Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/author/cbreitro/page/48/)
Check out all the Watertown homes sold over the past week. 29 Pilgrim Road, 4 bedroom 2 bathroom 1,357 sq. ft. Single Family Sold : $875,000
32 Whites Ave. #F2201, 1 bedroom 1 bathroom 695 sq.
A large crowd listened to the presentation at the Watertown Square Area Plan Meeting on April 4 at 66 Galen St. (Photo by Rachel Kay)
The proposed design of Watertown Square will look similar to the current intersection, with one leg removed and larger open space. Designers also revealed a new plan to meet the MBTA Communities Law on Thursday, showing a plan with areas for by-right housing around Watertown Square, and south of the Charles River. The design team and City officials have gathered input from the public at previous meetings, City Manager George Proakis said, and there were strong agreement on some areas, such as that the Watertown Square intersection needed improvement and the downtown area has some nice historic architecture, but much of the area lacks character and is not friendly to shoppers and pedestrians. Other matters were more mixed.
A variety of types of homes are on the market in Watertown this week. 141 Galen St., $1,295,900 3 bedroom 3 bathroom 2,385 sq. ft. 3 Family, Open houses: Saturday, April 6 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Sunday, April 7 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
127 Waverley Ave. #127, $579,900 2 bedroom 1 bathroom 1,111 sq.
The School Committee approved the addition of taking a world language to the graduation requirements for Watertown High School students. The world language requirement was added to the Watertown High School Program of Studies. Beginning with Class of 2028 (current eigth graders), students will have to pass two years of the same world language (also known as foreign language). WHS Principal Joel Giacobozzi said that the change brings Watertown in line with MassCore, the state’s recommended program of study intended to align high school coursework with college and workforce expectations. “There are reasons for this, the least of which is Massachusetts has set the floor for graduation.
Two cats were in a fire at a Watertown home, and one — Basil — has required medical care. An online fundraising effort has started to help a Watertown family who are trying to pay for their cat’s veterinary bills after their home was damaged in a fire. Shortly after the March 21 fire that damaged the home on Quincy Street a group of neighbors rallied to support their neighbors. Jason Gerdom and Diana Richards put together the GoFundMe campaign to help their neighbors. They provided the following background on the campaign site:
“Hi, we’re a group of neighbors on the west side of Watertown who are raising money for a family who lost their house in a fire last week (March 21).
Watertown City Hall
Watertown businesses will get some tax relief after the City Council approved increasing the exemption on business personal property taxes by $5,000. Councilors will not be deciding on whether to have a real estate transfer tax until a later date. On March 26, the Council voted to increase the exemption to from $5,000 to $10,000 on items including machinery, equipment and tools, inventory, furniture, and fixtures. The Council followed the recommendation of the Council’s Committee on Budget and Fiscal Oversight. The proposal received mixed reactions from business organizations.
The proposed logo for the City of Watertown designed by Sabastian Ebarb of Nahi. City Manager George Proakis presented a possible idea for a new logo for the City of Watertown, which he hopes reflects Watertown and can be used on business cards, presentations, and signs around the City. The new design would not, he added, replace Watertown’s City Seal. The logo will be discuss further by a City Council committee, said City Council President Mark Sideris, and a recommendation will come back to the full Council. The logo is part of the City’s branding strategy, Proakis said, who added that the effort to create a new logo started in 2023 and it was designed by Sabastian Ebarb from the graphic design company Nahi.
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. March 22, 3 p.m.: A woman entered Target and took multiple items from the cosmetics section. In total, 18 beauty products worth $250 were taken. March 22, 10:30 a.m.: A bicycle was stolen off the back of a car parked on Bond Street in Arsenal Yards. The light blue Bianchi bike, valued at $2,000, was taken off a car bike rack.