Around Town

Council OKs New Green Electricity Plan for All Watertown Customers with Small Savings

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More solar-generated energy will be included in the electricity received by Watertown customers. Tuesday night, the Town Council cleared the way for the Town to negotiate “green” electrical contract for all residents and many business customers that will have a small savings, and will include a much larger portion generated by renewable methods. The new Community Choice Aggregation program will be an opt-out program, into which all residents, small businesses and organizations will be enrolled automatically. The goal is to have 50 percent of the energy generated by renewable sources (such as solar, wind generated and hydro), and the rate will result in an estimated savings of $7 a year, said Watertown Energy Manager and Facilities Project Manager Ed Lewis. Watertown customers will have the option of opting for a basic rate (which includes the state required amount of renewable energy), for a plan with electricity from 100 percent renewable sources, or to opt out of the program completely.

Environment

State Rep. Hecht to Receive an Award from Keep Massachusetts Beautiful

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State Rep. Jonathan Hecht

Watertown State Rep. Jonathan Hecht will be honored with a Massachusetts Clean Community Award for his work to reduce the amount of waste in the Bay State. The award will be given out by the Keep Massachusetts Beautiful group at a ceremony on May 16, 2019 in Boston. Other recipients include State Sen. Paul Feeney, Rep. Jay Barrows, and Rep. Randy Hunt. Keep Massachusetts Beautiful is a non-profit group working to “to keep Massachusetts communities clean, green, and litter-free.” Hecht will receive the award because of his work as a legislator trying to reduce waste, said Neil Rhein, executive director of Keep Massachusetts Beautiful.

Arbor Day

Watertown Celebrated Arbor Day with Special Activities & Tree Care at Arsenal Park

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A member of a tree crew trims dead and damaged limbs from trees at Arsenal Park as part of the Town’s Arbor Day Celebration. Trees around Arsenal Park got a trimming, and visitors learned about trees, storm water and the environment on Thursday at Watertown’s celebration of Arbor Day. Watertown Tree Warden Chris Hayward organized the celebration with the help of the Massachusetts Arborists Association and some local organizations. Crews from the Department of Public Works, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Joe Butler & Sons, and Tree Tech (on behalf of Eversource) removed dead or damaged limbs from the trees around the parking area at Arsenal Park. “This is a week’s worth of work taking place in one day,” Hayward said.

Environment

Dispose of Styrofoam & Tires, Shred Paper at Special Recycling Event

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Recycle your Styrofoam at the special DPW event. The Watertown Department of Public Works is hosting a special recycling event where styrofoam and tires will be collected. You can also shred papers. WHEN: May 4, 2019 Recycle Event, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Recycle Center on Green River Way

DIRECTIONS: West on Pleasant Street from Watertown Square, North on Bridge Street and West on Waltham Street to Green River Way. Details

Watertown residents only!

Entertainment

Free Family Event at Arsenal Park in Celebration of Arbor Day

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The public is invited to the 2019 Arbor Day of Service, a free family friendly celebration. The event will be held Thursday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Arsenal Park near the tot lot, rain or shine. Activities at the Arbor Day celebration include: tree pruning demonstrations, story time, sing along, sweet treats, crafts, games, and truckies (aka selfies in a truck). The Forestry Supervisor, Tree Warden & Commander’s Mansion would like to thank: Watertown Recreation Department, Watertown Conservation Commission, Watertown Stormwater Advisory Committee, the Watertown Department of Public Works, Trees for Watertown, Watertown Savings Bank, Armenia Tree Project, Massachusetts Arborists Association, The Icing on the Cake, Watertown Free Public Library, and Friends of Bees.

Department of Public Works

Stormwater Management Plan to be Discussed by Committee & DPW

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Find out about Watertown’s Stormwater Management Plan at the next meeting of the Stormwater Advisory Committee the information provided by the Department of Public Works below. The Watertown Stormwater Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. in the Lower Hearing Room in Town Hall. Come to learn more about the Town’s program for managing stormwater runoff and to help us update our Stormwater Management Plan. Learn about stormwater runoff and its impact to the Charles RiverHear how the Town regulates stormwater runoff from developmentContribute to the Town’s Stormwater Management PlanBrainstorm ways to engage Watertown about stormwater

Stormwater from Watertown’s drainage system flows directly into the Charles River without treatment and contributes to pollution in the river. The EPA requires the Town to take certain measures to control and treat stormwater runoff.

Around Town

Residents Wanted for Teens for Trees Summer Program

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A group advocating for the care of street trees in Watertown seeks teens to take part in a summer program. The program director of Teens for Trees, David Meshoulam provided the following information:

We’re looking forward to an exciting TFW Teens for Trees program this summer.  In this third year of the program, we’ll be hiring 6 to 10 Watertown youth to learn about and advocate for the health of our community and its trees. Know a teen who may be interested? They can find out more and apply at our website: https://tfwteensfortrees.org/t4t2019/

Got program questions?

Climate Change

Group Discusses How Climate Change Will Impact Area, Importance of Trees

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Several local groups came together to host an event called “The Latest News in Climate—and How Trees Help” at the Watertown Free Public Library. The following information was provided by the event organizers:

Jennifer Shakun, an Applied Forest Scientist, and featured speaker at the well-attended “Trees for Climate Change in Watertown” symposium on March 23, brought dramatic news about climate changes in the Northeast. Local leaders, whose talks followed hers, described in-town, tree-related resources and activities available to Watertown residents. Climate Changes in the Northeast

Shakun told attendees that the Northeast has been warming faster than many parts of the world. Since 1895, the average NE temperature has climbed 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit, (1.6 degrees Celsius), which is higher than the average global rise during that time.