Around Town

Community Preservation Committee Accepting Applications, Find Out How Apply

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The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:

Interested in applying for CPA funds? Your first step is to complete a Project Eligibility Form to determine if your project is eligible for CPA funding. Project Eligibility Forms are due July 29, 2024. 

Sign up for CPA Clinic Hours  Learn how to turn a good idea into a successful project. If you have a notion for a project on city-owned property, get connected to the right city departments for permission and support. Find answers to all your questions about the application process and forms. 

Schedule an appointment during CPA Clinic Hours, listed below, for a phone call or in-person meeting:

June 21, 2023: 1:30-3:30 p.m.

July 6, 2023: 10:30-12 p.m.

July 10, 2023: 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Read the application instructions here. Contact Lanae Handy, Community Preservation Coordinator at lhandy@watertown-ma.gov or visit watertown-ma.gov for more information.

Around Town

OP-ED: Reflections on the First Watertown Square Plan Hearing

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Part 1: Thomas Jefferson: “That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part.”

At last Thursday night’s Joint Hearing of the City Council and the Planning Board, the purpose was to gather community information and evaluate the Watertown Square Area Plan. According to Watertown News: “A large group of people supported the plan…” and “A significant number of people spoke out against parts of the project.”

This description is both brief and accurate. Many Watertown residents went to the podium to announce their “strong support” for this plan and/or to support it with the caveat that they’d like even more density. One by one, community members, finding no reason to look deeper into this plan, went up to the podium and started their comments with a cookie-cutter like “I strongly support this plan” and “I don’t think it goes far enough.”

They’d be a bit more convincing if some residents who agreed with this position hadn’t chosen to hold up their middle fingers and hiss behind the backs of those people who had more substantive and nuanced questions to be answered. Every Watertown resident is entitled to be heard, without such disrespectful antics.

Around Town

Watertown Farmers Market Will be Open on Wednesday

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The Watertown Farmers Market will be open this Wednesday. The City of Watertown sent out the following information:

The Market is OPEN on June 19th! Thanks to our fans and all who came by to celebrate our Opening Day last week ~ we hit a record close to 1,000 people visiting the market! 

Just in time for summer’s official start, you can find lots of fun and flavorful fruits and veggies, fantastic baked goods, sustainable seafood and meat, and so much more at this week’s market! 

Please note that due to the high temperatures predicted, we will not have our weekly artisan or musician attending this week. 

Watertown Farmers’ MarketWednesdays 2:30 – 6:30 pm(6:00pm close in October)June 12 – October 23, 2024Rain or ShineSaltonstall ParkCorner of Main St. & Whites Ave. (next to City Hall, 149 Main Street)

Providing access to farm fresh and specialty foods, supporting local agriculture and businesses, addressing food insecurity, building community, and promoting healthy and sustainable living. See more details about this week’s market by clicking here.

Around Town

Wada Hoppah Raffling a Trip to the Celtics Parade by Boat from Watertown

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Drew Rollert looks back toward the tower at Perkins School for the Blind. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The group planning to start a water shuttle from Watertown to Boston will raffle off a trip for two down the Charles River to the Boston Celtics’ Championship Parade on Friday. Wada Hoppah posted the following message on it’s Instagram account. RAFFLE ALERT!! Water lovers!

Around Town

Watertown Restaurant Will Offer Seasonal Prix Fixe Menu Featuring Local Ingredients

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Bar ‘Cino has opened in Watertown Square. (Photo courtesy of Bar ‘Cino)

Bar ‘Cino in Watertown will be serving prix fixe menus featuring in-season produce from farms in New England. The restaurant in Watertown Square will serve a three course prix fixe menu for $36 a person Sunday t0 Wednesday from June 24 to Sept. 18, said Bryan Parkin, General Manager at Bar ‘Cino in Watertown. The menu will use fresh ingredients from local farms.

“As a company we have spend quite a bit of money with Farm Fresh Rhode Island as well as Verrill Farms in Concord to help local agriculture and support the farmers,” Parkin said.

Around Town

Places in Watertown to Stay Cool During the Heat Wave

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Children enjoy the new spray pad at Filippello Park in East Watertown. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The City of Watertown provided the following tips about how to keep cool in this week’s heat wave:

As the first heat wave of the season approaches, here are some places to help you stay cool through Sunday, 23, 2024:

The Filippello Park Spray Pad, located between Arlington and Grove Streets, is open daily from 9:15 a.m.-8:15 p.m. all summer. The Watertown Free Public Library, at 123 Main Street, is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m-5 p.m. The Library will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. The DCR Pool, located at 138 Pleasant Street, is scheduled to be open on Saturday, June 22, 2024 from 11:15 a.m. – 6:45 p.m. It will be open daily through Sunday, August 18, 2024. See information about the pool.

Around Town

City of Watertown Closures for the Juneteenth Holiday

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The City of Watertown provided the following announcement:

City Hall, the Parker Annex, Department of Public Works Offices, the Senior Center and the Watertown Free Public Library are closed on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 in observance of Junteenth. Please be aware that due to the Juneteeth holiday on Wednesday, trash and recycling pickup will be delayed one day after the holiday. The pickup schedule is Monday, June 17-Tuesday, June 18, 2024 and Thursday, June 20-Saturday, June 22, 2024. A holiday postpones pickup by one day.

Weather

Excessive Heat Watch from Tuesday to Friday, Will Feel Like 100+ Degrees

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Temperatures will reach into the high 90s from Tuesday to Friday, this week, according to the National Weather Service, and it will feel like it is over 100 degrees. An Excessive Heat Watch is in effect from Tuesday, June 18 at noon to Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m. High temperatures are forecast to be in the 90s each day, and may even reach 100 on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service forecast. [Dangerous Heat & Humidity] Heat Headlines are in effect away from the immediate south coast Tue through Fri. Heat & Humidity peak in the Wed through Fri time frame with record high possible. Afternoon Heat Indices will reach between 98 and 106 degrees away from the south coast.