Schools

Watertown High Students Bring the Musical ‘Anastasia’ to the Stage

By |

Karen CentolaWatertown High School students staged Anastasia as the spring musical in March. Watertown’s young performers took the stage at the high school to present this year’s spring musical, Anastasia. Karen CentolaThe cast of Watertown High School’s Anastasia. The cast and crew put on three performances of the musical adaptation of the 1997 film on March 10, 11 and 12. Karen CentolaA ballet dancer in the WHS production of Anastasia.

Government

Meetings to Check Out: Voc Ed Report, Discussion of Neighbor Notifications of Projects

By |

The School Committee will hear the report on Career and Vocations Education Monday, a Council Committee will discuss notification of proposed projects, and the implementation of the City’s Climate and Energy Plan will be discussed. Also the Council will vote on the replacement of the Filippello Park spray pad. Upcoming meetings:

The Council’s Committee on Climate and Energy will discuss implementation of the City’s Climate & Energy Plan on Monday, March 27 at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall and remote. See more info here. The School Committee will get the final report from the Career, Vocational Technical Eduction Committee and will hear about the State’s Comprehensive Audit. Monday, March 27 at 7 p.m. at Cunniff Elementary School, 246 Warren St. See more here. The Council’s Committee on Economic Development and Planning will discuss enhanced public notification of to neighbors about projects.

Government

Watertown’s New Director of Senior Services Has ‘a Commitment to Seniors’

By |

Lydia McCoy has been appointed Watertown’s new Director of Senior Services. Watertown’s new Director of Senior Services, Lydia McCoy, comes to town with range of experience working with seniors. Last week, City Manager George Proakis announced McCoy’s appointment. She will oversee the Council on Aging, the Watertown Senior Center, and the Watertown Food Pantry. “Ms. McCoy has a broad range of experience, an educational background, and a real commitment to seniors,” Proakis told the City Council.

Government

City Splitting Up Financial Positions After Failing to Find “Unicorn”

By |

Watertown City Hall

After the City Council struggled to hire someone to replace retired Auditor and Financial Director Tom Tracy, City Manager George Proakis recommended that the job be split into two. Last week, Proakis told the City Council of his plan to split up the duties that Tracy had, rather than trying to find someone with the same skills. Tracy retired in October after working for nearly 30 years in Watertown, and has stayed on part-time to help Proakis with his first budget as City Manager. “We’ve done a pretty broad search, we hired a consultant and we made some real progress in searching all corners for this type of position,” Proakis said. “After taking a significant look at this I have come to the conclusion that the combined chief financial officer/auditors are unicorns.

Around Town

City’s Rodent Control Program Using Smart Traps to Eliminate & Track Pests

By |

With the problem of rodents growing around Watertown, and more expected as a result of a pair of major road projects, the Department of Public Works will deploy more robust rodent control methods. The City will use dozens of smart traps that will both take care of rats and other rodents, and also provide information such as where the “hot spots” are, said Tom Watkins, Director of Administration and Finance for the Watertown DPW. “The Anticimix technology does represent a change in the way we are approaching our efforts in addressing rodent control in the City,” Watkins said. “The Anticimix is a SMART technology that provides us real live data for which we will use to strategically locate the traps as the program moves forward.” The City, in partnership with Modern Pest Services, will deploy 40 of the traps on Arsenal Street and 30 on Mt.