Athenahealth Leaving Watertown, Heading Down the Road

Athenahealth will be leaving its longtime home in Watertown and the company’s headquarters will be relocated to Brighton. For nearly 20 years the health care tech company has been located at the Arsenal on the Charles, a complex the company once owned. Athena has leased 100,000 sq. ft. at Boston Landing in Brighton for its corporate headquarters, the according to the Real Reporter.

Petition to Reduce Size of Buildings Allowed in Watertown Square Sent to Planning Board

The City Council voted to send the petition requesting that the allowable size of new buildings in Watertown Square be reduced to the Planning Board for consideration. Councilors did not weigh in on the request, and were told they were required by statute to send the petition on. The petition submitted with the signatures of more than 200 residents calls for the floor area ratio (FAR) be reduced from 4.0 to 2.2 in the Central Business District, which includes most of Watertown Square. FAR regulates and restricts the height, number of stories, and size of buildings. Other factors impacting the mass and height of the building include the allowable height, the required setbacks from property lines, and the amount of open space required.

Pair of Sisters Run Marathon for Hospital That Gave Their Mother Cancer Treatment

The Tolman sisters, Katherine (far right) and Julia (second from right) ran the 2023 Boston Marathon for their mother, Carolyn (Second from left). Also pictured are their father Warren (far left) and Andrew (center). Katherine and Julia Tolman completed the Boston Marathon this year, and raised more than $25,000 for the hospital that treated their mother’s cancer. The sisters wanted to give back to the organization that gave their mother so much over the years: Mass. General Hospital.

Citizens Petition Seeks to Limit Size of Building in Watertown Square

The Central Business District can be seen in red. It is located in Watertown Square. Tuesday night, the City Council will consider a citizens petition to reduce the size allowed for new buildings going up in the area around Watertown Square. The City Council will meet on Tuesday, April 25 at 7 p.m. in City Hall, and will also have remote participation by Zoom. The agenda also includes a vote on funding for the recommended projects from the Community Preservation Committee.

Police Log: Shoplifters Arrested, Pair of Unemployment Frauds

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrest

April 10, 4:29 pm.: A man was seen at Target taking an electric scooter. Security followed the man who got into a grey 2008 Toyota Camry and they got the plate. Police got the description and pulled the vehicle over on Arsenal Street. The scooter was in the back seat.

Catch Basin Cleaning Starts Soon, DPW Asks Residents to Help Keep Them Clean

Watertown DPWThe Department of Public Works will start stormwater catch basin cleaning during the week of April. 24. The following announcement was provided by the Department of Public Works:

Beginning the week of April 24, 2023, the City will be cleaning stormwater catch basins throughout the City, utilizing our contractor, BMC Corporation. There are about 3,500 catch basins in the City and it will take about a month to clean them all. Catch basins collect stormwater off the streets and connect to drain pipes that ultimately flow to the Charles River.

Local Company Visits WHS Class Bearing Gifts & Knowledge of Biotechs

Charlie BreitroseWatertown High School teacher Kelly Hannon works with students in her anatomy and physiology class. A Watertown High School science class recently got a visit from representatives from one of the City’s life science companies, which also provided some donations that will help students learn about the human body. In early April, three employees of Enanta Pharmaceuticals stopped by a WHS anatomy and physiology class to speak to the students about their work. Joyce Sweeney Gibbons told the students that she did not take a direct road to her current position as senior scientist in virology at Enanta. “If you have no idea what you want to do, that’s OK,” Sweeney Gibbons said.

Local Woman Looking to Turn Her Passion for Nails into a Business

Some nails designed and created by Watertown’s Rickteyzia Simmons, who plans to open a nail salon called Candy Paint. What started as a pandemic hobby has turned into a calling for a Watertown woman, who now hopes to turn her passion for nail design into a local business. Rickteyzia Simmons currently works as a high school teacher in Cambridge and works on nails during her free time, but she is working to open her own nail salon, Candy Paint by Teyzia, in Watertown. Simmons taught herself how to do her own nails, and got a good response. “It was my pandemic hobby.