Around Town

Big Discussions Over the Future of a Small Pond in East Watertown

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Maya ShwayderThe future is uncertain for Sawin’s Pond, a small body of water between Arlington Street and Coolidge Avenue. It’s easy to miss Sawin’s Pond in Watertown. The little body of water sits squished between where Arlington and Coolidge streets come together, behind a UPS outlet that’s across from the Home Depot. It’s not much to look at: some scraggly trees and browned earth, and rubber is sticking up in some places. But the privately-owned space has been the center of a long-running debate: what, exactly, should happen to the land?

Entertainment

Budding Artist: 87-Year Old Painter’s First Exhibition Hosted by Watertown Library

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Seda MavetosianMargarita Avetian stands in front of some of the paintings in her exhibition at the Watertown Library. During the month of March, the paintings of an emerging Watertown artist have been displayed in the Library’s art gallery. Margarita Avetian has only been painting for two years, but her work has received rave reviews from other artists. Not bad for someone who never had any artistic training during any of her 87 years. Avetian’s daughter, Seda Matevosian said her mother got started by chance when she was putting on a fun artistic activity for some of her family and friends.

Government

Proposals Wanted for Uses for Watertown’s APRA Funds

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Watertown City Hall

The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City of Watertown received $10.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and is seeking project proposals. Proposals may be submitted between 9 p.m. on March 27, 2023, and 5 p.m. on May 26, 2023. Visit watertown-ma.gov/arpa for more information. Submitted applications will be posted online here for public review. Before submitting a proposal, please read the guidelines and criteria outlined in these two documents:

Guidelines for Submitting ARPA Proposals February 28, 2023

Criteria for Assessing ARPA Proposals February 28, 2023

Apply Online. Submit your ARPA Project Proposal online here when ready

Residents Discussed How Watertown Should Spend ARPA Money

Police/Fire

Police Log: Man Busted in Drug Investigation, Crypto Currency Stolen

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

March 16, 3:52 p.m.: Security at Best Buy reported a man who had taken several video games and left the store without paying. Police located a man fitting the description near Nike at Arsenal Yards and he was unwrapping a Nintendo DS game. Officers spoke to the man who said he was at Best Buy and when he was leaving he realized he had not paid for the games, but he continued to exit the store. Police looked inside the man’s backpack and found 10 Nintendo games, plus a Nintendo DS game that had been reported stolen from a vehicle parked in the parking lot near Best Buy.

Schools

Watertown High Students Bring the Musical ‘Anastasia’ to the Stage

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Karen CentolaWatertown High School students staged Anastasia as the spring musical in March. Watertown’s young performers took the stage at the high school to present this year’s spring musical, Anastasia. Karen CentolaThe cast of Watertown High School’s Anastasia. The cast and crew put on three performances of the musical adaptation of the 1997 film on March 10, 11 and 12. Karen CentolaA ballet dancer in the WHS production of Anastasia.

Around Town

Watertown’s Yard Waste Pickup Begins in April, See the Schedule

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Yard waste pick up will begin in Watertown on April 3, and there will be two a month, except in September when there are four pick ups. Department of Public Works provided the following announcement:

Here is the Yard Waste Pick-Up Schedule for Spring 2023. Yard waste will be picked up on your scheduled trash day during the weeks of April 3, 17, May 1, 15, June 5, 26, July 10, 24, August 7, 21, 28, Sept 4, 11, 18, 25. For more information, call: 617-972-6420, email: recycle@watertown-ma.gov, or visit: www.watertown-ma.gov/zerowaste

Government

Watertown’s New Director of Senior Services Has ‘a Commitment to Seniors’

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Lydia McCoy has been appointed Watertown’s new Director of Senior Services. Watertown’s new Director of Senior Services, Lydia McCoy, comes to town with range of experience working with seniors. Last week, City Manager George Proakis announced McCoy’s appointment. She will oversee the Council on Aging, the Watertown Senior Center, and the Watertown Food Pantry. “Ms. McCoy has a broad range of experience, an educational background, and a real commitment to seniors,” Proakis told the City Council.

Government

City Splitting Up Financial Positions After Failing to Find “Unicorn”

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Watertown City Hall

After the City Council struggled to hire someone to replace retired Auditor and Financial Director Tom Tracy, City Manager George Proakis recommended that the job be split into two. Last week, Proakis told the City Council of his plan to split up the duties that Tracy had, rather than trying to find someone with the same skills. Tracy retired in October after working for nearly 30 years in Watertown, and has stayed on part-time to help Proakis with his first budget as City Manager. “We’ve done a pretty broad search, we hired a consultant and we made some real progress in searching all corners for this type of position,” Proakis said. “After taking a significant look at this I have come to the conclusion that the combined chief financial officer/auditors are unicorns.