Schools

Watertown’s Elementary School Projects to Finish Months Ahead of Schedule

By |

Recent photos of the construction at Hosmer (left) and Cunniff elementary schools. The construction of the new Cunniff and Hosmer elementary schools will be completed several months ahead of schedule. Students at Cunniff are projected to move into their new school three months early. At Hosmer, children and staff will return seven months early, with the entire project scheduled to be completed a year early, said Vivian Varbedian from owner’s project manager firm Hill International. The School Building Committee received the news last week, and it was shared with the Town Council on Tuesday night.

Entertainment

Council Approves Public Arts Master Plan, Creates New Committee

By |

A mural created on Melendy Avenue in 2015 is an example of public arts in Watertown. A committee will be formed to help Watertown implement the Public Arts Master Plan, which received approval from the Town Council on Tuesday night. While Watertown has had some public arts projects, most notably a series of murals created from 2013-15, it did not have a formal plan. Planning to create a master plan began in 2019, when the Watertown Department of Planning and Community Development brought on the Metropolitan Area Planning Council as a consultant. The group gathered input from multiple community forums, from online surveys and by speaking with local artists and stakeholders.

Around Town

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for Watertown Residents Age 65+ Planned

By |

UPDATE: All the appointments for this vaccine clinic have been filled. The Watertown Health Department announced that it will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for Watertown seniors age 65 and older. The Watertown Health Department has been allotted 100 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, per State requirements. 

A First-Shot clinic will be held for Watertown residents 65 and older ONLY (no caregivers) on Monday, March 1, 2021 from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM, Community Room, Watertown Police Department, 552 Main Street. An appointment is required to get a vaccine. No walk-ins. Registration for the clinic can be done by following this link: https://www.maimmunizations.org/reg/5161005892

Watertown Seniors requiring assistance with registering for this clinic can call the Senior Center at (617) 972-6490.

Sports

One of the Best WHS Basketball Players Looking to Play at College’s Highest Level

By |

Gabe Spinelli returned to Watertown for his senior year. Coach Steve Harrington called him one of the best players he has coached. The pandemic has altered plans for many. While most of those changes fall in the negative column, there was a positive one for the Watertown High School boys basketball team, as it led to the return of a star player who’s looking to take his game to the Division I college level. Gabe Spinelli spent his first two years playing for the Raiders, and got some quality playing time on Watertown’s 2018 State Championship team his freshman year.

Entertainment

Library Hosting Virtual Events for One Book, One Watertown

By |

The Watertown Library provided the following announcement:

Following a difficult year, the Watertown Free Public Library has chosen an uplifting theme for this year’s One Book, One Watertown March events. As we all look forward to a reopened world, the Library invites our community to come together, virtually, to share what we love most (and miss the most) about being human. “This year’s One Book title, The Humans by Matt Haig, is all about the joys, frustrations, and often hilarious pitfalls of being human, as observed by an alien outsider,” says Jill Clements, WFPL Adult Services Supervisor. “We hope it will remind us all to cherish the things that bind us together, because, in the final analysis, we’re all we’ve got.”

Here’s what the Library has planned for March:

Community Book Discussion: The Humans by Matt Haig

Wednesday, 3/3 | 7 PM | via Zoom | The Wednesday Book Group is WFPL’s monthly book discussion group for adults. Discussions are informal and generally based on personal reactions, not academic analysis.

Development

ZBA Hearing Two Big Projects, Council Subgroup Looks at Police Services & Other Meetings

By |

Plans for converting the Tufts Health Plan building into life science labs and offices will be heard by the Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday. The Watertown Zoning Board has several projects on its agenda, including renovations of the Tufts Health Plan building and a biotech project proposed on Elm Street. The ZBA gives final approval for these projects and the meeting begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Spear Street Capital, the new owner of the Tufts Health Plan site at 705 Mt.