Community Preservation Act

Council Asked to Weigh in on Who Should Select Community Preservation Committee

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The Town Council will be asked to decide who should appoint certain members of the Community Preservation Committee – the Council itself or the Town Manager. 

The Community Preservation Committee will make recommendations on how Watertown’s Community Preservation Act (CPA) money will be spent. The Town Council ultimately approves the projects, which must fall into at least one of three categories – affordable housing, historic preservation and open space/recreation. Towns and cities can decide who will be part of their Community Preservation Committee, but five positions are mandated by the state statues: member of the Planning Board, a member of the Conservation Commission, a member of the Historical Commission, a member of the Housing Authority Board and a member of the Parks Commission. Those members are chosen by their respective board or committee. Watertown does not have a Parks Commission, so the Council’s Rules and Ordinances subcommittee decided Monday night to have someone who “acts in the capacity or performs like duties of the Board of Park Commissioners.”

Police/Fire

Grand Jury Indicts Watertown Man on 2 Charges of Child Rape

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Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office announced the grand jury indictment of a Watertown man on multiple counts, including rape of a child. Brian Colangelo, 19, was charged with rape of a child (2 counts) and indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 (2 counts), according to the press release from Ryan’s office. The indictment stems from an arrest of Colangelo by Watertown Police in December 2016.

Around Town

Watertown Boy, Age 2, Needs 24 Hour Nursing Care; Family Struggles to Find Nurses

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At the age of 8 months, a Watertown boy named Lucca needed an emergency tracheotomy and now he requires round-the-clock nursing care. His family has found, however, that there are not enough in-home care nurses available to meet his needs. Lucca must have fluids suctioned every half hour to keep his airways clear. He has been authorized to receive 63 hours of in-home nursing care each week, and his family mostly uses the nurses at night so they can sleep, according to his family. Massachusetts faces a shortage of Continuous Skilled Nursing care, in part because of the low pay rates (often $20 an hour or less) due to the state’s reimbursement rate.

Arsenal Mall

Developers Creating Guidelines for Arsenal Yards, Must be Approved by Planning Board

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Developers of the Arsenal Yards announced plans to renovated the oldest buildings in the current Arsenal Mall to bring new life to them while adding a look reminiscent of the past. However, the anchor tenants will get more leeway to diverge from the historic look. Representatives from Boylston Properties, The Wilder Cos. and their design team discussed their plans for the first phase of the Arsenal Yards project at a Community Meeting on Thursday night. This phase includes the renovation of Building A (where Marshall’s is located) and Building E (which now houses Old Navy).

Government

Hearing to be Held for Trees Scheduled to be Removed from Watertown

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The Watertown Tree Warden will hold a Tree Hearing this week to review the removal of eight trees from the streets of Watertown. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, April 26 at 11:30 a.m. in the Lower Hearing Room in Town Hall, 149 Main Street, Watertown. Theses are the locations of, the size and types of trees:

Location
DBH
Type of Tree

159 Boylston St
10”
Norway maple

22 Irma Ave
20 “
Norway maple

11 Hovey St
20”
Norway maple

86 Hovey St
17”
Norway maple

164 Chapman St
28”
Sugar maple

407 Mt. Auburn St
12”
Linden

415 Mt. Auburn St
15”
Linden

36 Edenfield Ave
18”
Norway maple

Real Estate

Four Homes Around Watertown Sold This Week

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Two homes in Watertown sold this week. $925,000 – 278 Belmont St., 3 unit, 15 total room, 6 total bedroom, 3 Family – 3 Units Up/Down multi-family home

$557,000 – 28 Rose Ave. Unit 28, 7 room, 3 bedroom, 2 full bathroom, Townhouse condo/townhouse

Sponsored by:

$590,000 – 40 Elmwood Ave. Unit 40, 8 room, 5 bedroom, 2 full bathroom, Townhouse condo/townhouse

$510,000 – 36 California St. Unit 36, 7 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, Half-Duplex condo/townhouse

Entertainment

Movie About the Armenian Genocide Opens This Weekend

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The Promise, which chronicles the Armenian Genocide and stars Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac, opens this weekend in Boston area cinemas. 

The movie is set in the last days of the Ottoman Empire just before World War I. Bale is an American war correspondent and Isaac is an Armenian apothecary. The movie’s reviews on sites such as Rotten Tomatoes have not been great, but producers believe there is an organized effort by those who deny the Armenian Genocide to give the movie low marks, according to CBS News. Bale told CBS that efforts to make the film had been stopped due to influence from Turkey, but it was bankrolled by the late Armenian-American businessman Kirk Kerkorian invested $100 million before he died in 2015. The Promise is rated PG-13 and runs 2 hours 14 minutes. It is playing locally at the West Newtown Cinema, the Capitol Theatre in Arlington, Apple Cinemas in at Cambridge’s Fresh Pond, Showcase SuperLux at The Street in Chestnut Hill, Regal Fenway, AMC Loews Boston Common and AMC Assembly Row.

Arsenal Mall

Redevelopment of Arsenal Mall Now Includes a 145-Room Hotel

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The firms behind the redevelopment of the Arsenal Mall have added a 145-room hotel along Arsenal Street to their plans. Boylston Properties announced that they plan to put a Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton in what is known as Building B in their master plan for what is now called Arsenal Yards. Jeff Heidelberg, project manager for Boylston Properties, said that the hotel is replacing what was originally planned to be a 79-unit residential building. The difference in the number of hotel rooms compared to residential units is because hotel rooms are smaller than the apartments. Town Council President Mark Sideris said in the announcement that he welcomes the hotel and Steve Magoon, the Assistant Town Manager and Community Development and Planning Director, said it adds to the economic diversity of the project.