Government

Council to Hear from Public on How to Spend Watertown’s Federal ARPA Funds

By |

Watertown City Hall

The City of Watertown will receive $10.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, and next week the City Council will host a meeting to hear from residents about how they would like to see the money spent. The Council’s Committee on Budget & Fiscal Oversight will hold the meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. in City Hall and there will be a remote option. Meeting information and the remote link will be posted here. Watertown must have a final plan for where the ARPA funds will be spent by Dec.

Government

U.S. Rep Clark Presents Watertown with $240K for Project to Protect River, Increase Climate Resiliency

By |

Charlie BreitroseCongresswoman Catherine Clark looks on as Watertown City Manager George Proakis speaks about the $240,000 in federal funds to build stormwater tree trenches in town. Congresswoman Katherine Clark visited City Hall Monday to announce $240,000 in federal funding for a climate-related project in Watertown. The City will use the money to install 15 tree trenches designed to remove pollutants from the Charles River and cool temperatures by providing more trees on City streets. The Department of Public Works applied for the money after hearing about the funding, said Watertown DPW Superintendent Greg St. Louis.

Around Town

Apartment Complex Could be Build Near Watertown on IHOP Site

By |

A Google Maps screenshot showing the IHOP (the red dot) on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton, on the other side of the Charles River from Squibnocket Park in Watertown. A project with 200 housing units and commercial will be built on that site and the site where a former motel sits. The late-night dining destination on the other side of the Charles River from Watertown may become a complex with residential and commercial space. Universal Hub reports the plans will soon be filed for a residential project on property on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton where the IHOP (1850 Soldiers Field Road) and motel stand. The location sits near where North Beacon Street crosses from Watertown heading east, and converges with Soldiers Field Road, Nonantum Road, and the Birmingham Parkway in a rotary intersection.

Around Town

Unity Award Goes to Group Behind Film Series, New Scholarships Announced

By |

Watertown Cable AccessThe winners of the 2023 Unity Award, Epiteo Evans and Kara Salvi, who founded Race Reels in Watertown. Most years the annual Unity Award goes to an individual who has made a difference in Watertown, but this year the committee gave it to a group that screens films locally that spark conversations about issues facing the community and the nation. On Jan. 9, the pair behind Race Reels, Epiteo Evans and Kara Salvi, received the Unity Award at special event. The pair was also highlighted in the Unity Breakfast video celebration, which was presented by the World in Watertown.

Around Town

Group that Sends Care Packages to Military Personnel May be Grounded by Change in Mail Rules

By |

For 20 years, Operation American Soldier has been sending out a piece of home to men and women serving in the U.S. Military overseas from Watertown, but the pipeline of care packages appears to be coming to a sudden halt with a change in rules for shipping packages to military bases. Co-founder Wendy Rocca recently learned that the flat-rate boxes used to send the care packages will soon no longer be available, and the rates will be much higher. “It was $15.30 (per box) at the Christmas-time rush. It was $14 and change for the rest of the year,” Rocca said. “Now we do not have the flat rate.

Around Town

Watertown High Grad Plays on NCAA Title Winning Soccer Team

By |

Watertown’s Julio Fulcar finished up his college soccer career at Syracuse with a win in the National Championship game

When the Syracuse University men’s soccer team lifted the championship trophy in December, one of players celebrating was Watertown’s own Julio Fulcar. The Watertown High School graduate played for the Orange for five years, including this year as a graduate student. This season, Syracuse won the soccer National Championship for the first time in school history, finishing 19-2-4, and won the ACC regular season division, and the ACC tournament. Watertown News caught up with Fulcar, who said that being able to achieve the team’s ultimate goal was a very special experience. “It is difficult to describe the feelings one feels when they know they are a part of a real team but it is an unforgettable feeling, one I have been fortunate enough to feel twice now; the high school basketball team from 2018 echoes many of the same sentiments I had this past fall at Syracuse,” Fulcar said. 

Syracuse AthleticsWatertown’s Julio Fulcar kicks the ball in a game against Louisville.

Sports

4 Watertown Athletes Garner Boston Globe All-Scholastic Honors

By |

Charlie BreitroseWatertown senior co-captain Maggie Driscoll shoots the ball in the 2022 State Final. Driscoll was named the Div. 3 Player of the Year by the Boston Globe. The Fall season had many highlights for Watertown High School teams — including a state championship and a rivalry victory at Fenway Park. For their role in the successful season, four Raiders received All-Scholastic honors from the Boston Globe.