Development

Residents Say Irving Street Project is Good, But Needs Work

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The proposal to build a complex with nearly 270 apartments and retail space got some good reviews from residents, but they said more work is needed for the project that would go at the corner of Irving and Arsenal streets. Tuesday night, representatives from Greystar and Oaktree FX – developers of the former Pirolli brick yard – presented the latest version of the project. Some major changes have been made to the project, which is serving as a test case for the town’s design standards and guidelines. Like the project, the standards and guidelines are still being developed. One of the highlights of the most recent version is the “jewel box” bridge that spans the two buildings in the Greystar project, dubbed Elan Watertown.

Around Town

Commander’s Mansion Chosen a Favorite by Wedding Couples

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Watertown’s Commander’s Mansion received good news to start 2015 – winning an award from a national wedding website. The historic home in the Arsenal on the Charles won the WeddingWire Couple’s Choice Award for 2015. “The Couple’s Choice Award recognizes your business as being  among the top 5% of wedding professionals nationwide,” said the announcement received by the Commander’s Mansion. Facility Manager Tammy McKenna said the award is a big honor. “This is the first time for this award for us – we are super excited,” McKenna said.

Real Estate

Multiple Open Houses This Week in Watertown

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Homebuyers, you have several open houses to check out this weekend in Watertown. $499,000 – 33 Hunt St., 2 unit, 9 total room, 3 total bedroom 2 family, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 p.m. Sunday 12-1:30 p.m.

$485,000 – 94 Stoneleigh Road, 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom colonial, Open House: Sunday 12-1:30 p.m.

$925,000 – 75 Summer St. Unit 75, 3 bedroom, 3 full 2 half bathroom townhouse, Open House: Sunday 12-2 p.m.

Sponsored by:

$634,000 – 23 Hearn Street Unit 1, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom townhouse, Open House: Saturday 12-1:30 p.m.

$529,000 – 12 Wilson Ave Unit 12, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom 2 family, Open House: Sunday 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Government

Watertown Health Department Holding Medical Sharps Collection

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Watertown residents can bring household medical sharps, such as needles and lancets, to Town Hall on Saturday to dispose of them. The collection will take place on Saturday, Jan. 10 from 9 a.m. to noon  in the rear parking lot of Watertown Town Hall, 149 Main St. Watertown residents may bring the following:

Used Needles, syringes, and lancets, stored in sturdy puncture proof containers
Unused capped needles, syringes and lancets in original packaging
Sharps containers. No Medical Waste or Commercial sharps will be accepted. Proof of Watertown residency is required.

Entertainment

Arsenal Center Exhibition Features Young Artists

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A new exhibition at the Arsenal Center for the Arts features young artists in a wide variety of mediums.

The show, “30 Under 30” opens this week with 20 new artists and two new categories: digital media and illustration. Art ranges from stark oil paintings (Mark Morin) to short dance videos (Shaun Clarke), quilts examining the grief of lost intimacy (Esther White), children’s quirky book illustrations (Diana Lisanto) and raku-fired “Fragments” of what look like charred remains of a campfire from Paul Hackett’s Land Lasts Longer than People series, according to the Arsenal Center. “Designed to display the work of 30 young artists in Greater Boston and encourage a silent dialogue between them, this exhibit shows the interesting directions young local artists are exploring. The project attracts college seniors, recent graduates and those on the cusp of notoriety with national shows,” the announcement said. The artists in the show are: Andrea Barone, Jeff Bartell, Emily Boucher, Shaun Clarke, Kate Drewniak, Jamaal Eversley, Chloe Feldman Emison, Rose Fristrom, Adric Giles, Suzi Grossman, Julian Guzman, Robin Hackett, Paul Hackett, Elizabeth Hatke, Vanessa Irzyk, Matt Jatkola, Alla Lazebnik, Owen Linders, Diana Lisanto, Haley MacKeil, Sarah May, Marc Morin, Grace Nicklin, Bryan Ramey, Alex Sewell, Cory Shea, Ian Tartasky, Chandra Taylor, Maiya Thorton-Hodge, Esther White.

Environment

LETTER: Neighborhood Solar’s Thank You

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Now that Neighborhood Solar has drawn to a close, I wish to thank all who made this program a success. First thanks go to Ben Mayer of SunBug Solar and all of SunBug Solar for being willing to be Neighborhood Solar’s installer. A solar program is only as good as its installer, and Neighborhood Solar was lucky enough to have the very, very best. Next, Neighborhood Solar is truly a neighborhood endeavor and thanks go to Gary Shaw, a LEED architect, who spent hours with me at SunBug headquarters planning the program and picking the equipment. My kitchen cabinet of Katherine Codega and Deb Hopper with open laptops, iPad, and good munchies made the website a possibility. A special thanks to Katherine for her design and maintenance of Neighborhood Solar’s website.  She also designed the lay-out for Neighborhood Solar’s cards. And her niece, Kathy Codega, designed our wonderful logo.  The enthusiasm and help of these neighbors made this project happen. Michael Fredrickson and Andy Compagna deserve thanks for hearing the details, offering advice, and having much patience and good humor throughout the program’s inception and duration. A thank you to Sophia Hecht, who used many community service hours, walked the streets with me, and handed out Neighborhood Solar literature and cards.

Schools

Watertown Football Team Honored by School Committee

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Celebration of Watertown High School’s football team’s successful season continued this week when the players and coaches were honored by the School Committee. The Raiders went 9-2, won the Middlesex League Freedom Division, made the MIAA Div. 4 football playoffs, and capped the season with a win over Belmont on Thanksgiving Day. Watertown Football Coach John Cacace said the success started well before the season. “It has not been just since Thanksgiving 2013, but when these guys were freshmen,” Cacace said.

Development

Town Councilor Opposes Proposed East Watertown Hotel

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East End Town Councilor Angeline Kounelis has come out against the proposed hotel on Elm Street that recently came forward. 

Elm Hospitality LLC submitted preliminary plans for a five-story hotel with more than 100 rooms to the Watertown Planning Department. The hotel would be at 80 Elm Street, right behind Target in the Watertown Mall, and would replace the former Atlantic Battery Co. facility. Kounelis said she does not believe the site is appropriate for such a project. “I will state from the start, I will not support the hotel proposal,” Kounelis said.