Around Town

3 School Reopening Plans: No Full In-Person at WHS, Max. 4 Hours a Day for Elementary, WMS

By |

No matter what option the Watertown School Committee chooses, when classes begin in September the town’s schools will not look like they do in normal years. Students will be attending schools on different days, or in staggered shifts with at most four hours in school each day. Also, Watertown High School will not have a full in-person option due to a lack of space in which to socially distance, Superintendent Dede Galdston said during a School Committee meeting on Monday. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is requiring all districts to submit plans for three scenarios of operating schools this fall, while adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines. The options are in-person, remote learning, or a combination of the two — called hybrid.

Police/Fire

Electrical Fire Damages Home on Putnam Street

By |

Watertown firefighters battled a blaze on Putnam Street on July 26. A fire that damaged a home on Putnam Street on July 26 was caused by a accidental electrical fire. The Watertown Fire Department responded to 115 Putnam St. on Sunday at 1:56 p.m. The fire was brought under control and the cause of the fire was determined to be a faulty bathroom exhaust fan, according to Watertown Fire Chief Bob Quinn. The fire caused approximately $20,000 of damage, most of which occurred in the first floor bathroom area, but some water and smoke damage was done to other areas of the first floor and the second floor.

Around Town

Sen. Markey Addresses Opioid Crisis at Watertown Campaign Stop

By |

U.S. Sen. Edward Markey speaks with Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, right, and Town Council Vice President Vincent Piccirilli before an event in Watertown. Former State Rep. Rachel Kaprielian is standing next to Markey. Even as people face a pandemic, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey said another epidemic continues to threaten the health of people in Watertown, Massachusetts and across the nation: opioid addiction. The Democrat attracted to a few dozen supporters (and a couple detractors passing by on Main Street) to a campaign event at a balmy Saltonstall Park on Monday afternoon. Markey recalled how in 2014 he was in Taunton to address a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event and when he asked the Town Manager what the biggest problem in town was, he was told that they were having a rash over overdoses.

Arrests

Police Log: Nearly $10K in Jewelry Stolen, Multiple Time Shoplifter Nabbed

By |

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

July 16, 2:37 p.m.: A man came to the Police Station because he heard he might be wanted on a warrant. Watertown Police confirmed he had an active warrant. The 33-year-old man from Warwick, R.I., was arrested on the warrant for violation of a harassment prevention order out of Waltham District Court. July 18, 12:12 p.m.: Security at Target spotted a man who they had observed shoplifting dozens of times from March to July 2020.

Schools

School Committee Discussing Scenarios for Reopening in the Fall

By |

The School Committee will be discussing the possible scenarios for opening the Watertown Schools in the fall at a meeting on Monday, July 27 at 7 p.m.

On July 13, Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee about three options being considered: in-person education, remote learning, or a combination of the two where students would attend school in-person on a rotating basis. The School Committee will hear an update on the process on Monday, and are expected to have a decision at their next meeting in August. The School Committee will be meeting in the Phillips Building, but attendance will be limited to the Committee and school officials. The public can participate via Zoom at https://bit.ly/2E9O78y (Meeting ID: 946 2116 9656) or by phone at 1-646-558-8656. The meeting will be shown live on WCA-TV (Comcast Channel 99, RCN Channel 13) or at wcatv.org.

Real Estate

Million Dollar Home Sold in Watertown This Week

By |

This week’s home sales include a single family home that sold for more than $1 million. $791,000 – 261 Orchard St., Single Family – Detached Cape, 1,960 Living Area Sq. Ft., 6 Room, 3 Bedroom, 2 Full & 1 Half Bathroom

$1,016,000 – 36 Hall Ave., Single Family – Detached Shingle, 2,715 Living Area Sq. Ft., 7 Room, 5 Bedroom, 3 Full Bathroom

$1,025,000 – 72-74 Riverside St., Multi-family Home – 4 Family – 4 Units Up/Down, 3,816 Living Area Sq. Ft., 4 Units, 16 Total Rooms, 4 Total Bedrooms

Sponsored by:

$480,000 – 10 Williams St.

Around Town

Demolition of Hosmer School Will Begin Soon

By |

A map of the area around Hosmer Elementary School, including the traffic plan for the fall. The section of the school in the dark green area will remain after the rest of the school, to the left, is demolished this summer. The demolition of a portion of Hosmer Elementary School will begin on Monday, July 27. Project Manager Thomas Finnegan, from Hill International, sent a letter to school and town officials, and others, updating them about the reconstruction project. The auditorium and cafeteria will be torn down as part of the demolition work, which will take about four weeks.

Around Town

Learn How to Save Someone from an Overdose at Free Naloxone Training

By |

Wayside Youth & Family Network shared the announcement that free training on how to use the anti-overdose medication Nalaxone will be offered in August. The training on how to use the Nalaxone (also known by the commercial name Narcan) nasal spray will be offered online, an is being run by the Cambridge Public Health Department. Read the event announcement below:

Are you worried about overdoses happening where you work or live? Wondering how you can help prevent an overdose?  Come and learn skills that could save lives. The Cambridge Public Health Department offers free overdose prevention and response trainings on a monthly basis to the community and free on-site trainings for groups by appointment.    This comprehensive 1.5-hour training includes:

Up-to-date information about the opioid crisis in Cambridge.How to distinguish between overdose and non-emergency situations, such as drunkenness.   What to do if you see someone in trouble.How to access naloxone (Narcan™), the overdose reversal medication.  

To learn more, please contact Tali Schiller at the Cambridge Public Health Department at naschiller@challiance.org.