Around Town

Options for Watertown Square Redesign Refined and Presented to the Public

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Residents gave input about the ideas for redesigning Watertown Square during a meeting on Thursday night. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Designers gave some glimpses of what Watertown’s center could look like if the City adopts a plan to redesign and redevelop the area during Thursday night’s Watertown Square Area Plan meeting. Two main options for reworking the roadways in the Square were explored, both of which would add more open space to the area, and showed retail kiosks on the Delta. The scenarios also looked at how Watertown could meet the requirements to allow more housing to meet the MBTA Communities Act. Buildings with as much as six stories of residential units were shown in the illustrations.

Around Town

Funds for Walker Pond Planning Study Recommended by Community Preservation Committee

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Photo by Leo MartinWalker Pond, on the Westside of Watertown, is one of the town’s hidden wetlands and a the Community Preservation Committee recommended funds be spent to do a study for improving the property. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Preservation Committee:

The Watertown Community Preservation Committee voted at its Feb. 15 meeting to recommend to the City Council that it fund Walker Pond planning studies and a public engagement process to develop a master plan for use of the site. The 7 acre Walker Pond site was purchased by the city in December 2022. The City’s Department of Community Development and Planning (DCDP) requested use of Community Preservation Act (CPA) monies for this first phase of creating a new park.

Government

Memorials Approved to Honor Armenian Genocide Survivor & Little Girl Who Loved Reading

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Watertown City Hall

A survivor of the Armenian Genocide and a young girl who loved reading will be commemorated with memorials to be installed in Watertown. On Feb. 13, the City Council approved having a bench and a little library installed on City property. Memorial Bench

The bench commemorates Nazar Ohanessian, a survivor of the 1915 Armenian Genocide who settled on Quimby Street. He left Turkey and spent time in Northern Greece and Athens in the 1940s during the German occupation during World War II.

Around Town

Watertown Native’s Whiskey Will Soon be Available for Purchase by Local Residents

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Drink creator Mikey Bortone named his coconut whiskey after his hometown. (Courtesy of Watertown Whiskey)

The following release was provided by Watertown Whiskey:

Mikey Bortone named his coconut whiskey after his hometown but, until now, the only way the people of Watertown, Massachusetts could get it was by ordering online. That changes on March 1, 2024, as Watertown Whiskey, the refreshing, low sugar coconut whiskey, has its official East Coast launch in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. “It has always been one of our top priorities to have Watertown Whiskey for sale in Watertown,” says Mikey Bortone, CEO and co-founder of Watertown Whiskey, who started the brand with childhood friends Steve Cicarelli and Mark O’Donnell. “We’re thrilled to start our national expansion in Massachusetts as well as in Rhode Island and are looking forward to bringing our whiskey to bars, restaurants and retailers across the country soon.”

Watertown Whiskey is partnering with Atlantic Beverage Distributors as a part of this expansion and is excited at the prospects that this partnership will bring.

Entertainment

Watertown High School Musical, “Working,” Takes the Mosesian Center Stage This Weekend

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For two nights and one afternoon, Watertown High School students will bring Working: A Musical to the stage at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. “This year’s spring musical will take place on March 1st and March 2nd at 7 p.m. and March 3rd at 2 p.m. All shows will take place at the Dorothy and Charles Mosesian Center for the Arts at 321 Arsenal Street,” the announcement from the school said. General admission is $10 and Watertown Students are free. 

Working is based on Studs Terkel’s best-selling book of interviews with American workers, and paints a vivid portrait of the workers that the world so often takes for granted. The original production was nominated for six Tony Awards, and features songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephen Schwartz, Craig Carnelia, James Taylor, Micki Grant, and more.

Sports

Interview with WHS’s State Champ & Basketball, Hockey Tourney Brackets are Out!

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Watertown junior Tessa Master won the MIAA All-State Championship on Saturday. (Photo by Franklin Tucker / The Belmontoninan)

Watertown’s Tessa Master made history Saturday by becoming the Raiders first wrestling All-State Champion. See what she had to say after her victory. And the postseason continues for WHS with the basketball and hockey teams preparing for action this week. Watertown Wrestling Coach Kevin Russo said Master has been committed to wrestling and to her team.

Entertainment

Bestselling Author Appearing at Library, See How to Attend

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Library:

On Thursday, March 21, The Watertown Free Public Library will welcome New York Times bestselling author Celeste Ng for a conversation about her novel Our Missing Hearts, the importance of libraries, and the present-day fight for the right to read. This event is free and open to all, with registration opening on March 1. ASL and CART services will be provided, courtesy of the Watertown Commission on Disability. Ng’s visit marks the 16th year of One Book, One Watertown, a community-wide event organized by the Watertown Free Public Library (WFPL). In January, the Library announced Ng’s Our Missing Hearts as the 2024 selection and made extra copies available for patrons.