Around Town

President of Environmental League of Mass. Speaking at Local Gathering

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Watertown Citizens will welcome a special guest from the Environmental League of Massachusetts at its annual meeting. 

George Bachrach, president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts, will be the featured speaker at Watertown Citizens Annual Meeting. All are invited to attend. He will speak on “The State of the Environmental Movement in Massachusetts: Information, Education, Advocacy.”

“This event will be a good opportunity for people to learn firsthand about current Massachusetts environmental issues from a leader whose position puts him at the center of environmental policy as viewed by lawmakers, administrators, advocates and business leaders,” said the Watertown Citizens announcement. Bachrach and his family are long-term residents of Watertown and he served as the town’s state senator for three terms in the 1980s. The event is  on Sunday, June 7 at the Auditorium at The Apartments at Coolidge School, 319 Arlington St. in Watertown.

Food

Find Out When the Watertown Farmers Market Will Open

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Get ready to purchase farm fresh vegetables and fruits, meat and seafood, flowers, preserves and cider, and many other products as the Watertown Farmers Market returns for its second season. The season opens on June 4, and the market will be held weekly on Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. according to an announcement from the Farmers Market. The market showcases a wide variety of Massachusetts grown produce, greens, fruits, eggs and meat, as well as local seafood and specialty foods. Last year, the market made its debut, with the help of athenahealth, the owner of the Arsenal on the Charles complex. “We’re excited to welcome back the Watertown Farmers Market for another great season at Arsenal on the Charles.

Government

See How Much Your Water Bill Will Rise Next Year

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Watertown residents will pay about 13 cents more a day for water, the Town Council learned this week. Consultant Chris Woodcock of Woodcock & Associates, said the water/sewer rate will rise 3.7 percent in Fiscal 2016, which begins July 1, 2015. The average water bill will rise from $3.39 a day to $3.52 a day, Woodcock said. “That could be saved by saving 750 gallons in a quarter,” Woodcock said. Water and sewer in Watertown are enterprise funds, and must pay for itself.

Real Estate

A Massive Number of Open Houses to Check Out in Watertown!

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There are 21 open houses to choose from around Watertown this weekend. $899,900 – 81 Church St. Unit 81, 4 bed, 3 full 1 half bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 p.m. Sunday 12:30-2:30 p.m.

$599,900 – 6 Lyons St., 3 bed, 2 bath colonial, Open House: Sunday 12:30-2 p.m.

$615,000 – 40 Putnam St., 2 unit, 12 total room, 6 total bedroom, Open Houses: Saturday 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday 2-3:30 p.m.

$339,000 – 2 Pierce Road Unit 2, 2 bed, 1 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 12-2 p.m. Sunday 2-4 p.m.

$429,900 – 276 Waverley Ave., 3 bed, 1 bath colonial, Open Houses: Saturday 12-3 p.m. Sunday 3-5 p.m.

$669,000 – 494 Belmont St., 4 bed, 1 full 1 half bath colonial, Open Houses: Saturday 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sunday 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

$375,000 – 236 Arlington St. Unit 236, 2 bed, 1 bath 2 family, Open Houses: Saturday 1-2 p.m. Sunday 12-1:30 p.m.

$425,000 – 18 Rutland St., 3 bed, 1 bath cape, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1 p.m. Sunday 12-1 p.m.

Sponsored by:

$345,000 – 51 Fairview Ave. Unit 51, 2 bed, 1 bath 2 family, Open Houses: Saturday 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday 2-4 p.m.

$399,000 – 50 Watertown St.

Business

Vote to Help Your Favorite Local Charity Win a Share of $30,000

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The Belmont Savings Bank Foundation today announced the next round of a $30,000 grant competition for its charitable giving initiative in Watertown. Previously, residents nominated local charities that are now eligible for a donation based on voting, according to an announcement from the bank. Through the initiative, the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation will invest $10,000 into three programs located in Watertown. The voting deadline is June 15, 2015. 

All approved organizations have a 20-day period to drive voting which is taking place on the Foundation website. During the initial round, Watertown charitable organizations had until May 20th to submit an application after being nominated.

65 Grove Street

Zoning Board Approves Office Building Redevelpment in East Watertown

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Wednesday night, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a major office renovation, including a new garage, noting that the project had been a collaboration of developers with the town and neighbors. The project at 65 Grove Street, being developed by Cresset Grove LLC, includes 135,000 square feet of office space, and a garage that will fit 295 vehicles. Developer Ed Nardi told the ZBA he does not have a tenant lined up. He envisions it becoming a first-class office building or used for research and development. The site could house one to six tenants, and could have 300-500 employees depending on the use, Nardi said.

Government

Recreation Director Discusses Possible Improvements, New Programs

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Watertown Recreation Director Peter Centola shared some of his ideas for how to improve the Recreation facilities and programs when he appeared before the Town Council for his budget hearing. The redevelopment of the Grove Street entrance at Filippello Park is one of the bigger projects coming up. Centola said he planned to hold public meetings on the project soon. Other park improvements include:

Court resurfacing and improve batting cages at Bemis Park and O’Connell Park
Court resurfacing at Lowell School Playground and Arsenal Park

The town’s artificial turf field at Victory Field has been very popular with youth and high school sports teams. So much so, that it been difficulty getting teams on the field when they want time. Councilor Aaron Dushku said that he is part of Watertown Youth Soccer, and coaches have complained that they cannot get time on town fields in the spring time.

Government

Watertown Residents Invited to Meeting About Airplane Noise

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A group of communities will gather to discuss noise and air pollution in the area from airplanes from Logan Airport. Boston West Fair Skies (BWFS) is a regional organization of MetroWest communities (Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Malden, Medford, Somerville, Watertown). The group strongly objects to the new concentrated FAA Highways in the Sky from Logan Runway 33L and the resulting noise and air pollution, according to the announcement. Boston West Fair Skies seeks to educate people about this issue and persuade the FAA to fairly re-distribute these flight paths. For example, our monthly action for May was to write a letter to the FAA, and samples are available on our website, www.Bostonwestfairskies.org

The group will meet on Tuesday, June 9 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Robbins Library, 700 Massachusetts Ave.