Affordable Housing

UPDATED: Community Preservation Committee Seeking Applications for Potential Projects

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The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) seeks applications for potential projects to be funded by Watertown’s Community Preservations Act funds, and informational meetings have been scheduled for potential applicants. 

The money raised from a 2 percent surcharge on Watertown property tax bills can be spent on projects in four areas: open space, outdoor recreation, community housing, and historical preservation. As of June, the CPA Fund had nearly $9 million. 

The CPC takes applications and recommends which projects should receive funding, but it does not initiate, implement or manage projects. Community Preservation funds can be used for the following types of projects:

buy, create, preserve open space and rehabilitate and/or restore open space that is  acquired or created using CPA funds;acquire, preserve, rehabilitate, or restore historic resources;acquire, create, preserve, and support community housing; andacquire, create, preserve, and rehabilitate and/or restore passive and active outdoor recreation facilities. Projects can be done on public or private property, said Watertown Community Preservation Coordinator Lanae Handy, but the applicants must have permission. 

“If they are a local group interested in doing a project on town property they need to get the consent and support of the Town,” Handy said. “They can’t just apply for funds if they don’t have the approval of the Town.”

Similarly, applicants may have to get permits and approvals for other types of projects before getting funding. 

Town Departments can also apply for projects using CPA funds, Handy said, but they cannot be projects that already have approved funding.

Around Town

Wicked Dog Apparel Store Coming to Pop-Up Space at Arsenal Yards

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Wicked Dog Apparel will be occupying the pop-up space at Arsenal Yards. Arsenal Yards provided the following announcement:

Looking to partake in some summer shopping with a local brand that gives back to the community? Head to Watertown’s Arsenal Yards and shop local at the Wicked Dog Apparel Pop-Up Shop open Thursdays through Sundays now through the fall at 101 Arsenal Yards Blvd., next to Ben & Jerry’s. Launched in 2016 and inspired by a love of Boston, good times, and man’s best friend, Wicked Dog has set up shop at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards in the space next to Ben & Jerry’s. The pop-up is open weekly Thursday–Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and is selling a variety of apparel for folks of all ages including shirts, pullovers, hats, bags, sneakers, and more.

Around Town

MassBay College Has New Fund to Assist Single Mothers Getting Their Degrees

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MassBay Community College provided the following announcement:

MassBay Community College and Metrowest Women’s Fund are creating a new fund with a $25,000 grant from the Metrowest Women’s Fund to assist MassBay’s single mother students with their emergency financial needs. These funds will provide financial aid for non-tuition-related emergencies these students may encounter while pursuing their degrees including childcare expenses, housing costs, living expenses, and other basic necessities. “Our single mothers have many responsibilities outside the classroom, and we want them to have the peace of mind knowing there is a support system behind them while they earn their degree,” said MassBay President, David Podell. “The support of the Metrowest Women’s Fund will allow our students who are single moms to focus on their education by lifting the crushing burden of fiscal stress. For these remarkable single mothers, the funds will make a tremendous difference in helping them overcome the sizable challenge of managing their life expenses while they pursue the education that can transform their lives and the lives of their children.

Around Town

See How to Join the Watertown Library’s Knit Graffiti Project, Decorate the Tree in Front of the Library

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Watertown LibraryIn 2020, the tree in front of the Watertown Free Public Library was decorated by the participants in the Watertown Strong Knitting Graffiti Project. The Watertown Library provided the following information:

Based on the success of the Watertown Strong Knit Graffiti Project in Fall 2020, WFPL has decided to again collect donations of knitted, crochet, sewed, and other crafted items to decorate the Maple Tree — and more — in front of the Library on Main Street. Are you a crafter? We will be collecting items that are crafted with the fall theme, Watertown Woodland Wonderland, in mind! Sew a leaf, crochet a fairy, carve a toadstool, knit with fall harvest colors, or whatever your crafter hands can think up.

Around Town

Gore Place Features New Nature Programs, Tot Time Is Back

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Gore Place sent out the following information:

Nature Identification Workshop, Saturday, August 21

Visit Gore Place and learn about our new project on iNaturalist. iNaturalist is an online platform that allows users to record observations, identify living things, and contribute to a body of data used by scientists and researchers around the world. We are launching a project to record as many of the living things as we can find on our grounds. Join us for this in-person program to learn more about our iNaturalist project and start making observations. Click or tap the button below for more details. JOIN THE PROJECT

Young Naturalists Classes Begin September 25

Come explore with us at Gore Place!

Around Town

Senior Center This Week: Bridge Returns, Boston Harbor Zoom Presentation & More

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Town of WatertownWatertown Senior Center

The Watertown Senior Center provided the following information:

Programs for Week of July 19, 2021

Changes to Our Programs

As we slowly return to in-person activities at the Council on Aging/Senior Center (COA), some July programs continue to be offered on Zoom and some are now offered at the COA in the afternoons including Knitting, Whist, Chair Volleyball, Bridge, Rummikub, and Canasta. Please review the newsletter for details, and call to register your spot: (617) 972-6490. New participants are always welcome in every program. We hope you’ll join us! Greetings! Many Watertown Senior Center Programs via Zoom. Call (617) 972-6490 for details.

Around Town

Mosquito With West Nile Virus Found in Watertown, See Tips for Avoid Bites

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The Watertown Department of Health sent out the following announcement:

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) announced today that West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in mosquitoes collected from Watertown, Massachusetts. WNV is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. The mosquitoes that carry this virus are common throughout the state and are found in urban as well as more rural areas. While WNV can infect people of all ages, people over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe infection. By taking a few, common sense precautions, people can help to protect themselves and their loved ones:

Avoid Mosquito Bites

• Apply Insect Repellent when you go outdoors.

Around Town

Applicants Wanted for Watertown’s New Public Arts & Culture Committee

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Watertown Town Hall

The Town of Watertown provided the following announcement:

Town Manager Michael J. Driscoll is seeking eight (8) Watertown citizens interested in servingon the Public Arts and Culture Committee. The Town of Watertown has established a Public Arts Master Plan that was created through the efforts of a steering committee that included a number of representatives of stakeholder organizations in the community that deal with arts and culture, as well as Town departments and the Town’s consultant, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The Honorable Town Council adopted the Watertown Public Arts Master Plan at its meeting on February 23, 2021. The Watertown Public Arts Master Plan includes a number of implementation strategies, including Implementation Item 1A, a recommendation for the creation of an appointed Public Arts and Culture Committee (PACC) that acts as a permanent, standing advisory body to the Town of Watertown, to make recommendations over two core program areas:

1) Art in Public Places: Permanent, semi-permanent, temporary, and ephemeral artworks and activations that create a vibrant, welcoming, inclusive, and connected public realm. This may include semi-permanent projects as well as temporary artworks and installations funded through a variety of funding sources.