Around Town

Citizen Petition Calling for Buffers Between Developments and Residential Zones Submitted to Council

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A photo of the petition sent to the City Council on April 27. Another citizens’ petition has been submitted to the City Council seeking to change zoning rules. This one seeks to reduce the impact of developments on abutting residential districts. The petition calls for “discretionary” transitions for new developments next to residential zones, which could include considerations for height, setbacks, and screening, among other things. It was signed by 439 people and submitted to the City Clerk on April 27.

Around Town

Gore Place Hosting Annual Heirloom Plant Sale on Mother’s Day Weekend

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Gore Place provided the following information:

Farmer Scott’s Heirloom Tomato Plant SaleFriday through Sunday, May 12-14

Come to Gore Place on Mother’s Day Weekend, and fill your garden with herbs and vegetable transplants, all locally grown on the Farm! Choose from many varieties of hard-to-find heirloom and hybrid tomatoes, as well as peppers, eggplants, and customer-favorite marigolds! PLEASE NOTE: Plants are available exclusively on-site this year. There will be no online sales or pre-ordering. See the plants available for 2023 by clicking here.

Around Town

Historical Society Showing Video on Armenians of Hood Rubber, Holding Annual Meeting

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The Historical Society of Watertown will host its Annual Members Meeting with Election of Board Members on Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 2 p.m. Immediately following: Screening and discussion of the documentary, “Destination Watertown: The Armenians of Hood Rubber” by Roger Hagopian. Come join the Historical Society and the Watertown Free Public Library for this compelling program! Watertown Free Public LibraryWatertown Savings Bank Meeting Room123 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472

The 65-minute documentary “is a timeless and universal story of immigrants escaping genocide and persevering through the hard life of factory work in America in the early decades of the 20th century.” The film contains interviews with stories and reflections of former employees of Armenian descent and East Watertown Residents, interspersed with personal and historic photographs, maps, documents, artifacts, and images of remnants of the old factory, once the largest of its kind in the world. A history lover since his youth, Roger is a graduate of the University of Mass. at Boston, where he received his degree in music.

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OBIT: Tom Neylon, Taught English at WHS, Played Piano in Multiple Bands

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Tom Neylon

By Richard Scafaldi

Tribute to a Friend: Tom Neylon, 1943-2023

Those of you who knew me in the Boston area will remember ‘Professor’ Tom Neylon. Tom played piano with me in our band, The RPM’s for about 15 years, which I think is a record for ‘years served’. I can sincerely say that every minute was a pleasure.  

The story of how we came to play together is somewhat amusing. Tom was a voracious record collector who liked to order records from the Down Home catalog, which-back in the 1980’s-had import records that you could not get in the USA. And he had great taste in music, from 50’s Rock & Roll, to straight out Rockabilly, Rhythm & Blues, and Blues of all varieties.

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Bicycle Collection in Watertown for Community Development at Home and Abroad

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The following information was provided by the organizers of the local Bike Not Bombs event:

A bicycle collection for Bikes Not Bombs will take place on Saturday, May 6, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church St., Watertown, rain or shine. All types and sizes of bikes will be accepted, as well as bike parts, accessories, tools, and cycling clothing. A voluntary donation of $20.00 per bike will be requested to help defray the cost of finding a new home for your bike. Bikes Not Bombs is a local non-profit organization that uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change. Reclaiming thousands of used bicycles each year, Bikes Not Bombs creates local and global programs that provide skill development, jobs, and sustainable transportation for youth and adults.

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City Will Distribute $10.5M in ARPA Funds, Several Groups Have Ideas for How to Spend It

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The kitchen at the Belmont-Watertown United Methodist Church — the site of the Watertown Food Pantry, needs upgrading. The church is applying for some of the City of Watertown’s ARPA funds, with which Pastor Gary Richards hopes to create a space open to the community. Photo by Maya Shwayder. Watertown has $10.5 million to spend, and the clock is ticking! The City Council will be the ones divvying up the dollars, but Councilors will have to choose from a long (and growing) list of proposals:

The Department of Public Works needs around $5 million to replace Watertown’s crumbling water and sewer infrastructure.