Around Town

Senior Snow Shoveling Program Accepting Applications from Seniors

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Seniors in Watertown can apply to get help shoveling their sidewalks. See information provided by the City of Watertown, below. Watertown’s Senior Snow Shoveling Program is Accepting Senior Applications for the 2024-2025 Winter Season. Please email SeniorCenter@watertown-ma.gov for an application or apply online at Snow Removal Program (PDF) or click the link on the Senior Services page. Please sign up by December 13, 2024.

Around Town

Mt. Auburn St. Repaving Between School and Summer St. Starts Next Week

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The City of Watertown sent out the following information:

Temporary Paving Expected to be Completed Next Week

Newport Construction will be leveling and laying temporary pavement moving east on Mount Auburn Street, starting at Summer Street and ending just prior to School Street. Both eastbound and westbound lanes will be completed, starting on the eastbound side of the street. The road lines will be restriped once the paving is completed to look the same as it was previously. The work originally scheduled for Saturday, November 23, 2024, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM has been rescheduled due to anticipated rain. It is now expected to take place on Monday, November 25, and Tuesday, November 26, 2024 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. 

Please stay up to date with the schedule at the Mount Auburn Street website.

Around Town

Watertown Residents Wanted to Apply for Zoning Board, Planning Board, Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission

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Watertown residents can apply to be on the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. See more details, below. City Manager George J. Proakis is inviting Watertown residents to apply for membership on the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. Interested applicants should complete and submit a Universal Application. The Planning Board is involved in long and short-range planning as well as implementation of the City’s land use regulations.

Around Town

Fitness Studio Offering Free Class with Donation for Watertown Food Pantry Holiday Shop

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Watertown’s Get Lively Health and Fitness will host a free class for a good cause on Dec. 7. See information, below. Join us for our Get HIIT class and let’s sweat together and bring some holiday cheer to those in need in our community! This class is free and open to all (age 12+), we ask that you bring a donation of a new gift for the Watertown Food Pantry’s Holiday Shop.

Around Town

Watertown Group Receives Grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass. Foundation

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The following announcement was provided by the the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation:

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, a nonprofit grantmaking and research organization, announced over $1 million in grants to a total of 19 organizations, including DEAF Inc. in Watertown. The funding will support health coverage enrollment efforts, perinatal health-related projects, a comprehensive health insurance survey and other special initiatives. “These grant awards will support projects in a number of settings, ranging from public schools to higher education, fishing communities to urban neighborhoods, and all corners of the Commonwealth where we are working to improve equitable health care access,” said Audrey Shelto, President and CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, which has provided grants totaling more than $87 million since it was established in 2001. The Board of Directors recently approved funding for the Special Initiatives program, which is for organizations to pilot or launch a new project that advances health equity. The Foundation is providing a total of $300,000 in one-time grants to the following six nonprofit organizations that are working to improve health care access across Massachusetts:

Burlington Public Schools, for a collaborative team-based approach to mental health care that will complement existing school services, increase support for students and families, and incorporate culturally competent practices. Fishing Partnership Health Plan Corporation, which will enhance the availability of behavioral health support in the fishing communities of Gloucester, New Bedford, Plymouth and Chatham that face higher-than-average rates of suicide and substance use disorder.

Around Town

City Rolling Out Phase 2 of New Snow and Ice Removal Rules

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The City of Watertown provided the following information:

Starting this winter, the City of Watertown will begin Phase 2 of implementing the residential snow and ice removal ordinance by beginning to issue warnings to properties not compliant. This ordinance requires the clearing of a 42-inch pathway of snow and ice from the sidewalk abutting one’s residential property within 24 hours of the end of a snowstorm. We understand the full effects of the ordinance may not be felt until Watertown is hit with a winter storm, so by issuing warnings only this winter and increasing our continued education efforts, we hope our community can be better prepared for the many winters to come. This winter we are also encouraging our residents to help us gather an understanding of how we can better share information about this ordinance and gather a full understanding of sidewalks that might not be getting cleared 24-hours after a storm. You can help us by utilizing our 311 Service Center, where you can share photos of noncompliance directly with our team.

Entertainment

SOLSTICE Returns to Mount Auburn Cemetery with New Light and Sound Installations

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The winter light show known as SOLSTICE returns to Mount Auburn Cemetery in December. See more details about this year’s event provided by the the Cemetery, below. This December, experience the wonder of winter nights reimagined at Mount Auburn Cemetery’s SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light, running from December 7-21, 2024. Presented by the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery and brought to life by artists MASARY, this outdoor, evening event has become a must-see tradition in the Greater Boston area, offering immersive light and sound artwork installations that blend art, remembrance, and nature in a uniquely meaningful way during the winter solstice. SOLSTICE represents an evolution of the beloved Candle Lighting Ceremony, which has been a part of Mount Auburn’s history since 1992.