Arsenal Park

Meetings Wednesday on High School Project, Renovation of Arsenal Park

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An illustration presented in February of how Watertown High School could be built on both sides of Common Street. Two meetings will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, June 3. The Watertown School Building Committee (starting at 6 p.m) will hear a presentation about the latest design possibilities for the new Watertown High School, while the Conservation Commission (beginning at 7 p.m.) will hear about the second phase of the Arsenal Park renovation. High School Meeting

The School Building Committee will hear from architects from Ai3 about the progress of designs for the project, which could either go on the current site or on part of the Victory Field complex. They will also discuss upcoming forums about the project.

Around Town

See the Rules for Using Watertown’s Parks, Fields and Track After COVID-19 Reopening

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Watertown’s Casey Park on Watertown Street. Some of Watertown’s recreational facilities will open for public use Wednesday, June 3, as part of the State’s COVID-19 reopening plan. However, there will be some rules and restrictions. Some of the rules include mandatory wearing of face masks, keeping at least 6 feet part and the facilities are only open to Watertown residents. Failure to follow the rules may result in the closing of facilities to all users.

10th Middlesex

Candidates for 2 State Rep. Seats Appearing in Online Forum

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Watertown is part of two districts in the House of Representatives and both have contested races in 2020. The candidates will appear on an online video forum hosted by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment. The forum will be held on Zoom and will take place on Sunday, June 7 from 1:45 p.m. to 4 p.m. A link to join the forum will be posted on the group’s website: http://watertowncitizens.org/

“We invite all to join us to hear from the candidates for State Representative as they share their perspectives on Peace, Justice and the Environment,” the announcement from the Watertown Citizens group said. Most of the town, 9 of 12 precincts, is located in the 29th Middlesex District, which also includes parts of Cambridge. State Rep. Jonathan Hecht has announced he is stepping down.

Courts

Recreation Department Releases Complete List of Closed Facilities

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The tot lot installed at the 552 Main Street Park. Some Watertown recreation department facilities, such as parks and fields, will reopen for passive use next week, but many other amenities will remain closed. In Phase 1 of Gov. Baker’s reopening plan, Watertown parks and playing fields will be reopening on June 3 only to Watertown residents, but no congregating, group activities or games will be allowed. Recreation Department Director Peter Centola said that the following Recreation Department amenities will remain closed and will be considered for reopening when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts enters Phase 2 of the Reopening Plan:

basketball courtstennis courtsdog parkspicnic tables and areas playgrounds/tot lotsmultipurpose courtsskateboard parkthe turf field at Victory Field

Around Town

Watertown Parks Opening Next Week; Library, Senior Center Remain Closed

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Filippello Park’s two athletic fields, picnic area, playground and more draw lots of visitors. Watertown’s parks will reopen next week after the COVID-19 shutdown, but the playgrounds, courts, the library and the Senior Center will remain closed. Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced the latest openings in his weekly COVID-19 update. He also updated the Town’s Coronavirus statistics, and there were no COVID-19 related deaths of residents since last Friday. There were 10 more confirmed positive cases, bringing the total to 383, and the total number of people who have recovered is 301 (47 more than last week).

Development

Zoning Board OKs Landscaping Business on Mt. Auburn St.

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A drawing of the plans for the property at 735 Mt. Auburn St., which is becoming a landscaping company office with space for three pickup trucks. The eight spots on the bottom left of the drawing will be four extra long spaces. A landscaping business got approval from the Zoning Board Wednesday night to alter a former auto repair garage on Mt. Auburn Street and use the property as an office with a small garage on the property.

Around Town

School Officials Discuss Construction Projects, Remote Learning on Cable Show

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The latest episode of Inside Watertown focuses on the Watertown Public Schools during COVID-19, and what’s going on with the school construction projects. Superintendent Dede Galdston and Town Council President Mark Sideris joined co-hosts Charlie Breitrose and John Airasian via Zoom to talk about the schools. Galdston discussed the evolution of remote learning in Watertown after the COVID-19 outbreak closed the schools. She also touched on planning for next fall, when she hopes students and teachers will be back in their classrooms.

Meanwhile, the construction of the new Cunniff and Hosmer schools are moving full speed ahead. The episode was filmed before the School Building Committee approved the $103 million contract with Brait Building Corp.

Business

Town Looking for Ways to Allow More Outdoor Seating at Restaurants During COVID-19

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Watertown Town Hall

Restaurants could soon be reopening for in-house dining, but they will have limited capacity due to the state’s COVID-19 protocols. Watertown officials have started looking for ways to allow for restaurants to have outside seating, and how they can streamline the application process. Under the four phase plan outlined by Gov. Charlie Baker last week, restaurants would be allowed to reopen in phase 2, but would have to allow for social distancing inside the restaurant which would reduce capacity. This phase would start, at the earliest, three weeks after the start of the reopening plan, which began on May 18. Allowing outdoor seating at restaurants that do not have it currently, or expanding it at those that do, requires approval for both zoning and licensing changes.