Government

While the State of the City Looks Good, Manager Also Address Challenges Facing Watertown

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City Manager George Proakis, left, and City Council President Mark Sideris spoke during the first annual State of the City on Wednesday night. Behind them is a photo of a juggler at the Faire on the Square. (Courtesy of the City of Watertown)

The State of the City of Watertown is strong and the future is bright, City Manager George Proakis said during the first annual State of the City on Wednesday night, but there are still many challenges to deal with. The event where the City Manager and the City Council President talk about how the City of Watertown is doing is now required to be held annually, following the changes to Watertown’s City Charter adopted in 2021. At the end of his presentation, Proakis included a photo of a performer at the Faire on the Square.

Around Town

Watertown Resident Named as a Big Brother of the Year, Has Volunteered for Five Years

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts Names Xin Peng a Big Brother of the Year (Courtesy of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts.)

The following information came from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts (BBBSEM) has named Xin Peng, 29, of Watertown, as one of the agency’s 2023 Big Brothers of the Year. He is one of nearly 4,000 volunteers, referred to as Bigs, for the nonprofit who are committed to developing caring and life-altering one-to-one mentoring relationships with children. Peng was matched with his mentee, or Little, Alex Braga , in July 2018. Braga’s parents enrolled him in the nonprofit’s signature community-based program, for which adult mentors, referred to as Bigs, are paired with youth and meet for two to three hours, a couple times a month on outings of their choice, in order to provide him with the one-to-one attention he deserved as they were focused on caring for his younger brother with autism transition to a residential program. At the time, the 9-year-old was shy and hesitant to try new things.

Government

Master Plan for Watertown Mall Redevelopment & Parking Garage Going Before Planning Board

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A view of the plans for the Watertown Mall Transformation Project. (Illustration from Alexandria Real Estate)

Wednesday night, the Planning Board will hear plans for the redevelopment of the Watertown Mall and nearby properties planned by Alexandria Real Estate Equities. Alexandria seeks a Master Plan Special Permit with Site Plan Review for what is known as the Watertown Mall Transformation Project. The plan calls for four office/lab buildings, a new retail building, two amenity spaces and two parking garages, including one that would be a separate project at 480 Arenal Way. The application reads: “The proposed master plan would create a new mix of uses within a development that spans 4 existing parcels, carried out in phases, with laboratory/R&D, retail, office, commercial and amenity space within 8 buildings (Target/building to remain), with supporting structured and surface parking.”

Police/Fire

Police Log: Bust Recovers Over 100 Baggies of Drugs, Man Caught After Breaking Into Home & Car

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

July 25, 11:48 a.m.: Detectives from the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force observed a man making a drug sale on Brookline Street. The man had been under investigation for a month. After the sale, police pulled the suspect’s vehicle over. They immediately noticed two tied off corner plastic bags with a white rock substance inside the vehicle.

Around Town

Watertown Man Planning to Ferry People to and from Boston on Charles River

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A rendering of the what the boat to be used by Wada Hoppah to ferry passengers from Watertown to Boston on the Charles River (Courtesy of Wada Hoppah)

A local man wants to put the “water” back into Watertown when it comes to public transportation. If everything comes together, Drew Rollert’s company Wada Hoppah will be ferrying passengers from Watertown to Beacon Hill, with stops along the way, beginning this fall. Cities such as Venice, Amsterdam, and London are known for using their rivers and canals for transportation, and Rollert believes Boston should join them. He is confident that people would like an alternative to sitting in traffic jams, or riding the MBTA’s buses or trains. The Watertown resident remembers the moment that the idea of river transportation came to him.

Entertainment

Q&A: Watertown’s Jen Trynin Nearly Became a Rock Star, Now She Embraces Her Literary Side

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Watertown’s Jen Trynin, a former rock musician who is now writing about her life, also runs Earfull with her friend Tim Huggins, the original owner of Newtonville Books. (Courtesy of Jen Trynin)

What’s it like to almost become a rock star, and then walk away from it? That’s the unique experience Jen Trynin had in the 90’s when her song “Better Than Nothing” suddenly grabbed the attention of every major record label. But after signing, she actually decided to put her professional music life on the back burner and embrace her more literary side. This summer she has a new story out in Ploughshares, the prestigious literary magazine published by Emerson College.

Around Town

Martial Arts Studio Brings Following to Watertown, Led by Longtime Instructor

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A class at Wu Dao Kung Fu & Tai Chi in Watertown. (Courtesy of Wu Dao)

Inside an unassuming building, surrounded by office buildings, labs, and an auto dealership sits a spacious studio where students train in kung fu and tai chi from an instructor who is versed in martial arts and more. Wu Dao Kung Fu & Tai Chi moved to a studio on Walnut Street after years operating near Fresh Pond in Cambridge. Owner and head instructor Lindsay Lambert developed a loyal group of students, many of whom followed Wu Dao after the move to Watertown. The numbers dropped during the Pandemic and after the move, particularly the kids program.

Schools

Stormwater Drainage at 2 Schools Need to be Repaired

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A pond has formed in a rain garden that is not draining at Hosmer School, near the corner of Mt. Auburn and Boylston streets. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Rain gardens at two Watertown schools that should be trickling water into the ground after storms have not been draining properly and have become standing ponds. The stormwater systems will have to be reinstalled so they work properly. The rain gardens were installed at Hosmer and Cunniff elementary schools during the construction of the new school buildings.