Harvest Halloween Festival Will Raise Funds for Activities for Watertown Seniors, Tickets Available

Friends of the Council on Aging at the Watertown Senior Center will be hosting a Harvest Halloween Festival to raise funds to supplement various activities (shows, field trips, in-house programs) and take-out meals (Grab ‘n’ Go) for Watertown seniors. The Friends sent out the following announcement:

SAVE THE DATE! Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024

WHAT: Harvest Halloween Festival

Join the Friends for fun time – music, dancing, food, drinks available, even an optional costume contest with prize, a 50/50 raffle and more … WHERE: Hibernian Hall

151 Watertown St., Watertown, MA 02472

WHEN: Oct.

Watertown Senior Services Receives AARP Community Challenge Grant

The City of Watertown provided the following information:

Watertown’s Department of Senior Services is thrilled to announce they have been selected to receive a 2024 AARP Community Challenge grant. They are one of only 343 grantees selected (out of 3,300+ applications!) from across all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. “We are incredibly proud that AARP selected Watertown Department of Senior Services for this investment to make Watertown a more livable for residents of all ages,” stated Lydia McCoy, Watertown’s Director of Senior Services “AARP is a nationwide leader in making communities more livable and we are honored that they see the tangible value this project will bring to our area.”

Tenancy Preservation and Community Support Program for Older Adults in Watertown, MA

The City of Watertown’s Senior Service Tenancy Preservation and Community Support Program is a compassionate initiative dedicated to providing crucial support to seniors and their families in Watertown, MA. Our mission is to ensure that older adults aged 60 years or older can age in place with dignity and security, fostering intergenerational, livable communities where residents of all ages and backgrounds thrive together. This program will be run out of the City of Watertown’s Department of Senior Services.

Hours of Watertown City Hall, Senior Center & More Changing After Council Vote

Hours will be changing for Watertown City departments in City Hall, the Parker Annex, along with the Senior Center, after a City Council vote on Tuesday. These facilities will be open later on Tuesdays and close earlier on Fridays throughout the year. City Manager George Proakis said at a previous meeting that the change in hours would help the city recruit employees, and that many surrounding communities have early closings on Fridays. One area of concern was resident’s ability to pay bills at the Treasurer’s office on Fridays. “There have been discussions about how it affects particular employees, and how it impacts the public as a whole,” Proakis said.

City Offices, DPW, Senior Center Closing Early on Good Friday

The City of Watertown announced that some municipal facilities will close early on Good Friday. The City release said:

Please be aware that the Department of Public Works office is open at 7:00 AM and closes at noon, and City Hall and Senior Center are open at 8:30 AM and are closed at 1 PM, in observance of Good Friday on Friday, March 29, 2024.

See How Presidents Day Will Impact City Facilities, Trash Pickup

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Monday is Presidents Day, and it will impact Watertown City Hall, the Library and Senior Center, as well as trash and recycling collection all week. The City of Watertown provided the following announcement:

Watertown City Hall, Senior Center, Department of Public Works Office, and Watertown Free Public Library, will be closed on Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 19, 2024. Please note that there is a one day delay for trash and recycling pickup this week.

Senior Center Hosting Extreme Weather Preparedness Discussion

Town of WatertownWatertown Senior Center

The Watertown Senior Center announced it will host an extreme weather preparedness discussion with Leigh Meunier from CREW and Dira Johanif from CRWA on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 3:30 p.m.

Are you concerned about extreme weather and its impacts on your community? Want to learnmore about how Watertown is responding to flooding and how you can be prepared? Joinfriends from Communities Responding to Extreme Weather and the Charles River Watershed Association to learn about flooding impacts in Watertown and across our watershed. We’ll share ideas for nature-based projects that address flooding and benefit our environment (tree planting, removing pavement, rain gardens!).

Replacing Watertown Senior Center Included in City’s 5-Year Capital Plan

Courtesy of the City of WatertownThe City’s Capital Improvement Plan includes replacing the Watertown Senior Center. Building a new Senior Center made the list of projects planned to be undertaken by the City of Watertown over the next five years, Watertown City Manager George Proakis at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Proakis presented the Fiscal Year 2025-29 Capital Improvement Plan, which includes $210 million of projects with $93 million of general obligation bonds to cover part of the cost. Senior Center

The City explored replacing the Senior Center in 2022 as part of a review of the Phillips Building site. That study by Ai3 Architects, done during the planning for the new Watertown High School, looked at tearing down the former Phillips School, but Proakis said that would be too disruptive for the Watertown Public Schools administration, as well as Watertown Cable that now resides in the basement.

New Year’s Holiday Hours for the City Departments and Trash Schedule

Hours at city facilities, such as the Library, Senior Center and City Hall, along with trash and recycling pickup will be impacted by the New Year’s Day holiday. See the announcement from the City below. Watertown City Hall and Senior Center are closing at noon on Friday, December 29, 2023 and will be closed on New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1, 2024. The Department of Public Works Office will be closing at 11 AM on Friday, December 29, 2023 and will be closed on New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1, 2024. The Library is closed on New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1, 2024.