Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/author/cbreitro/page/435/)
The Marine Corps League Pvt. Charles Shutt Detachment in Watertown. The Watertown Veterans Services Office will kick off a series of office hours for veterans on Jan. 31 at the Shutt Detachement. Watertown Veterans Agent Patrick George decided to hold office hours to give the town’s veterans a chance to speak to him, ask questions and discuss plans for the upcoming veterans’ holidays.
Watertown home seekers have a variety of properties to check out this weekend. $609,999 – 33 Maple St. Unit 33, Condo – 2/3 Family, 1,196 Living Area Sq. Ft., 5 Room, 3 Bedroom, 1 Full Bathroom,Open House: Sunday 2-3:30
$779,900 – 60 Everett, Single Family – Detached Cape, 1,300 Living Area Sq. Ft., 6 Room, 3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bathroom, Open Houses: Saturday 10-11:30, Sunday 10-11:30
$679,000 – 6 Belknap Ter., Single Family – Detached Colonial, 1,531 Living Area Sq.
Buses like this one on the 71 bus will get priority heading toward Harvard Square on Mt. Auburn Street in the new Cambridge-Watertown Bus Priority Pilot program. State officials announced youth from Watertown can receive discount passes to ride the MBTA buses and trains through the Youth Pass program. The program is aimed at people between age 12 and 25 who are not enrolled in school or college (they already qualify for passes for school or college students). Students over 18 must be enrolled in an alternative education program (such as GED), a job training program, or a federal benefit program, including MassHealth and SNAP.
The School Committee got an earful at their most recent meeting from some parents about what they see as an inadequate response to bullying that occurs in the Watertown Public Schools. Maria Hinkson, the mother of two girls, told the School Committee Monday night that she believes the Watertown Public Schools are not doing enough to stop students from being bullied. Her younger daughter, who is at the middle school, has not been bullied, but her eldest, who is now in college, dealt with bullies from the third grade through high school. “No one has taken any action. I made calls, sent emails, argued, fought for years,” Hinkson said.
Newton City Councilor Alison Leary announced she will run for the 10th Middlesex House seat currently held by Watertown’s John Lawn. Watertown State Rep. John Lawn may face a challenger for the 10th Middlesex House District seat in the State House from a Newton City Councilor. Alison Leary, a City Councilor At-Large from Newton’s Ward 1, told Wicked Local Newton that she plans to run for the 10th Middlesex seat, which includes the Westside of Watertown. Leary has been a City Councilor since 2013. The 10th Middlesex district includes parts of Watertown (Precincts 10, 11, 12), Newton (Ward 1: Precincts 1, 4) and Waltham (Ward 4: Precinct 2, Ward 5: Precinct 1, Ward 6: Precinct 2, Ward 7: Precinct 2, and all of Wards 8, 9).
A road after being milled and prepared for overlay of new asphalt.
Watertown will get its share of the $20 million added to the state’s road and transportation improvement funding as part of the supplemental budget approved by Governor Baker in December. The money comes on top of the $200 million already in the Fiscal Year 2020 State budget for Chapter 90. Watertown will receive and extra $73,924, for a total of $813,159 in Chapter 90 funding for FY20. “This funding represents our continued commitment to supporting communities as they address the maintenance and modernization of local infrastructure, which are a critical part of the Commonwealth’s transportation network,” said Governor Charlie Baker in an announcement this week. “We are pleased to provide this additional transportation funding for local projects in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.”
Chapter 90 transportation funds support all 351 cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth. Funding for each municipality is predetermined by a formula that includes factors such as population, road miles, and employment, according to the release from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
Parents and guardians interested in enrolling their children in Watertown’s kindergarten or PreK program can learn more at upcoming information nights. Each of the three Watertown Public Schools’ elementary schools will hold kindergarten info nights on Jan. 16. On Jan. 14, there will be an informational session about PreK at Hosmer School.
As Watertown School officials seek to find the next Watertown High School principal, parents and students will have an opportunity to talk about what qualities they would like the person to have. Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee Monday that, while the deadline to apply for the position closes Friday, the district has already has nearly 30 candidates. She said the next principal, who replaces the retiring Shirley Lundberg, will have a chance not only to build a learning environment at WHS, but a new school. The high school project has been accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority program, and planning for rebuilding or renovating the school has begun. The applicants for WHS principal will be screened by a committee made up of school officials, teachers, staff, parents and students.