Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/author/cbreitro/page/294/)
Check out this week’s Watertown open houses. $749,000 – 67 Prospect St., Single Family – Detached Colonial, 2,060 Living Area Sq. Ft., 7 Room, 4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bathroom, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1 Sunday 12-1 $485,000 – 290 Pleasant St. Unit 206, Condo, 950 Living Area Sq. Ft., 2 Room, 1 Bedroom, 1 Full Bathroom, Open House: Saturday 1-2 Sunday 1-2
$630,000 – 3 Repton Pl.
A rendering of what a two-story modular building could look like on Moxley Field. It would be the temporary location for Watertown High School while a new school is constructed. Planners of the new Watertown High School looked at a variety of options for the school’s temporary location during construction before landing on the Moxley Field site next to Watertown Middle School, the School Building Committee heard Wednesday night. Architect James Jordan, from Ai3 Architects, said he had heard some concern that designers immediately jumped toward the two options presented at the last meeting — Moxley Field and the property where Phillips School is located — without looking at other options. Some residents complained that the decision to use Moxley Field was made without having a public meeting beforehand where all abutting residents would be alerted.
The Watertown Charter Review Committee voted strongly, but not unanimously Tuesday night, to keep the current form of government, with a Town Manager, rather than looking to change to one with a mayor. The meeting, held remotely, included more than 130 people at its peak, and the Committee heard from dozens of residents in over close to two hours of public comment. Types of Government
There are three forms of government in Massachusetts, the council with a manager (like Watertown’s current government), mayor with a council, and towns, which have town meetings made up of residents as the legislative branch and the select board (or board of selectmen) as the executive branch. Michael Ward, the committee’s consultant from UMass Boston’s Collins Center, said that Tuesday’s meeting focused on the manager and mayor forms.
That decision was made, Ward said, “Because there has been no mention of towns by this committee, and in the history of the city form in 200 years of the Commonwealth, no city chosen to return to town form of government.” Ward compared manager and mayor forms. With a manager, the council is elected and is the legislative body and is responsible for creating ordinances (like local laws) and passing the budget.
Watertown High School athletes made an impression during the COVID-19 shortened winter season, with eight players being named to the Middlesex League All-Stars. Included among the League’s best were boys basketball player Gabe Spinelli, who also earned Most Valuable Player for the Middlesex Freedom Division and made the Boston Globe’s All-Scholastic team. Also, girls basketball player Taylor Lambo made the Globe’s Honorable Mention All-Scholastic list. Winter 2021 Middlesex All-Stars
Girls Basketball: Lily Lambo, Taylor Lambo
Boys Basketball: Matthew Oliveria, Adam Patterson, Gabe Spinelli (MVP)
Girls Hockey: Toni Erickson, Lizzie Loftus
Boys Hockey: Jack Dickie
Watertown Boys Basketball Player Named All-Scholastic, Girls Player Makes Honorable Mention List
The Watertown Provincial Guard re-enactors joined the 2019 Memorial Day Parade. For the second year in a row, Watertown’s Memorial Day Parade has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced the cancellation in his weekly Coronavirus update. Veterans Services Officer Patrick George said the move was made based on the State’s COVID-19 restrictions on the size of gatherings. “It wasn’t an easy decision — frankly, when this all started, I thought we’d be back open by LAST Memorial Day — but it’s the safest decision we could make with the current public health data available,” George said.
COVID-19 cases rose for the second straight week in Watertown, as did the rate of positive tests. Some new groups of people are now eligible to receive the vaccine, including people age 55 and older. The number of cases reported by the Mass. Department of Public Health was 81 over the previous 14 days, according to the April 1 report. That is up eight from the previous week.
Watertown senior Gabe Spinelli scored 39 points in the Raiders’ win over Lexington in the Middlesex League Tournament. Watertown senior basketball player Gabe Spinelli made the Boston Globe’s All-Scholastic team, and junior Taylor Lambo made the paper’s honorable mention All-Scholastic list. Spinelli returned to Watertown after a year at Beaver Country Day and helped the Raiders go 13-1. As point guard, he helped the Raiders win the Middlesex League Freedom Division regular season and then emerge as champions of the first ever Middlesex League Tournament. The MIAA did not run state tournaments, so the league held its own knock-out competition.
A vote that could make a major change in the way that Watertown’s government works will be taken at a meeting on April 6 at 6 pm. The Charter Review Committee, which is reviewing the document that defines how the Town’s government works, will be taking public input and questions, and likely make a vote on whether Watertown should continue to have an appointed Town Manager with an elected Town Council, or change to having and elected Mayor and elected Council. People can tune in and participate in the Zoom meeting on computer, cell phone or dial in. See this link for info on how to access the meeting: https://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/31800/2021-04-06-Charter-Review-Comm-Agenda
The meeting will also be broadcast on Watertown Cable’s Government Channel (view it here online or watch Comcast Channel 99 or RCN Channel 13). You can send comments and questions to crc@watertown-ma.gov All the Councilors are in the Charter Review Committee.