Police/Fire

Watertown Nursing Facility Thanks First Responders, Looks to Show Them Things Have Changed Under New Management

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Vero Health CareVero Watertown thanked members of the Watertown Police and Fire departments for a cookout, recently. Pictured, from left, Fire Lt. Glen McManus, State Rep. Steve Owens, Vero Health Care President/COO Uma Rajagopal, Police Officer Ryan Vaughan, and Vero Watertown Administrator Tim Churchill. The operators of a Watertown skilled nursing facility that has struggled recently wanted to show that the place is under new management, and invited over the first responders, who visit on a regular basis, to thank them. At the end of June, Vero Health & Rehab of Watertown held a cookout for the members of the Watertown Fire and Police departments, and also invited State Rep. Steve Owens to come by and tour the facility. The facility on Coolidge Hill Road came under scrutiny after reports of possible elder abuse and hundreds of 911 calls coming from there, including sometimes from patients.

Around Town

New Acts to Entertain at Faire on the Square, Vendors Can Reserve Spots

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Charlie BreitroseFaire on the Square visitors check out some of the many booths at the 2018 celebration at Saltonstall Park. The Faire on the Square is back in 2021, and attendees can look forward to some new acts during the celebration. Watertown’s Faire was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, but it will be held on Sept. 25, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Saltonstall Park (next to Town Hall). The 2021 Faire will feature some new acts, including magician Darren Yong, juggler/comedian Robert Clarke, a Frank Sinatra tribute band featuring Rich DiMare, and ’80s rock band Fast Times.

Government

City or Town of Watertown – Charter Review Committee Weighs in on That & Other Proposed Changes

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Typically, Watertown is referred to as a town, but it has a city-form of government. The group proposing changes to the Town Charter looked at officially changing the name to the City of Watertown. The Charter Review Committee also looked at a range of areas in the document that defines how the town’s government works, including how the Town Auditor should be supervised and disciplined, what information should be included on the Town’s website and how many councilors it takes to call employees to appear before the Town Council. City or Town

Watertown was founded in 1630, and for most of that time was known as a Town. In 1980, the Town voted to change from a town form of government, with a Town Meeting, to a city form with a council and manager.

Around Town

Mount Auburn Cemetery’s African-American Heritage Trail Featured by Local News Station

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Mount Auburn Cemetery. Bree Harvey, Mount Auburn Cemetery’s vice president of cemetery and visitor services, recently showed WCVB Channel 5 the cemetery’s African-American Heritage Trail. The Chronicle City Savvy Quiz segment aired on July 1. Among the more than 100,000 people for whom the cemetery is their final resting place, there are freed slaves who made a life in the Boston area, the founder of the NAACP and authors. The trail was created about 10 years ago.

Arrests

Police Log: Driver Arrested on OUI Drugs Charge, Apartment Complex Office Vandalized

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

June 28, 2:49 p.m.: A motorist observed another vehicle swerving in the roadway for about two miles and the driver appeared to doze off at one point. The motorist called police and a Watertown Police officer located the grey Hyundai Sonata on Main Street near Whites Avenue. The officer saw the vehicle cross the double yellow line and straddle the line, so the officer put on the blue lights. The vehicle abruptly went back into the right lane and cut across two travel lanes and struck the curb.

Real Estate

A Two-Family and Two Condos Sold in Watertown This Week

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Three properties were sold this week in Watertown. $987,500 – 79 Rutland St., Multi-family Home – 2 Family, 2,100 Living Area Sq. Ft., 2 Units, 10 Total Rooms, 4 Total Bedrooms

$650,000 – 50 Watertown St. Unit 609, Condo – Mid-Rise, 1,148 Living Area Sq. Ft., 4 Room, 2 Bedroom, 2 Full Bathroom

$615,000 – 131 Coolidge Ave.

Around Town

Historical Society Pays Tribute to Two Major Events in U.S. & State History with a Virtual Celebration

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Charlie BreitroseAt the 2016 Treaty Day celebration, Bob Childs of the Historical Society of Watertown reads the Declaration of Independence from the same spot it was first read in 1776, the second floor of the Edmund Fowle House. Each July, the Historical Society of Watertown celebrates the anniversaries of two major events which took place in town that played a significant role in the history of Massachusetts and the United States. This year’s Treaty Day celebration is a virtual one. On July 18, 1776, the town played host to the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Massachusetts. The following day, the first treaty made by the newly independent United States with a foreign power was signed in Watertown at the Edmund Fowle House.

Real Estate

A Multitude of Open Houses Around Watertown This Weekend

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A wide variety of properties will host open houses in town this week. $379,900 – 106 Mount Auburn St. Unit 2, Condo – Townhouse, 814 Living Area Sq. Ft., 4 Room, 1 Bedroom, 1 Full Bathroom, Open House: Sunday 12-2

$675,000 – 103 Channing Road Unit 103, Condo – Half-Duplex, 2,042 Living Area Sq. Ft., 6 Room, 3 Bedroom, 1 Full & 1 Half Bathroom, Open Houses: Friday 4:30-5:30 Saturday 11-12:45 Sunday 11-12:45

$689,000 – 12 Oakland St., Single Family – Detached Ranch, 1,520 Living Area Sq.