Government

Council to Consider Ordinance Proposed to Make Large Buildings be Net Zero by 2050

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Photo by Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

Watertown will explore creating an ordinance requiring buildings to reduce their carbon emissions and will base it on similar ordinances adopted by other communities in Massachusetts. Work has already begun on drafting a Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance, or BERDO, with a proposed ordinance having been submitted by the Watertown Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee (WE3C). City Manager George Proakis told the City Council on Tuesday that creating a BERDO would “implement a key part of the City’s Climate Plan.” The Resilient Watertown Climate & Energy Plan was passed in 2022. “I have often said (the plan) has many ambitious but achievable goals to address our climate crisis and establish a process in our climate resiliency and climate adaptation, and we’ve worked very hard to do that in a number of different ways,” Proakis said. “What that plan did is also provide strategies to reduce carbon emissions for buildings and called out the necessity for building performance standard ordinance.”

Sports

Watertown Field Hockey Player Named Globe Athlete of the Year, Another Makes All-Scholastic Team

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The Watertown field hockey team player Rachel Egan was named Athlete of the Year by the Boston Globe. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

On top of completing an undefeated career as Watertown field hockey players, two Raiders were honored by making the Boston Globe’s All-Scholastic team, including one being named Athlete of the Year. Also, see the Watertown athletes who made the Middlesex League All-Stars for all fall sports. The Globe selected Senior Rachel Egan as the Div. 3 Athlete of the Year.

Schools

Changes to School’s Extended Day Program But No Extra Seats; Plans for PreK & Preschool

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The Watertown Public Schools Extended Day program has been so popular that it consistently has more applications than spots available. School officials said the number of spots will not be increased, but efforts will be made to try to prevent students being on the waitlist for more than one year. The School Committee heard updates on the Extended Day — the district’s after school program for children in grades K-5 — as well as the PreK and district’s Preschool programs at its Jan. 6 meeting. Debi Cornelius, Director of Community Education, said the Extended Day Program is full with 410 students, and officially has 35 students on the waitlist, including 14 at Hosmer, 15 at Lowell and 6 from the PreK program.

Around Town

New England Patriots Honor Longtime Perkins School Volunteer as a Difference Maker

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Chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group and the New England Patriots Robert Kraft takes a group photo with the 2024 Patriots Difference Makers of the Week. (Photo courtesy of David Silverman/New England Patriots). The New England Patriots honored volunteers on Jan. 5 during a ceremony honoring the 2024 Patriots Difference Makers, including a woman who had volunteered at Perkins School for the Blind for two decades. See details in the announcement from the New England Patriots Foundation below.

Government

Woman Honored for Her 40+ Years Working for the City and Her Upcoming Retirement

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Surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues, Ingrid Marchesano celebrated her upcoming retirement from the City of Watertown after more than 40 years. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The City Council Chamber was packed with people recently, not for a government meeting but to celebrate a woman who has dedicated nearly half a century working for the Town (now City) of Watertown. Jan. 28 will be Ingrid Marchesano’s final day working for the City of Watertown. Before she left, on Dec.

Schools

Student Leads Effort to Install Fridge at Watertown School to Save Unopened Items for Community Fridge

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Third-grader Naomi Ward stands next to the fridge where food is saved after lunches at Lowell School and donated to the Watertown Community Fridge. She helped raise money to purchased the fridge. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Thanks to the effort of an elementary school student, bags full of food from lunches at one Watertown school will be saved and made available to those who visit the Watertown Community Fridge. Setting up a program to collect the food and make it available to those who need it was a multi-year effort. Now third-grader Naomi Ward first got the idea of trying to save food from lunches at Lowell Elementary School when she was in first grade.

Business

One Watertown Restaurant Closes, a New One Opens

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Some of the South of the Border dishes being served at Plazita Mexico Tacos. As 2025 begins, Watertown has seen one restaurant close, while an addition has been made to the eating scene. Restaurant Says ‘Bye Bye’

Olespana Whiskey & Tapas Bar on Mt. Auburn Street announced that it will be closing. The restaurant that served Spanish food, pizza and other dishes had opened in the former Mount Auburn Grill space in 2023.

Around Town

Drainage Installation at Mt. Auburn St. & Arlington St. Intersection to Begin This Week

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Work on the Mt. Auburn Street reconstruction project will restart in the New Year. See details in the announcement from the City of Watertown. Drainage Installation Work ContinuesNewport Construction is continuing to complete the drainage installation work along Mount Auburn Street, next beginning their work at the Arlington Street intersection and moving toward Watertown Square on Monday, January 6, 2025. Work will happen between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday.