Around Town

Victory Field Stadium, Spray Areas Opening in Watertown

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The spray pad at Fillippello Park reopened from the COVID-19 shutdown on July 11. The turf area at Victory Field and the spray pads in two Watertown parks, two of the last Recreation facilities to remain closed during the pandemic, will reopen on Saturday, July 11. Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced the openings in his latest COVID-19 Update (read the whole update here). The Victory Field Turf, which is located in the football/baseball area of the complex, will will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The spray pads, located at Arsenal and Filippello parks, will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will be a limit of eight people at a time on the spray pad at Arsenal Park, according to Driscoll’s update, and 15 at once at the one in Filippello Park

Watertown’s recreational facilities and activities’ rules and regulations will be guided by the Governor’s Phase III reopening plan, which began on July 6th, Driscoll wrote. This includes staying at least six feet apart, and wearing a face covering over the nose and mouth.

Environment

Fixing Sinking Areas Part of Renovation Plans at Arsenal Park

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A drawing of the proposed renovation of Arsenal Park. This shows the 25 percent design plan, which the Conservation Commission approved in 2019. The areas of sinking are in the upper left corner, near the playground, the oval driveway and the pathways connecting them. Town officials set a goal of completing the renovations of Arsenal Park by the end of 2021, and part of the work that will be done will be to fix the sinking area of the park near the playground, driveway and parking lot. On June 3, the Conservation Commission saw a timeline that, if accomplished, would enable to project to be planned, bid and constructed by the end of the construction season in 2021.

Arsenal Park

Meetings Wednesday on High School Project, Renovation of Arsenal Park

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An illustration presented in February of how Watertown High School could be built on both sides of Common Street. Two meetings will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, June 3. The Watertown School Building Committee (starting at 6 p.m) will hear a presentation about the latest design possibilities for the new Watertown High School, while the Conservation Commission (beginning at 7 p.m.) will hear about the second phase of the Arsenal Park renovation. High School Meeting

The School Building Committee will hear from architects from Ai3 about the progress of designs for the project, which could either go on the current site or on part of the Victory Field complex. They will also discuss upcoming forums about the project.

Around Town

Grant, Mitigation Funds Will Help Pay for Arsenal Park Renovations, See Project Details

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A drawing of the proposed renovation for the eastern section of Arsenal Park, near the Arsenal Yards development. The Town Council will be asked to consider funding a $1.65 million renovation of a section of Arsenal Park, but the Town will get some help paying for the project from a grant and mitigation money from the next door Arsenal Yards project. The Town received a $200,000 Housing Choice Capital Grant, which will be applied to the first phase of the Arsenal Park project, along with $500,000 in mitigation funds paid by Arsenal Yards developers Boylston Properties, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said. He added the construction bids may come in lower due to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, so the might be lower than the original $1.65 million budget. The Town Council voted unanimously to let Town officials put the project out to bid.

Government

Arsenal Park Renovation Plans to be Presented at Town Council Meeting

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A drawing of the proposed renovation for the eastern section of Arsenal Park, near the Arsenal Yards development. The proposed renovation of the eastern section of Arsenal Park will be presented to the Town Council Tuesday night in a meeting to be held online. Project designers from CDM Smith will present the plans for the $1.6 million project during the May 12 Council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. The agenda item is an informational presentation, and no vote will be taken. The meeting will be televised and the public can join by computer or phone (info below). The section of the park being discussed is Phase A, which is the section of the park that abuts the Arsenal Yards property.

Development

LETTER: Boylston Properties Responds to End of Agreement with Town Over Arsenal Park

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A view of the planned renovation of Arsenal Park. The following letter is in response to the Sept. 11, 2019 story “Partnership Between Town, Arsenal Yards to Renovate Town Park Over Before it Began”

Editor,

I want to clear up the facts of the state of our partnership with the Town on the Arsenal Park renovation, and to also put into context the recent exchange between the Town and Boylston Properties that you detailed in your piece. Mark Reich has been a great contributor to our early progress in this hoped for partnership, but his letter to the Town was a one-sided summary of that process. As you know, we firmly believe that Arsenal Yards will be of great benefit to Watertown.

Around Town

Partnership Between Town, Arsenal Yards to Renovate Town Park Over Before it Began

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An overhead view of Arsenal Park. The long red building is the Arsenal Mall, and to the left is the Commander’s Mansion and the Arsenal on the Charles complex. A public-private partnership between the Town of Watertown and the developers of Arsenal Yards, which was to speed up renovation of part of Arsenal Park, has ended, Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced Tuesday night. A disagreement over a construction management fee that Boylston wanted to charge the Town to oversee the construction was the main sticking point, according to Driscoll, who read from a letter from the Town’s attorney Mark Reich of KP Law. “Of particular concern, and the primary impetus for this letter, is the insistence of Mr. (William) McQuillan that the Town pay Boylston Properties a 5 percent construction management fee as part of the proposed public-private partnership,” the letter reads.

Government

Funding to Design Arsenal Park Renovation Approved

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A view of the planned renovation of Arsenal Park. The Watertown Town Council approved $250,000 to be spent on the design of the majority of Arsenal Park renovation, while another section is moving ahead with funding from the developers of Arsenal Yards. The money will be used to do the detailed designs to all of the park, except for the eastern most part, which is being worked on in conjunction with Arsenal Yards. The project includes a multipurpose field —including a softball field — a playground in the northwest corner with a new bathroom, a picnic area and an expanded splash pad. In addition, the plan includes two basketball courts and three tennis courts, next to a picnic area and space for community gardens.