Around Town

LETTER: Giving Thanks to Watertown Forest Makers

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Volunteers watch Russ Cohen give a tree-planting demonstration. Photo by Anita Meiklejohn. by Anita Roy Dobbs and Libby ShawForests for Watertown, Trees for Watertown

On a warm, sunny Saturday at the end of October, over 200 Watertown community members came together to plant Watertown’s first Miyawaki Forest at the JR Lowell Elementary School near the corner of Orchard and George Streets. Volunteers aged 3 to 93 planted nearly 750 trees and shrubs of some 50 native species in just five hours. The result of this remarkable community effort is a new kind of urban green space.

Around Town

Historic Paintings Return to Watertown’s City Hall After Undergoing Restoration

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The crew from Maquette Fine Arts Services raise the historic painting of Watertown looked in 1630 after it had been restored. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Two historic paintings returned to the lobby of City Hall looking better than they have for generations after undergoing a makeover to remove dirt and grime as well as repairing damages. The paintings show how Watertown looked in 1630, when the Town was founded, and 1930, two years before Town Hall opened. After nearly two years away, the paintings were reinstalled on Nov. 13 after a thorough cleaning and restoration project spearheaded by the Historic Society of Watertown, and paid for with Community Preservation Act funds.

Around Town

OBIT: Rev. Michael Clark, 76, Former Pastor of United Methodist Church in Watertown

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Rev. Michael Clark

Rev. Mike Clark was born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1948, to Paul C. Clark and Kathryn E. Clark. He graduated from Albright College in 1970 with a B.A. and from Lancaster Theological Seminary in 1975 with an M.Div. Ordained in 1975, he spent the first 24 years of his ministry working in church-related social justice assignments, including the United Church Board for World Ministries, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, the Riverside Church Disarmament Program (while William Sloane Coffin was serving as Senior Pastor, and Witness for Peace in Nicaragua). He also worked as a community organizer in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In 1999 he began working in United Methodist settings in New England, first as an intentional interim and later as pastor.

Around Town

Watertown Cable Invites Non-Profits to Record PSA Messages

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Watertown Cable is inviting non-profits and other organizations to record a commercial as part of PSA Day. See information below. WCA-TV’s PSA Day is back on Friday, December 13th. Watertown nonprofits and organizations have the opportunity to  sign up to film a one minute PSA onsite in our studio or arrange to film at location. All you need to bring is your script and smile!

Around Town

Lost Diamond Recovered With the Help of Watertown DPW Employee

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A woman who realized she had lost the diamond off her ring in a recycling bin recovered the stone thanks to the assistance of a Watertown Public Works employee who sifted through the refuse. On Nov. 15, a Belmont resident who asked not to be named had just been shopping at one of her favorite markets in East Watertown, Arax, when she decided to recycle some boxes. She put them into the nearby sidewalk recycling bin on Mt. Auburn Street.

Around Town

Senior Snow Shoveling Program Accepting Applications from Seniors

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Seniors in Watertown can apply to get help shoveling their sidewalks. See information provided by the City of Watertown, below. Watertown’s Senior Snow Shoveling Program is Accepting Senior Applications for the 2024-2025 Winter Season. Please email SeniorCenter@watertown-ma.gov for an application or apply online at Snow Removal Program (PDF) or click the link on the Senior Services page. Please sign up by December 13, 2024.