Around Town

School Building Committee Looks at How to Control Construction Costs for 3 Elementary Schools

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Given a 50 percent increase in the cost estimates to rebuild the Town’s three elementary schools, members of Watertown’s School Building Committee debated, on Wednesday, what should be the priority in the project: the education program or keeping costs down for taxpayers. At its last meeting, the School Building Committee heard the latest cost estimates from architects from Ai3, which put the price tag at $170 million to $180 million. The figures came in significantly higher than the projected costs from the master plan created by SMMA in 2016, which said the project could be done for $80 million to $120 million, depending on the level of work. The work on the elementary schools is part of the Building for the Future project, which also includes renovating or rebuilding Watertown High School. The Town will try to get funding from the state’s Massachusetts School Building Authority for the WHS project, but will try to pay for the work on the elementary schools solely with town funds.

Around Town

Lecture at Library About Middle East Conflict’s Impact on Assyrians, Armenians

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The Assyrian American Association of Massachusetts will host a lecture about the conflict in the Middle East with Boston College professor Peter Krause at the Watertown Free Public Library. 

The AAAM sent out the following information:

Conflict and Instability in the Middle East: The impact on ethnic and religious minorities

WHERE: Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., Watertown

WHEN: Wednesday, May 9 at 7 p.m.

WHAT: The Middle East is torn by numerous civil wars, regional power shifts, demographic shifts within and across international borders. Is there an end in sight for these conflicts? What impact do they have on minority groups in the region, including Assyrians and Armenians? If and when the violence subsides, what is the future for ethnic and religious minorities in the Middle East? This talk will begin to provide answers by combining a look back at relevant history, a rigorous assessment of the present, and some cautious predictions of the future.

Around Town

Learn to Cook a Tasty, Healthy Meal at Live Well Watertown’s Free Event

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Join Live Well Watertown’s free healthy eating and cooking class where you can learn to make a Southwest Veggie Grain Bowl. 

Live Well Watertown provided the following information:

The class is part of Live Well Watertown’s 2018 Eat Well Watertown Series. The Eat Well program is open to all Watertown residents and offers hands-on experience and fun with a focus on Watertownʼs diverse ethnic cuisine. Keep an eye out for more classes coming soon! Next Open Class

Easy, Healthy Dishes — “Southwestern Veggie Grain Bowls”

WHEN: Thursday, May 3, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Watertown Boys & Girls Club, 25 Whites Ave., Watertown, MA 02472

Featuring Chef and Health Coach Carabeth Connelly, who will teach you how
to prepare easy and healthy dishes with staple ingredients including grains,
beans, and of course veggies! Eventbrite Registration Required: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/eat-well-watertown-16593701471

The Eat Well program is open to all Watertown residents and offers hands-on experience and fun with a focus on Watertownʼs diverse ethnic cuisine.

Arbor Day

Watertown Celebrates Arbor Day Outside Commander’s Mansion

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The sun came out Thursday for the Town’s annual Arbor Day Celebration at the Commander’s Mansion in the Watertown Arsenal. 

Attendees could visit tables of local organizations and businesses, or enjoy some of the activities for children. The event drew a number of youngsters, said Michelle Cokonougher, who coordinated the event on behalf of Trees for Watertown. “A whole class from Bright Horizons came over right at 11 (a.m.),” Cokonougher said. Arbor Day is an American holiday were people are encouraged to plant trees. In past years, the Tree Warden put together the Arbor Day event, but Watertown currently has no warden.

Around Town

Group From Watertown Joining Mother’s Day Walk for Peace

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The following information was provided by Watertown Walks for Peace:

Watertown once again has a team registered for the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace on Sunday, May 13 (Mothers’ Day). The Walk raises funds for the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, a center for
healing, teaching and learning for families and communities impacted by murder,
grief, trauma and loss. The Walk started in 1996 so mothers of murdered children could receive support and love from their neighbors. Twenty-two years later, the Mother’s Day Walk continues to be a powerful way to honor loved ones who have been murdered and embrace partners in peacemaking. The walk starts at Fields Corner in Dorchester and ends at Boston City Hall, a route of 6.8 miles.

Around Town

Watertown Group, Islamic Society of Boston Hosting Forum on Myths, Realities of Islam

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{The following information was provided by the World in Watertown}

World in Watertown, a local community organization, is partnering with the Islamic Society of Boston’s Cambridge mosque to host a forum on “Myths and Realities of Islam: Learning and Sharing.” The forum will include learning about Islamic practices from Imam Ismail Fenni, of the Cambridge mosque, as well as sharing and dialogue in small groups with both Muslim and non-Muslim participants. The forum will be held on Thursday, May 10 at the Watertown Public Library, 123 Main Street, Watertown from 6:30 – 8:45 pm in the Watertown Savings Bank Room. The forum will introduce non-Muslim participants to the “Five Pillars of Islam” (faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage), and will feature paintings by local Watertown artist Sheri Kennedy interpreting the Five Pillars from her Peace Corps experience in Niger. The forum will highlight the similarities and differences of Islamic practices in different societies, and will encourage non-Muslim participants to reflect on their own religious and spiritual practices.

Around Town

Tour of Chemical-Free Gardens in Watertown Planned for Early May

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The organizers of a tour of gardens which do not use chemicals will be held on May 6, 2018 , from 1 to 5 p.m., at homes around Watertown. Organizers provided the following information:
We look forward to Watertown’s 20th Life-Friendly Garden Tour! Imagine a Sunday afternoon in May, redbud and dogwood in blossom, tulips and late narcissus in bloom, where bees are buzzing, robins are singing, and you are viewing flourishing plantings and learning from your host or hostess about healthy, earth-friendly gardens. On Sunday May 6 from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m., a chemical-free, admission-free garden tour will be sponsored by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment. This will be the 20th Life-Friendly Garden Tour since the first one in 2007!

Around Town

Former Combatants Will Discuss Efforts to Bring Peace to Israel, Palestine

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Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment will host an event called Combatants for Peace on Saturday, April 28, 2018, 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Belmont/Watertown United Methodist Church, 421 Common Street, Belmont. The group sent out the following information:
In 2006, Israeli and Palestinian former combatants laid down their weapons and established Combatants for Peace. They forswear violence and advocate together for an end to the Occupation. The egalitarian, bi-national movement was founded on the belief that the cycle of violence can only be broken when Israelis and Palestinians join forces. Combatants for Peace were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, 2017.