Around Town

Brigham House Hosting Senior Health Fair

By |

Brigham House in Watertown will host a Senior Health Fair on Aug. 22. Find out more in the announcement from Brigham House. WHAT: Senior Health Fair

WHEN: August 22, 2024, 2-4 p.m.

WHERE: 341 Mt. Auburn Street Watertown, MA 02472

EVENT FEATURES

Free Admission

Giveaways & Raffle Prizes

Blood Pressure Readings

Fall Prevention Tips

Vendor Information

For More Information: Maria Massano, Director of Community Relations 617-923-7779 | mmassano@hallkeen.com

www.BrighamHouseAL.com

Around Town

Watertown Awarded Grant for Community Greening Program & Vulnerability Preparedness

By |

The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced that the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) awarded a $976,270 Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant to the City of Watertown for Phase 2 of the Equity-Based Community Greening Program, which seeks to address the outsize risks posed by climate change to vulnerable populations by targeting green infrastructure investments in Watertown’s most at-risk neighborhoods. The MVP Action Grant program offers financial resources to communities that are seeking to advance priority climate adaptation actions to address climate change impacts resulting from extreme weather, sea level rise, inland and coastal flooding, severe heat, and other climate impacts. This cycle EEA awarded a total of $52 million to awardees across the Commonwealth for 71 projects, including 62 for municipalities, seven for regional planning agencies, and two fortribes. Watertown’s awarded project is a continuation of Phase 1 of the Community Greening Program, which launched in 2021 thanks to a previous MVP Action Grant award. The Program’s goal is to use nature-based solutions to create climate resilient neighborhoods and actively engage residents in the process.

Around Town

Power Outages Around Watertown After Sunday Thunderstorm

By |

Power went out for many Watertown residents Sunday afternoon after a thunderstorm rolled over the City. Eversource reports electricity should be restored by Sunday night. The outage began about 4:45 p.m. in some places and shortly after 5 p.m. in other spots and most of the outages are on the Westside of town, according to the Eversource website. UPDATE 8 p.m. Sunday: Power has been restored for all but a handful of customers. An outage affecting 423 customers was fixed before 8 p.m. and was caused due to damage by a tree limb in the area Waverley Avenue.

Around Town

MBTA Riders Can Now Tap Credit Cards to Ride Buses, Green Line

By |

The following information came from the MBTA:

The MBTA is improving the way you pay for transit with the introduction of contactless payment on bus, Green Line and Mattapan trolleys, and all gated subway stations. Starting in summer 2024, you’ll be able to pay by tapping your contactless debit/credit card, phone, or watch with a mobile wallet—making it easier for you to get going. Step 1. Choose

Choose how you want to pay—you’ll use the same method for your entire trip:

Credit/debit card: Check if your card has the four-waved contactless symbol on the front or back. Phone/watch: Make sure you have a card set up in your mobile wallet. Note: You will not be able to tap your CharlieCard on the readers. Pay your fare with your CharlieCard by tapping on the fare gate or fare box readers.

Around Town

Bluebikes Offering Free Passes Every Monday in August

By |

Town of WatertownThe Bluebikes station in Coolidge Square in East Watertown. The following announcement was provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass.:

In recognition of National Wellness Month, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (“Blue Cross”) is launching its fourth annual “Mindful Mondays” initiative by offering free Bluebikes Day Passes every Monday in August, starting August 5. This initiative aims to highlight the positive impact mindfulness activities like biking can have on one’s overall health and wellbeing. The free Day Passes are accessible across Bluebikes’ 13 municipalities including Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Newton, Revere, Salem, Somerville, and Watertown. As the title sponsor of Bluebikes, Blue Cross is dedicated to fostering community well-being and mental health.

Around Town

LETTER: First Path Day Care Center’s response to Boys & Girls Club Chairman Medville

By |

“WBGC has a choice to either work with First Path in a friendly manner to help it and its families through a difficult time or to continue to wave the stick of eviction over the heads of First Path’s families and staff that include infants, children with special needs, refugees from war in Ukraine and long-term day care teachers. We would like WBGC to remember the Golden Rule that we teach our children, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.”

As a local business, providing daycare services to the community of Watertown for more than 26 years, we were disappointed to read the recent Letter to the Editor from the Chair of the Watertown Boys and Girls Club (WBGC) {Boys & Girls Club Planning to Expand, Obstacle Hindering Its Efforts; July 26}. Our disappointment arises from Mr. Medville’s incorrect assertion that “now the only barrier to moving forward is First Path Daycare’s consistent failure to live up to their agreements.” In 2020, 3 years prior to its lease expiration First Path wrote to the Club in an e-mail “Our lease is expiring in 3 years. We need to plan ahead and would like to start discussing lease extension… 3 years might sound as a long time, but in reality it is short period relative to long term plans. ” Club’s reply; “Board President … will work … on developing a plan for lease negotiations.

Around Town

Longtime Employee Named Watertown’s New Recreation Director

By |

Ernie Thebado was named Watertown’s new Director of Recreation. (Photo by Peter Centola)

The City of Watertown provided the following announcement:

Congratulations to Ernie Thebado, the City of Watertown’s new permanent Recreation Director effective Monday, July 29, 2024. Ernie has been a pillar of the Watertown Recreation Department since he was hired as the Assistant Director in 2008. In this role Ernie oversaw the Department’s programs, services, and events; expanded programming; cultivated strong partnerships between the City and community groups like Wayside and the Boys and Girls Club; and served as a trusted point of contact for the community and City staff. Prior to joining the City, Ernie worked for the Watertown Boys and Girls Club for 20 years, most recently as the Assistant Executive Director, where he oversaw all programming as well as the day-to-day operations of the organization and the facility.