Development

Athenahealth Presents Latest Vision for Arsenal, Neighbors Unhappy with Garage

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Athenahealth hosted the public for the latest presentation of their vision for the Arsenal on the Charles complex, including details of traffic and parking, but neighbors remain dissatisfied with the proposal for a new garage on the west end of the campus. The company wants to transform the campus and make it more welcoming to the public, said Bob Corning, landscape architect from Stantec. “(athenahealth CEO) Jonathan Bush’s vision is to make the campus much more permeable and open to the public,” Corning said. “We want to make a more pedestrian oriented campus and improve stormwater management.” Thursday night’s meeting was the second community meeting following the one on Nov.

Government

Council Notebook: New Council Clerk, Resident Petition & Committee Assignments

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The Town Council approved a hiring a new Council Clerk, but they also decided to change the way the person is hired next time around. 

Town Council President Mark Sideris announced his pick for the position of Council Clerk – Marilyn Pronovost. She comes to the job with experience working in local government as well as working for a technology company. She has a bachelor’s degree from Westfield State and a law degree from Suffolk University. Some councilors wondered if she was, essentially, overqualified for the position. Pronovost was asked about that by town Personnel Director Gayle Shattuck and Town Auditor Tom Tracy when they interviewed her, Sideris said, and they were satisfied with her answer.

Real Estate

Check Out All the Open Houses This Week Around Watertown

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There are plenty of open houses to check out this weekend in town. $319,000 – 29 Aldrich Road Unit 1, 4 room, 2 bed, 1 bath low-rise, Open House

$284,900 – 12 Riverside St. Unit 3-4, 4 room, 2 bed, 1 bath low-rise, Open House

$209,000 – 26 Carey Ave. Unit 10, 4 room, 2 bed, 1f 0h bath low-rise, Open House

Sponsored by:

$555,000 – 24-26 Morse St. Unit 2, 8 room, 4 bed, 1.5 bath 2/3 family, Open House

$965,000 – 24-26 Morse St.

Development

Citizens Group Trying to Make Sense of RMUD, Propose Recommendations

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If you don’t know what the RMUD is and what it means for Watertown, yet, you should find out. That is exactly the task members of the citizen-run Sustainable Watertown has undertaken. The group has organized four meetings to wade through the complexities of the proposed Regional Mixed Use District that encompasses the two malls in town and other nearby properties on Arsenal Street, Elm Street and Coolidge Avenue. The zoning would change the area from an industrial one to one where a mix of things would be allowed, including retail, office and residential. As proposed now it would allow taller buildings, and could get close to natural resources such as the Charles River and Arsenal Park.

Around Town

Watertown Author Seeks Help Publishing Her Book on Being in a Psychiatric Ward

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For years, Catilin Basile has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals, but she found that the best therapy was writing about her experiences. Now she is raising money to get her memoir professionally edited and published. The 30-year-old Watertown resident has spent the last decade in and out of hospital, emergency rooms and therapy. It got so bad that she was told by McLean Hospital that she was not welcome because she was labeled “unable to be treated.” Her journaling, however, has helped her stay out of hospital for the longest spell in years – nine month.

Around Town

Mount Auburn Hospital’s Hospice Program Receives $50,000 Grant

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Mount Auburn Hospital’s CareGroup Parmenter Home Care & Hospice, Inc. has been awarded a $50,000 Grief Reach grant from the New York Life Foundation. The grant will help to expand CareGroup Parmenter Home Care & Hospice Inc.’s award-winning free child bereavement program, HEART play to the greater Boston area. The program, now in its 21st year uses creative arts to help children and teens cope with the illness or death of a loved one. “We are grateful to the New York Life Foundation for this grant. This award will enable us to develop community partnerships with agencies in the greater Boston area to serve children and teens affected by the death of a significant person in their lives.

Double Poles

Town Council Getting Serious About Removing Double Utility Poles

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Members of the Town Council are sick and tired about the double utility poles that are a common sight around Watertown, and threatened to deny new utility and cable permits if they are not removed. On Tuesday, the Council heard four requests for petitions from utilities looking install new lines or new poles around town. Two of them were for the new CVS under construction in Coolidge Square, and both were on double poles. The double poles go up when one pole is old or damaged, and the wires have not been transferred to the new pole. This has long been an issue for the Council.

Around Town

Grant Creates Programs for Residents 55+ on Mental Health First Aid, Financial Literacy

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The Marshall Home Fund (MHF) is pleased to announce financial support for two new training programs to benefit Watertown residents ages 55 and over. The trainings to be provided by Wayside Youth & Family Support Multi Service Center this spring will offer older adult residents important skills and information related to 1) “Mental Health First Aid” and 2) financial literacy for retirees and those interested in retirement planning. “We are glad to see a grant like this especially as we look to issues that are arising in our community. The two most prevalent are elder money management and how to assess mental health concerns in a loved one,” stated Seda Aghamianz, Chair of MHF’s Allocations Committee, which awarded this off-cycle grant to Wayside at the end of 2015. National training program teaches about crisis management, resilience, and recovery Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a national training certification program where members of the general public learn the signs and symptoms of mental illness, how to de-escalate crisis situations and provide comfort, and when and where to refer someone for services. It also teaches about recovery and resiliency — “the belief that individuals experiencing these challenges can and do get better, and use their strengths to stay well.”

Wayside already has MHFA certified many individuals from a variety of groups in town, and is eager to extend this opportunity to older adults who have adult children with mental health and substance use disorders, as well as those who are raising grandchildren and need information and resources to help them better manage challenges their family members may experience.