Around Town

Historic Paintings Return to Watertown’s City Hall After Undergoing Restoration

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The crew from Maquette Fine Arts Services raise the historic painting of Watertown looked in 1630 after it had been restored. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Two historic paintings returned to the lobby of City Hall looking better than they have for generations after undergoing a makeover to remove dirt and grime as well as repairing damages. The paintings show how Watertown looked in 1630, when the Town was founded, and 1930, two years before Town Hall opened. After nearly two years away, the paintings were reinstalled on Nov. 13 after a thorough cleaning and restoration project spearheaded by the Historic Society of Watertown, and paid for with Community Preservation Act funds.

Around Town

Community Preservation Committee Holding Annual Public Hearing, Application Deadline Announced

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The City of Watertown announced the annual Community Preservation Act public hearing, and the deadline to apply for Community Preservation Act funds, which can be used on projects involving historic preservation, open space, and affordable housing. Community Preservation Act Annual Public Hearing

CPA Annual Public Hearing will continue in City Hall, in the City Council Chamber on Thursday, July 18, 2024, at 7 p.m.

Don’t miss the CPA Annual Public Hearing hosted by the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). You may also join the hearing and meeting remotely via Zoom: https://watertown-ma.zoom.us/j/91525442843. This event is a great opportunity to: 

Tell us your open space, outdoor recreation, community housing, and historic preservation priorities;

Hear more about CPA projects;

Learn how and when to apply for CPA funding; and

Get answers to your questions about CPA in Watertown. You may send questions or comments, in advance, to Lanae Handy, Community Preservation Coordinator, at lhandy@watertown-ma.gov .

Around Town

Hear About Funded Projects & How to Apply at Community Preservation Act Public Hearing

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

SAVE THE DATE for the Community Preservation Act (CPA) Annual Public Hearing, hosted by the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). Watertown City Hall in the Lower Hearing Room, Thursday, June 27, 2024, at 7 p.m.

Or join remotely via Zoom: https://watertown-ma.zoom.us/j/91525442843. Don’t miss this event for your chance to:

Hear more about the recently funded CPA Projects. Find out about the next steps for the Old Burying Ground and Common Street Cemeteries and the Commander’s Mansion Cultural Landscape projects. Tell us about your open space, outdoor recreation, community housing, and historic preservation priorities.

Around Town

Learn About How to Apply for Community Preservation Act Funds & Approved Projects

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The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:

The CPA Annual Public Hearing will be held in the Council Chamber in City Hall on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at 7 p.m.

Don’t miss the CPA Annual Public Hearing hosted by the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) in the City Hall, City Council Chamber.  You may also join remotely via Zoom: https://watertown-ma.zoom.us/j/91525442843. This event is a great opportunity to: 

Hear more about the recently funded CPA Projects;

Tell us your open space, outdoor recreation, community housing, and historic preservation priorities;

Learn how to apply for CPA funding; and

Get answers to your questions about CPA in Watertown. Take our one question survey, What is one thing you would like to know about the Watertown CPA? 

You may send questions or comments in advance to Lanae Handy, Community Preservation Coordinator, at lhandy@watertown-ma.gov. Visit watertown-ma.gov/cpc for more information.

Government

State Giving Watertown Nearly $1 Million for Community Preservation

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

Watertown’s Community Preservation Committee is pleased to announce that the Commonwealth has released $203,645 more to Watertown’s Community Preservation Fund, bringing the total annual state match to $956,905 for our City. These resources are a supplemental distribution from $20 million in state surplus funds for Community Preservation Act (CPA) communities in fiscal year 2022. State matching funds come from fees assessed on certain real estate transactions through the registration of deeds. For the past fiscal year, the state match equaled 38.5 percent of the CPA funds raised locally. Mark Kraczkiewicz, current chair of the CPC, said, “These matching state funds of nearly a million dollars confirm the wisdom of Watertown voters when they adopted the CPC.

Around Town

Historic Paintings Removed from City Hall to be Restored Using Community Preservation Funds

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Charlie BreitroseEmployees from Maquette Fine Arts Services prepare one of the historic paintings in City Hall’s lobby to be removed from the wall for restoration. Stephen Munroe of Maquette, center, speaks with art preservationist Louise Orsini, right. Friday morning a quiet sense of anticipation filled the lobby of Watertown’s City Hall. The marble covered atrium was filled with history lovers and art preservationists waiting to see what secrets are held by a pair of paintings dating back to the early 1930s. The towering paintings have been inset into the walls of Watertown’s Town Hall (since 2021 City Hall) since it opened in 1932.

Government

First Two Community Preservation Projects Approved; Will Rehabilitate Park, Restore Historic Paintings

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Designs for the improvements to Irving Park. The project was recommended by Community Preservation Committee for approval from the City Council, which did so on June 21. A park in Watertown will get a face lift and paintings in City Hall that are showing their age will be refurbished in the first two projects in Watertown approved to use money from the Community Preservation Act funds. On Tuesday night, the City Council unanimously approved the two projects recommended by the Community Preservation Committee. Community Preservation Committee Chair Mark Kraczkiewicz thanked the groups that brought forward the projects.

Around Town

Watertown’s Hidden Wetlands Could be Possible Community Preservation Projects

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Walker’s Pond, on the Westside of Watertown, is one of the town’s hidden wetlands and a possible place for the Community Preservation Funds to be spent. With “water” such a prominent part of the name of the town, one might expect it to be flush with wetlands. The Charles River, of course, is Watertown’s most significant body of water, but there are several others that are not as visible. Some can be seen from roadways around town, if you know where to look, others are tucked into the woods, and a number are surrounded by graves. Leo Martin, chair of the Town Conservation Commission recently took Watertown News on a tour of the town’s wetlands.