Around Town

Weekend Work, Drainage Work, Traffic Signal Installations, and More on Mt. Auburn St.

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The City of Watertown provided the following update about the road construction project on Mt. Auburn Street:

Weekend Work – March 8, 2025 – Pedestrian Signal Electrical Work

Saturday, March 8, 2025 Newport Construction and the City of Watertown will be performing electrical work to relocate pedestrian walking signals to prepare for signal preparation work at the Mount Auburn Street and Arlington Street intersection (see map below)

Traffic ImpactsTemporary lane shifts may occur and work will take place on the sidewalks, but will remain open and accessible. Parking ImpactsNo parking impacts

Drainage Installation Work Continues between Arlington St. and Bigelow Ave. Newport Construction is continuing to complete the drainage installation work eastbound between Arlington Street and Bigelow Avenue.

Government

City Manager’s Thoughts on Winter Parkin Ban, Part 3: Long-Range Planning

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In the third piece on the question of lifting the Winter Parking Ban permanently, Watertown City Manager George Proakis focused on how it would impact the City’s long-range planning. By George Proakis

Recently a group of Watertown residents signed a petition to seek a public hearing in front of the City Council. The topic of the petition and the hearing was our long-term ban on overnight parking that we enforce each winter. The Council hosted this hearing in January. 

Our winter parking ban requires individuals who have a car and a driveway to ensure their car is in their driveway or garage each night. Most residents meet the requirements of the ban by relying on their own driveway, garage or apartment building parking lot.

Obituaries

OBIT: Daniel Gerado Baldi, 87, Grew Up in Town, Taught for Many Years

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Daniel G. Baldi

Daniel Gerado Baldi, 87, passed peacefully after a period of declining health on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. A devoted husband, Dan was predeceased by his beloved wife of 59 years, Marcia, in November 2020. He is survived by his three children and five grandchildren: Mark and Liz Baldi of West Boylston, MA, Linda Baldi of Brockton, MA, and Jill and Mark Freeman of Bridgewater, MA; his grandchildren, Rachael (Baldi) Rodrigues and her husband Stephen, Benjamin Baldi, Amanda Baldi, Ethan Freeman, and Kate Freeman. He is also survived by his sister Bonnie Covell of Florida, brother in-law Tom Sinclair of New Hampshire, and several nieces and nephews. Born on January 11, 1938, in Somerville, Massachusetts, to Giacomo and Elvira (Panteri) Baldi, formerly of Villa a Roggio and Pescia, Italy, the fifth of six children Carlo (Charlie), Anna, Baldo, Mario, and Bonnie, Daniel was the proud son of Italian American immigrants, welcoming friends and family to join at mealtimes with a hearty “Tutti Mangia.” Dan grew up in Newton and Watertown, MA, where he developed an early love of science and nature which led to a career as a junior and high school teacher for 32 years in Holbrook, MA.

Entertainment

Small Saves is Going Back to Class in This Week’s Cartoon

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Around Town

Celebrate Local Dining, Community at Charles River Chamber’s Spring Seasonings

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The Charles River Chamber announced that tickets are available for the 27th annual Spring Seasonings: A Taste of our Towns event, which includes restaurants from Watertown, as well as Newton, Needham and Wellesley. See the announcement below. Spring Seasonings: A Taste of our Towns returns to the Newton Marriott on Monday, April 7 from 5:30-8 p.m. The highly anticipated event, now in its 27th year, is hosted by the Charles River Regional Chamber in partnership with presenting sponsor The Village Bank. Forty local restaurants from Newton, Needham, Watertown and Wellesley will showcase their distinctive cuisine, with beverage exhibitors pouring samples to pair with the delicious bites. Over 500 attendees are expected to attend the event.

Letters

LETTER: Actions People Can Take Before the Midterm Elections

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Dear Editor,

I just attended “Protecting Democracy in the Era of Donald Trump including a Discussion of Citizens United” with State Senator Brownsberger at the Watertown Library. Attendees from Watertown, Waltham, Belmont, and Brighton got to express their concerns about the current situation in Washington, D.C., and asked how to impact it. The most salient point was to participate in the electoral process. Last night, we shared our concerns and asked Party representatives there what we can do?  I invite those who attended to share here because the local paper is a media, we the people, still possess. Some of you were so eloquent and some of you hit the nail on the head! I agreed with all of you. Remember it was pamphleteers, including our own Samuel Adams, that spread the unpopular idea for independence. Fair warning there will be responses from idolaters but there are more of us, left, right and center who share very similar concerns. An election won by 1.5% does not a mandate make. I will go first.

Schools

LEGAL POSTING: Watertown School Committee Holding Public Hearing on Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

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The following legal posting was provided by the Watertown Public Schools:

WATERTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 30 COMMON STREET WATERTOWN MA 02472 – In Accordance with provisions of Chapter 71, Section 38N, the Watertown School Committee will hold a Public Hearing on its proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget on Monday, March 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM in the Learning Commons, Lowell Elementary School, 123 Lowell Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472 or via Zoom at https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/86285942047

A copy of the FY2026 Proposed Budget will be available to the public in the Office of the Superintendent of Schools and on the Watertown Public Schools Website, www.watertown.k12.ma.us , forty-eight hours before the date of the public meeting.

Entertainment

Group Performing Songs of Revolutionary New England

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Hear Norumbega Harmony in Concert on March 30. The Norumbega Harmony Group will perform songs dating back to the founding of the United States at a concert in Newton. Among the group’s members are Watertown’s Ron Trial and Bill Holt. See the announcement from Norumbega below. In observance of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution, Norumbega Harmony, a vocal group specializing in early American shape-note music since 1976, will present a concert of the era’s patriotic and religious tunes. Songs by William Billings of Boston, along with his associates Oliver Holden of Charlestown, Daniel Read of Connecticut, and others will be accompanied by brief historical commentary by Dr. Stephen Marini, founder and singing master of Norumbega Harmony and chair of the Department of Religion at Wellesley College.