Around Town

LETTER: Industrial Noise Pollution from Watertown Impacting Newton Neighbors

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Dear Watertown News editor,

I’m writing to ensure that you, and your readers, are aware of an issue at Watertown’s border. Industrial noise pollution is dominating the Charles River and the residential neighborhoods it borders. Those of us most affected have formed an association and reached out to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection seeking immediate help in ensuring the installation of noise-mitigation devices such as sound blankets and fan silencers. The corridor of Pleasant Street along the Charles River has seen an expansion of noise-generating ventilation fans, chillers and evaporators among the commercial buildings directly on the Charles River. The businesses that directly border the Charles River and regularly generate noise include Griffith Properties, 580 Pleasant Street; Charles River Automotive, 594 Pleasant Street; and Arranta Bio/ReciBio, 650 Pleasant Street.

Around Town

Hear from People Leading Watertown Square Revitalization Effort at Kick-Off Event

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The City of Watertown sent out the following information:

Join us for the Watertown Square Plan Kick-off Event – A (more) Walkable Watertown on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. at 64 Pleasant Street. Meet with project team representatives, including walkability guru Jeff Speck and Utile project lead Tim Love, to discuss the current condition of the Square, hear how communities can reimagine important spaces, and learn about the team’s next steps! See the Watertown Square Plan website here.

Around Town

Closings in Watertown for Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day Holiday

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Several City facilities will be closed on Monday, Oct. 9 for the Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day holiday. The City of Watertown provided the following information:

Watertown City Hall and Senior Center are closed on Monday, October 9, 2023 in observance of the Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day holiday. Please be aware that the trash and recycling pickup schedule for the week will be Tuesday, October 10 through Saturday, October 14, 2023. Also, the Watertown Free Public Library will be closed on Monday, according to the Library’s website.

Around Town

LETTER: Resident Backs School Committee Candidate in November Election

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Dear Watertown voters,

I’m writing to urge voters to elect Lisa Capoccia for School Committee. For those of you, like myself, who do not have school age children or grandchildren in Watertown, we know a healthy, thriving community requires a healthy, thriving school community. We appreciate the importance of living in a city where the School Committee has members who walk-the-walk to help create an “exceptional and equitable educational experience” for all students. Lisa commits to this mission in her campaign statement and she has worked on this mission for years.  

I know Lisa through friends and our community work.

Around Town

Watertown LGBTQ-Owned Restaurant Receives Community Impact Grant 

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The following announcement was provided by the MA LGBT Chamber of Commerce:

Ritcey East, an LGBTQ-Owned business based in Watertown is among 12 small businesses statewide receiving a community impact grant from the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). The business received a grant totaling $5,000. “LGBTQ-Owned businesses are an important piece of our Commonwealth’s economy and so this support not only helps each of the businesses receiving grants but also supports the communities they are a part of,” said Grace Moreno, Executive Director of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “The LGBTQ community faces many barriers to creating small businesses and so we have a clear mandate to remove those barriers and find the resources to allow them to thrive. That is what our Chamber is all about.” 

The NGLCC Community Impact Grant Program, supported by the Grubhub Community Fund, annually provides financial support to businesses with grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.

Around Town

Our History: A Recollection of Life as a Deliver-Boy Long Ago

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Hackett Brothers store before 1905, located on what is now The Delta in Watertown Square (Photo courtesy of the Watertown Free Public Library)

The following story is part of a series on local history provided by the Historical Society of Watertown. It was written by Sigrid Reddy Watson Terman for the April 2001 Historical Society newsletter, “The Town Crier”. Sigrid is a former Board member and former President of the Historical Society, as well at a former Director of the Watertown Free Public Library. For several years starting in 1997, she wrote a Watertown history column for the Watertown TAB/Press called “Echoes.” Sigrid published her columns in a book called “Watertown Echoes: A Look Back at Life in a Massachusetts Town.” The book is available for purchase through the Historical Society of Watertown for $10.00.

Around Town

Check Out This Week’s Small Saves Cartoon

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”