Around Town

Watertown-Cambridge Greenway Construction Schedule Announced

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The last section of the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway, a bike and pedestrian path, will begin construction in late summer or early fall. 

A letter sent out by Leo Roy, commissioner of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), announced that the project will begin soon, and will create 1.25 miles of path along the former Boston & Maine Railroad tracks between Arlington Street/Nichols Avenue/Crawford Street intersection in Watertown and the entrance to the Cambridge Water Department at Fresh Pond. It will connect to the section already completed from Arlington Street to School Street in Watertown which is also referred to as the Community Path. “The trail will offer additional opportunities for transportation and passive and active recreation and physical activity, while promoting community and economic growth through increased connectivity,” Roy wrote. “The multi-use Greenway will provide an important regional connection linking the Charles River Path system, the Minuteman Bikeway, the Alewife Greenway and the Mystic River Reservation into an interconnected off-road pathway network.” The new section of the path will be 12 foot wide paved trail with two foot wide grass strips along both sides, according to the letter.

Around Town

Hundreds Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Watertown Senior Center

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In the early 1990s, having a place for seniors in Watertown to call their own and run activities aimed at older adults was just a dream, but that changed 25 years ago. On Friday, the Watertown Senior Center’s anniversary celebration was so large even the center on Marshall Street could not hold all those wanting to join in the fun. 

Most years, the Senior Center’s birthday celebration draws 90-100 people, but for the 25th anniversary nearly double that amount filled 20 tables at Hibernian Hall. The Celebration included lunch, a raffle and dancing to music from the Phil Cefalo Band. The Senior Center’s own Mellowtones also performed. The ground breaking for the Watertown Senior Center took place on June 11, 1993.

Environment

Teens Spending the Summer Mapping & Indentifying Watertown’s Street Trees

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A group of about a dozen teens from Watertown will fan out around town this summer to find out where the street trees are, and where they could be planted. The Teens for Trees program started last summer, when half a dozen students learned about trees, met with experts and combed the streets of Watertown to find trees in need of help. This year the students will be more focused, said program coordinator David Meshoulam, who said the teens will be mapping street trees in Watertown to create an inventory. “There were 4,000-5,000 trees when the last inventory was done in 2008,” Meshoulam said. “A lot has happened since that time: a lot of development, a lot of trees have been taken down and a lot have been planted.”

Police/Fire

Police Log: Packages Stolen from Apartment Building, Woman Busted for Break Ins

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrest
June 5, 7:08 p.m.: A woman wanted for breaking into to two halves of a two-family home on May 28 was arrested by Watertown Police. The woman was spotted by a man living in the downstairs unit when she was walking through his living room. Then she was seen by the upstairs resident taking a tool bag from his home. Later that day she was seen carrying two white milk crates full of  sporting equipment.

Real Estate

See the Watertown Homes That Sold This Week

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Five Watertown homes sold this week, see details below. $499,000 – 43 Edenfield Ave. Unit 43, 4 room, 2 bedroom, 2 full & 1 half bathroom, condo/townhouse

$870,000 – 362-364 Arlington St., 2 unit, 13 total room, 5 total bedroom, 2 Family multi-family home

$489,000 – 146 Edenfield Ave. Unit 146, 6 room, 3 bedroom, 2 full bathroom, Townhouse

Sponsored by:

$420,000 – 10 Williams St. Unit 35, 4 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, High-Rise condo/townhouse

$545,000 – 91 Spring St.

Around Town

Watertown Holds Flags Retirement Ceremony, One of the Only Ones in the Area

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A solemn ceremony was held at Watertown’s Ridgelawn Cemetery on Thursday afternoon. Not a burial service, but a retirement of the Star Spangled Banner which flew over Town Hall as part of the Town’s Flag Day Retirement of Colors Ceremony. This was the second year in recent memory that Watertown’s Veterans groups held the flag retirement ceremony. “These flags serve as a constant reminders to all of us that we live in a country where our freedom has been deeply purchased by blood, sweat, tears, and ultimate sacrifice,” said Watertown Veterans’ Agent Mark Comeiro. “To all who shall see these presents, Greetings!

101-103 Morse Street

Reduced Number of Apartments in Morse St. Project Pleases Planning Board

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Developers of the former massage school on Morse Street went back to the drawing board and came back with a new design for an apartment building that pleased that Planning Board. Wednesday night, the Planning Board voted to recommend to the Zoning Board (which will make the final decision on the project) that it approves the latest design. The project will need a special permit to switch from a commercial to a residential use. The first proposal sought to make 45 apartments in the complex at 101-103 Morse Street, just off Watertown Street. The Zoning Board told developers it was too dense, so the designers came back with a 40-unit apartment building in June 2017.

Arsenal Yards

See a Mock-Up of a Taller Tower at the Arsenal Yards Site

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On Monday, June 18, 2018, the developers of the Arsenal Yards project — the former Arsenal Mall — will hold a community meeting to discuss a proposed amendment to allow a building 67 feet higher (197 feet total) than allowed under current zoning. The Town has shared a slideshow that will be used at the meeting which shows a rendering of the taller tower. According to the slides, the taller tower would have the same number of units (122) as the 129-foot-tall tower, but would have a different look. Besides being taller, it would be thinner, and have more glass, according to the rendering. It would also have no studios, but would have a penthouse.