Town Council Approves Lights for Fields at Filippello Park

Filippello Park’s two athletic fields, picnic area, playground and more draw lots of visitors. The biggest park on the Eastside of Watertown will receive new lighting at its two athletic fields after the Town Council approved funding for a project that has been in the works for more than a year. The $1.3 million project at Filippello Park replaces the lights on seven poles at the Grove Street Field with LED lights, and adds four poles with LED lighting at the Arlington Street Field, mostly used for soccer. The project also replaces the scoreboard at the Grove Street Field, which is used for softball and soccer, and replaces the backstop and infield fencing at that field. One of the impetuses for the project was the lack of lit field space in Town.

Town Council Discussing Filippello Park Lighting Tuesday, See How to Watch & Participate

The Town Council will likely vote Tuesday on the proposed lighting project at Filippello Park. The plan calls for installing new lights at the field near Arlington Street (on the left), and replacing the lights on the Grove Street Field (in the middle of the map, marked “Softball” and “Soccer”). The Town Council will meet virtually Tuesday night at 7 p.m. and are scheduled to have a public hearing and vote on the lighting project at Filippello Park. The Recreation Department has proposed putting up new lights at the Arlington Street Field at the park on the Eastside of town, and replace the lights at the softball field closer to the Grove Street side of the park. A new scoreboard will also be installed.

Town Holding Select Meetings Virtually, Budget May Have to be Presented Remotely

Since the social distancing requirements were put into place in Massachusetts due to COVID-19, there has only been one meeting held in Watertown. One more meeting is scheduled this week and others may be held this month with members participating remotely. On Thursday, April 9, the Historical Commission will hold a meeting, which will be conducted remotely and residents can attend by videoconference or call in with comments during public hearings. The first meeting held during the COVID-19 outbreak was a March 23 School Committee meeting, where committee members and the public joined using the Zoom app. There were some complaints of people not being able to hear, and concerns that they could not participate.

Council Approves Road Work Funds, Two Years of Repairs Will be Done

Watertown will get a double dose of road repair projects this year after the Town Council approved funding for the 2020 road and sidewalk repair projects. Tuesday night, the Town Council approved the borrowing of $2.5 million to pay for the reconstruction of seven roadways. This is on top of the 2019 road projects, which were delayed after the bids came in about 33 percent higher than was budgeted. Town Engineer Matt Shuman said the roads will undergo full-depth reclamation, where the top four inches of the roadway are removed, ground and pulverized and put down in a new layer of asphalt. They will also install new sidewalks with handicap ramps and granite curbing. The seven roads to be repaired as part of the 2020 road program are: Kimball Road, Downey Street, Wheeler Lane, Louise Street, Frank Street, Tappan Avenue and Piermont Street.

Challenges for Town Council Term: School Projects, Charter Review, Development

Local Girl Scouts lead the Pledge of Allegiance during the 2019 Watertown Inauguration at the Mosesian Center for the Arts on Thursday night. The newly inaugurated Town Council has several challenges coming down the road over the next two years, including school building projects, the Town Charter review and the development in town that just keeps going. Town Council President Mark Sideris discussed the issues that will face Watertown in the upcoming Town Council term at Thursday night’s Inauguration Ceremony at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. Town Clerk John Flynn administered the oath of office to Town Council President Mark Sideris; Town Councilors Anthony Donato, Tony Palomba, Caroline Bays, John Gannon, Angeline Kounelis, Lisa Feltner, Vincent Piccirilli and Kenneth Woodland; School Committee members Kendra Foley, Lindsay Mosca and David Stokes; and Library Trustees Sheppard Ferguson and Teddy Kokoros. Coming Challanges

Town Council President Mark Sideris spoke about the priorities for the upcoming Town Council term at Thursday’s inauguration.