Around Town

Victory Field Committee Will Look at Parking, After Spending Last Meeting on Lights

By |

The Ad Hoc Victory Field Committee will discuss parking at the complex on Orchard Street at its meeting Tuesday evening. 

The original proposal made a few years ago called for an expansion of the parking by moving over the tennis and basketball courts. Also, a turnaround area would be created to make it easier to maneuver inside the Victory Field parking area. Some residents have already expressed their concern that park space would be sacrificed for parking spaces. However, proponents of more parking say the lot cannot handle the number of vehicles coming to the field today. The committee will not discuss items originally scheduled for Tuesday’s meeting, including landscaping, stormwater, and perimeter walls and fences.

Around Town

Watertown-Belmont Chamber Hosting 36th Annual Golf Tournament

By |

The Watertown-Belmont Chamber of Commerce hosts its 36th annual golf tournament on Sept. 25, 2017. The tournament will be held at Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord and begins at 11 a.m. with registration, lunch and the driving range. The shot gun start – scramble is at 12:30 p.m. The 19th hole, a cocktail reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.

There will also be a raffle, silent auction and other prizes & trophies! Register Here

Around Town

Watertown Store Owner Still Happy, Despite Not Selling Big Lottery Ticket

By |

Watertown’s Handy Variety was briefly the scene of excitement Thursday morning when they thought the store had sold one of the biggest winning lottery tickets in history, until it was revealed Mass. Lottery officials made mistake and the store only sold a $1 million ticket. The owners of the store remained upbeat, however. Marjeet Paaur Khan told NECN that she and her family are “still happy,” with selling the million dollar ticket. Had the store sold the $758 million winning Powerball ticket, the owners would have received $50,000. Instead they will receive $10,000 for selling the $1 million winner.

Around Town

LETTER: Library’s Hatch Makerspace Has New Home, New Coordinator

By |

Nearly three years ago, the Watertown Free Public Library hosted a DIY Halloween Costume Bootcamp in a retail space at the Arsenal Mall, marking the opening of Watertown’s first public makerspace, Hatch. Since then, Hatch has flourished with programs, events, and, most importantly, a growing community of makers. Fast-forward to today, and Hatch has moved into its new space at the Residence at Watertown Square, hired a full-time coordinator [Liz Helfer], built up a dynamic group of volunteers and encouraged creativity among its users. Library staff have worked hard to bring this opportunity to the community, but the work would have never happened were it not for a network of generous organizations and people. First on the list is the Arsenal Project who hosted Hatch, rent and utility free, since October 2014.

Around Town

UPDATE: Jackpot Winning Ticket NOT Sold in Watertown, Error Made by Lottery Officials

By |

After announcing in the wee hours of Thursday that the $758 million winning lottery ticket came from a Watertown convenience store, Massachusetts State Lottery officials announced Thursday morning that they made an error and was in fact sold across the state. The winning Powerball ticket was sold in Chicopee, not Watertown, Mass. Lottery officials told the Associated Press, according to a report on ABC News. The error was blamed on nerves. However, the luck was not all bad at Handy Variety on Common Street.

Around Town

Police, Fire Use Drill for Worst Case Scenarios at Watertown School

By |

Police officers armed with assault rifles rushed into the front door of a Watertown elementary school, and a few minutes later Firefighters emerged carrying injured people on gurneys to the waiting swarm of emergency vehicles. Just then, the emergency radio crackled “This is a drill.” Tuesday afternoon, Cunniff School was the scene of a massive emergency preparedness drill for not only members of the Watertown Police and and Fire Departments, but also their colleagues from Belmont. The first responders went through four scenarios, two with Watertown as the lead agencies and Belmont providing backup, and two with the roles reversed. They dealt with an intruder in the school, as well as dealing with injury situations.

Around Town

Watertown Residents Join Counter-Protest to Boston “Free Speech Rally”

By |

A group from Watertown joined the counter-protesters at Saturday’s Free Speech Rally in Boston Common a week after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., ended in violence. Members of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment headed to Roxbury Crossing to take part in the march to Boston Common, and met other Watertown residents at the counter protest. The aim of the march was to protest the racism, religious hatred and violence that has been rising throughout the country in recent months, as well as countering the “Free Speech Rally,” said Sue-Ellen Hershman-Tcherepnin, a member of Watertown Citizens. “Along the route, everyone among us and around us was inspired by the massive turnout, the positive spirit and the mutual support that was everywhere in evidence,” Hershman-Tcherepnin said.

Around Town

DCR: Construction of Pedestrian Bridge Over Charles River is on Schedule

By |

While little activity has been seen in recent weeks around worksite where the pedestrian bridge over the Charles River is being replaced, Department of Conservation and Recreation officials expect the bridge to be finished and opened on schedule. The Joseph Thompson Pedestrian Bridge in Watertown Square is expected to open by the end of 2017, according to DCR officials. Some work around the bridge, including landscaping and plantings, may not be finished until the spring of 2018, according to the DCR. The abutments of the bridge have nearly been completed on both banks of the Charles, but the bridge must still be built. It is in the prefabrication process and is scheduled to be delivered and installed in November, according to DCR officials. Residents will see more construction activity leading up to the installation of the bridge.