Charity

Time Running Out to Vote for Your Favorite Local Charity, Non-Profit

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There’s still about two weeks left to vote for your favorite local non-profit group or charity in the Watertown Savings Bank’s Customer Choice Awards. 

The bank will hand out $75,000 in funds based on how bank customers vote in the campaign. Anyone with a Watertown Savings Bank account may vote. Every customer will receive a ballot with their monthly statements in November (or will be mailed a ballot directly). Ballots are also available at WSB branches. Bank customers can also go to the watertownsavings.com homepage to cast their vote.

Development

Town Council Increases Requirement for Affordable Housing in New Projects

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Developers will be required to provide more affordable housing in most residential projects built in Watertown after the Town Council’s vote on Tuesday night. The Council approved changes to the Town’s Inclusionary Zoning Requirements, but there were questions about who would qualify to live in the affordable units. Previously the requirement was 12.5 percent of the units for most areas of town, but that amount was increased for projects of 20 units or more. The requirement for projects with 6-19 unit projects will remain at 12.5 percent. Also, the income requirements change for the projects that would have to provide 15 percent affordable units. For projects of 20 or more units, 10 percent of units in a rental project (or 2/3 of the affordable units) will be for people who meet the 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) standard, and 5 percent of the units are for those meeting the 65 percent of the AMI threshold, which would be $63,800 for a family of four, according to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

Around Town

Mount Auburn Hospital Gets an ‘A’ for Safety from National Group

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New Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, which assign A, B, C, D and F letter grades to hospitals nationwide and provide the most complete picture of patient safety in the U.S., were announced today by The Leapfrog Group, a national patient safety watchdog. Mount Auburn Hospital was one of 844 hospitals to receive an “A,” ranking among the safest hospitals in the United States, hospital officials announced. “We are committed to our patient’s safety and well-being here at Mount Auburn Hospital,” said Jeanette Clough, President and CEO of Mount Auburn Hospital. “Providing a safe experience is our first priority and it is an honor to be recognized with an “A” in this important category.”

“Protecting patients from harm is the most important charge for any hospital,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We recognize and appreciate ‘A’ hospitals’ vigilance and continued dedication to keeping their patients safe.”

Developed under the guidance of an Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year.

Around Town

Support Group for Family of Those Living With Mental Illness to Meet

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NAMI Family Support Group is a free, structured, confidential, peer-led support group for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness, organizers announced.  

The next one will be held on Wed., Dec. 21, 7:30-9 p.m. in the Board Room of the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church at 207 Washington Street in Wellesley, organized by the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI).

Cancer

Watertown Woman Survived Cancer for 20 Years, Became in Expert in How Meditation Heals

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Catherine Kerr did not stand still when she received a diagnosis of cancer, instead, she got very involved in her treatment – at times going against doctors’ recommendations. As an academic she went in a new direction of study, focusing on meditation and traditional Eastern healing, which eventually lead her to a meeting with the Dalai Lama. In 1995, the Watertown resident received the diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that attacks the plasma cells in people’s bone marrow. Doctors estimated she had 5 years to live, but Kerr lived more than two decades. She passed away in November at the age of 52. 
At the time, multiple myeloma was not a well-understood disease.

Government

Recreation Department Announces Schedule for Open Forums

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The Recreation Department will host a series of monthly open forums in 2017. This is an opportunity for residents, youth organizations, civic groups and businesses and other interested parties to ask questions, make recommendations, express concerns and hear plans for the future. These meetings will be held in the Lower Hearing Room of the Town Hall on the first Tuesday of each month in most cases. Tuesday, July 4 was moved to Wednesday, July 5 due to the holiday. All meetings will begin at 7 p.m. and end by 8 p.m. unless additional time is needed.

Arsenal Street

Town Working With Developers to Fix Issues on Arsenal Street

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Travelers of Arsenal Street will have noticed the sticking point as you head west toward Watertown Square near the Lexus dealer. Town officials are working with the developers of a nearby apartment complex to fix the situation. The problem has been caused by the new raised bicycle path that runs in front of the block of businesses on that area of Arsenal Street and stretches a bit too far. The extra section causes a choke point when drivers try to turn left onto Louise Street because cars have no room to go around, said Town Engineer Matt Shuman. “The bump out was supposed to end west of Louise,” Shuman said.