Environment

Residents Worry About Fate of Trees During Greenough Greenway Work

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A recent tour of the renovation of Greenough Boulevard brought up some concerns for advocates for trees and the environment. 

The Department of Conservation and Recreation teamed with the Solomon Foundation to install a new, wider bicycle and pedestrian path, and reduce the width of the roadway from Arsenal Street to Cambridge, near the Eliot Bridge and Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School (BB&N). The Solomon Foundation provided $500,000 to help make the Greenough Greednway improvements a reality along with $700,000 in public funds. Herb Nolan, deputy director of the Solomon Foundation, said the work is beginning to shape up well. “I am very excited about this,” Nolan said. “Looking at the scale of the space (of the path) compared to what was here before is a breath of fresh air.

Government

Part of the Charles River Path to Close for Maintenance

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A section of the Charles River Path in Watertown will close temporarily for maintenance by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Beginning Monday, Oct. 19, the Upper Charles Greenway Multi-Use Path between Galen and Bridge streets will be closed for pathway reconstruction and restoration, the DCR announced. The work is expected to last from Oct. 19 to Nov.

Around Town

Goats Providing Organic Poison Ivy Removal from Banks of Charles

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People running and walking along the Charles River in Watertown this week have gotten quiet a surprise – a herd of goats roaming the trees near the riverbank. Forty goats have been brought in this week by Goats to Go, which was hired by a Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) contractor, said farmer Alan Aulson. They have been attacking the poison ivy in the wooded area near the new Braille Trail, off Charles River Road, east of Watertown Square. “They were going to get the poison ivy done anyway, and this is a safe, environmentally quiet way to do it,” Aulson said. The goats love to munch on the weeds that are so bothersome to humans.

Around Town

DCR Looking for Lifeguards for Watertown’s Dealtry Pool

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Lifeguard positions are available at Dealtry Pool in Watertown this summer. 

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation sent out the following announcement:

With the opening of pools across the state this weekend, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is currently seeking applicants for lifeguard positions for many of the state’s pools and beaches, including Dealtry Memorial Pool in the City of Watertown. DCR lifeguards are professional rescuers who are trained to both prevent injuries from occurring, and to respond in an emergency to help save a life. “The Department of Conservation and Recreation works hard to ensure that our state’s pools and beaches are as safe as can be, and that starts with the training of our lifeguards, who are certified in lifesaving practices and procedures,” said DCR Commissioner Carol Sanchez. “I encourage anyone interested, especially someone in the Watertown area, to apply to become a lifeguard for the state this summer.”

The current wage for a lifeguard position is $13.26 an hour. The agency also provides CPR and lifeguard certification at no cost to trainees.

Government

Meeting Planned on Bike, Pedestrian Path from Watertown and Cambridge

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The Department of Conservation and Recreation will meet on Tuesday, June 9 to discuss the planned bicycle and pedestrian path linking Watertown and Cambridge. 

The meeting will be on Tuesday, June 9, from 6-8 p.m. at the West Cambridge Youth Center, 680 Huron Ave. in Cambridge. The Watertown-Cambridge Greenway is an effort recently launched with the joint purchase of a former B&M Railroad line, the Watertown Branch, by the City of Cambridge and the DCR to create a multi-use pathway and greenway. This purchase, which includes the former railroad right-of-way from Concord Avenue in Cambridge, through the Fresh Pond Reservation, under Huron Avenue, and into Watertown, will be developed into a pedestrian and bicycle path, helping complete the important regional connection linking the Charles River path system and the Minuteman Bikeway. At this meeting, DCR and the City of Cambridge will provide background information about the project, now at a pre-conceptual stage of design, and obtain public input.

Environment

Residents, Town Officials Outraged by Hacking of Trees in Watertown

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Trees along Greenough Boulevard in Watertown got a severe pruning or in some cases were cut down completely, a move that has upset residents and town officials alike. 

Last week, residents noticed that the trees on the street that runs along the Charles River had been cut by crews. The trees stand on land owned by the state and overseen by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Residents began contacting DCR officials, state representatives and Town Councilors to ask for the tree trimming to be halted. While they are state owned, the DCR was supposed to alert the Watertown Conservation Commission and the town Tree Warden, Chris Hayward, to let them know about the plan, said Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon. “They are supposed to do that.

Government

State Will Study Ways to Improve Mt. Auburn Street

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A section of Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown and Cambridge will be studied by the state to come up with “solutions for traffic,” the Department of Conservation and Recreation announced. The goal of the $500,000 study is to identify potential safety measures, bus prioritization, and accessibility along the intersections of Fresh Pond Parkway and Mount Auburn Street, according to the DCR’s announcement. The DCR will issue a request for proposals (RFP) within the next 45 days to select a contractor to conduct the traffic study. The areas in the study include from the Mt.

Around Town

See How the New Park Along the Charles River is Shaping Up

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The area along the Charles River, east of Watertown Square has a snazzy new look featuring places to sit, look over the river and to appreciated the natural surroundings. Travis Mazerall, the project designer from Sasaki Associates, recently led a tour of the park near the intersection of Charles River Road and Irving Street has been turned into place that can be enjoyed by everyone, including the blind and visually impaired. The path includes wires hung across posts every 20 feet, or so. “Some have indicator beads about the size of a fist, that tell the user what is around, such as if there is a bench across from it,” Mazerall said. The project is being built by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), but is funded by a mix of local non-profits, foundations and some money from the town.