Around Town

LETTER: Is it Too Late to Save Adult Medical Rehab Center?

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At 51 Water St., just across the river from downtown Watertown, several local services have been available to the Watertown community, including a large adult day care service and, notably, the Community Rehab Care group. (For orientation, 51 Water St. is the area facing Nonantum Road, behind the bus turn-around and near the MBTA lots.)

Community Rehab Care provides (in their own words): “community-based outpatient rehabilitation and support services to adults and children with neurologic, musculoskeletal, or orthopedic injuries or illnesses.” That covers everyone from children to adults to elderly, who must deal with anything from serious car, sports, or other accidents, to strokes, brain-surgery, post-cancer or post-Covid problems — and much else. As I know from personal experience, the professionals there are dedicated, very busy, and relatively convenient for Watertown residents who need their help. But very unfortunately, the part about convenience is about to change, quite a bit. Up to this past year, relatively easy access to 51 Water St. was possible, though not without a quirk or two having to do with traffic and lane closures on Galen and blockage on Water St.

Around Town

Section of Charles River Trail to be Closed for Repair Work

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Charlie BreitrosePart of the path along the Charles River will be closed Aug. 7-11 so the trail can be resurfaced. The Department of Conservation and Recreation announced that part of the trail along the Charles River will be closed this week. The following announcement was provided by the DCR:

On Monday, August 7, 2023, through Friday, August 11, 2023, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will continue to implement a closure of the Watertown Riverfront Park Trail between Watertown Square and the Perkins School for the Blind and in the City of Watertown from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to accommodate trail resurfacing work that was delayed due to weather. Additionally, Charles River Road (eastbound) and the southern sidewalk between Paul Street and Bay Street may be closed intermittently to accommodate the movement of construction equipment. Fencing and signage will be posted for the duration of the work.

Around Town

2 Historic Events Remembered, Including Signing of Treaty of Watertown

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Marilynne Roach of the Historical Society of Watertown made a presentation about the signing of the Treaty of Watertown and the reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Edmund Fowle House. (Courtesy of the Historical Society)

On July 18, two major events in the history of Watertown and the United States was celebrated by the Historical Society of Watertown at the Senior Center. The events took place in 1776, at the Edmund Fowle House, which now sits across the street from the Senior Center. The home was the seat of the Massachusetts Government after the British took over Boston during the Revolutionary War. It also was the location of the signing of the Treaty of Watertown, the first treaty signed by the recently independent United States with a foreign power – the Mi’kmaq and St.

Around Town

Watertown Man Planning to Ferry People to and from Boston on Charles River

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A rendering of the what the boat to be used by Wada Hoppah to ferry passengers from Watertown to Boston on the Charles River (Courtesy of Wada Hoppah)

A local man wants to put the “water” back into Watertown when it comes to public transportation. If everything comes together, Drew Rollert’s company Wada Hoppah will be ferrying passengers from Watertown to Beacon Hill, with stops along the way, beginning this fall. Cities such as Venice, Amsterdam, and London are known for using their rivers and canals for transportation, and Rollert believes Boston should join them. He is confident that people would like an alternative to sitting in traffic jams, or riding the MBTA’s buses or trains. The Watertown resident remembers the moment that the idea of river transportation came to him.