schools by 2025. On Tuesday night the School Committee heard from John M. Kennedy from the New England School Development Council (NESDEC), who provided some historical data and looked to the future. Over the last 10 years, enrollment has risen quite steadily, Kennedy said, from 2,377 for grades K-12 in 2005-06 to 2,474 in 2015-16, or an average of nearly 10 a year. He noted there have been some blips along the way, including dropping by 138 students in 2014-15 and adding back 43 in 2015-16. Kennedy looked at future enrollment, and used births, the number of building permits issued for housing and the demand for housing to make his projections.

Development

LETTER: Resident Offers Recommendations to Council on RMUD Zoning

By |

Dear Town Councilors et al.,

Please consider the following recommendations regarding the proposed rezoning of the eastern end of the Arsenal Street corridor. Some of the following will be familiar to some of you, some of it is new. The Process:

Timing: It is more important to thoroughly consider the details of rezoning than to enact a rezoning by any particular date. If there are concerns about potential of-right development under the current zoning, a brief moratorium on large development in the proposed RMU area, until the rezoning is adopted, would be appropriate. Evaluate as a package: The rezoning should be evaluated as a package.

Eating

Greek Restaurant Closes its Location in Watertown

By |

The Aegean Restaurant has closed its doors after more than a decade in Watertown. 

The Greek restaurant opened in town in 2001, according to the restaurant’s website. Located at 640 Arsenal St., across from Miller’s Ale House, Aegean closed at the end of December. The closing was “beyond the owner’s control,” according to the report on Boston.com. While the Watertown location closed, Aegean’s location in Framingham remains open.

Development

New Mixed-Use Project on Pleasant St. to be Discussed at Community Meeting

By |

A community meeting will be held to discuss a proposed mixed-use project at 330-350 Pleasant Street. The Community Meeting will be held in the Community Room at the Watertown Police Headquarters, 552 Main St. on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016 starting at 7 p.m.

The meeting sponsored by Councilor Ken Woodland and the Petitioner’s Project Design Team. The project is located on Pleasant Street near the intersection with Rosedale Road. For more information, please contact Terry Morris at tpmorris.landuse.law@comcast.net, or 617-202-9132.

Sports

AAU Basketball Team Hosting Tryouts for Boys, Girls in Grades 4-11

By |

The ASA Mass Wildcats AAU basketball team will hold tryouts for girls and boys in grades 4-11 in January. The tryouts will be held on Jan. 16 – click here to see the schedule. The girls program is led by Watertown High School girls basketball coach Pat Ferdinand, and will have tryouts at the Meadowbank School in Weston. The boys will have tryouts in a variety of locations, including Newton, Framingham and Southborough.