Around Town

Marshall Home Fund Awards $75K in Grants to Help Older Adults in Watertown

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2024 Marshall Home Fund Grant recipients with current and former board members at the Grant Award Ceremony on May 23, 2024. The following information was provided by the Marshall Home Fund:

The Board of Directors of the Marshall Home Fund (MHF) is very pleased to announce the recipients of its latest round of program grant awards. This spring, the Board of Directors pledged $75,457 to local organizations for programs that will benefit residents of Watertown who are ages 55 and older. In awarding this latest round of grants, the MHF has reached a total of $1 million dollars awarded over a 19-year period for the benefit of older adults in Watertown. The 2024 grant recipients include:

Mass Assoc.

Around Town

New Spray Pad Will Keep Kids Cool at East Watertown Park

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Children enjoy the new spray pad at Filippello Park in East Watertown. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

On a warm afternoon, dozens of children waited patiently for City officials to declare the new and improved spray pad at Filippello Park open so they could run through the cooling streams of water. Friday’s ribbon cutting marked the official opening of the new feature that has 15 spray features, including geysers, an aquadome, a lunar cannon and a palm tree on 2,500 sq. ft. of non-porous rubber play surface.

Around Town

OP-ED: Watertown Square Redesign Lacks Public Transit Improvement Plan

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Watertown Square. (Photo by City of Watertown)

By Mark Pickering

Watertown stands at a crossroads – on two separate issues. What we do now will guide the city’s way into the future. One question is whether to continue to be a city that emphasizes the use of cars and ignores public transit. The other question is whether to allow the construction of taller buildings in the Square.

Around Town

LETTER: Resident Explains Withdrawal from Human Rights Commission

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To whom it may concern,

It is with a heavy heart and disappointment that I am submitting my resignation from the inaugural Watertown HRC Committee. For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been a resident of Watertown since 2018. I credit Nicole Gardner for getting me looped into the community and caring about my neighbors. I’ve been an active moderator for the Facebook Buy Nothing Watertown South group for a few years and I was the 2023 recipient of the World in Watertown Social Justice Scholarship, so when Nicole reached out to me about applying for the HRC Committee, I jumped at the opportunity. I believed that with my multiple identities as a person of color, immigrant, and queer, I could give a voice to those underrepresented within our community.

Around Town

UPDATED: Watertown Farmers Market Returns This Week – See the New Vendors for 2024

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The Watertown Farmers Market begins this week. The organizers provided the following information about what to expect at the market, including new vendors, returning faov

Join us Wednesday, June 12 for Opening Day! It’s almost time for market season~ We’re getting ready to kick off the 11th year of the Watertown Farmers’ Market and celebrate all the market has to offer! Scroll down to see our vendor lineup for this year and watch for more news about special features this year. Thank you for supporting our market and all things local. We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and enjoyable market experience! 

Opening Day Activities

2:30: Opening Bell with City Manager George Proakis2:30-4:30: Lawn games by Watertown Recreation Department3:00-5:00: Performance by HYE Fusion3:30-4:30: Kick off the Season with Get Lively Health & Fitness– free mini Get Moving and Stretch sessions at 3:30 and 4:00pm2:30-6:30: Raffle for Market Gift Certificates(drawing is open all day; you do not need to be present to win

2024 Market Vendors

We are pleased to introduce a wonderful variety of new vendors, and so glad to welcome back our fabulous returners!

Around Town

Watertown Fitness Studio Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Open House for Newcomers

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Screenshot

The following announcement was provided by Get Lively: Health & Fitness:

Kick off the celebrations with our Open House on Saturday, June 15th at 10:30 AM. This is the perfect opportunity for newcomers to try mini classes, meet our energetic crew, and receive a coupon for our new local favorite, Wicked Bagel. Discover what makes Get Lively: Health & Fitness a community favorite! 

Girls Night Out Kickboxing Showdown: Britney vs. Madonna

Get ready to sweat and have fun with our Girls Night Out kickboxing showdown on  Thursday, June 20th at 6:30 PM. Channel your inner pop star with a workout inspired by Britney Spears and Madonna, followed by drinks at Donahue’s.

Around Town

LETTER: Watertown Housing Group Supports Proposed Watertown Square Area Plan

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As advocates for housing availability and affordability in Watertown, we have closely followed the Watertown Square Area Plan process since its kickoff last Fall. Throughout the kitchen table conversations, online surveys, and countless community meetings that we’ve participated in, we’ve watched a plan emerge that manages to balance a wide range of perspectives. As a result, the core elements of the plan garner support from two-thirds of recent survey respondents. Supporting the Plan

While we believe that significantly more work needs to be done to address the housing crisis, this plan represents an important step toward allowing more housing in our city. We strongly urge all who support more housing, a more walkable and bikeable community, and a more vibrant downtown to attend this Thursday’s meeting at the Middle School and speak in support of it.