Around Town

LETTER: What Both Biotech Workers & High Schoolers Need — Housing

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In my role as a founder of CoLAB — a non-profit organization that connects Watertown students and biotech companies — I have had the unique opportunity to connect with two distinct groups, biotech business leaders and local high school students. For as many differences as there are between them, both groups share a primary concern: the housing crisis. For business leaders, it’s becoming more and more difficult to afford the costs associated with the housing crisis. For high school students, they face a future of deep uncertainty. Will they be able to remain in the city they love?

Around Town

OP-ED: As Housing Costs Push Younger Workers Out, Watertown Could Lead Battle to Deal with Crisis

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Linda ScottThe Elan Union Market apartment building on Arsenal Street. By Mark Pickering

The bad news about the housing market in Massachusetts keeps piling in. “More 25- to 44-year-olds are leaving the state than any other groups,” concludes a new report. The top culprit: Housing costs are too high. The good news for Watertown: People from a range of incomes want to move here.

Around Town

Watertown Resident Honored for Volunteering to Help Food Insecure Residents

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Chris Haroian builds stacks of Just Eats grocery boxes at a volunteer shift at Food For Free on April 3, 2024. The following announcement was provided by Food For Free:

Chris Haroian, of Watertown, is a volunteer for Food For Free, the leading food rescue and distribution nonprofit dedicated to providing reliable access to fresh and nutritious food to eastern Massachusetts communities. Volunteers for Food For Free help to pack food, convert bulk prepared food into single-serve microwavable meals, and deliver food to help strengthen the community food system. This National Volunteer Month, the nonprofit is celebrating Haroian, who is making a difference for food insecure residents. Headquartered in Somerville, Mass., Food For Free rescues food that would otherwise go to waste and creates new distribution channels to reach underserved populations across eastern Massachusetts.

Around Town

Armenian Museum’s Statement on the 109th Anniversary of the Genocide

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Photo from the Armenian Museum of AmericaAnnually we host thousands of visitors who learn about the Genocide, as well as the history and culture of Armenia thought artifacts and exhibitions; historian Khatchig Mouradian conducted several educational workshops this month with students visiting our galleries. The Watertown-based Armenian Museum of America released a statement on the 109th Anniversary of the Genocide. Read it below. The Armenian Genocide was the attempted annihilation of the Armenian people – physically and culturally – from their ancestral homeland. This brutal murder of the Armenian nation by the Ottoman Turks constitutes the first genocide of the 20th century.

Around Town

State Rep. Lawn Honored by Groups Advocating for the Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Community

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Courtesy PhotoLeo Sarkissian, Executive Director of the Arc of Massachusetts, presenting State Rep. John J. Lawn, Jr. (D-Watertown) with a hand drawn award from a self-advocate within the organization at a ceremony held at the Massachusetts State House. The following announcement was provided by State Rep. John Lawn’s office:

State Rep. John J. Lawn, Jr. (D – Watertown) was named the Legislator of the Year Award by The Arc of Massachusetts (the Arc) and Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC). The award, presented during their annual reception marking the commencement of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Month, celebrates Rep. Lawn’s unwavering commitment to and advocacy for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) community. The ceremony was held on March 6 in the Great Hall of Flags at the Massachusetts State House. “We are honored to recognize Rep. John Lawn as this year’s Legislator of the Year Award recipient,” said Leo V. Sarkissian, Executive Director of the Arc of Massachusetts.

Entertainment

Sheepshearing Festival Returns to Gore Place This Weekend

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Gore PlaceThe Sheepshearing Festival returns in-person at Gore Place on April 27. Gore Place’s big annual event featuring crafts, food, music, and of course sheep, returns this weekend. See details about the Sheepshearing Festival that comes the historic estate that is located in Watertown and Waltham, below. Get ready for another unbaahhlievable Sheepshearing Festival! Our upcoming Festival will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rain or shine!

Around Town

LETTER: Consideration of a New Logo for Watertown

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The consideration of a new Logo makes me wonder what are the current Core Values of the Cityof Watertown? When I came to Watertown, I was inspired by what I thought was the logo ofWatertown. The picture of a Pilgrim and a Native American exchanging gifts with the caption IN PACE CONDITA, “FOUNDED IN PEACE”. The iterations of the Logos I have seen are uninspiring. What is symbolic of them?

Around Town

Field at East End Park to be Closed for Multiple Months

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The City of Watertown announced that one of the fields at an East End Park will be closed to let it recover from high use. The City sent out the following announcement:

The Watertown Department of Public Works (DPW) and Recreation Department have concluded that the Filippello (Grove) Field should be shut down due to poor field conditions. Due to overuse and weather the turfgrass went into winter in rough condition and will not recover unless it is allowed to rest. There is extreme wear on the east end of 11 v 11 soccer layout caused by shading of trees, which prevents area from drying out after rain events. We will take an aggressive approach to renovation (aeration/seeding/fertilization/topdressing) over the next 3 months and expect the field to fully recover for Fall ’24 sports.