Around Town

City Reminds Residents That Short-Term Rentals Are Prohibited

By |

Photo by Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

City officials recently reinforced that short-term rentals such as Airbnb and VRBO are not allowed in Watertown. In April 2024, the City Council rejected a proposal that would have allowed short-term rentals on a limited basis, including for under 3 months a year. “The City’s zoning regulations prohibit the rental of properties for a period of less than 31 days, and those violating this ordinance are subject to fines,” the City’s announcement said. The announcement was part of the City’s education efforts around short-term rentals, said Tyler Cote, the City’s Community Engagement Specialist. “When the Council passed the ordinance, we worked with our Zoning and Code Enforcement team to develop an enforcement strategy, which includes this step of sending letters to identified properties around Watertown,” Cote said.

Around Town

POSTPONED: Tuesday Night Talk With Police in August Features the WPD’s School Resource Officers

By |

(UPDATE Aug. 18, 3:25 p.m.): The Tuesday Night Talk in August has been postponed to a date that will be announced at a later time.)

Once a month, the Watertown Police Department invites the public in to learn about how the department works and what officers are doing around town. On Aug. 19, the Tuesday Night Talk features the WPD’s School Resource Officers. The talks grew out of another Watertown Police Department community program, said Watertown Police Lt. Kevin McManus.

Around Town

Watertown Group Screening Film “October 8” on Aug. 19

By |

The following announcement was provided by the Jewish Watertown Action Network:

The Jewish Watertown Action Network (JWAN) invites you to a screening of the film October 8, on Tuesday, August 19 that 6:30 p.m. at the Watertown Public Library. October 8 is a gripping documentary that lays bare the horror of the October 7th massacre and the chilling aftermath of unbridled hate. It exposes the explosion of antisemitism on college campuses, on social media, and in the streets of America in the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. It poses a haunting question: What world are we shaping when one group’s suffering is dismissed and their wounds exacerbated? This film transcends the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, offering no solutions to its complexities. Instead, it illuminates a broader, more troubling phenomenon: the ideological groundwork laid across U.S. campuses, priming them for the mass protests that erupted post-October 7.

Around Town

City Gathering Input on the Future of Walker Pond

By |

Google MapsA Google Maps view of Walkers Pond. The pond is the dark area surrounded by trees. The red line is the city line, with Watertown to the right, and Waltham to the left. Watertown officials have put out a survey for the community to weigh in on what they would like to see at the new recreation site at Walker Pond, which sits on the border with Waltham on the Westside of town. See the announcement from the City below.

Around Town

New Policy for Lights at City Fields and Courts Approved by City Council

By |

A new policy was approved for lights at Watertown’s Recreation facilities, including Saltonstall Park, home to the Papas Elite Summer Basketball League. (Photo by Natalie Nigito Photography)

A new policy for controlling lights at Recreation Department-run fields and courts was approved by the City Council on Aug. 12, despite some confusion coming out of the Committee meeting on the issue. The purpose of the policy, said Councilor Tony Palmoba (chair of the Committee on Parks and Recreation) is to have effective lighting while balancing community needs, public access and energy conservation. Generally, lights will turn on at fields and courts at sunset and turn off at designated closing times.

Around Town

WCA-TV’s PSA Day is coming up on September 19!

By |

The following announcement was provided by Watertown Cable Access TV:

Watertown non-profits and organizations are welcome to sign up between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to film a PSA at WCA-TV’s Studio. All you need to bring is your script and smile! WCA-TV will edit the PSA for you. The PSAs created will then be broadcasted on WCA-TV’s Public Channels, as well as uploaded to our site. You will also receive a copy of the PSA.

Around Town

OP-ED: Watertown Group Remembers Hiroshima Bombing, Supports Campaign to Prevent Nuclear War

By |

Candle boats in the Charles at Watertown Square. The following piece was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice & the Environment:

In 1912 Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City, gave 3,000 cherry trees to Washington, D.C. to celebrate the growing friendship between the United States and Japan. Thirty-three years later, on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and the second on Nagasaki three days later. Over 100,000 people’s lives were ended instantly and by the end of that year, over 210,000 people were dead. Countless others were maimed or suffered long-term effects of radiation. In what he called his “anti-poem,” Original Child Bomb, Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton described the events leading up to August 6 in a stark, bureaucratic style.