Around Town

New Community Gardens Going in at Arsenal Park, Help Needed to Build Beds

By |

Watertown Community Gardens will be opening some new plots at Arsenal Park, but before gardeners can start planting the planters must be built.

The former street hockey area at Arsenal Park will be the location for the new garden plots, said Terese Hammerle, chair of the board of Watertown Community Gardens. “Between the tennis courts and the basketball courts, we will build raised beds on the solid surface,” Hammerle said. A work day will be held on July 23 (with a rain date of July 24). Volunteers are needed to build the planters, Hammerle said. Once completed, there will be around 50 new plots for Watertown residents to farm.

Around Town

Celebrate Two Major Events in the History of Watertown & the U.S.

By |

Watertown history goes well past to the beginnings of the United States, and it hosted two major events in 1776 – the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Massachusetts and the signing of the FIRST EVER treaty made by the United States. The Historical Society of Watertown will host a reenactment and celebration of both of these events on Treaty Day 2016, on Saturday, July 16, 2016 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

The event will be held at the Edmund Fowle House and Museum, at 28 Marshall St. in Watertown. The home is home to the Historical Society and dates back to 1772. The Historical Society sent out the following information:

 

Come to this annual event marking the first time the Declaration of Independence was read to the citizens of our new nation in Watertown on July 18, 1776.

Government

A Few Meetings That Might Interest You This Week

By |

The Fourth of July Week is not all about vacations and beaches. Town and Watertown School officials have a few meetings that could be important to you. Transportation Projects
Tuesday night the Town Council’s Transportation subcommittee will discuss two major transportation proposals – the Transportation Demand Management policy and the Transportation Management Association. Transportation Demand Management is a proposed policy to require new developments to reduce the number of people commuting alone in cars. The policy has five main components:

Threshold for requiring a TDM
Traffic management targets
What does the program achieve
Monitoring the progress after implementation
Consequences for not meeting the targets

The issue was first discussed in April, and details will be discussed at the meeting.

Around Town

Police Log: Man Arrested Twice in 2 Days, Woman Attacked for Asking Driver to Slow Down

By |

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
June 21, 2:50 p.m.: An officer patrolling on Belmont Street spotted a man driving a brown Hyundai. The officer recognized the man and knew he had a suspended license. The officer pulled the driver over and placed him under arrest for driving with a suspended license, a subsequent offense. The driver made bail and left the Police Station. At 12:50 a.m. on June 22, an officer patrolling on Belmont Street saw the same man driving the same brown Hyundai. As police watched, the driver failed to stop at a stop sign. The officer knew the driver had been arrested the previous day and he confirmed his license was still revoked. The 50-year-old Watertown man was arrested again for driving with a suspended license, a subsequent offense, O’Connor said.

Real Estate

Here are the Eight Homes That Sold in Watertown This Week

By |

See the eight homes that sold this week in Watertown. $920,000 – 77 Summer St. Unit 77, 8 room, 4 bedroom, 3 full & 2 half bathroom, Other (See Remarks) single-family home

$527,500 – 18 Dwight St., 6 room, 3 bedroom, 1 full & 1 half bathroom, single-family home

$598,000 – 29 Harrington St. Unit 29, 6 room, 3 bedroom, 3 full & 1 half bathroom, Townhouse condo/townhouse

$563,000 – 34 Partridge St., 7 room, 3 bedroom, 1 full & 1 half bathroom, Ranch single-family home

Sponsored by:

$451,000 – 708 Belmont St. Unit 708 6 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, 2/3 Family condo/townhouse

$660,500 – 107 Stoneleigh Road, 6 room, 3 bedroom, 1 full & 1 half bathroom, Cape single-family home

$821,805 – 14-16 Marlboro Ter., 2 unit, 13 total room, 6 total bedroom, 2 Family – 2 Units Up/Down multi-family home

$460,000 – 44-46 Carver Road East Unit 2, 7 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, 2/3 Family condo/townhouse

Arrests

Man Protests Speeding Ticket by Sitting in the Street – Gets Arrested

By |

A man did not agree that he deserved a speeding ticket and he decided to do his own sit in, which resulted in him being arrested. On June 25 at 10:29 p.m., an officer saw a car traveling at a high rate of speed on Arsenal Street. The officer followed and observed the car weaving between cars, and appeared to be trying to evade police, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. The officer caught up with the vehicle on Main Street and pulled it over. He issued a ticket to the driver, who was adamant that he was not speeding, O’Connor said.

Weather

Strong Thunderstorms Expected Friday PM, Tornado Watch in Western Mass

By |

A line of thunderstorms are forecast to hit Watertown late Friday afternoon and evening, and more severe weather is forecast for the Western part of the state. 

The National Weather service forecast calls for some strong to severe thunderstorms to roll into the Boston area Friday, with the worst period between 9 p.m. to midnight. The storms could produce lighting, high winds, heavy rain and hail. In Western Massachusetts and Eastern Upstate New York, the National Weather Service has called a Tornado Watch for this evening. The timing of the worst of the storms is likely to be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday in Western Mass., according to the National Weather Service.

Government

35 Years Ago Watertown Underwent a Monumental Change & Became a City

By |

Thirty-five years ago Watertown voters made an earth shifting decision to  completely changed the way the town is run and likely put it on course for some of the changes seen today. In 1980 the town voted to become a city, at least in form of government, if not in name. 

The new government took effect on 35 years ago today: July 1, 1981. Known as a city form of government, with a Town Council and a town manager, it brought in professional management and sped up decision making. Some say it took away some of resident’s voice and power in town issues. Town Meeting
In the 1970s, Watertown used the form of government seen in many towns around Massachusetts – town meeting.