Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/more/)
The replacement of the roadway on Mt. Auburn Street will take place between Amherst and School streets from Aug. 5-7. Traffic will be diverted off of Mt. Auburn Street, and entrances from Boylston Street and Stearns Road will also be impacted during the construction.
The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:
The Watertown Community Foundation welcomes four new board members to the Board of Directors over the last year: Rachel Kaprielian, Christina Murphy, Dwayne Parmley and Erin Webb. The Watertown Community Foundation relies on the Board of Directors to provide strategic leadership and guidance for its grant making efforts, oversight and stewardship of the Foundation’s financial resources, and bring valuable insight, expertise and community connection to identify and address opportunities and challenges in Watertown. Rachel Kaprielian serves as President and CEO of Triangle, Inc., a leading human services nonprofit dedicated to empowering people with disabilities to live, work, and thrive in their communities. She brings decades of leadership spanning government, public policy, human services, workforce development, and corporate affairs. Rachel began her public service as a Watertown Councilor at-Large before being elected to six terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing Watertown and Cambridge.
The following announcement was provided by the Pan-Mass Challenge:
This Aug. 1 and 2, the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) will bring together more than 6,000 cyclists and 4,000 volunteers on Aug. 1-2 to raise money for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Participants from local communities will be among those helping support the PMC’s mission to fund lifesaving cancer research and treatment. The PMC, which raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraiser in the world, is aiming to raise more than ever this year, with a fundraising goal of $79 million.
The Mt. Auburn Street Project during the week of July 27-31 includes sidewalk work from Boylston to School streets, Hillside Avenue to Upland Road, and School Street to Amherst Road. Drainage work will take place from Bates Road to Russell Avenue. The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:
Sidewalk Grading & Forming
Sidewalk fine grading will take place on Mount Auburn Street between Boylston Street to School Street and Hillside Avenue to Upland Road. Concrete Placement
Concrete placement will take place on the westbound sidewalk along Mount Auburn Street between Boylston Street to School Street.
The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:
On July 31 and August 1, tweens and teens ages 10 – 18 are invited to create custom cast aluminum art at the Watertown Free Public Library! This event is made possible by MassArt, Eutectic Arts, and the Massachusetts Libraries Board of Library Commissioners. Here’s how it works: under the guidance of MassArt 3D Arts faculty and Eutectic Arts Founder Marjee-Anne Levine and current MassArt students, participants will carve their own design into a “scratch block” (a pre-formed mold made of resin-bonded sand) and watch as the design is cast in metal. Aluminum will be melted onsite on the Library lawn and poured into the scratch blocks created by each participant. Within minutes, the metal will solidify and be cooled and finished by the MassArt team.
Members of the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet tribes traveled to take part in the celebration fo the 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Watertown (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Hundreds packed a theater in Watertown on Saturday to celebrate an event that took place 250 years before. The town was the site of the signing of the United States’ first treaty with a foreign nation — the Treaty of Watertown. Descendants of the signers of the document from the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet tribes emphasized that the agreement that was forged as a wartime alliance also created friendships and provided rights and protections for the signers that are still important in 2026. The City of Watertown joined with the Historical Society of Watertown, and members of Maliseet, Mi’kmaq tribes, as well as representatives of the Massachusett Tribe, whose territory includes Watertown, to plan a grand celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Watertown on Saturday, July 18, 2026 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. Around 50 members of the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet tribes came down from Maine, and parts of Canada for the Treaty celebration.
Sidewalk Construction on Mt. Auburn Street in Coolidge Square. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Sidewalk replacement work continues along Mt. Auburn Street during the week of July 21-25. Crews will be working between Melendy to Dexter avenues, Elton and Dexter avenues, Adams and School streets, and School Street and Amherst Road.
The deadline to apply for Community Preservation Act funds is Monday, July 27, 2026. See more details from the City of Watertown, below. The Community Preservation Act (CPA) was approved by the legislature and signed by Governor Paul Cellucci in September 2000. Watertown residents voted to adopt the CPA in November 2016. This state law, MGL Chapter 44B, allows cities and towns to raise funds through a surcharge on local real estate taxes to:
Buy, create, preserve open space and rehabilitate and/or restore open space that is acquired or created using CPA funds
Acquire, preserve, rehabilitate, or restore historic resources
Acquire, create, preserve, and support community housing
Acquire, create, preserve, and rehabilitate and/or restore passive and active outdoor recreation facilities
Before applying for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds, please read the entire CPA application package, which includes the:
1.
Carolyn Beach Tolman
Carolyn Beach Tolman of Watertown, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and sister, passed away on July 13 after a long and valiant battle with cholangiocarcinoma. She spent the final few weeks of her life surrounded by loved ones. Carolyn continuously defied the odds and surprised her medical team with her positive energy and unceasing will to live. However, cancer was only a small part of Carolyn’s life and speaks nothing to the legacy she leaves behind.
Carolyn grew up in Watertown where she met her high school sweetheart, Warren Tolman, who became her husband of 39 years. Warren and Carolyn’s marriage was one of deep love, admiration, and friendship.
