Around Town

City Manager Discusses Comprehensive Plan, Resident Participation & the High School Project on Watertown Cable Show

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Inside Watertown hosts Bob Airasian, far left, and Charlie Breitrose were joined by City Manager George Proakis and Director of Community Development and Planning Steve Magoon. (Screenshot from Watertown Cable). Watertown City Manager George Proakis talked about the ongoing Comprehensive Plan update, how residents can get involved when projects go before the City, and what’s going on with the Watertown High School project in the latest episode of Watertown Cable’s Inside Watertown. Along with Proakis, co-hosts Charlie Breitrose and Bob Airasian were joined by Steve Magoon, Watertown’s Assistant City Manager and the Director of Community Development and Planning. The City recently held a public forum on the Comprehensive Plan, which is being updated for the first time since it was adopted in 2015.

Around Town

Our History: Watertown Artist Ellen Robbins, Famous for Paintings of Flowers

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Ellen Robbins painting in her studio (from a photograph by J. Appleton Brown)

This article is part of a series on local history provided by the Historical Society of Watertown. It was written by Joyce Kelly, Board member of the Historical Society of Watertown. Joyce writes articles for the newsletter and is the newsletter editor. This was published in our January 2009 newsletter, “The Town Crier.” ELLEN ROBBINS (1828 – 1905) – A WATERTOWN ARTIST

Watertown residents may be surprised to discover the many prominent people who called Watertown their home.

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Free Curbside Compost Bins Available for Watertown Residents

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Watertown DPWCurbside composting toters, like the one on the left, will be part of the Watertown trash and recycling program starting in August. The Watertown Department of Public Works announced that the City received compost bins which can be used with Watertown’s free curbside compost program. The City of Watertown sent out the following information:

“1000 new FREE residential compost bins have been delivered, paid for by a grant from MassDEP! Enrollment in Watertown’s FREE curbside compost program is open for an April 2023 start. Sign up today and your new bin and liners will be delivered the first week of April. www.blackearthcompost.com/watertown,” the announcement reads.

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OP-ED: MBTA Law Part 4 – Possible Strategies for Watertown to Meet the Mandate

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Linda ScottThe Elan Union Market apartment building on Arsenal Street. By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

These scenarios are meant to mitigate some of the stress put on Watertown by the MBTA Law. One or more of these added to some thoughtful re-zoning, for me, seems ideal. Please note that because of Watertown’s overall housing density and availability to transit, there are even more options than I’m listing. In fact, there are enough to account for the entire 1,701 units plus 200 housing units more!

Around Town

Community Foundations Awards $12,000 in Watertown Youth Sports Grants

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

For the third year, the Watertown Community Foundation has provided financial support to Watertown’s youth sports leagues so any child can play a league sport, regardless of ability to pay. With support from The Bilezikian Family Foundation, NESN, and Arsenal Yards, more leagues applied for and received funding to help more kids. This year’s awards total $12,000, a record for the program. Grantees include Watertown Youth Basketball, Watertown/Belmont Football and Cheerleading League, Watertown Youth Hockey, Watertown Youth Baseball and Softball, and The Challenger Division of Little League, a program for developmentally and physically challenged youth (age 8-21). WCF aims to serve Watertown youth from kindergarten through high school, their families, and the volunteer coaches who run the leagues.

Around Town

Watertown Purchasing Dog to Chase Geese From Parks and Fields

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City of WatertownVee, a border collie, will soon be arriving in Watertown where she will chase geese away from City-owned fields and parks. Watertown’s newest employee will get plenty of exercise, time outdoors, and her reward for doing a good job will be treats — doggie treats. Vee, Watertown’s goose control dog, will soon be patrolling the parks and fields around the City to make sure the flocks of birds don’t get too comfortable or leave their marks. She will live with and accompany Department of Public Works Parks and Cemetery Supervisor Bob DiRico to work, said Watertown City Manager George Proakis. “In a few days Mr. DiRico will go to Leesburg, Virginia, to pick up Vee,” Proakis told the City Council on Tuesday.