Road Construction and Road Closures

En Ka and Eversource are both in town this week. En Ka has the following road closures:

Wednesday, May 17, one lane of Skillings Road, from WHS to the Town Hall will be closed at 9:00am.
Thursday, May 18, both lanes on Skillings Road, from WHS to the Town Hall will be closed at 9:00am.
Thursday, May 18, Mt. Vernon Street, both directions from the Town Hall to Converse Place, will be closed at 5:00pm
Saturday, May 20, 9:00am, En Ka Parade through the streets in downtown Winchester. Please avoid this area if possible.

Roads and parking lots will re-open on Sunday morning.

Eversource is working on Cross Street (near Wendell Street) and Woodside Road. There are road closures and detours. Please seek an alternate route to avoid any delays. You can click on the links below to see where Eversource is working in town weekly:

Upcoming Construction Projects

Winter Pond Water Quality Project – Contract has been awarded. Work to start in June.
McCall Masonry Project – Contract has been awarded. Work will start after school gets out.
Woodside Road and Wildwood Street – Construction expected to start after school gets out (last day is June 15^th).
Muraco School Electrical – Construction will start after school gets out.
South Reservoir Aeration – The contract was awarded earlier this spring and the work will occur over the summer.
Town Hall Fire Alarm – The contract has been awarded and the work will start in June.
Lake Street Bridge - The Town successfully secured additional funding for the Lake Street bridge project at Spring Town Meeting, and the project has been awarded to Kodiak Corporation. The Town has been coordinating with Kodiak and National Grid regarding the upcoming work. National Grid is expected to be on-site in mid-June to begin the gas main relocation work, which will result in daytime traffic restrictions (one lane, one-way traffic). The road will be fully re-opened at the end of each work day. The main part of the bridge reconstruction will begin after National Grid’s work is complete. Under the contract, Kodiak is allowed 120 days for the road closure. Unfortunately, the precast delivery schedule has pushed the construction start back. The bridge is now expected to be closed starting in mid-July. Precast delivery is scheduled for mid to late September, and the bridge is expected to reopen in early to mid-November if . We are still working with the contractor and National Grid to confirm dates.

Affordable Housing

Sanctuary West (416 Cambridge Street) and Sanctuary North (25 River Street) are new rental communities in Winchester. Cambridge Street will have 95 units total, and River Street will have 147 units total. Both properties are in close proximity to the Middlesex Fells Reservation, various shops and restaurants, and much more. Through this process, 61 apartments will be made available to households earning no more than 80% of the Area Median Income (24 at Cambridge Street and 37 at River Street). Affordable units will have thoughtful layouts and high-end finishes, identical to the market rate units in these developments.

More information can be found on the Town's website by clicking here.

Community Events

(other than En Ka)

May 17 - AAPI Heritage Celebration, 7:30pm @ Griffin Museum of Photography

May 17 - Winchester News Group Group Community Meeting, 7:00pm @ Winchester Public Library

May 20 - Shredding Day at the Transfer Station, 9:00am - 1:00pm

May 20 - Free Sustainable Landscaping Workshop, 11:00am @ Winchester Public Library

May 20 - Children's Dalcroze Showcase at the Winchester Community Music School, 2:00pm

More events and information can be found on the Town's Community Calendar!

Mental Health Awareness Month

In an effort to help connect children, adults and families with outpatient mental health and wellness resources, the Town of Winchester and The Winchester Coalition for a Safer Community have collaborated to launch INTERFACE.

The William James INTERFACE Referral Service, offered through our Freedman Center, is a mental health and wellness referral Helpline available 9am to 5pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 8am to 6pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays (excluding holidays), at 888-244-6843 (toll free). This is a free, confidential referral service for residents of participating communities. Callers from these participating communities are matched with licensed mental health providers from our extensive database, on average, within 2 weeks of their call to INTERFACE. Each referral best meets the location, insurance, and specialty needs of the caller.

Visit the INTERFACE website for more information.

What's on the website?

You can purchase your 2023 Transfer Station permit on the website! The employees at the Transfer Station have been checking to make sure cars entering the facility have the correct stickers. You could be turned away if you do not have a 2023 permit.

Click here to purchase your sticker now!

Lived Experience Survey

Click here to take the survey

The Winchester Lived Experience Survey is designed to gather information about specific instances of discrimination, harrassment, marginalization, or exclusion that people have experienced in Winchester, based on any aspect(s) of their identity. This could include a negative experience you had based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, gender identity, ability, country of origin, citizenship status, or any other aspects of your identity.