Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/page/5/)
A screenshot of the City of Watertown’s website.
The City of Watertown received a Municipal Website Award at the recent Massachusetts Municipal Association conference.
Watertown City Hall
Following the multi-hour meeting about Watertown’s Winter Parking ban, City Manager George Proakis updated the City Council about next steps and urged residents to sign up for the City’s alert system. Also, Council President Mark Sideris requested a review of Watertown’s Demolition Delay Ordinance, and Proakis provided information on Federal grants received by the City.
The Watertown City Council Newsletter for the meeting on Jan. 28, 2025 was provided by the City Council.
Residents can view the recording of the January 28th meeting here.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Council President Mark Sideris began by reading a proclamation honoring Ingrid Marchesano on her retirement after over forty years of dedicated service to Watertown. You can read the full proclamation here. Ingrid has also served Watertown on several committees including the Watertown Arsenal Yards Development Committee, the original Public Arts and Culture Committee, and numerous other city efforts. Ingrid shared that she continues to reside in Watertown and looks forward to continuing to see the people she has come to know over the course of her career.
Regis College and Watertown Public Schools announced the establishment of a strategic partnership that will support school employees with unique employee development programs, employee recruitment through access to Regis graduates, collaboration opportunities with Regis faculty on product development and research, discounted tuition rates, and use of the Regis campus facilities.
Watertown Middle School
The finalists for architecture firms seeking to design the new Watertown Middle School will be interviewed in public by the School Building Committee, including one with experience working in town.
The Watertown Free Public Library has announced that it will offer U.S. citizenship tutor training sessions this spring. These trainings are intended for anyone interested in helping immigrants prepare for all facets of the naturalization process.
NAYA will be serving Middle Eastern dishes at Arsenal Yards. (Contributed Photo)
Arsenal Yards will welcome a new restaurant that features Middle Eastern fare, and the eatery will celebrate with some grand opening weekend specials and festivities.
More than a dozen Watertown properties will host open houses over the weekend.
Members of Watertown Rotary celebrated the club’s 100th Birthday at Donohue’s Bar & Grill on Jan. 21, 2025. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
For a century, Watertown residents have gathered to make a difference in their community, make connections, and just to enjoy each other’s company. This week, more than a dozen people celebrated the 100th birthday of the Rotary Club of Watertown.
I heard a story on the radio yesterday about the health effects of socializing regularly in local community groups. Don’t trust my memory, but I believe they said that the probability of getting dementia is decreased simply by being among your neighbors. So this weekend, keep that in mind when you are choosing between running solo or in a group, doing yoga with Youtube or in a group class. I recommend choosing to play with others.
Dr. Joseph Gerson joined the delegation at the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in December. Each member of the delegation had the opportunity to be photographed with the Nobel Prize.
The following piece was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & the Environment:
Dr. Joseph Gerson, a resident of Watertown, joined the delegation of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize given to Nihon Hidankyo in Oslo on December 10 of last year. Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, was formed in 1956.
Over the next week, Watertown residents can expect a lot of chilly but sunny weather. It’s going to be a pretty cold stretch overall, with daytime highs mostly in the 20s and 30s, and winds making it feel even colder at times.