Around Town

What to Expect at Next Watertown Square Meeting, Manager Will Also Discuss Zoning on Prior Day

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The redesign of Watertown Square will be discussed on June 12. (Photo by City of Watertown)

(NOTE, May 24, 2024: They day and location of the Watertown Square meeting has changed and has been updated in this article)

The draft of the Watertown Square Area Plan will be discussed at a meeting on June 12, but prior to that City Manager George Proakis will delve into the topic of zoning during a live and interactive show on Watertown Cable. Watertown Square Meeting

The meeting focused on Watertown Square will take place on Thursday, June 13 beginning at 6 p.m. It will take place at the Watertown Middle School Auditorium. Present at the meeting will be both the City Council and the Planning Board, said City Council President Mark Sideris. He said it may be the first of multiple meetings on the Watertown Square Area Plan, which includes not only the redesign of the main intersection, but also where the City will allow housing to be built by right to meet the requirements of the MTBA Communities Law, as well as form-based zoning which will determine how future developments will look.

Around Town

Check Out Watertown Cable’s New Studios at Business Coalition’s Coffee Connect

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Watertown Business Coalition announced that its next Coffee Connect will be hosted by Watertown Cable Access Television on Wednesday, May 22. If you missed their grand opening you won’t want to miss this Coffee Connect. Or take a closer look if you have already visited. Take a look at the new studio, podcasting area and more! And, of course, network with people from around Watertown. The coffee connect will be from 8:30-10 a.m. on May 22.

Around Town

Watertown Cable’s New Studios Showcased at Grand Opening, Public Can Use the Facility & Equipment

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Photo by Charlie BreitroseWatertown Cable staff gave the public a look around their new studio during the grand opening on April 11. After years of planning, and months of construction, Watertown Cable Access Television officially opened its new and improved studios in the basement of the Phillips Building. On April 11, WCA-TV invited the public to take a look at the new facility, which features a new studio, control room, editing suite, and a brand new addition: a podcasting studio. While Watertown Cable may be known for broadcasting government meetings, producing news shows, and covering local sports, Executive Director Andrea Santopietro said WCA-TV facilities are for the community, too. “All of the spaces that you will see today are available to you to create.

Around Town

Public Invited to Tour New Watertown Cable Studios

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The following announcement is provided by Watertown Cable Access TV:

The entire Watertown community is invited to come tour WCA-TV’s brand new studio! Watertown Cable Access Corp. (WCA-TV) has officially opened its doors to the public after several months of renovation and relocation from Watertown High School. On April 11th from 4 p.m.-7 p.m., WCA-TV will host a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony at its new location at 30 Common Street inside the Phillips Administration building. “We’re so excited to finally be able to welcome the Watertown community into our new space,” says Andrea Santopietro, WCA-TV’s Executive Director.

Around Town

Series on Food Insecurity in Watertown Debuts on WCA-TV

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Jan Singer, left, the former Executive Director of the Watertown Community Foundation, discussed how the Foundation responded to food insecurity during the Pandemic with journalists Maya Shwayder and Charlie Breitrose. (Photo by Dan Hogan / WCA-TV)

The following announcement was provided by Watertown Cable Access Television:

In cooperation with the Watertown News and thanks to a generous grant from the Watertown Community Foundation, Watertown Cable News is producing a series of videos chronicling issues of hunger and food insecurity in the community. In part 1 of the series, we talk to a number of different stakeholders in the community from the Food Pantry, Famers’ Market, Wayside, and Community Foundation to find out how many people are struggling and where the gaps in service lie. Accompanying this series are articles written by WCN news anchor and local journalist Maya Shwayder as well as Watertown News Editor Charlie Breitrose. Read the Articles

Part 1: Watertown’s Hidden Problem: Food Insecurity Among Us

Part 2: Hunger Hits Home: A Watertown Teenager’s Struggle to Feed Herself

Part 3: Hunger in Watertown: Task Force Tackles Social Needs, Tries to Fills Gaps Left by State, Local Programs

Part 4: Through Pandemics & Collapsed Ceilings, the Watertown Food Pantry Stays Open

Part 5: Filling the Watertown’s Free Fridge is a Community Effort

Part 6: Food Insecurity in Watertown: Hunger is a Multi-Faceted Problem — It Won’t Magically Go Away

Roundtable Discussion

On February 12th, WCN and the Watertown News produced a live roundtable discussion at the Mosesian Center for the Arts to hear from representatives from the city, Food Pantry, Watertown Housing Authority, and Wayside to dive further into these issues.

Around Town

Watertown Cable Hosting Several Workshops This Spring

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The following announcement was provided by Watertown Cable:

WCA-TV is excited to announce the opening of our new location at 30 Common Street! With two brand new studios, including our first ever Podcast Studio, and other new spaces to learn and create, we can’t wait to welcome back the Watertown Community! Just in time for our opening is our Spring Workshop season! Learn the ins and outs of creating your own show or podcast, get hands-on experience with our field cameras, lighting kits, and more. Find the workshops with their dates and times below:

● Orientation Workshop: (Required free class to become eligible for all subsequent workshops) Monday, March 18th at 6pm● Intro to Field Lighting: (Prerequisite: Field Camera Production) Mondays, March 25th, April 1st and April 8th from 6:00pm – 7:30pm● Field Camera Production: Tuesdays, March 26th, April 2nd, April 9th, and April 16th from 5:30pm – 7:30pm.● Intro to Podcasting: Wednesdays, March 27th, April 3rd, April 10th from6:00pm – 7:30 pm● Studio Production: (Minimum of 4 people required to run this class) Wednesdays, April 17th, April 24th, May 1st and May 8th from 5:30 – 7:30pm

Head to wcatv.org/workshops to find out more about each session and learn how to register!

Around Town

What Watertown is Doing to Fight Hunger, What More Can be Done — See the Panel Discussion

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A live roundtable discussion about how hunger impacts Watertown took place on Feb. 12 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. (Courtesy of Watertown Cable)

Nearly one-in-seven Watertown residents qualify for government food programs, but only about half have signed up for the assistance. Many more people living in town do not qualify for the programs, for one reason or another, despite being in a low-income household. And putting more stress on the situation is the increasing cost of housing in town.

Around Town

Watch Videos from This Week’s Council President Forums, Catch the School Committee Hopefuls Monday

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The candidates running for City Council President appeared in two candidate forums this week. Don’t worry if you missed them, you can watch the replays. Also, Monday night, the five School Committee candidates will appear in a live forum. On Wednesday night incumbent Mark Sideris and challenger Clyde Younger responded to questions on a variety of subjects during the candidate forum sponsored by Watertown News and Watertown Cable Access TV. The event took place at the Watertown Free Public Library and was broadcast by WCA-TV.