Around Town

Watertown Residents Can Request a Tree be Planted in Front of Their Homes

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The following announcement was provided by Trees for Watertown:

Are you trying to forget our brutal summer that featured heat wave after heat wave? Now it’s official: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that June through August 2020 was the hottest summer on record for Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. As hot as it was, on walks around the neighborhood (what else was to be done during a global pandemic?), I felt instant relief as I passed beneath the green canopies of street trees. The immediate cool I felt was not only due to the leafy parasol above sheltering me from direct sunshine, it was also thanks to the lack of heat radiating off asphalt and sidewalks, which store up solar gain and turn our streets into ovens. Evaporation from trees helps cool the air, too.

Elections

LETTER: Resident Urges Voters to Support Questions 3 & 4

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This November, voters in the 29th Middlesex district are encouraged to vote YES on 100% Renewable Energy and YES on Transparency, which will be Questions 3 and 4 on the ballot in this district. Climate science demands that we enact sweeping changes to our energy economy in the next 10 years to avert climate catastrophe. A commitment to 100% renewable energy will put us on the right track. Transparency of committee votes is key to realizing this goal. Bills committing MA to 100% renewable energy have been killed in committee repeatedly over the past 6 years, and, without committee vote transparency, we don’t even know who is responsible for their failure to come to a vote. Please join me in voting YES on 100% Renewable Energy and YES on Transparency to put Massachusetts on the right track to be a leader in climate change solutions. Richard KalishPleasant Street, Watertown

Arsenal Yards

European Wax Center is the Latest Addition to Arsenal Yards

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The European Wax Center opened its doors at Arsenal Yards. The following announcement was provided by Arsenal Yards:

European Wax Center, Watertown – Arsenal Yards is now open! Located at 65 Bond Street, and situated between Chipotle and T-Mobile, European Wax Center is open seven days a week. Hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sundays.  First time guests are invited to enjoy a complimentary wax to try out the service! Reservations can be booked  online, or by calling the center at 617-641-2929.

Around Town

Watertown Group Hosting Discussion of Israeli-Palestinian Land Issues

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The following announcement was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment:

Please join us at the October Monthly Meeting of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment for a very special program “Israeli Annexation – Geopolitical Implications and the Future of Palestine.” 

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 6:45 PM to 9:00 PM

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86157111785?pwd=a1NJMU1qaG5jbjh5bGtmWTIrbkVVQT09

We are very excited to have as our guests Phyllis Bennis, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, one of the founders of U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, board member of Jewish Voice for Peace and author of Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer and Leila Farsakh, Associate Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at the UMass Boston, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Development Studies at Birzeit University, West Bank and author of Palestinian Labor Migration to Israel: Labor, Land and Occupation. 

The government of Israel threatened to formally annex parts of the West Bank in July 2020, while they have been carrying out de facto annexation for years, since 1967 – by confiscating land, building the wall within the Green line, demolishing homes and expelling Palestinians.  July 1 came and went without annexation – and then we learned in Sept. that the UAE, and subsequently Bahrain, agreed to normalize relations with Israel, in return for which (or so it seems) “formal” annexation has been delayed.  Our speakers will present the geopolitical context in which all this is happening and what annexation actually means for Palestinians in the occupied territories and within Israel proper (within the Green line). Jeff Klein, Coordinator of Mass Peace Action’s Israel/Palestine Committee and member of the Steering Committee of Massachusetts Against Israeli Annexation, will close the program by presenting action items that the participants can take to address the issue of annexation and occupation. 

For questions email watertowncitizens@gmail.com and visit us at watertowncitizens.org  

Co-sponsors:  Mass. Peace Action, The Community Church of Boston, Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East – MA Chapter, Jewish Voice for Peace Boston.

Letters

LETTER: Former Teacher Concerned with Health of Schools During COVID-19

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Editor,

The Watertown Public Schools have had unsafe buildings for years. The school Administration and Town officials since spring of 2017 have denied, deflected, or ignored-the concerns of Watertown parents, faculty and students. The goal of creating safe buildings has been our petitioners goal from the start. Please read our petition to learn more about W.P.S. building conditions and the years of asbestos compliance violations. https://www.change.org/p/mark-sideris-asbestos-and-other-dangers-in-the-watertown-public-schools

I’d add that our petition group thinks all of this takes on a more immediate importance given the short-term latency effects of the COVID-19 virus.

Around Town

Final Watertown Farmers Market of 2020, Fall CSA Program

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Farmers Market:

The Watertown Farmers’ Market wraps up this week. Last chance to stock up on all your market faves! Support local and keep your pantries and freezers well stocked for the week’s ahead. It’s time to start making your shopping lists and placing preorders for the final market of the 2020 season! This week’s rotating vendors are Flores de Cafe and We Grow Microgreens.

Around Town

YMCA Holding Drive-In Movie as Fall Fundraiser

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On Saturday, October 17, 2020 from 6:00-9:00 pm, the West Suburban YMCA in Newton will host a reimagined version of their signature fall fundraiser event, inviting the community to enjoy a drive-in movie in the Y’s parking lot and field. Traditionally, the Y hosts over 200 guests at their November gala, raising money for the Y’s Annual Fund which allows hundreds of families, individuals, and children to access programs and membership at the Y regardless of financial circumstances. With restrictions on gatherings in place due to COVID-19, the West Suburban YMCA is offering a whole new event this fall – Double Feature: A Mission & A Movie – highlighted by a drive-in showing of The Princess Bride. The October 17th event will take place outdoors in the Y parking lot and field and will feature a brief presentation from Y President & CEO Jack Fucci and a few laughs from comedian Nick “Fitzy” Stevens. The short program will summarize the past seven months at the Y, celebrating the Y’s resilience and looking forward to the future.

Transportation

MassDOT Seeks Input on Redevelopment of Railroad, Mass. Pike in Allston

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The following information was provided by MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing that an information matrix is now posted online that compares available information about key aspects of the alternatives under consideration for the “throat” area of the Allston Multimodal Project: https://www.mass.gov/doc/allston-multimodal-project-summary-analysis-of-throat-area-options-within-the-3l-re-alignment/download. The purpose of the Matrix is to provide additional information to help inform public and agency input on the choice of a Preferred Alternative by MassDOT from among the three Throat Options. This Matrix, which represents MassDOT’s working assumptions on various impacts of the throat options, is a draft by MassDOT and is subject to change after consideration by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Cooperating Agencies. 

The “throat” is the area of the Charles River waterfront where I-90, Soldiers Field Road, freight train tracks, the Paul Dudley White pedestrian and bicycle path, and two commuter rail tracks squeeze through a choke point which is 204 feet wide and is the narrowest section of the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project. MassDOT has opened a round of public engagement and is accepting feedback on how the three throat options compare against both the project purpose and need and the selection criteria.  MassDOT will host a public information meeting on Tuesday, October 20, at 6:30 p.m.  Community members may join the meeting by going to the following link: https://virtualmeeting.link/I90AllstonMultimodal.  The public may also join the meeting by phone: 877-853-5257 (toll free), Webinar ID: 965 1293 2141, Passcode: 710477.  The MassDOT project team will present the new alternative analysis matrix to the public at this meeting and will be available to answer questions. Public comment is being taken until the end of the day on October 30 and can be sent to: I-90Allston@state.ma.us.