Government

City Manager’s Thoughts on Winter Parkin Ban, Part 3: Long-Range Planning

By |

In the third piece on the question of lifting the Winter Parking Ban permanently, Watertown City Manager George Proakis focused on how it would impact the City’s long-range planning. By George Proakis

Recently a group of Watertown residents signed a petition to seek a public hearing in front of the City Council. The topic of the petition and the hearing was our long-term ban on overnight parking that we enforce each winter. The Council hosted this hearing in January. 

Our winter parking ban requires individuals who have a car and a driveway to ensure their car is in their driveway or garage each night. Most residents meet the requirements of the ban by relying on their own driveway, garage or apartment building parking lot.

Obituaries

OBIT: Daniel Gerado Baldi, 87, Grew Up in Town, Taught for Many Years

By |

Daniel G. Baldi

Daniel Gerado Baldi, 87, passed peacefully after a period of declining health on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. A devoted husband, Dan was predeceased by his beloved wife of 59 years, Marcia, in November 2020. He is survived by his three children and five grandchildren: Mark and Liz Baldi of West Boylston, MA, Linda Baldi of Brockton, MA, and Jill and Mark Freeman of Bridgewater, MA; his grandchildren, Rachael (Baldi) Rodrigues and her husband Stephen, Benjamin Baldi, Amanda Baldi, Ethan Freeman, and Kate Freeman. He is also survived by his sister Bonnie Covell of Florida, brother in-law Tom Sinclair of New Hampshire, and several nieces and nephews. Born on January 11, 1938, in Somerville, Massachusetts, to Giacomo and Elvira (Panteri) Baldi, formerly of Villa a Roggio and Pescia, Italy, the fifth of six children Carlo (Charlie), Anna, Baldo, Mario, and Bonnie, Daniel was the proud son of Italian American immigrants, welcoming friends and family to join at mealtimes with a hearty “Tutti Mangia.” Dan grew up in Newton and Watertown, MA, where he developed an early love of science and nature which led to a career as a junior and high school teacher for 32 years in Holbrook, MA.

Entertainment

Small Saves is Going Back to Class in This Week’s Cartoon

By |

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.”

Around Town

Celebrate Local Dining, Community at Charles River Chamber’s Spring Seasonings

By |

The Charles River Chamber announced that tickets are available for the 27th annual Spring Seasonings: A Taste of our Towns event, which includes restaurants from Watertown, as well as Newton, Needham and Wellesley. See the announcement below. Spring Seasonings: A Taste of our Towns returns to the Newton Marriott on Monday, April 7 from 5:30-8 p.m. The highly anticipated event, now in its 27th year, is hosted by the Charles River Regional Chamber in partnership with presenting sponsor The Village Bank. Forty local restaurants from Newton, Needham, Watertown and Wellesley will showcase their distinctive cuisine, with beverage exhibitors pouring samples to pair with the delicious bites. Over 500 attendees are expected to attend the event.

Letters

LETTER: Actions People Can Take Before the Midterm Elections

By |

Dear Editor,

I just attended “Protecting Democracy in the Era of Donald Trump including a Discussion of Citizens United” with State Senator Brownsberger at the Watertown Library. Attendees from Watertown, Waltham, Belmont, and Brighton got to express their concerns about the current situation in Washington, D.C., and asked how to impact it. The most salient point was to participate in the electoral process. Last night, we shared our concerns and asked Party representatives there what we can do?  I invite those who attended to share here because the local paper is a media, we the people, still possess. Some of you were so eloquent and some of you hit the nail on the head! I agreed with all of you. Remember it was pamphleteers, including our own Samuel Adams, that spread the unpopular idea for independence. Fair warning there will be responses from idolaters but there are more of us, left, right and center who share very similar concerns. An election won by 1.5% does not a mandate make. I will go first.

Entertainment

Group Performing Songs of Revolutionary New England

By |

Hear Norumbega Harmony in Concert on March 30. The Norumbega Harmony Group will perform songs dating back to the founding of the United States at a concert in Newton. Among the group’s members are Watertown’s Ron Trial and Bill Holt. See the announcement from Norumbega below. In observance of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution, Norumbega Harmony, a vocal group specializing in early American shape-note music since 1976, will present a concert of the era’s patriotic and religious tunes. Songs by William Billings of Boston, along with his associates Oliver Holden of Charlestown, Daniel Read of Connecticut, and others will be accompanied by brief historical commentary by Dr. Stephen Marini, founder and singing master of Norumbega Harmony and chair of the Department of Religion at Wellesley College.

Letters

LETTER: Watertown Should Think Twice Before Adopting BERDO

By |

By Max Woolf

Fighting climate change is essential, but how we do it matters. Watertown is considering new rules that would shift the costs of decarbonization onto property owners, businesses, and renters. The proposed ordinance, known as BERDO, would have Watertown join Boston, Lexington, Cambridge, and Newton by requiring owners of properties 20,000 square feet or larger to track and reduce fossil fuel use — or face fines. While specific requirements and timelines vary based on building size, under the proposal, all large commercial and residential property owners in Watertown will have to take a combination of the following steps to comply:

● Hire a consultant to measure and benchmark energy use● Report energy use annually to the city● Take steps to reduce emissions, such as replacing gas boilers with heat pumps, upgrading HVAC systems and adopting other efficiency measures, or pay fines● Periodically verify energy data through third-party consultants at the owner’s expense● Implement efficiency upgrades, like installing new insulation, optimizing building controls, or reducing overall energy consumption, or pay fines● Possibly install on-site solar panels or instead purchase costly electricity offsets (even after completing retrofits)

On top of that, Watertown’s BERDO rules are different from Boston’s, Cambridge’s, Newton’s, or Lexington’s, and that’s a problem in and of itself because anyone who owns or manages property in multiple communities must navigate a different set of complex rules and deadlines. Watertown’s proposed ordinance also goes further than Newton’s, Cambridge’s, or Lexington’s, raising concerns about the city’s future affordability and competitiveness, not just against these communities but also communities across the region that have not adopted BERDO rules.

Letters

LETTER: Rock Salt – Cheap, Effective, and Very Harmful

By |

by Anne Harrington PhDTrees for Watertown

Rock salt is the No. 1 de-icer in the United States. It’s cheap, effective at melting snow and ice, and provides good traction on treated surfaces. But road salt is referred to as a “silent killer” because of the seen and unseen damage that it causes to infrastructure and the natural environment. Tons of rock salt are applied every winter in the U.S. Nearly half a million tons are used annually for winter road maintenance in Massachusetts alone (Source: EPA, Nov 2020).