Around Town

Emmy Winning Movie Part of Education Program Co-Founded by Watertown Educator

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The Emmy-award winning documentary “Dawnland” was made by The Upstander Project, a group co-founded by Watertown’s Mishy Lesser. The film will be shown on PBS’s World Channel in November. A Watertown resident teamed with a local filmmaker to use documentary film and educational materials with the goal of dismantling hurtful and stereotypical ideas, as well as teaching people about the experiences and history of Native Americans that many do not learn in school. Mishy Lesser, an educator from Watertown, co-founded the Upstander Project with local filmmaker Adam Mazo. The project has made several films, including the Emmy-award winning Dawnland, which will be shown in November on PBS, including locally on the World Channel.

Real Estate

A Single Family Home, Three Condos Sold in Watertown This Week

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See this week’s property sales on the Watertown real estate market. $725,000 – 129 Palfrey St., Single Family – Detached Ranch, 1,392 Living Area Sq. Ft. (Includes Finished Basement), 5 Room, 3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bathroom

$453,000 – 40 Bigelow Avenue Unit 29, Condo – Garden, 825 Living Area Sq. Ft., 3 Room, 1 Bedroom, 1 Full Bathroom

Sponsored by:

$725,000 – 32 Commonwealth Road Unit 2, Condo – 2/3 Family, 2,118 Living Area Sq.

Elections

Watertown Ballot Drop Box to be Closed on Halloween

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The ballot drop off box outside Watertown’s Town Hall. Watertown’s ballot drop box will be closed on Saturday, Oct. 31, Town Clerk John Flynn said. The Town Clerk’s office sent out the following announcement:

Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin has asked that ballot drop boxes be secured on Saturday, October 31st to avoid any Halloween pranks. The Town of Watertown will lock its ballot drop box, located on Saltonstall park side of Town Hall, at 5:00 p.m. on Halloween and will reopen at 8 a.m. the following morning. 

The ballot drop box will then remain open until polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Climate and Energy Master Plan

Town Using Part of Budget Surplus to Fund Climate & Energy Master Plan

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Watertown’s Town Hall. On Tuesday, the Town Council approved using some of the funds left over from the Fiscal Year 2021 budget to fund the creation of a Climate and Energy Master Plan. Town Manager Michael Driscoll told the Town Council that the Town’s share of state aid and new growth came in higher than projected when the FY21 budget was created. As a result, the Town ended up with $1.57 million in additional revenues. He proposed using the money in multiple ways, including the Climate and Energy Plan.

Real Estate

Halloween Weekend Filled with Open Houses in Watertown

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See this week’s Watertown open houses. $1,099,000 – 8 Brandley Road, Single Family – Detached Colonial, 4,000 Living Area Sq. Ft. (Includes Finished Basement), 14 Room, 6 Bedroom, 3 Full & 2 Half Bathroom, Open House: Sunday 12-1:30

$1,200,000 – 1-3 Theurer Park, Multi-family Home – 2 Family, 2,576 Living Area Sq. Ft., 2 Units, 10 Total Rooms, 4 Total Bedrooms, Open House: Saturday 12-2

$549,000 – 730 Belmont St.

Around Town

COVID-19 Cases Rising in Watertown, Town Remains in Yellow

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A screenshot of the state’s Community Level COVID-19 Reporting map released on Oct. 29, 2020. Watertown remained “yellow” in the State’s COVID-19 tracking program this week, but the number of positive cases of COVID-19 rose close to the threshold for the Town to become “red,” or high risk. The Town has a total of 34 positive COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks for a total of 514. That puts Watertown’s rate at 7.32 cases per 100,000 residents, so the town remained yellow (or moderate risk).

Elections

Big Voter Turnout Already in Watertown From Mail-In Ballots, Early Voting

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The ballot drop off box outside Watertown’s Town Hall. Many Watertown voters have already cast their ballot in the 2020 Presidential Election, with the number of votes already received by the Town Clerk’s office nearly as high as the total cast in the September Preliminary Election. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 40 percent of Watertown’s registered voters had turned in their ballots, according to Town Manager Michael Driscoll, who got the latest numbers from Town Clerk John Flynn. The Town sent out 13,255 vote-by-mail and absentee ballots, many of which have already been returned, Driscoll said, plus early voting started on Oct. 17 and continues through Oct.