Government

Committee Debates Victory Field’s Dual Role as Athletic Complex and Park

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Plans to rehabilitate and renovate the track area at Victory Field began to take shape Tuesday night, but members of the Committee making recommendations about the project had trouble agreeing on some aspects of the project. The Ad Hoc Committee on Victory Field Phase II is made up of town officials, neighbors of the site and representatives of groups who use the site – the Watertown Public Schools and Watertown youth sports. The disagreements rose from the balance of the how much the use of the track and court areas should be athletics vs. being a public park and recreation area. What arose as an area of contention was something not for track and field, but a net to protect people from balls thrown or kicked by teams using the grass area inside the track.

Entertainment

Watertown Farmers Market Holding Grand Reopening Celebration

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The Watertown Farmers Market is back and this week organizers will celebrate with a grand reopening featuring music, art and activities, along with the all the vendors. The Farmers Market is held at the Arsenal on the Charles, in front of Panera, on Thursdays from 2-6 p.m.

The Farmers Market sent out the following announcement:

The Watertown Farmers’ Market is in full swing and to celebrate the new season we’re hosting a Grand Reopening Celebration! Come and join the festivities including live music, kids crafts, face painting, giveaways, and of course lots of local food! On your way into the market, be sure to stop by the Market Manager’s tent for free market giveaways (while supplies last) and sign up to be one of 4 lucky winners of $20 in market gift certificates! Join us each week for the very best of fresh, local food, meet the farmers and producers who make it all happen, and visit with good neighbors.

Bicycles

Protected Bike Lanes Included in Plans for Mt. Auburn Street Renovation

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The long-in-the-planning Mount Auburn Street renovation is taking shape, and Monday night plans for adding wider bike lanes to the major artery were shown to a packed meeting at Town Hall. The meeting brought together the Town Council’s Public Works subcommittee and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. It came about after a meeting in December 2016 during which residents brought up concerns that the safety of bicyclists were not being included in the planning for Mt. Auburn Street. Talks about the renovation of the road, which goes from Watertown Square through East Watertown to Cambridge, began several years ago.

Around Town

Watertown Scouts Clear Invasive Plant from Community Path

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Watertown Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts teamed up last week to fight an invasion impacting gardens and open space across town. 

The Scouts from Boy Scout Troop 30 and Girl Scout Troop 63051 spread out along the Watertown Community Path – also known as the Watertown Greenway – to pull out as much Black Swallow Wort as they could in one evening. The vine that has shiny, waxy dark green leaves, has found its way into Watertown in recent years, said Eric Cordeiro, one of the Scout leaders. “I have lived in the East End for 17 years and never seen it until 3 or 4 years ago,” Cordeiro said. The Boy Scouts waded into the knee-deep grass to root out the invasive vines. Asked how they identify the plants, 16-year-old Nick Cordeiro said: “They have black, small flower.”

Business

Watertown Vegan Eatery Announces It Has Served Its Last Meal

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Watertown’s Wild Rice Vegan Cafe has served its last meal, owners announced this week. The restaurant that featured locally sourced vegan world cuisine “in a casual café environment,” closed after being in business for about a year and a half. The restaurant is owned by the team that runs Red Lentil on Mt. Auburn Street. Wild Rice served breakfast, lunch and dinner in the spot formerly occupied by Grappa, on Elm Street.

Police/Fire

State Police Recovers Body from Charles River in Watertown

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The Massachusetts State Police recovered a body from the Charles River on Sunday morning, and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office does not consider the death suspicious. The State Police received a report from the Newton Yacht Club for a report of a body in the river on the Watertown side, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. “The body has been identified as an 84 year old Newton man. This death is not being considered suspicious and no foul play is suspected,” a statement from the Middlesex DA’s office said. The State Police Marine Unit and State Police Troop 11 from Brighton responded to the area of Charles River Road for the call that came in at 8:40 a.m., according to Lt. Tom Ryan of the State Police.

Schools

Watertown Middle School Classroom Kitchen Gets An Overhaul

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A kitchen used by students in the special education program at Watertown Middle School got a partial upgrade and improvement recently, bringing it into the current century. The kitchen is left over from a now defunct program at the Middle School, said Principal Kimo Carter. “Fifteen years ago we had a home economics program that got discontinued,” Carter said. “This room and the one beside it were the home ec rooms.” The room has counters, cabinets, a stove, refrigerator and microwave.

Government

School Subcommittee Recommends Adding Another Artificial Turf Field

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The demand for artificial turf field space has grown for Watertown High School’s athletic squads, and a School Committee subcommittee has recommended that the town install a second artificial turf field with lights somewhere in town. 

With football/baseball area of Victory Field covered in artificial turf it has allowed the area to be used for more hours and in more inclement weather, said WHS Athletic Director Michael Lahiff. However, there is a lot of demand for that space. In the fall, for instance, it is used by the football, field hockey, and boys soccer teams. However, the football team has priority because they cannot practice or play on the nearby Victory Field Track Oval because players would tear up the grass, Lahiff said. They are not the only team that wants to use the turf. “Field hockey wants to be on the turf, it’s a different game now (on artificial turf), and boys soccer prefers it,” Lahiff said.