Transportation

Travel Tips for People Driving, Using Public Transportation During the Holidays

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The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is encouraging members of the public to plan ahead for the holiday travel period in the coming weeks. Traffic volumes and public transportation are anticipated to be higher than normal. 

Drivers and public transportation ridership customers should use available real-time tools and resources for current travel conditions on major roadways such as dialing 511, visiting www.mass511.com or using the GoTime mobile app, and check MBTA schedule information available at mbta.com/holidays and the weather forecast before leaving home. “During this holiday season, we are reminding drivers to expect more people traveling by car, public transportation, and in airports and to plan for any trips by checking conditions ahead of time and building in extra time,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Jamey Tesler. “Make sure to drive sober and hands free, follow speed limits, and be patient as more people return to traveling this season.”

The Highway Division is taking several steps to ensure safe and efficient travel on state-owned roadways. There will be no construction work on major arterial roadways from 5:00 a.m. on Friday, December 24, 2021, through the normal start of business at 5:00 a.m. on Monday, December 27, 2021, and from 5:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 30, 2021, through 5:00 a.m. on Monday, January 3, 2022. In addition, the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane located on I-93 between Boston and Quincy will extend its afternoon hours by opening from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 23, 2021, and on Thursday, December 30, 2021.

Around Town

Temporary Suspension of Watertown’s Winter Parking Ban Over the Holidays

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Clipartpanda.com

The Watertown Police Department announced a temporary suspension of enforcement of the overnight parking ban over the holidays. The City sent out the following announcement:

Effective December 23, 2021, enforcement of the All Night Parking Ban will be temporarily suspended – barring any snowfall that would require plowing or sanding. Should there be a snow event please refer to the City website for available off-street parking locations. 

Police Chief Michael Lawn encourages all homeowners to continue using available off-street parking during the overnight hours. Enforcement of the All Night Parking Ban will resume on January 3, 2022.  

Have a safe and healthy holiday season.

Environment

LETTER: Watertown Group Concerned About Loss of Trees on Private Properties

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Dear fellow Watertown citizens:

The recent removal of multiple mature trees on Olcott Street raises significant issues about the proper balance of public and private interests here in Watertown. While a private landowner has a right to dispose of trees as they see fit, Watertown must recognize that the benefits of mature trees extend beyond the lot they sit on and are an asset to the community as a whole. Watertown is expending considerable resources to combat climate change and improve the community’s quality of life. Major investments have been made in street trees and in enhanced storm drainage systems designed to protect the city from climate-related extreme storms. Yet these efforts cannot succeed if they are at odds with actions on private land where 80 percent of the city’s tree canopy sits. The rights of private landowners are fundamental to our system.

Around Town

OP-ED: Keep Health Care Workers in Mind, System Strained by More Than COVID

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

The following piece was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger, who represents Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston:

Please keep our health care workers in mind as you make decisions about what COVID risks to take over the coming weeks. As of Tuesday, December 14, there were 1411 people hospitalized with COVID in Massachusetts, of which 326 were in the ICU and 176 were intubated. That is well below the level in the first April 2020 surge when hospitalizations peaked at almost 4,000, yet for a combination of reasons, the hospital system is feeling a lot of strain. Steve Walsh, President of the Massachusetts Hospital Association testified at a hearing on December 16 about the state of the hospital system. He made the following points in his testimony:

Like many employers across the country, hospitals are having difficulty recruiting staff — nurses and behavioral health specialists are most in demand, but all hospital jobs are hard to fill.Caregivers are exhausted and burnt out — many are leaving for other fields or retiring.In the early days of COVID, it was possible to recruit travel nurses — acute surges were happening in only a few states.

Cartoons

COMICS: Small Saves Remembers His Goalie Idol & Here’s Trouble Lives Up to Her Name

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal–then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

DeMarco recently added “Here’s Trouble” to his cartooning lineup, inspired by drawings he did in the 1980s when he was in high school.

DPW

More Than a Ton of Clothing Collected in First Month of Watertown’s Curbside Textile Collection

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City of Watertown, working with HELPSY, the largest clothing collector in the northeast, has collected nearly 3,000 pounds of clothing during the first month of curbside pickup. By collecting unwanted clothing for recycling, thousands of pounds of unnecessary trash have been diverted from local landfills. This not only helps the environment but reusing and recycling textiles also saves Watertown money by reducing tipping fees or landfill maintenance costs. Textile pickups are ongoing and offered weekly. Residents can schedule online at helpsy.co/watertownma.

Charity

LETTER: Watertown Community Fridge Fulfilling Important Role in the Community

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I first heard of the community fridge concept last year, after they began to appear in the Boston area in response to the pandemic illuminating and exacerbating the amount of people experiencing food insecurity. The one recently established in Watertown — in the parking lot of Francis Market, 1084 Belmont St. — is an accomplishment for which we should all be grateful to its founders and be proud as a community. A community fridge not only plays a direct role in addressing food insecurity and food waste, but also teaches us so much about what it means to be neighbors. The motto you’ll find on the Watertown Community Fridge’s posters and postcards says it all:“Take what you need, give what you can.” The purpose of a community fridge is to provide free food 24/7 to anyone who visits.

Entertainment

Work of Sculptor, Painter Adria Arch on Show at Watertown Art Gallery

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One of the pieces by Adria Arch on display at Storefront Art Projects on Spring Street. Storefront Art Projects, located at 83 Spring St. in Watertown, announced it is hosting Adria Arch’s The Visitors, until January 8, 2022. Since 2019, Adria’s suspended kinetic shapes have been shown at the Danforth, Brattleboro, Fitchburg, Bristol and Cahoon Museums. She keeps pushing and combining the limits of mobile, stabile, sculpture and painting.These are her latest paintings and sculpture, all completed during the Pandemic. Open Thursdays and Saturdays 1 – 4 and anytime by appointment  

For more information go to www.storefrontartprojects.com

Follow @storefront_art_projects on Instagram