Elections

Find Out How Watertown Voters Can Cast Ballots Early in November’s State Election

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Watertown voters will have the opportunity to cast their votes early in the November 2018 election beginning on Oct. 22, 2018. 

Registered voters can vote early in person at the Town Clerk’s Office or by mail. According to the Secretary of State’s website, when early voting in person at an early voting location for your municipality, the election officials will check you in, similar to the process used on Election Day. After voting, you will enclose your ballot into an envelope to be counted on Election Day. The Town Clerk’s Office provided the following information:

The Watertown Election Commissioners will be hosting Early Voting beginning on Monday, Oct.

Real Estate

Nearly 30 Open Houses Around Watertown This Week

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Home buyers have many properties in Watertown to choose from this weekend. $780,000 – 63 Highland Ave. Unit 63, 7 room, 3 bed, 3.5 bath townhouse, Open House: Sunday 1-2:30

$499,000 – 11-13 Lyons Court Unit 13, 6 room, 2 bed, 1 bath 2/3 family, Open Houses: Saturday 1:30-3 Sunday 11:30-3

$775,000 – 171 Fayette St. Unit 171, 7 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

$1,439,000 – 232-234 Edenfield Ave. 2 unit, 10 total room, 6 total bedroom, Open House: Sunday 12-2

$719,900 – 232 Edenfield Ave.

Government

Planning Board Recommends Approval of Zoning Rules for Recreational Marijuana Facilities

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The Planning Board recommended that the Town Council approves the new zoning for recreational marijuana facilities that would require them to be at least 500 feet from schools, addiction treatment centers, and other facilities. The Town Council had put a moratorium on recreational marijuana facilities for a year after the state ballot measure passed in November 2017. The changes determine where the facilities can be located. Recreational marijuana facilities would be allowed in the following zoning districts: central business, limited business, industrial 1, industrial 2, industrial 3, PSCD and the RMUD. The Town cannot zone out recreational marijuana facilities, said Steve Magoon, the Assistant Town Manager and director of Community Development and Planning.

Around Town

Watertown Art Exhibit Receives an Award from the Sasaki Foundation

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Watertown-based Sasaki Foundation presented its inaugural design awards, including an exhibit at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. One of the awards went to an art exhibit, with a curator’s talk and panel discussion at Mosesian Center for the Arts. “Please Touch the Art” is a tactile art exhibit and companion humanities exhibit accompanied by a curator’s talk and panel discussion at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. The exhibit will provide a multi-sensory art experience that is accessible to all audiences, taking special care to provide an immersive, tactile experience for visually impaired community members. Blind scholar and More than Meets the Eye, What Blindness Brings to Art author Georgina Kleege will guest curate.

Fiscal 2020 Budget

Watertown’s Preliminary FY20 Budget Pays off Retirement Deficits, Funds School Projects

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Watertown’s budget for the Fiscal Year beginning July 2019 will be $4 million more than the current fiscal year, and include a significant increase for the Watertown Public Schools and funding for the elementary school building projects. 

The budget figure for the Fiscal Year 2020 preliminary budget, presented by Town Manager Michael Driscoll Tuesday night, is $147 million. Currently, the revenues in the preliminary budget would fall about $820,000 short of the projected expenditures, but Driscoll said that he has used conservative estimates for revenues, including State Aid. “We have a challenge of $820,000,” Driscoll said. “By the time the budget is approved, either revenues will go up, expenditures will go down, or a combination of the two.” The budget includes a 5 percent increase for the Watertown Public Schools, up to $50.4 million, and a 2.5 percent increase for the Municipal departments, Driscoll said.

Business

Owner of McCue’s Taxi Closes Family Run Company With a Heavy Heart, Good Memories

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The Blizzard of 1978 couldn’t stop McCue’s Taxi’s cars from rolling, neither could the Boston Marathon Bombers, or the recent Recession, however the Watertown-based cab company could not survive a new type of obstacle — the online-based ride sharing companies. In late August, McCue’s Taxi closed down operations after more than 70 years. Owner Sean McCue tried to find ways to keep the it going, or merge with another taxi company, but he had no luck and had to close the family-run business. “A few years ago, back when Uber and Lyft showed up on the scene, it affected larger cities like Boston. Eventually, it kept creeping out,” McCue said.

Development

LETTER: Resident Urges Others to Speak Out Against Increasing Height of Tower at Arsenal Yards

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Dear Friends & Neighbors,

Boylston Properties (BP) is seeking a zoning change at Arsenal Yards. What the published agenda IV. 485 Arsenal Street (click here) amendment fails to disclose is that while BP is again pushing for a height increase to 197 feet at Building G, they are also asking for 80 percent of that height for any additional buildings on their site on the south side of Arsenal Street. They want to create their own separate zone within the RMUD. If approved, those buildings could go to 157.6 feet.

Sports

Arlington-Watertown Girls Swimmers Split Dual Meets Against Reading, Burlington

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The Arlington-Watertown girls swimming team split a pair of dual meets over the past couple weeks. On Sept. 23, the coop team lost to reading 58-35, but the team had two swimmers and a relay qualify for the State Meet, according to Head Coach Adlar Su. Sarah Peterson qualified in the 50 free, Isabelle Houseman qualified in the 200 individual medley, and the 200 free relay qualified. Watertown swimmer Niamh Murphy third place in the 200 free and was part of the winning 400 free relay.