Police/Fire

Watertown Firefighters Douse Flames on Roof of Building on Grove Street

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The Watertown Fire Department put out a fire on the roof of an office building in East Watertown on Wednesday. 

Welding sparks ignited some insulation foam on the roof of 65 Grove Street, said Watertown Fire Capt. Ryan Nicholson. “We had to open up a significant area around the point of ignition to ensure the fire hadn’t spread,” Nicholson said. The blaze did not spread beyond the roof. The building was recently renovated building that will have several tenants, including Bosch Thermotechonlogy.

65 Grove Street

An Inside Look at Bosch’s Watertown Office Where it Will Develop New A/C, Heating Technology

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Bosch welcomed local officials and the media during the official unveiling of its new research and development facility on Grove Street in Watertown where it will work on air conditioning, heating, and ways to control its products with smartphones or other technology. 

The Bosch Thermotechnology Corp. facility was the first tenant of the renovated 65 Grove Street building. The company occupies the second floor of one half of the building, where it has 45 employees, who work in product development, human resources, sales and marketing, and business development. “Our associates are excited to be here and be here for a long time,” said Vitor Gregorio, regional president of Bosch Thermotechnology. The visual centerpiece of the facility is the Bosch Experience Center, where the company displays air conditioning units and water heaters and furnaces for both residential and commercial use.

65 Grove Street

Ink and Printing Company Opening Global Innovation Center in Watertown

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Markem-Imaje announced it will be creating a new global innovation center in Watertown which will focus on industrial laser marking and printing products and have 40 employees. The company is a subsidiary of Dover Corp. and will be moving into the recently remodeled building at 65 Grove St., according to Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon. The building was previously was home to GE Ionics. The company chose Watertown because of its close proximity to the top engineering talent in the universities and high-tech businesses in the Boston area, while still being close to another engineering hub – the New York metro area, and to the company’s United States headquarters in Keene, NH, according to an announcement about the move.

65 Grove Street

Zoning Board Approves Office Building Redevelpment in East Watertown

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Wednesday night, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a major office renovation, including a new garage, noting that the project had been a collaboration of developers with the town and neighbors. The project at 65 Grove Street, being developed by Cresset Grove LLC, includes 135,000 square feet of office space, and a garage that will fit 295 vehicles. Developer Ed Nardi told the ZBA he does not have a tenant lined up. He envisions it becoming a first-class office building or used for research and development. The site could house one to six tenants, and could have 300-500 employees depending on the use, Nardi said.

Development

Developer, School Collaborate to Make Grove Street Project Approvable

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The first time developers of the former GE Ionics Building on Grove Street came to the Planning Board they met loud opposition because the plan had hundreds of cars exiting onto a residential street, but they worked with their neighbor – the Atrium School – to come up with a solution. Wednesday night, Cresset Grove LLC presented a new plan that would have all cars from the 135,000 square foot office building come and and leave via Grove Street. The agreement became official just the night before the Planning Board meeting when the Atrium School School Committee approved the new plan, said Ed Nardi, president of the Cresset Group. The driveway for the Grove Street project was too narrow to allow cars to enter and exit, so they had to ask the school if they could share their driveway. Silvia Nerssessian, an Atrium parent and chair of the School Committee, said the school was pleased with the outcome, too.

Development

Traffic Concerns Hold Up Plans for Old GE Site on Grove Street

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Neighbors and members of the Planning Board like most parts of the plan to redevelop the GE Ionics site on Grove Street, but the traffic plans upset neighbors and the board, alike. Developer Cresset Grove LLC proposes to reduce the size of the existing building at 65 Grove St. and create a 134,000-square-foot office and research facility, with a multi-story garage. “The proposal encompasses an exciting facelift to an older structure which we think really reinvigorates the structure and reinvigorates the site itself,” said Bill York, the attorney representing the developers. The site has been unused since 2010 when GE move out.