How Would You Improve Watertown Square? What About Coolidge Square?

Hundreds of residents gave their ideas for how to improve these hubs in Watertown at the Comprehensive Plan Workshop.

  Pedestrian bridges over Watertown Square, more buses and attracting boutique stores - these were some of the ideas floated by residents at last week's Comprehensive Plan Workshop. The 200 or so who attended the workshop at Watertown Middle School broke into smaller groups to brainstorm ideas about different sections of town. Patch will be giving the highlights of each discussion throughout the week. People's biggest qualms with Watertown Square were traffic, traffic, traffic. The amount of traffic, the number of people using the area as a thoroughfare to get to and from the Mass. Turnpike and the chaos caused by cars making it difficult for pedestrians to cross the Square. Finding a way to get people across the Square without having to …

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Bruce Coltin

5:27 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013

Uniform style of buildings - what do you mean by this? Many buildings in Watertown are poorly maintained or have seen better days. i rhink it's a landlord issue. Take a walk in Arlington Center. Take a walk through other town centers - Arlington, Northampton, Belmont, etc. There's variety, some artsiness, some planters, some pride.   more ›

Garbage Truck Messes Up Traffic in Watertown Square

A garbage truck struck a pole and leaked fuel in the town's main intersection, and slowing traffic all morning.

A garbage truck struck a pole in Watertown Square Thursday morning, leaked fuel in the roadway and caused traffic snarls when lanes had to be closed to clean up the spill. "An Allied Waste garbage truck struck a pole in Watertown Square and the gas tank ruptured," Watertown Police Lt. Michael Lawn said.  The accident, which occurred at 5:05 a.m., also knocked out power to the traffic lights in Watertown Square, and police had to direct traffic most of the morning, Lawn said. The truck was going eastbound on Main Street, and struck the poll near the intersection with Galen Street, Lawn said.

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New Dock in Watertown Square Continues Age Old Traditions on the Charles River

Town residents once again have a place to fish and enjoy the sights and sounds of the river.

On the day that the newly rebuilt dock at Watertown Square officially opened, state and local dignitaries harkened back to the time before Colonists settled Watertown to illustrate the importance of the Charles River as a place for fishing and recreation. Ed Lambert, commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, officially opened the new dock Friday afternoon. The $226,306 project was recently completed, with help of an $85,000 grant from FEMA. The Native Americans living in the area depended on the river for food, and archaeological evidence has been found that one of their favorite fishing spots was just up the river near the Watertown Dam, Lambert said. The Charles has always played an important role in the town's …

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See Photos of the Newly Completed Dock in Watertown Square

The landing on the Charles River replaces the one that washed away in heavy rains.

A brand new dock in Watertown Square has been finished, complete with a path down to the landing. The wooden deck on the Charles River replaces the one that was washed away in a storm in 2010. The dock had to be competely rebuilt because the pillars that held it up had rotted.  The dock is owned by the Department of Recreation and Conservation, and the cost of replacing the dock was covered by a mix of federal money. A new path was installed to allow the dock to be handicap accessible.

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Charlie Breitrose

12:49 pm on Monday, July 30, 2012

Yes, they will be landscaped. Megan Wood in Rep. Hecht's office said the DCR is waiting for cooler weather to put in the plantings.   more ›

Mt. Auburn Street Closed Saturday Morning After MBTA Bus Takes Down Wires

According to the Watertown Fire Department, Mt. Auburn St. was shut down for about an hour.

Part of Mount Auburn Street was shut down for roughly an hour Saturday morning after an MBTA bus took down some wires near Watertown Square.  According to the Watertown Fire Department, a bus turning from Main Street to Mount Auburn Street took the turn too fast, pulling down the wires and power lines on which the buses run. Crews arrived on the scene around 11:15 a.m., the Fire Department said, and shut down Mount Auburn Street from Watertown Square to Summer Street.  The road was shut down for roughly an hour while crews repaired the wires. Both vehicle and pedestrian traffic was rerouted during the repairs. 

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LETTER: Resident Upset About Sudden Parking Ticket Spree Near Watertown Square

Desiree Pappenheimer writes that the ticketing of residents parking on Watertown streets is yet another strike against the town.

Editor, I own a condo near Watertown Square and I and my neighbors have recently noticed tickets appearing seemingly randomly on cars during the day. I searched "parking" on the Watertown city website and noted that the city seems to have quietly instituted a 2-hour limit on parking ANYWHERE in town during the day. [Editors Note: Watertown has had a 2-Hour Limit on all streets for many years.] This imposes a MAJOR hardship on anyone who doesn't drive to work and must leave their vehicle parked outside their houses; in our instance, we have a tandem driveway which does not allow for all people in the house (4 units, 5 cars) to be parked without someone always being blocked in. When did this regulation move from commercial areas to …

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Living in Watertown

Shopping Down Memory Lane

Most of the local businesses that advertised in my high school newspaper are long gone and also forgotten (by me). I hope you can help me remember some of these old stores.

  When I was reading my old school newspapers from the Seventies that I wrote about in my previous two columns, I noticed a number of ads from local businesses, most of which were retail establishments. Some I remembered well, others sounded vaguely familiar, and still others were a mystery to me. I invite you to join me as I go shopping down memory lane. I'd like this to be an interactive column: I'm hoping that if you remember some of these stores, you'll comment on them below my article. Perhaps you can help me to remember some of these businesses that once populated Watertown. One store I did remember well was Watertown Radio Co., a small record store that was located one or two doors down from Woolworth's. (CVS is now located where …

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Zoning Board Approves 5-Story Assisted Living Facility in Watertown Square

The building at the corner of Summer and Spring streets would also have retail space on the ground floor.

The Zoning Board of Appeals approved the five-story assisted living facility project at the corner of Summer and Spring streets Wednesday night with conditions that include planting trees along the street and that all roof-top equipment be screened off. The 81,000 square-foot building a block from Watertown Square will have 90 units for residents and there will be a hair salon for both residents and the public and another retail spot on the ground floor. The building, – which replaces the New England Fuel Institute building – will have 48 parking spaces, all but three located under the building. Four more spaces will be built on Summer Street for the details shops. There will be 56 studios and 34 one-bedroom units, and one of the floors …

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[UPDATED] Watertown Square Reopens for Rush Hour Traffic

Major traffic detours shut down Watertown Square this afternoon.

This story was updated at 5:40 p.m. A dump truck with its bed extended up hit a traffic light and wires for the MBTA's 71 bus this afternoon, requiring traffic to be shut down going through Watertown Square, said Watertown Police. The truck was westbound on Arsenal Street heading into Watertown Square about 3 p.m. when the the light was hit and the wires were brought down, says Watertown Police Capt. Raymond Dupuis. The wires fell into the middle of Watertown Square, and carry 600 volts of electricity for the trackless trolley buses, said Watertown Deputy Fire Chief Thomas McManus. "We hate tying up traffic, but our No. 1 priority is safety for the people working here," McManus said. Watertown Square reopened at about 5:15 p.m. today for …

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Charlie Breitrose

10:05 am on Friday, October 21, 2011

Yes, wires down twice in three days. Not a good week for the trackless trolleys.   more ›