Watertown Resident Receives Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass. Achievement Award

Christine Moynihan (right) receives The President’s Club award from Blue Cross CEO Sarah Iselin. The following information was provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts:

Christine Moynihan, Watertown local and Client Relationship Manager, National & Major Accounts at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross), was welcomed into The President’s Club, the company’s highest achievement that reflects its values and recognizes outstanding performance and dedication to its customers and business partners. “During a challenging year, Christine was a trusted ally to her employer customers and was committed to providing them with high-quality, affordable health plan options for their employees,” said Senior Vice President and Blue Cross Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Debbie Williams. “Her dedication to our company and her customers is exceptional and contributed to her outstanding performance last year.”

Christine is a strong advocate for her customers. A 16-year veteran of Blue Cross, Christine’s deep knowledge of the health plan’s products and services, along with her commitment to her customers, are the hallmarks of her success. About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts:

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (bluecrossma.org) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston.

Families Invited to Watertown Touch-a-Truck Event

The public is invited to get a close-up look at firetrucks, construction vehicles, and other trucks at the Touch-A-Truck event on June 17. The DPW sent out the following announcement:

Save the date! Please join us for this free and fun Touch-A-Truck event on Saturday, June 17, 2023 from 10am – 2pm at the Department of Public Works (DPW), located at 124 Orchard St., Watertown. There will be food and activities for all ages, including being able to look inside & explore construction trucks, firetrucks, and recycle trucks.

OP-ED: A Proposal Templeton Pkwy. Property With Historic Church

A Google Earth image of the former Belmont Baptist Church, proposed by the author to turn into art studios and gallery space. By Joseph LevenduskyWatertown Resident

A Modest Proposal for 126-134 Templeton Parkway

One of my neighbors, who grew up on Templeton Parkway, has told me stories of a decrepit old mansion that stood on a large plot of land that extended from Belmont Street up to Woodleigh and over to the corner of Templeton and Belmont. There resided an old lady living out her final years. Out of curiosity, my neighbor and his friends would try to sneak into the mansion and would be chased away by the lady’s household help. That lady was Rosamond Coolidge of the fabled Coolidge family who played an important role in the history of Watertown.

Our History: “The Old Folks’ Rest” and Other Watertown Cemeteries

Historic marker on the Mt. Auburn Street fence of the Arlington Street Cemetery (Photo courtesy of Joyce Kelly)

This article is part of a series on local history provided by the Historical Society of Watertown. The introduction to this article was written by Joyce Kelly, Board member of the Historical Society of Watertown. The articles were written by Historical Society President Rev. Edward Rand in 1902 and published in the local newspaper at that time. This was published in our January 2011 newsletter, “The Town Crier.”

Introduction

The following articles were written in 1902 by Rev. Edward A. Rand.

Watertown Farmers Market Returns for 10th Season on June 14

Photo courtesy of Live Well WatertownThe Watertown Farmers Market returns to Saltonstall Park on June 14. The Watertown Farmers Market enters its 10th season this month, and adds several new and a many returning vendors to the lineup of produce, baked goods, meat & fish and many specialty vendors. Artists will also attend the market each week. Opening day for the Watertown Farmers Market is June 14 and runs each Wednesday through Oct. 25 from 2:30-6:30 p.m. (6 p.m. in October), rain or shine, at Saltonstall Park — the corner of Main Street and Whites Avenue (next to City Hall).

Watertown Community Foundation Awards $729K in Grants to Help Residents Meet Basic Needs

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) has awarded $729,229 to three local non-profits serving low-income populations in Watertown to meet ongoing basic needs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to funding from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) Community Foundations Grant Program for COVID-19 Relief and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Community Block Grant Program, these grants are providing Watertown families rental assistance, paying for utilities, transportation, and technology needs, and supporting food assistance. WCF has partnered with EOHED and DHCD since 2020 to direct $1.6 million in state funds to local non-profits supporting families most effected by the pandemic and who continue to struggle as a result. Of this, WCF has distributed $505,381 for rental assistance and $916,952 for food assistance. “Because of the urgency of putting these funds to work as quickly as possible during the COVID- 19 crisis, Massachusetts chose to partner with the state’s 14 community foundations which knew where need was most urgent and distribute these funds immediately to organizations responding on the front lines. Without the Watertown Community Foundation, Watertown wouldn’t have received these vital funds to support our most vulnerable populations,” said Lauren Coughlin Unsworth, co-president of the Watertown Community Foundation.