Government

Town Council to Consider Adding to Fire Dept. Repair Fund, Town Attorney’s Contract & Honoring the WHS Class of 2020

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On Tuesday night, Town Council will be asked to approve the reappointment of the Town’s attorney and to increase the amount of money for maintenance of Fire Department vehicles. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m on May 26, and will be conducted online due to the restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 outbreak. KP Law, which has been the law firm used by Watertown since 1993, will be up for reappointment on Tuesday. The attorney assigned to Watertown since 2003 has been Mark Reich. Along with offering legal opinions to the Town Council and Town officials, the firm also provides seminars on topics such as open meeting law, public records and conflict of interest, according to the letter from Town Manager Michael Driscoll to the Town Council.

Real Estate

A Trio of Open Houses to Visit in Watertown This Week

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Two single family homes and a condo will host open houses this weekend. $1,060,000 – 52 Green St., Single Family – Detached Colonial, 2,066 Living Area Sq. Ft., 11 Room, 4 Bedroom, 3 Full & 1 Half Bathroom, Open Houses: Saturday 2-4 Sunday 2-4

$799,000 – 50-52 Beechwood Ave. Unit 2, Condo – Detached, 1,752 Living Area Sq. Ft., 8 Room, 3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bathroom, Open House: Saturday 1:30-2

$875,000 – 316 Common St., Single Family – Detached Colonial, 2,000 Living Area Sq.

Schools

Elementary School Projects Preparing for COVID-19 Issues; Will be Highly Energy Efficient

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The latest rendering of the new Cunniff Elementary School, with the solar array in the parking lot. Watertown will build two new elementary schools and, despite an estimated $1 million for additional costs of construction during the COVID-19 outbreak, the project came in under budget. The new Cunniff and Hosmer elementary schools will have enough solar panels to make them net-zero-energy buildings. Wednesday night, the School Building Committee voted to approve the hiring of Brait Building Corp. to construct the new Cunniff and Hosmer elementary schools.

Police/Fire

Watertown Fire Department Douses Fire on Porch Before it Spread

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A fire that started on the porch of an East Watertown home was extinguished before it could do more damage to the two-family home. On May 11 at about 3:25 p.m. Watertown Fire and Police were called to an Elton Avenue home when a fire was spotted on a porch. “The residents were alerted by a neighboring witness who was sitting on his front porch and noticed the fire and ran over to let the residents know,” said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. Fire and police were called, and hen they arrived, all the residents were safely out of their home. The Watertown Fire Department was able to bring the fire under control.

Charity

COVID-19 Putting Up Hurdles for Watertown-Based Group Effort to Get Care Packages to the Troops

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During normal times, volunteers will gather in Watertown and pack care packages to send off to American servicemen and women across the globe, but social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 outbreak have slowed Operation American Soldier’s ability to fulfill its mission. The base of operations for the non-profit group is the basement of the Marine Corps League’s Shutt Detachment on Mt. Auburn Street. The group has some loyal volunteers who would come in to pack boxes, said Wendy Rocca, who co-founded the group in 2003 with her husband. Sometimes businesses or other organizations would send a team of people over to put together the packages, but those efforts have largely stopped because of the Coronavirus shutdown.

Business

Gov. Baker Outlines When Different Industries Will Reopen; Changes to Stay-at-Home Order

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Construction, manufacturing, and places of worship will be allowed to open this week, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday, and more industries will follow in the next couple weeks, including offices and hair salons. Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito gave details of Massachusetts’ COVID-19 reopening plan Monday. More industries and activities will open in the next three phase. The phases will be at least three weeks apart, depending on the COVID-19 statistics and how well people are following the social distancing guidelines. The decision on when future phases of the reopening will be based on “six key public health metrics,” Baker said.

Around Town

Grant, Mitigation Funds Will Help Pay for Arsenal Park Renovations, See Project Details

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A drawing of the proposed renovation for the eastern section of Arsenal Park, near the Arsenal Yards development. The Town Council will be asked to consider funding a $1.65 million renovation of a section of Arsenal Park, but the Town will get some help paying for the project from a grant and mitigation money from the next door Arsenal Yards project. The Town received a $200,000 Housing Choice Capital Grant, which will be applied to the first phase of the Arsenal Park project, along with $500,000 in mitigation funds paid by Arsenal Yards developers Boylston Properties, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said. He added the construction bids may come in lower due to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, so the might be lower than the original $1.65 million budget. The Town Council voted unanimously to let Town officials put the project out to bid.

Lt. Paul Sullivan

Winners of the 2020 Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarships Revealed

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Lt. Paul Sullivan was killed in Vietnam in 1968, and a scholarship in his name has been given out for 52 years. The nine winners of a total of $25,000 in scholarships were announced on Sunday night. The scholarships are presented annually in memory an Army lieutenant from Watertown who was killed in Vietnam. The scholarships honor Lt. Paul Sullivan, who grew up in Watertown, and attended St. Mary’s High School in Waltham before going on to Boston College.