Real Estate

Watertown Victorian Selling for Just Under $1 Million, One of Many Open Houses

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Watertown has many open houses to visit this weekend, with a mix of condos, townhouses and some single families. $999,999 – 137 Marshall St., 12 room, 7 bed, 3 bath victorian, Open House: Saturday 11:30-1

$575,000 – 27 Church Lane, 6 room, 3 bed, 2 bath cape, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

$789,900 – 118-120 Waverley Ave., 2 unit, 13 total room, 4 total bedroom, Open House: Sunday 12-2:30

$479,900 – 31 Charles St., 6 room, 3 bed, 1 bath cape, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

$449,000 – 53 Crawford St. Unit 2, 6 room, 3 bed, 1 bath 2/3 family, Open House: Sunday 12-2

$414,900 – 478-480 Main St. Unit 480, 6 room, 2 bed, 1 bath 2/3 family, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

$699,900 – 32 Harrington St. Unit 32, 7 room, 3 bed, 3.5 bath townhouse, Open House: Sunday 1:30-3

$699,900 – 30 Harrington St.

Around Town

Watertown Man Tells the History of His Hometown in His New Book

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A town resident has tried to capture Watertown’s place in the history of the nation and the world in his new book, The World and Watertown. Greg Beach, 28, has worked in education, but also enjoys writing. He wanted to write a book about Watertown history for a number of years, but it was when the Boston Marathon Bombers came to Watertown in 2013, and the following year’s Marathon that really pushed him to make the book a reality. It also spurred in his mind the links Watertown has to history that has touched the nation. “I talk about the (the Watertown Shootout and Manhunt), and also that my experience as a Watertown Middle School student,” Beach said, noting that he went to the school during some major events in American history: the 2000 Presidential Election when he was in sixth grade, the Sept.

Around Town

Watertown Dance School Hosting Free Open House for Range of Ages

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Watertown-based dance school the School of Dance with Sara will host an open house on July 12 with free classes. The dance school will host the open house will be held at First Parish Church, 35 Church St. in Watertown. The workshop schedule is:

Twinkle Toe Ballet (2 years) 10-10:30 a.m.

Toddler Ballet (3-4 years) 10:45-11:15 p.m.

Ballet & Hip-Hop (5-6 years) 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Junior Hip-Hop (7-10 years) 1-1:30 p.m.

Surprise Dances (Open to All Levels) 1:45-3 p.m.

Registration for fall classes will be available during the open house. For more information go to: www.dancewithsara.com

Letters

LETTER: Don’t Sacrifice the Open Space Feel of Victory Field for Athletics

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I attended one of the June subcommittee meetings on Victory Field renovations.  As with many projects, it is difficult to organize the “general public” to attend. And it is natural that those whose work is directly affected (sports directors from high school, recreation dept. and youth) are an integral part of this project, and will speak in favor of their needs. But in the effort to accommodate their needs, we can lose the identity of this open space, which has served the general public for decades, improving health and building community, in an informal way. By adding many fixed physical objects to the field for organized sports, we may make the field uninviting for casual play, and we may lose flexibility to use this space for future needs.

Development

Developers of Morse Street Project Go Back to Drawing Board Again

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The developers seeking to turn the commercial building that used to be home to a massage school into an apartment complex will go back to the drawing board for a second time in hopes of getting approval from the Watertown Zoning Board of Appeals. The 101-103 Morse Street project shown to the ZBA on June 28 changed from the initial proposal submitted to the ZBA in April. The number of units was reduced from 44 to 40. Three pairs of one-bedroom units were combined to make three two-bedroom units, while two more one-bedrooms were combined to make a three-bedroom unit, said owner and developer Kamran Shahbazi. 

Other changes include: adding four feet to the width driveway to make it 22 feet in total, moving the garbage dumpster from next to an abutting property to against the building, and moving air conditioner condensers from ground level to the roof of the building, said architect Gary Hendren. Board members said that they have concerns about the quality of the proposed apartments.

Government

Deadline for Comments on Arsenal Street Study Coming Up Soon

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State transportation officials will be taking input from people about the proposed changes to Arsenal Street and other streets in the area through July 10. 
Some changes proposed include redesigning Watertown Square and removing one road from the intersection, improving bus service and improving bicycle accommodations. Click here to see more information on the proposals in the Arsenal Corridor Study Final Draft. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation sent out the following announcement:

MassDOT is conducting the Arsenal Street Corridor Study in Watertown. This study has developed alternatives that are intended to improve transportation conditions on Arsenal Street between Galen Street and Birmingham Parkway. The study has proposed improvements to vehicular, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian uses of the corridor, with a targeted focus on enhancements to bus service along Arsenal Street and locations where the bus service ties into other crossing bus routes. The Draft Final Report was released in June and the project team recently hosted a public information meeting. Comments on the report will be accepted through Monday, July 10, 2017.

Entertainment

Hal McIntyre Orchestra Plays Tribute to Frank Sinatra at Free Concert Thursday

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The Hal McIntyre Orchestra, led by Watertown’s own Don Pentleton, will perform a tribute to Frank Sinatra during Thursday’s free Watertown Summer Concert. The 14 piece Big Band will play with Steve Marvin vocalist at Saltonstall Park at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 6. While the band is named after the alto saxophonist who played with the Glen Miller Orchestra, after McIntyre passed away his estate asked Pentleton to continue the tradition. Pentleton, a Watertown High School graduate, played drums with the Glen Miller Band, the Guy Lombardo Orchestra, and with Skitch Henderson, Ella Fitzgerald and comedians Phyllis Diller, Pat Cooper, Frankie Fontaine, and Georgie Jessel. He now conducts the orchestra.