Around Town

Free Curbside Compost Bins Available for Watertown Residents

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Watertown DPWCurbside composting toters, like the one on the left, will be part of the Watertown trash and recycling program starting in August. The Watertown Department of Public Works announced that the City received compost bins which can be used with Watertown’s free curbside compost program. The City of Watertown sent out the following information:

“1000 new FREE residential compost bins have been delivered, paid for by a grant from MassDEP! Enrollment in Watertown’s FREE curbside compost program is open for an April 2023 start. Sign up today and your new bin and liners will be delivered the first week of April. www.blackearthcompost.com/watertown,” the announcement reads.

Around Town

OP-ED: MBTA Law Part 4 – Possible Strategies for Watertown to Meet the Mandate

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Linda ScottThe Elan Union Market apartment building on Arsenal Street. By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

These scenarios are meant to mitigate some of the stress put on Watertown by the MBTA Law. One or more of these added to some thoughtful re-zoning, for me, seems ideal. Please note that because of Watertown’s overall housing density and availability to transit, there are even more options than I’m listing. In fact, there are enough to account for the entire 1,701 units plus 200 housing units more!

Around Town

Community Foundations Awards $12,000 in Watertown Youth Sports Grants

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

For the third year, the Watertown Community Foundation has provided financial support to Watertown’s youth sports leagues so any child can play a league sport, regardless of ability to pay. With support from The Bilezikian Family Foundation, NESN, and Arsenal Yards, more leagues applied for and received funding to help more kids. This year’s awards total $12,000, a record for the program. Grantees include Watertown Youth Basketball, Watertown/Belmont Football and Cheerleading League, Watertown Youth Hockey, Watertown Youth Baseball and Softball, and The Challenger Division of Little League, a program for developmentally and physically challenged youth (age 8-21). WCF aims to serve Watertown youth from kindergarten through high school, their families, and the volunteer coaches who run the leagues.

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Watertown Purchasing Dog to Chase Geese From Parks and Fields

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City of WatertownVee, a border collie, will soon be arriving in Watertown where she will chase geese away from City-owned fields and parks. Watertown’s newest employee will get plenty of exercise, time outdoors, and her reward for doing a good job will be treats — doggie treats. Vee, Watertown’s goose control dog, will soon be patrolling the parks and fields around the City to make sure the flocks of birds don’t get too comfortable or leave their marks. She will live with and accompany Department of Public Works Parks and Cemetery Supervisor Bob DiRico to work, said Watertown City Manager George Proakis. “In a few days Mr. DiRico will go to Leesburg, Virginia, to pick up Vee,” Proakis told the City Council on Tuesday.

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OP-ED: MBTA Communities Law Part 3 – Our Current Watertown Square Housing Situation

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Watertown Square

By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

First, Let’s Nerd Out a Bit:

A study was commissioned by Watertown to set a dollar amount to charge non-residential projects in the City. This was to off-set some of the costs of these projects to Watertown, and the aim was to put this money towards affordable housing in the City. This money is called a “linkage fee.” Part of this 2022 study was to project housing needs for Watertown. Here’s what that report (called the “Watertown Commercial Development and Housing Nexus Study”) says:

“Since new employees will live in a variety of communities, it is necessary to determine the share that will demand housing in Watertown. To estimate the percent of new employees who will demand housing within the city, the results from a survey of employees in office, laboratory, hotel and retail buildings conducted in February and March 2022 were used.

Around Town

Jobs: Watertown Housing Authority Hiring for Facilities Maintenance, Plumbing Positions

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The Watertown Housing Authority seeks to fill two maintenance job openings. See details below. MAINTENANCE POSITION – MAINTENANCE LABORER MECHANIC 1/ FACILITIES MAINTENANCE

Posted: MARCH 28, 2023

Description: THE WATERTOWN HOUSING AUTHORITY IS SEEKING A FULL TIME POSITION OF MAINTENANCE LABORER MECHANIC 1. THIS IS A HIGHLY SKILLED POSITION IN WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL MUST HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF AND EXPERIENCE IN BUILDING MAINTENANCE AND IS SKILLED IN THE USE OF TOOLS AND OPERATION OF POWER EQUIPMENT USED BY BUILDING AND GROUNDS PERSONNEL. VARIED DUTIES INCLUDE BUT NOT LIMITED TO RESTORATION OF VACANT UNITS, CLEANING, PAINTING, DOOR/LOCK REPAIR, ELECTRICAL, CARPENTRY, FLOORING REPLACEMENT, APPLIANCE MAINTENANCE, LANDSCAPING, GROUNDS KEEPING, SNOW REMOVAL USING SHOVELS, SNOW BLOWERS AND PLOW-EQUIPPED TRUCKS.