Schools

Watertown Schools Piloting New System for School Visitors, Student Pickups

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The Watertown Public Schools are going high tech to keep track of visitors, and to make sure student are being picked up by those who are allowed to do so. This week, Watertown Middle School started using the Raptor Visitor Management System, which enters visitors into a computer system and can also check criminal and custody databases. Jason DelPotro, Watertown Middle School assistant principal and chair of the district’s Critical Incident Team, gave the School Committee an overview of the new program Monday night. Prior to the use of the computer system, the Watertown schools used the old fashion clipboard sheet to have people sign in and out when visiting campuses. Now, people will have to show a driver’s license and have it scanned into the system. The computer will then create a paper visitor ID, DelPotro said.

Charity

5K Run, Walk Being Held in Memory of Watertown Resident Heather Zarkadas

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The second annual Heather Zarkadas Memorial 5K run and walk will be held on Oct. 13, 2018, and there is still time to register. The HZ5K will begins at Lowell Elementary School, 175 Orchard St., Watertown, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13. Proceeds from the event got to the Heather Zarkadas’ Children Education Fund. Heather was a Watertown resident and reading specialist who taught in the Lexington Public Schools.

Police/Fire

Watertown Fire Department Teaming With Domino’s for Fire Safety Week & Hosting Open House

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The week of Oct. 7 to 13 is National Fire Prevention Week, and the Watertown Fire Department has a couple of events plan, including a partnership with Dominos and and open house at the Fire Headquarters. The Watertown Fire Department provided the following information:

Each year for a week in October we try to bring awareness to fire risks and educate the public on how they can make their homes safer. This year’s Fire Prevention Week focus, which runs from Oct. 7 through Oct.

Real Estate

A Whole Lot of Open Houses This Weekend Around Watertown

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Home buyers have more than a dozen open houses in Watertown to visit this weekend. $929,900 – 52 Chapman St. Unit 52, 10 room, 5 bed, 3 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

$619,000 – 76 Hovey St. Unit 3, 8 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath 2/3 family, Open House: Sunday 11-12:30

$895,000 – 17 Standish Road, 8 room, 4 bed, 1.5 bath colonial, Open Houses: Saturday 1-2:30 Sunday 1-2:30

$499,900 – 25 Melendy Unit 2, 6 room, 2 bed, 1 bath 2/3 family, Open House: Sunday 11:30-1

$690,000 – 125 Coolidge Ave. Unit 111, 5 room, 2 bed, 2 bath mid-rise, Open House: Sunday 1-2:30

$674,900 – 61 Lincoln St., 7 room, 3 bed, 1.5 bath craftsman, Open House: Saturday 12-1:30

$899,900 – 77-79 Watertown St., 2 unit, 10 total room, 4 total bedroom, Open Houses: Saturday 12-2 Sunday 12-2

$589,900 – 5 Falmouth Road Unit 5, 6 room, 2 bed, 1.5 bath townhouse, Open House: Sunday 12-2

$498,000 – 42 Maplewood St.

Cunniff School

Elementary, High School Projects Take Steps Forward at School Building Committee

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Two votes by the School Building Committee on Wednesday night moved the projects at Watertown’s three elementary schools and at the high school a step closer to being a reality. The projects to renovate and make additions to Hosmer, Lowell and Cunniff elementary schools, which have schematic designs, are ahead of the Watertown High School project, for which designs have yet to be drawn up. High School Project
Wednesday night, the School Building Committee, which oversees the projects, gave its approval to spend $1.6 million on the preliminary design and hiring an owner’s project manager for the WHS project. The Town Council will be asked to give final approval for the money at its Nov. 13 meeting, said Superintendent Dede Galdston.

Accident

Two Injured in Accident on Charles River Road, Infant Not Injured

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A man and a woman suffered injuries in an accident on Charles River Road on Monday afternoon, but the infant traveling with them was not harmed. The accident occurred on Monday at about 4:45 p.m. when a 2013 Nissan Sentra drove off the roadway, near Pequossette Street, and struck a light pole, according to Massachusetts State Police spokesman Lt. Tom Ryan. It appeared to be caused because the driver was speeding. The car was driven by a 27-year-old Everett man, who was with a 25-year-old woman from Middleton and an 11-month-old. “As a result of the crash, the operator and his 25-year-old female passenger were transported to Mass.

Schools

School Officials Pleased with Watertown’s Results in First Year of New State Test

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The scores for the new MCAS exam are out, and the results pleased Watertown Public School officials. 

The Massachusetts Accountability System uses a different test, has different scores and different measures for how a school or district fared, said Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston. She said, however, that the district fared well on the first year of the new test. “We are very pleased with our results,” Galdston said at Monday’s School Committee meeting. “Three (of five) schools met or exceeded the goals set by the state and one met it in some areas.” Cunniff and Lowell elementary schools and Watertown High School fell into the “not requiring assistance or intervention,” while Hosmer Elementary and Watertown Middle School fell into the “requiring assistance or intervention category, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Eduction (DESE) report.

Business

Watertown’s Residence Inn by Marriott Sold for $71 Million

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Watertown’s newest hotel has been sold for $71 million to a Texas-based real estate investment trust. The Residence Inn by Marriott on Arsenal Street was sold by Boylston Properties, the group that developed the hotel, to Summit Hotel Properties from Austin, Texas, according to a report on GlobeSt.com. Summit owns 77 hotels in 26 states, according to the report. Read the entire report by clicking here: https://www.globest.com/2018/10/01/summit-hotel-properties-acquires-residence-inn-by-marriott-boston-watertown/