Arsenal Mall

Planning Board Approves Master Plan for Renovating Arsenal Mall

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The new look for the Arsenal Mall, which includes added retail and hundreds of residential units, received the approval from the Planning Board Wednesday night. 

The Arsenal Yards, as the mall will be known, was in front of the Planning Board for the third time, and the board voted unanimously to approve the master plan. Many supported the plan, but some had questions about the traffic and the size of the building in the project. The project adds more than 100,000 sq. ft. of commercial or retail space, and 503 apartments or condos, some of which will be in a 12-story building.

Government

Replacement of Library Carpet, Flooring Approved by Town Council

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With more than 3.5 million visitors since 2004, the carpets and flooring at the Watertown Free Public Library are showing their age. They will be replaced in a month-long project approved by the Town Council Tuesday night. Library Director Leone Cole said the library welcomes more than 30,000 visitors a month. So the carpeting and vinyl flooring needs to be replaced. The cost of the project is $259,400, and the town will borrow the money needed for the project, said Town Manager Michael Driscoll.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Gas Station Hit by Armed Robber, Man Asleep in Car Busted for OUI

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
Jan., 2 5:40 a.m.: A man was spotted sleeping in his vehicle in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven in Coolidge Square. Police officers found a black Nissan SUV with its engine running in the parking lot and a man reclined in the driver’s seat who appeared to be asleep. Officers awoke the man and detected signs of intoxication when they spoke with him. The man admitted to drinking alcohol before driving .

Around Town

Warm Weather Delays Opening of Outdoor Ice Rink, Rec Offering Other Programs

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The outdoor skating rink at Casey Park has been prepared for use this year, but Recreation Department officials are waiting for some cold weather to make the rink usable. Recreation Director Peter Centola sent out an announcement about the rink at the park on Watertown Street on Wednesday. “Due to the warm weather, the Casey Ice Palace is closed until further notice,” Centola said. Meanwhile, the Recreation Department has a number of other programs available beginning on Thursday. Centola sent out the following information:
We are hosting a Wrestling Program for children in grades 1-8 on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Watertown High School.

Schools

Superintendent Presents Budget Priorities for What Could be a Challenging Year

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The Watertown School budget could be a tight one during the 2017-18 school year, Interim Superintendent John Brackett told the School Committee Monday night. He added that any additions to the budget might require reductions other places. The budget process started in December with subcommittee hearings, and Monday night Brackett presented the budget priorities to the entire School Committee. “The days of adding programs or staff without looking at what we are doing, I think, are beyond us,” Brackett said. “The budget is being pressured just to keep level services.”

Entertainment

Watertown Cultural Council Awards Grants to 20 Local Groups

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The Watertown Cultural Council is pleased to announce its grant recipients for fiscal year 2017, awarding over $9,200 in grants to 20 organizations to support music, art, and science programs serving Watertown audiences from families, preschoolers and K-12 students to adults and seniors. FY2017 Grant Recipients:

Arsenal Center for the Arts, Black Box Series, workshop, performance, and post-performance Q&A session for Watertown students
Belmont World Film Festival
Carole Smith Berney, The Birds and Bees: How We Love Them, Why We Need Them at WFPL, Charles River, and local gardens
Cunniff Kids News, Watertown Splash, and Raider Times, student reporters to attend local theater performance, conduct interviews, and write reviews
Delvena Theatre Company, Murder a La Carte at the Watertown Senior Center
Flat Earth Theatre, Silent Sky at the Arsenal Center for the Arts
Friends of Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Meet the Instruments concert with Mary Bichner & the Planetary Quartet
The Genocide Education Project, educational guides for Watertown High School
Gore Place, The Art of Puppetry performance and workshops
Lowell Elementary School, Family Math and Technology Night
Mark Chester, The Faces of America: Teaching Tolerance
New Repertory Theatre, sold-out run of Fiddler on the Roof
Palaver Strings, interactive workshop and performance for WMS and WHS students whose special needs fall under the autism spectrum
Powers Music School, A Musical Story Program at the WFPL
Revels RiverSing
St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School field trip to Wheelock Family Theatre
Watertown Art Association, Elemental Forces: Water, Earth, Air and Fire
Watertown Family Network, intergenerational presentation of Seuss on the Loose
Watertown Middle School, Museum of Science traveling physics program to visit 8th grade
Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee, Public Art and Culture Kit: An Idea Book for Watertown and Developers

“This year’s WCC grant recipients highlight the range of interests and experiences within our community,” says Jonathan Hecht, State Representative for Watertown and Cambridge. “In what has become an increasingly divisive political climate, I’m pleased and proud to share this news of community efforts spanning music, theater, science, and history designed to inform, entertain, inspire, and draw people together.

Sports

Watertown Field Hockey Player Named to Team USA’s U17 National Team

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Jonna Kennedy’s play with the Watertown High School field hockey team has drawn national interest, and the junior goalie recently learned she was named to the United States’ Under 17 National Squad. The year was already a successful one for Kennedy, who helped guide the Raiders to their eighth straight state title as one of the team’s co-captains. She was on the way home from the team’s tryouts in Pennsylvania when she got the news. “I was first very excited to be invited to try out for the team but more excited when I heard that I made the U17 National Squad,” Kennedy said. “I’m just vey fortunate to have been coached well at WHS and on my club team, Boston Field Hockey Club.”