Around Town

Applicants Wanted to Help Plan Watertown’s 400th Anniversary Celebration

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The City of Watertown will celebrate its 400-year anniversary in 2030! As we prepare to commemorate four centuries of our city and community, we’re inviting residents to help shape this once-in-a-generation celebration by helping plan a year full of events and programming honoring the City. We are now accepting applications for the Watertown 400th Anniversary Advisory Planning Committee. This volunteer committee will help advise City staff and community partners to envision, plan, and guide anniversary events, initiatives, and programs that reflect Watertown’s rich history and vibrant future. We’re looking for residents who are:

Passionate about Watertown’s past, present, and future.

Around Town

Tickets Available for 2025 Mugar Golf Tournament Benefiting the Watertown Boys & Girls Club

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The 48th Annual Stephen P. Mugar Memorial Golf Tournament, benefiting the Watertown Boys & Girls Club will take place on Monday, Aug. 11, and tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available. See more details from the Watertown Boys & Girls Club below. WHEN: Monday, Aug 11, 2025 at 11:30 AM to 7:00 PM

WHERE: Oakley Country Club, 410 Belmont Street, Watertown, MA

There are many ways to support the 48th Annual Stephen P. Mugar Memorial Golf Tournament in 2025 as a participant or sponsor. Securing a sponsorship and/or participating in our Tournament makes a direct impact in the communities we serve.

Around Town

City’s Next Watertown Chats Focusing on Coolidge Square

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The next Watertown Chats will take place on Friday in East Watertown. See details in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Come Discover Coolidge Square and visit Watertown Chats on Friday, June 27 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in Sullivan Park on the corner of Mount Auburn Street and Arlington Street! Join and connect with Community Engagement Specialist, Tyler Cote, and Senior Planner for Economic Development, Erin Rathe to ask questions about the City, learn about happenings around Watertown, get an update on the Mount Auburn Street Project, and receive resources about Coolidge Square! Learn more at watertown-ma.gov/chats

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City of Watertown Seeks Artists for “A Pleasant Landscape” Banner Project

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City of Watertown is excited to announce an open call to artists for its “A Pleasant Landscape” banner project, aimed at beautifying the fence screen at the former Sterritt Lumber site located at 138 Waltham Street. This initiative seeks to enhance the visual appeal of the area for local residents, visitors, and passersby. The project invites artists to submit digital designs that will be printed on 6×12 foot banners. Up to six selected artists will receive a $400 award for their design, which will then be professionally printed and installed by the City of Watertown. Interested artists may apply online through the city website.

Around Town

Public Hearing Scheduled Ahead of Watertown’s Cable License Renewal with Comcast

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The following announcement was provided by Watertown Cable Access Corp.:

Watertown Cable Access Corp (WCA-TV) and the City of Watertown will be holding a Public Ascertainment Hearing on Tuesday, July 22nd at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. This hearing will take place in advance of formal negotiations with Comcast regarding the renewal of the city’s 10-year cable license, which is set to expire in October 2025. Comcast, City officials, and WCA-TV’s Board of Directors will be present to hear from the public and gather feedback on the following topics: 

Comcast’s compliance with its currently existing cable license

The city’s future needs related to cable access

The impact of WCA-TV and why local television is such a vital resource for the city

Why This Matters:

A cable license is important because it delivers programming to cable TV subscribers, offers free cable TV connections to the city, schools, and community locations, and provides essential community media funding support. For WCA-TV, cable funding makes up about 98% of their annual revenue, which is the case for many other community media stations across the country. Without a cable license, community media stations would cease to exist.

Around Town

Mt. Auburn St. Project Will Impact Arlington/Grove Intersection This Week

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The construction on Mt. Auburn Street continues with more drainage installation during the week of June 23-27, and work will also take place at the intersection of Arlington and Grove streets. See where the traffic impacts will be in the announcement from the City of Watertown below. Beginning Monday, June 23, 2025, Newport Construction will resume drainage installation on Mount Auburn Street between Kimball Road and Lloyd Road. Additionally, Newport Construction will be eliminating the existing telephone manhole and installing a new telephone manhole located at the intersection of Grove Street and Arlington Street. Traffic and Sidewalk Impacts

During this work, you can expect temporary lane shifts and possibly lane closures, but one travel lane in each direction will remain on Mount Auburn Street.

Around Town

Boys & Girls Club Unveils Space Where New After School Program for Grades K-3 Will Be Housed

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The public got their first look at the new space at the renovated space at the Watertown Boys & Girls Club. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The Watertown Boys & Girls Club recently unveiled the newly renovated space on the bottom level of the clubhouse, which will serve as home to the new KidConnect After School Program. On June 12, the Club welcomed the public to take a look around the space that will be a key space for the Club, said WBGC Executive Director Gary Beatty. “We’ve called it the new foundations, that has been the project that has brought this space to life, because we are in the bottom of our building — it’s the lower levels — but it really is creating a foundation for the future of our organization,” Beatty said. “We have a really proud and storied past, and now we’re looking into the future to decide how we’re going to continue to support the kids in our community, the families in the community who have been so reliant on what we do here at the Boys & Girls Club every day.”

Around Town

Watertown Group Will be Removing Invasive Plants That Harm Monarch Butterflies

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Charlie BreitroseA monarch butterfly

The following information was provided by Watertown Community Gardens:

Do you have Black Swallow Wort (BSW) on your property? Are you interested in removing and learning more about BSW? Come join us on June 22, 2025, from 4:30-6:30 p.m.! One of the many actions as part of the 2025 Mayors’ Monarch Pledge is to continue invasive species removal efforts that will support the re-establishment of native habitat for Monarch butterflies and other pollinators. The invasive plant of interest is the Black Swallow-Wort (BSW), which is poisoning Monarch caterpillars across Watertown.