Around Town

See How the New Park Along the Charles River is Shaping Up

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The area along the Charles River, east of Watertown Square has a snazzy new look featuring places to sit, look over the river and to appreciated the natural surroundings. Travis Mazerall, the project designer from Sasaki Associates, recently led a tour of the park near the intersection of Charles River Road and Irving Street has been turned into place that can be enjoyed by everyone, including the blind and visually impaired. The path includes wires hung across posts every 20 feet, or so. “Some have indicator beads about the size of a fist, that tell the user what is around, such as if there is a bench across from it,” Mazerall said. The project is being built by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), but is funded by a mix of local non-profits, foundations and some money from the town.

Police/Fire

Find Out Why a Helicopter was Buzzing Around Watertown Friday

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A Massachusetts State Police helicopter joined the search for someone reportedly in the Charles River Friday night. “We got a report that someone fell or jumped into the river,” said Watertown Deputy Fire Chief Dan Tardiff. “We searched the river with State Police and with units on the shore. We didn’t find anyone.” Authorities got a report of someone who fell or jumped into the river after 7 p.m. Friday.

Environment

LETTER: What Watertown Needs to Know About Stormwater

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As Watertown reviews and finalizes the Comprehensive Plan, the Stormwater Advisory Committee would like to draw your attention to stormwater management in our community. The Charles River is recognized as a key asset to our community life, and the Plan recommends restoring other water assets, such as Sawins and Williams Ponds. For the Charles and the ponds, polluted stormwater is a major, ongoing cause of contamination. Stormwater comes from rainfall and snow melt — they sound so pure, don’t they? But in a town like Watertown, not enough stormwater soaks into the ground, which would filter and clean the water.

Environment

Comprehensive Plan Looks at How to Make Use of Charles River

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The Charles River provides a place to stroll, see nature and even commute, and town officials looking at the Comprehensive Plan draft discussed whether it could also be a place to dine or have more active recreation. A joint meeting of the Planning Board and the Town Council’s Economic Development and Planning subcommittee was held last week to continue reviewing the Comprehensive Plan – a major planning document that will help shape what Watertown will be like in the future. The river could be a place for more town residents to enjoy and even draw people from outside of town. Town Councilor Vincent Piccirilli said that will not happen on its own. “It is not good enough to just be next to a body or water,” Piccirlli said. “You have to give people things to do.”

Some have talked about finding a place along the river to put a restaurants.

Environment

Long Awaited Charles River Improvements Will Have Something for Everyone

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Efforts to upgrade the path and park along the Charles River, east of Watertown Square, started more than seven years ago, and Monday morning workers officially broke ground on a project that will improve the path, the park and add a special feature for the visually impaired. 

The park sits just blocks from Perkins School for the Blind, and a chorus from the school kicked off the ceremony by singing the National Anthem. The school is just one of several groups who helped make the project a reality, said Jack Murray, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The $1.4 million project is a partnership between the state, the town, private organizations, foundations and more. The Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation donated $175,000, the Town of Watertown added $100,000, the Bilezikian Foundation added $50,000, Perkins School for the Blind gave $25,000, the Watertown Commission on Disabilities put in $15,000 and the Watertown Community Foundation added $5,000. Improvements

One of the new features of the park will be a Sensory Garden and Braille Trail, which will allow the blind and visually impaired to learn about nature.

Around Town

DCR Celebrating Groundbreaking for Charles River Riverfront Project

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A flurry of work can already be seen along the Charles River, east of Watertown Square, and the official groundbreaking for the construction project will be held on Monday, July 21. The work is phase I of the Watertown Riverfront Park Project and goes from the Founders Monument to Perkins Hill. Improvements include reconstructing pathways, additions of river overlooks and a sensory trail for vision impaired students. The work is due to be completed this fall. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Maeve Bartlett, DCR Commissioner Jack Murray, Senator Will Brownsberger, State Rep. Jonathan Hecht and other local officials will be at the ceremony.

Development

Residents Want Developments to Take Account for Nearby Neighborhoods

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With developments along Arsenal Street coming closer and closer, residents have requested that new projects take into account the residential areas near where they will be built, and get that these areas get the some of same protections as the Charles River. Many projects focus on the front of the development and the look from the street, but residents at the Comprehensive Plan Review meeting said their homes should also be taken into account. “Developments need to be blended into the fabric of the neighborhood,” said resident Rena Baskin. She suggested having rules about where green space should go so that developers know what to expect. “They should have green space, not in the middle of the building but near the neighborhood or on the river,” Baskin said.