Around Town

19 Watertown Residents Joining Jimmy Fund Walk, Teen Serving as “Walk Hero”

By Guest Writer | September 20, 2022

Nineteen residents from Watertown will participate in the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai on Sunday, October 2.

David Morris, Garry Nolan, Cheryl Ramhorst, Anna Nolan, Michelle Sloan, Evelyn Krache Morris, Catherine Durkee, Thomas Opar, Lisa Soo Hoo, Rosina Lucibello, and nine Watertown residents along with thousands of other walkers, will participate in the iconic annual event that will unite the community to raise funds to support all forms of adult and pediatric care and cancer research at the nation’s premier cancer center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Jimmy Fund Walk has raised more than $155 million for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in its 33-year history. Watertown’s Kate Morris, will be a Walk Hero for the 2022 Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. Kate Morris, age 14, will participate as a Walk Hero for the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. Heroes are matched with Jimmy Fund Walk teams to give participants an opportunity to connect with patients. Kate was diagnosed with early T-cell precursor (ETP) lymphoblastic lymphoma.

Around Town

LETTER: Advocate for “Dark Sky Lighting” Urges Denial of Illuminated Sign

By Guest Writer | September 19, 2022

Dear Watertown, Community,

I have been advocating for Dark-Sky lighting standards across our community for many years. As a follow-up to Jon Bockian’s very thoughtful letter and citizens’ comments, here’s some additional info for your review. According to the International Dark-Sky Association (darksky.org) research, “The inappropriate or excessive use of artificial light – known as light pollution – can have serious environmental consequences for humans, wildlife, and our climate. Components of light pollution include:

Glare – excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort

Skyglow – brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas

Light trespass – light falling where it is not intended or needed

Clutter – bright, confusing and excessive groupings of light sources

Light pollution is a side effect of industrial civilization. Its sources include building exterior and interior lighting, advertising, commercial properties, offices, factories, streetlights, and illuminated sporting venues.

Around Town

LETTER: Allowing Illuminated Sign on Arsenal Yards Building Would be a “Very Bad Idea”

By Guest Writer | September 19, 2022

Dave MartinA view down the Charles River from the Bridge on North Beacon Street with the 100 Forge (or Building G) building at Arsenal Yards in the distance. An illuminated sign has been proposed to go near the top of the building. To the Editor,

Boylston Properties is requesting a zoning change to allow it to place a large, illuminated sign at the top of the 130 ft. high Building G in Arsenal Yards. This is a very bad idea for the following reasons:

1. It constitutes a “branding” of Watertown.

Around Town

Eight Watertown Homes Were Sold This Week

By Charlie Breitrose | September 18, 2022

A variety of properties were sold this week in town. 93 Channing Road #93, 3 bedroom 1 bathroom 1,502 sq. ft. Townhouse, Sold: $685,000

314 Lexington St. #314, 2 bedroom 2 bathroom 1,157 sq.

Around Town

Watertown Woman Swims Across English Channel

By Charlie Breitrose | September 17, 2022

WikiCommonsThe English Channel. Watertown’s Natalie Lang recently completed a swim from the United Kingdom to France. Lang made the 21 mile crossing in August in just over 12 hours, according to the story on WCVB Channel 5. She completed the swim on her first attempt. She trained for the long-distance swim at Walden Pond in Concord.

Around Town

Apple Pie Contest Returns to Faire on the Square After Hiatus

By Guest Writer | September 17, 2022

The following information was provided by the Faire on the Square organizers:

The Faire on the Square was founded by local Watertown resident Mike Donham back in 1999. A committee of about 12 volunteers was formed, one member of who was Joyce Munger. It was her idea to include an apple pie contest, she handled all aspects of the contest, including being the MC. The contest grew over the years, it was very successful with locals trying to outdo each other for bragging rights, not to mention prizes. At the first wrap-up meeting, it was discussed whether another type of pie, such as pumpkin should be included but that was met with a clear NO!

Around Town

LETTER: Resident Supports Signage at Arsenal Yards, Praises Impact of Development

By Guest Writer | September 16, 2022

Much has changed in Watertown over the past 10 years, that is for sure, and one area we should be proud of is the transformation of the East End and the revitalization of the Arsenal Street corridor – specifically turning the older and declining Arsenal Mall into a delightful destination for our community, and surrounding communities and neighbors.

This development and the ripple effects of its success have afforded and will continue to afford our little City quite a bit. There are the surface benefits – dozens of new restaurants and shops, hundreds of thousands of square feet of outdoor space, adding to a renovated Arsenal Park, andweekly community events that frequently benefit local charitable organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club and the Food Pantry.

And there are the less obvious but glaringly important benefits – thousands of new local jobs, millions in real estate tax revenue which resulted in three new public schools that did not require a tax increase for residents, and not to mention the nearly 2,500 new life science employees and residents who will undoubtedly shop and eat in businesses ALL over Watertown, not just at Arsenal Yards. Yes, we should be proud of this development. We should be proud of our City Government, which had the vision to include a development like Arsenal Yards in their last Comprehensive Plan from a decade ago. Further, as taxpayers and voters, we should encourage our City Government to support the economic success of the development, which is closely tied to the success of many aspects, including the revenue, of this City.