Around Town

West Suburban YMCA Opens New Lodge Named After Watertown Educator

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West Suburban YMCAThe new Loch Lodge was recently completed at the West Suburban YMCA’s Camp Chickami in Wayland. The West Suburban YMCA celebrated the completion of Loch Lodge at Camp Chickami in Wayland on Oct. 17 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. 

West Suburban YMCAThe West Suburban YMCA held a ribbon cutting for the new Loch Lodge at Camp Chickami. Pictured, from left, Jim Lochiatto, Jack Fucci, Ned Morse, State Rep. Carmine Gentile, Lisa Hellmuth Thomas, Steven Kendall, Joe Albanese, and John Federico. The new multipurpose building is named in honor of Chickami legend Jim “Loch” Lochiatto, a longtime Watertown educator who was involved with the camp for more than 40 summers.  Y leaders will thank donors to its capital campaign during a ribbon-cutting ceremony with special guests including state Rep. Carmine Gentile. 

West Suburban YMCAA look inside the Loch Lodge at the West Suburban YMCA’s Camp Chickami.

Arts

Watertown Ceramics Studio Hosting Anniversary Celebration

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Ceramics studio Indigo Fire will be hosting a celebration at its Watertown location. The Double Anniversary Extravaganza Bananza will be held at the Indigo Fire location at 79R Grove St. in Watertown on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 4-7 p.m.

The event celebrates Indigo Fire’s 10 years in Belmont and one year in Watertown. There will be games, yoga, a raffle and prizes.

Homepage Featured

Several Watertown Students Injured in School Bus Accident

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A school bus carrying Watertown Public School students collided with a vehicle on Belmont Street on Oct. 19, 2022. Several students suffered minor injuries. Multiple students went to hospital after suffering injuries when a school bus carrying Watertown elementary school student got into an accident on Belmont Street on Wednesday morning. The bus had been carrying 44 students to the Lowell West campus at the former St.

Government

City Manager Wants to Prioritize Watertown Square Rejuvenation

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Charlie BreitroseImproving Watertown Square will be a priority for new City Manager George Proakis. During his preliminary budget presentation to the City Council, City Manager George Proakis said he has heard from a lot of people who want to see improvements made to Watertown Square. He wants to create a coordinated effort to improve the City’s downtown. Like the intersection at the crossroads on the Charles, improving the area requires looking at several prongs. During his first several weeks, Proakis said he has heard many opinions from many people about what to do with the Square.

Around Town

See When Watertown Residents Can Use BB&N Fields

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The BB&N fields will be open to use by Watertown residents on weekends. The following announcement was provided by the Recreation Department:

The Recreation Department is excited about the new Buckingham Browne & Nichols Athletic Facility which held its grand opening on September 8, 2022. This Complex is state of the art and will be utilized by the athletic and recreational programs offered by the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School as well as the Recreation Department, School Athletic Programs, Youth Groups and will be made available to “Free Play” for “Watertown Residents Only” at scheduled times. See the schedule below. Please follow all rules and regulations that are clearly marked at the facility.

Government

City Manager Commits to Building a New High School Without Sacrificing Education or Green Features

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Ai3 ArchitectsA rendering of the main entrance to Watertown High School from Columbia Street. Watertown has plans to build a new high school which will create enough energy to cover the amount needed to operate the building, be equipped with state of the art equipment and technology, and will educate students for decades to come. Even facing climbing construction costs, City Manager George Proakis vowed that the new school will be built.

Watertown will get a significant portion of the new high school reimbursed —  $44.2 million — by the State through the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The cost of the project approved by the state was $138.6 million, but since the approval in March the cost of construction has escalated. In July, the School Building Committee approved “value engineering” steps to use less costly materials and reduce the scope of the project to keep it on budget.

Government

Rodent Control Plan to be Discussed at Council Committee Meeting

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Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashThe City of Watertown is working on creating a rodent control plan. A City Council committee will discuss the problem of rats and other rodents in Watertown at a meeting on Oct. 24. The Committee on Human Services will discuss the problem and what can be done about it with members of the Health Department and the Department of Public Works. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Oct.