Around Town

Helicopters Flying Over Watertown for Marathon & on Friday for Search for Kayaker

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(UPDATED on April 16 at 8:10 a.m.)

Helicopters have been flying over the Watertown area this weekend, both in preparation for the Boston Marthon and in the search for a kayaker reported missing . Friday night a State Police helicopter patrolled over Watertown after a kayaker was reported missing. The man was later found safe at his home,.according tonl Watertown Police, who assisted with the search. The City of Watertown announced that helicopters will be flying over Watertown from in the days leading up to the Boston Marathon as well as Marathon Monday. The City sent out the following announcement:

Even though the Boston Marathon does not go through Watertown, if you see low flying helicopters in the sky, please be aware that they are conducting surveillance/safety checks along the Marathon route.

Around Town

Our History: A Water Tower Once Sat Upon Whitney Hill

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Standpipe, Watertown Water Supply Co., Whitney (Palfrey) Hill. Built 1884, 40′ X 40′. (Photo 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 Sigrid Reddy Watson Terman for the October 2005 Historical Society newsletter, “The Town Crier.”

Sigrid is a former Board member and former President of the Historical Society, as well at a former Director of the Watertown Free Public Library. For several years starting in 1997, she wrote a Watertown history column for the Watertown TAB/Press called “Echoes.” Sigrid published her columns in a book called “Watertown Echoes: A Look Back at Life in a Massachusetts Town.”

Around Town

Watertown Man Running First Marathon in Honor of Friend Lost to Gun Violence

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Shane Garey, left, will be running the Boston Marathon for the first time. He is on the West End House Dawnn for Peace Team. On Monday, Watertown’s Shane Garey will run his first Boston Marathon, and will do so to raise money for a youth center named for a friend of his who died from gun violence. Garey grew up in Brighton, and said the Marathon has always been one of his favorite occasions. “I’ve always wanted to run it, growing up in Boston.

Around Town

T Offers Marathon Monday Pass, Info on Race Day Service

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The MBTA announced service information and a special Commuter Rail fare for the day of the 2023 Boston Marathon. To find the best Marathon viewing location on the T, customers are encouraged to visit the MBTA’s Boston Marathon Guide at mbta.com/Marathon, which highlights MBTA stations closest to the Marathon route and includes helpful information on purchasing fares, parking, and more. $15 Commuter Rail Marathon Pass:

On April 17, the MBTA will offer a special $15 Marathon Pass valid for all-day, unlimited travel on all Commuter Rail lines through all zones. This special $15 Marathon Pass is available for purchase beginning April 10 through April 17 on the mTicket app and from ticket offices at North, South, and Back Bay Stations. The $15 Marathon Pass is also available aboard trains via cash or credit card on April 17 only.

Around Town

Registration Opens Soon for Recreation’s Spring Programs

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Spring is here, and the Watertown Recreation’s spring programs begin on May 1. Registration will open on Monday, April 17 at 6 p.m.

There are a variety of programs for children from age 3 through high school. Activities include multi-sports, crafts, volleyball, tennis, street hockey, painting/sculpting, and pickleball. For adults there is tennis, volleyball, and pickleball. See more details in the Spring Session Brochure..

Around Town

Planning Board Wants Some Changes to Main St. Project, Developers Trying to Work with Post Office

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An illustration of the project at 104-126 Main St. submitted to the City. Designed by Icon Architecture. The Planning Board saw the plans for the major project on Main Street for the first time Wednesday night, and asked designers to tinker with the design after they had questions about the retail space and the pedestrian passage between Main and Pleasant Street, as well as the height of the building. The 104-126 Main Street project proposed by O’Connor Capital Partners is six stories tall and includes 143 apartments in five stories and 6,201 sq.

Around Town

Watertown City Manager Signs Pledge to Help Monarch Butterflies

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The City of Watertown provided the following information:

City Manager, George Proakis, signed the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge on March 30, 2023! 

The City pledges to do action items that focus on to support and expand monarch conservation city wide! 

The City already has been doing some action items in 2022 and for 2023, this will be expanded to do more such as communicating about monarch conservation, opportunities to do some community focused programs and demonstrations, and encourage changes in reducing pesticide use. Come join and be part of the larger conservation efforts for pollinator species! For any questions/comments, you can contact Katie Swan at kswan@watertown-ma.gov.