Around Town

Wayside Awarded $2 Million Federal Grant Help Youth and Families Living with Trauma

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The following announcement was provided by Wayside Youth & Family:

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has granted Wayside Youth & Family a $2 million grant over 5 years to launch the Navigating to Emotional Wellness (NEW) Project. The NEW Project provides increased access to trauma focused prevention and treatment services for marginalized youth and families living in Watertown and Waltham, Massachusetts. These communities include those who experience the greatest health disparities and represent racial/ethnic minorities (Black, Indigenous, and people of color, Armenian, Haitian, Hispanic/Latino), those identifying as members of the LGBTQ+ community, are under-insured, and/or live in low-income neighborhoods. The NEW Project aims to: 1) enhance community stakeholder’s capacity to identify and refer youth with behavioral health service needs with traumatic event(s); 2) increase utilization of industry standards and best practices of trauma treatment and services, and 3) improve outcomes of youth and family served for trauma, mental health, and/or substance use. The impact of child traumatic stress can last well beyond childhood.

Around Town

See What Book the Library Chose for This Year’s One Book, One Watertown

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Watertown LibraryMecca Jamilah Sullivan’s “Big Girl” is this year’s One Book, One Watertown title. The Watertown Library will host a series of events associated with the book and its themes. The Watertown Free Public Library announced this year’s One Book, One Watertown selection. Find out details provided by the library below:

This year’s One Book, One Watertown selection questions who is permitted to take up space. Big Girl by Lambda Literary Award-winning, Harlem native Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, is a lyrical and tender coming-of-age story set to the rich soundtrack of 1990s Harlem. 

Big Girl is Mecca Jamilah Sullivan’s first novel and has been lauded by reviewers and readers, earning a place on the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize shortlist. Her previous books include the short story collection Blue Talk and Love, which earned her the Judith Markowitz Award for Fiction from Lambda Literary.

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City Council Urges State to Remove Watertown Dam

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Charlie BreitroseThe Watertown Dam near Watertown Square slows the flow of the Charles River. A group is advocating removing the dam. The City Council sent a letter to State officials in support of removing the “Watertown DCR Dam” from the Charles River, near Watertown Square. The Council cited climate resilience, rebuilding the population of fish species in the Charles, and the opposition of the dam by indigenous people in the letter. While the dam is located on a stretch of the river in Watertown’s city limits, the Charles and its shores are controlled by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

Around Town

Free COVID Tests Available from the Watertown Health Department

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Health Department:

Before you gather for the holidays, plan ahead and get FREE COVID-19 antigen test kits which are available in Watertown City Hall. Stop by the Health Department on the first floor in City Hall at 149 Main St., Watertown and pick some up! City Hall Hours:

Monday through Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Please note that City Hall closes at noon on December 23, and is closed on December 26, 2022, and January 2, 2023. Information about the Health Department can be found here.

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Watertown Restaurants, Charles River Chamber Teamed to Provide More Than 700 Meals

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Watertown Community FridgeThe Watertown Community Fridge, located at 80 Mt. Auburn St., provides free food and meals to those in need. The Charles River Chamber’s Nourishing Watertown program has helped provide more than 700 meals to those in need through the Watertown Community Fridge. The Chamber funded this year’s program through Trip Advisor and some private donations, said Greg Reibman, president of the Charles River Chamber. The Chamber provided the following information:

Since May a total of 721 meals have been delivered to the Watertown Community Fridge, with participation from eight Watertown restaurants and three volunteers.

Around Town

Watertown Business Parking Passes Available, Deadline Approaching

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department:

The City of Watertown sells a limited number of parking permits to local business owners/employees on a quarterly basis. The purchase of the quarterly parking permits for the Watertown Square Municipal Lot & the Nichols Avenue Municipal Lot for January – March 2023 will be available on Tuesday, December 20, 2022 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Business permits cost $120 a quarter (Price subject to change) and can be paid via cash or check. Limit two (2) permits per business

Forty (40) available for the Watertown Square lot, 20 available for the Nichols Ave lot on a first come first serve basis. To purchase please enter the building and proceed to the Treasurer/Collectors Office. ALL permits will require business information (i.e. proof of employment), current license and valid vehicle registrations to obtain a permit.