Around Town

Colorful New Benches Popping Up Around Watertown are Made from Recycled Bottle Caps

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One of the benches around Watertown made from recycled plastic bottle caps. (Courtesy of City of Watertown)

Scattered across different parts of Watertown are colorful benches with a surprising element to them, they are made out of recycled plastic bottle caps. The Watertown Department of Public Works (DPW) has been working with Plastic Recycled for over a year when they started making eco bricks. “They were making eco bricks which are the things where you stuff lots of non-recyclable single use plastic into a bottle and they use it for construction,” said Recycling Coordinator, Anya Pforzheimer. The company had asked the DPW if it could be a drop off center for the plastic.

Around Town

LETTER: What the Delta Saw: A (slightly) Irreverent and Rambling History of Watertown Square Parts 3 & 4

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Map of the Original Allotments of of Land and the Ancient Topography of Watertown, By Henry Bond, MD (Photo courtesy of the Watertown Free Public Library)

By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Part 3: Grist for the Mill

So, the Watertown colonists have lots of fish to eat [See Part 2 to read about the fish weir]. What else does any decent English town in the 1600’s need? A grist mill, of course! (If you’d like to see a still functioning grist mill, take a ride out to the Wayside Inn in Sudbury). In 1634, two years after the weir was installed, a mill dam and millrace were constructed.

Around Town

Section of Path Along Charles River to be Closed This Week

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The following announcement was provided by the DCR:

Beginning on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, and continuing through Friday, September 15, 2023, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will close sections of the sidewalk and main trail of the Watertown Riverfront Park Trail along Charles River Road (eastbound) between Perkins Hill and Paul Street in the City of Watertown from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to accommodate resurfacing operations. Pedestrian detours will be clearly marked, and signage will be posted. 

WHERE:  Watertown Riverfront Park Trail along Charles River Road (eastbound) between Perkins Hill and Paul Street in the City of Watertown 

WHEN: Tuesday, September 12, 2023 – Friday, September 15, 2023, 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 

Around Town

LETTER: What the Delta Saw: A (slightly) Irreverent and Rambling History of Watertown Square (Parts 1 & 2)

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Photo by Chuck Dickinson”Charles River, Watertown”

By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Part 1: A River Runs Through It

I’m not going to lie to you folks. I started out intending to write a brief history of our Delta, and that’s where the trouble began. I got majorly sidetracked. So many different issues that played into this, and so many ways to approach it! But in the end, I decided that it all started with a river, the source of life for all creatures that inhabited what is now called “Watertown.”

In the beginning, this land was inhabited by the Massachusett people, Native Americans.

Around Town

MWRA to Install Water Mains in Several Watertown Streets

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The following information was provided by the MWRS:

A Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) project will be commencing in your neighborhood starting on Monday, September 11, 2023, or shortly thereafter. This project will provide critical water system redundancy and operational flexibility in the event of water main pipe failures in your area. The project will clean and rehabilitate or replace 120+ year old water main pipes and replace two water meters. The majority of this work is located within the City of Watertown with minor work in the City of Newton at St. James Terrace and the crossing of the Charles River.

Around Town

Our History: The War Horses of Watertown

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Union Market Stockyards on Arsenal Street with the Perkins tower in background (Courtesy of the Watertown Free Public Library)

The following story is part of a series on local history provided by the Historical Society of Watertown. It was written by Historical Society of Watertown board member Mary Spiers. Mary served as our Recording and Corresponding Secretary for several years. (Mary retired from the Board in January 2923 but is still a volunteer. She wrote this article for our January 2013 newsletter, “The Town Crier.”) Information concerning what appears to have been a significant political clash over using the stockyards for the export of war horses was gathered from the archives of the 1915-1916 Boston Globe and the Watertown Tribune-Enterprise.

Around Town

WestMetro HOME Holding Public Hearing on Annual Performance & Evaluation Report

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The following information was provided by WestMetro HOME Consortium:

Since 1992, the City of Newton has received over $35 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Program through the WestMetro HOME Consortium for the development of affordable housing in Newton. Because Newton is not individually eligible to participate in the HOME Program, in 1991, the City spearheaded an effort to form a consortium under the newly enacted Program. Brookline, Waltham and Watertown joined Newton in this effort. Since that time, the Consortium, through Newton as the lead member, has received and distributed over $35 million in HOME funds to its members. The Consortium has provided grants and loans of HOME funds to for-and non-profit developers and directly to low-income households to create over 550 units of affordable housing.