Courts

Recreation Department Releases Complete List of Closed Facilities

By |

The tot lot installed at the 552 Main Street Park. Some Watertown recreation department facilities, such as parks and fields, will reopen for passive use next week, but many other amenities will remain closed. In Phase 1 of Gov. Baker’s reopening plan, Watertown parks and playing fields will be reopening on June 3 only to Watertown residents, but no congregating, group activities or games will be allowed. Recreation Department Director Peter Centola said that the following Recreation Department amenities will remain closed and will be considered for reopening when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts enters Phase 2 of the Reopening Plan:

basketball courtstennis courtsdog parkspicnic tables and areas playgrounds/tot lotsmultipurpose courtsskateboard parkthe turf field at Victory Field

Around Town

Watertown Parks Opening Next Week; Library, Senior Center Remain Closed

By |

Filippello Park’s two athletic fields, picnic area, playground and more draw lots of visitors. Watertown’s parks will reopen next week after the COVID-19 shutdown, but the playgrounds, courts, the library and the Senior Center will remain closed. Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced the latest openings in his weekly COVID-19 update. He also updated the Town’s Coronavirus statistics, and there were no COVID-19 related deaths of residents since last Friday. There were 10 more confirmed positive cases, bringing the total to 383, and the total number of people who have recovered is 301 (47 more than last week).

Around Town

Watertown Chiropractors: Have Dinner on Us!

By |

Doctors from the Specific Chiropractic Centers – Boston, from left, Rich Baez, Bill Trevens and Andrew Welsch. A Watertown chiropractic center decided to lend a hand and bring a little cheer into people’s lives during the struggles of the COVID-19 outbreak. The doctors at Specific Chiropractic Centers – Boston, located in Watertown Square, have been going around town to different restaurants and donating money so that people can get a free meal. One of the doctors, Rich Baez, said he and his partners, Bill Trevens and Andrew Welsch, felt it is  import to help people pull through the outbreak and shutdown together. 

“We’ve been trying to help our community out during this time,” Baez said. “We have been sponsoring local restaurants.

Development

Zoning Board OKs Landscaping Business on Mt. Auburn St.

By |

A drawing of the plans for the property at 735 Mt. Auburn St., which is becoming a landscaping company office with space for three pickup trucks. The eight spots on the bottom left of the drawing will be four extra long spaces. A landscaping business got approval from the Zoning Board Wednesday night to alter a former auto repair garage on Mt. Auburn Street and use the property as an office with a small garage on the property.

Around Town

School Officials Discuss Construction Projects, Remote Learning on Cable Show

By |

The latest episode of Inside Watertown focuses on the Watertown Public Schools during COVID-19, and what’s going on with the school construction projects. Superintendent Dede Galdston and Town Council President Mark Sideris joined co-hosts Charlie Breitrose and John Airasian via Zoom to talk about the schools. Galdston discussed the evolution of remote learning in Watertown after the COVID-19 outbreak closed the schools. She also touched on planning for next fall, when she hopes students and teachers will be back in their classrooms.

Meanwhile, the construction of the new Cunniff and Hosmer schools are moving full speed ahead. The episode was filmed before the School Building Committee approved the $103 million contract with Brait Building Corp.

Business

Town Looking for Ways to Allow More Outdoor Seating at Restaurants During COVID-19

By |

Watertown Town Hall

Restaurants could soon be reopening for in-house dining, but they will have limited capacity due to the state’s COVID-19 protocols. Watertown officials have started looking for ways to allow for restaurants to have outside seating, and how they can streamline the application process. Under the four phase plan outlined by Gov. Charlie Baker last week, restaurants would be allowed to reopen in phase 2, but would have to allow for social distancing inside the restaurant which would reduce capacity. This phase would start, at the earliest, three weeks after the start of the reopening plan, which began on May 18. Allowing outdoor seating at restaurants that do not have it currently, or expanding it at those that do, requires approval for both zoning and licensing changes.

Around Town

Sen. Brownsberger Surveying Residents About COVID-19 and the MBTA

By |

State Sen. Will Brownsberger

State Sen. Will Brownsberger’s latest survey seeks to find out how the COVID-19 outbreak has impacted how people work and if they are using public transportation. Brownsberger, who represents Watertown Belmont and parts of Boston, posted the survey on his website on Tuesday evening. Questions include what people’s work situations are (working from home, going into work, unemployed), what people did before the outbreak and their plans for when the state reopens. Also, how much people are using the MBTA now, previously, and plans in the future. There are also questions about Massachusetts’ response to the Coronavirus and how financially secure people are feeling.