Around Town

Renovation of Mt. Auburn Cemetery’s Chapel Completed

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Renovation of Mount Auburn Cemetery’s Bigelow Chapel was recently completed. The following information was provided by Shawmut Design and Construction:

Shawmut Design and Construction, a leading $1.4 billion national construction management firm, announced its completion of a $15 million renovation of Mount Auburn’s Bigelow Chapel. The National Historic Landmark, located in Watertown reopened in December 2018 following enhancements to the 19th century building. Shawmut, together with William Rawn Associates and CSL, worked to enhance and preserve Bigelow Chapel’s façade and interior, which was originally constructed in 1845 out of Quincy granite. The team installed a new, floor-to-ceiling glass addition that complements the original Gothic Revival design by Dr. Jacob Bigelow and connects visitors within the space to the beautiful and meditative landscape outside.

Around Town

Watertown Hosting Two Family Movie Nights at Police Station

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The Watertown Recreation Department and Watertown Police Department announced the dates for the 2019 Family Movie Nights. The departments provided the following information:

Please join us… Friday, July 19 Friday, Aug. 9 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

(The movie titles will be announced closer to the dates.)

The festivities will be held outside in the park at 552 Main St, behind the Police Station. 6:30- 8:00 Games, Face Painting, Popcorn, Music, Balloon Animals, Pizza and Refreshments

8:00 The Movie will begin! Watertown Elementary students, bring your friends and family for a night of fun and excitement!

Around Town

TV Crews Bring Old Police Station Back to Life

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Crews for “Defending Jacob” took over the old Watertown Police Station on Monday. Watertown’s old Police Station usually sits quietly next to the Library and Fire Station, but Monday it teemed with activity as film crews used the building for the TV series “Defending Jacob.” The series stars Chris Evans, and has also been filmed in Belmont and Hudson, according to IMDB. The show is based on the novel of the same name buy William Landay in which a father (who is also an assistant district attorney) deals with the accusation that his 14-year-old son is a murderer. Tents and equipment were set up in Watertown for the Chris Evans series “Defending Jacob.”

Around Town

Five New Members Join Watertown Community Foundation Board

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation announces the appointment of five new members to its Board of Directors. Joining the Board are Lauren Unsworth, Ashley Morris, Maria Panaggio-Phillips, Tony Paolillo, and Antonia O’Hara. “All five of our newest Board members are dedicated to our mission of building and sustaining a vibrant, close-knit community. Each brings expertise, experience, and energy for today and the future. We are delighted to welcome them as partners as we continue to strengthen our community here in Watertown,” said Jan Singer, Executive Director.

Around Town

Mount Auburn Hospital Offering Grants to Local Groups

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The following information was provided by Mount Auburn Hospital:

Mount Auburn Hospital is offering a one-time, non-competitive grant opportunity to cities and towns in the hospital’s service area, including Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Somerville, Waltham and Watertown. This grant, up to $5,000 per community, is designated for capacity building or projects/programs which coincide with the health priorities identified through Mount Auburn’s Community Health Needs Assessment. These priorities include mental health, substance use, chronic/complex conditions and healthy aging. Consideration will also be given to projects related to the Social Determinants of Health and health care access. Health departments can designate another municipal department or a local community-based organization to apply for all or part of this funding if preferred.

Around Town

Recreation Dept. Hosting Meeting on Lights at Filippello Park

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Filippello Park’s two athletic fields, picnic area, playground and more draw lots of visitors. The following information was provided by the Watertown Recreation Department:

The Town of Watertown will be hosting a Community Meeting on Tuesday, July 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the Richard E. Mastrangelo Council Chambers. This is a follow-up meeting to our initial discussion on Sept. 24, 2018. This meeting will be held to discuss the potential renovation plan to replace the current lighting system at Filippello (Grove) and install a new lighting system at Filippello (Arlington) with LED field lighting equipment.

Around Town

Shooting of TV Show Impacting Parking on East Watertown Street

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A street in East Watertown’s Coolidge Square will be closed for a day due to the shooting of the television show “Defending Jacob.” The Deluxe Town Diner will be site of the filming of production, which stars Chris Evans. Due to the filming, Bigelow Avenue will be closed to parking on both sides from Mt. Auburn Street to Artsakh Street (near the St. Stephen’s Armenian Church).

Around Town

Mount Auburn Cemetery Selling Land in Watertown

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Mount Auburn Cemetery. Mount Auburn Cemetery is seeking a buyer for several acres of land in Watertown which it owns. According to a Boston Globe article, the historic cemetery located in Watertown and Cambridge plans to sell six acres of land. See the story here. The land, located on Grove Street, currently has a parking lot and used to be a cement plant.