Around Town

City Reminds Residents That Short-Term Rentals Are Prohibited

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Photo by Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

City officials recently reinforced that short-term rentals such as Airbnb and VRBO are not allowed in Watertown. In April 2024, the City Council rejected a proposal that would have allowed short-term rentals on a limited basis, including for under 3 months a year. “The City’s zoning regulations prohibit the rental of properties for a period of less than 31 days, and those violating this ordinance are subject to fines,” the City’s announcement said. The announcement was part of the City’s education efforts around short-term rentals, said Tyler Cote, the City’s Community Engagement Specialist. “When the Council passed the ordinance, we worked with our Zoning and Code Enforcement team to develop an enforcement strategy, which includes this step of sending letters to identified properties around Watertown,” Cote said.

Around Town

POSTPONED: Tuesday Night Talk With Police in August Features the WPD’s School Resource Officers

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(UPDATE Aug. 18, 3:25 p.m.): The Tuesday Night Talk in August has been postponed to a date that will be announced at a later time.)

Once a month, the Watertown Police Department invites the public in to learn about how the department works and what officers are doing around town. On Aug. 19, the Tuesday Night Talk features the WPD’s School Resource Officers. The talks grew out of another Watertown Police Department community program, said Watertown Police Lt. Kevin McManus.

Around Town

Watertown Group Screening Film “October 8” on Aug. 19

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The following announcement was provided by the Jewish Watertown Action Network:

The Jewish Watertown Action Network (JWAN) invites you to a screening of the film October 8, on Tuesday, August 19 that 6:30 p.m. at the Watertown Public Library. October 8 is a gripping documentary that lays bare the horror of the October 7th massacre and the chilling aftermath of unbridled hate. It exposes the explosion of antisemitism on college campuses, on social media, and in the streets of America in the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. It poses a haunting question: What world are we shaping when one group’s suffering is dismissed and their wounds exacerbated? This film transcends the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, offering no solutions to its complexities. Instead, it illuminates a broader, more troubling phenomenon: the ideological groundwork laid across U.S. campuses, priming them for the mass protests that erupted post-October 7.

Around Town

City Gathering Input on the Future of Walker Pond

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Google MapsA Google Maps view of Walkers Pond. The pond is the dark area surrounded by trees. The red line is the city line, with Watertown to the right, and Waltham to the left. Watertown officials have put out a survey for the community to weigh in on what they would like to see at the new recreation site at Walker Pond, which sits on the border with Waltham on the Westside of town. See the announcement from the City below.

Weather

Weather Forecast: A Hot Spell Followed by Cooler Days

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After showers and thunderstorms on Thursday as a cold front pushed through, cooler, less humid air moves in for Friday and Saturday under high pressure. Heat and humidity return briefly Sunday before another front brings showers and storms late Sunday into Monday. Early next week trends cooler and drier, with pleasant late-summer weather lasting into midweek. Signs of fall weather are starting to show, and the last throws of summer may be here this week. Saturday, August 16 – Warm and dryStill sunny with low humidity.

Around Town

New Policy for Lights at City Fields and Courts Approved by City Council

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A new policy was approved for lights at Watertown’s Recreation facilities, including Saltonstall Park, home to the Papas Elite Summer Basketball League. (Photo by Natalie Nigito Photography)

A new policy for controlling lights at Recreation Department-run fields and courts was approved by the City Council on Aug. 12, despite some confusion coming out of the Committee meeting on the issue. The purpose of the policy, said Councilor Tony Palmoba (chair of the Committee on Parks and Recreation) is to have effective lighting while balancing community needs, public access and energy conservation. Generally, lights will turn on at fields and courts at sunset and turn off at designated closing times.

Charity

Watertown Restaurant Holding Sweet Fundraiser for a Food Pantry

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Bar ‘Cino’s gelato is just one dessert to choose from in the No Child Hungry This Summer program. (Courtesy of Bar ‘Cino)

Bar ‘Cino, located at 47 Main Street in Watertown, is pleased to announce a new fundraising effort to support the Centre Street Food Pantry, a local food relief agency serving Brookline, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, and Wellesley. From August 17 though August 31, 50 percent of dessert sales will be donated to the Centre Street Food Pantry’s “No Child Hungry This Summer” program. In a survey of families who visit Centre Street Food Pantry, more than half reported that their children did not receive subsidized meals in the summer, while the remainder who brought their children to an approved meal site said they came home and were still hungry. In response, the Centre Street Food Pantry has held the “No Child Hungry This Summer” fundraising campaign each of the last four summers to raise funds to provide lunch food items to approximately 1,400 children each month from June through September.  

“We are so grateful to the work that the Centre Street Food Pantry does for families in need and humbled to have the opportunity to support their efforts,” said Gary Morrison, Regional Manager, Newport Restaurant Group.