Around Town

Watertown Cultural District Approved by Mass Cultural Council

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Watertown will have a cultural district in the center of town after the City’s application received official approval from the Mass. Cultural Council this week. The Watertown Cultural District will be centered around Watertown Square, and includes the Watertown Free Public Library, the Armenian Museum of America, and Saltonstall Park. Watertown was one of three communities to get approval for a cultural district, said Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council. “This is a celebration of these three communities, their distinct local character, and their cultural vibrancy,” Bobbitt said.

Government

Council Approves Watertown Square Zoning Changes With Increased Sustainability Requirements & Other Changes

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The zoning map recommended by the Planning Board on October 30, 2024. After nearly a year of planning, meetings and discussion, the Watertown Square Area Plan zoning changes have been adopted by the City Council. The updated zoning will meet the State’s housing requirements, even after trimming back some of the recommendations from the Planning Board, and the Council increased the green building requirements for new projects. Thursday night, the Council approved the Watertown Square Zoning unanimously. They included a majority of the changes recommended by the Planning Board on Oct.

Government

City to Add Section to Community Path with Taking of Land, Memorialization Committee Could be Created

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Watertown City Hall

(CORRECTION: The easement payment was incorrectly listed at $374,000. It is $37,400)

Watertown’s Community Path will get a bit longer with the addition of a section that sits on private land right next to Main Street. The Council also heard about the committee proposed to decide how to name streets, buildings, and other places in someone’s memory. That section of the Community Path that runs from Waverley Avenue and Main Street has been constructed, City Manager George Proakis told the City Council on Tuesday night, but it has been closed off until the City could get the right for public use through an easement agreement with the property owner. “We are paying them, they are getting these easement rights, and we will get the path further along and connected to Main Street,” Proakis said.

Around Town

Veterans Agent Looks to Spread Word About Programs Available to Former Member of the Armed Services

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Watertown Veterans Services Officer Patrick George reads Gov. Healey’s Veterans Day Proclamation at the Veterans Day Breakfast at the Shutt Detachment. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown veterans came together Monday at the Marine Corps League Shutt Detachment to enjoy some breakfast, socialize, and celebrate Veterans Day. Watertown Veterans Services Officer Patrick George hopes to have more such events in town, and spread information about programs and benefits which are available to vets. Massachusetts recently added to the programs for veterans, George mentioned during his Veterans Day address. “As the Governor’s (Veterans Day) proclamation mentioned, The HERO Act is a new veterans bill passed by the state recently, and it expands veterans benefits,” George said.

Around Town

Rep. Lawn Receives Mass. Commission on Persons with Disabilities Legislative Champion Award

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State Rep. John Lawn

The following announcement was provided by Rep. John Lawn’s Office:

Watertown State Rep. John J. Lawn, Jr. was recognized as one of two Legislative Champions Awards recipients by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities at this year’s Annual National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebration in the Great Hall of Flags at the Massachusetts State House. The event recognized the invaluable contributions of employees with disabilities, alongside policymakers, employers, service providers, and key stakeholders in the disability community in Massachusetts and the Country. “Representative Lawn cares deeply about the disabled community,” said Commission on the Status of persons with disabilities Chairwoman Rep. Denise Garlick (D-Needham). “He has consistently shown his commitment to fighting for the community through his championing of priority legislation such as Operation House Call and his continued advocacy for its funding. He is a strong ally of the disabled community.”

“I am honored and humbled to be recognized by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities as one of this year’s Legislative Champions,” said Watertown State Representative John J. Lawn, Jr. “This recognition is very personal to me, as my best friend David has an intellectual disability.

Sports

Watertown Field Hockey Team Final Four Bound After Beating Bedford

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The Watertown High School field hockey team celebrates earning a berth into the MIAA Div. 3 Tournament Final Four. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)\

Watertown High School’s field hockey team eased into the Final Four with an overwhelming victory over Bedford in the Round of 8 in the MIAA Div. 3 State Tournament at Victory Field on Saturday. The second-seeded Raiders scored early and often, with senior Caroline Andrade scoring the first two, followed by three straight tallies by senior co-captain Rachel Egan.

Around Town

Plans for Victory Field Track Renovation Presented, Some Call for Artificial Turf Field

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The Victory Field Phase II project includes renovation of the track, courts, and the driveway in the complex. Six years after a committee issued recommendations for the renovation of the track and courts at Victory Field, the project will be moving forward. However, some at the meeting on Wednesday where the plans were presented called for making the field inside the oval artificial turf to allow for more use by high school and youth sports teams.

Another area of concern raised at the meeting held at Lowell Elementary School, was that the project does not solve the lack of a changing area for female athletes at Victory Field. The 75 Percent plans for Victory Field Phase II are based on the recommendations of the Victory Field Ad Hoc Committee, which issued a report in June 2018. In 2019, designers from CDM Smith presented the 25 percent plan, and underground testing was conducted.