Government

Victory Field Committee Debates Lighting at Track, Touches on Football Field

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A new set of lights will be erected to light the track oval at Victory Field, and the Town Council will look at dampening the impact of lights on the football and baseball side of the complex. The Ad Hoc Committee on Victory Field Phase 2 weighed in on how to light Victory Field on Tuesday night, but several residents were concerned about the lights put up during Phase 1. The lights at the track oval will be on four, 80-foot poles and will have LED lights with covers that will focus the light on the field and reduce the amount of light shining directly into homes. The intensity of the lights will be adjustable depending on what the field is being used for. The maximum brightness will be 30-foot-candles, which is the level recommended for a high school soccer or lacrosse game.

Government

See Proposals for Renovation of Arsenal Park at Oct. 11 Meeting

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On Oct. 11, Town officials will present some proposals for how Arsenal Park could look after being renovated. The meeting is the second public meeting on Arsenal Park, which is located behind the Arsenal Mall. At the first meeting in August residents gave input about what they like about the park, and things they would like changed. See results of the Arsenal Park survey filled out by residents by clicking here.

Schools

High School Moves a Step Closer to Being Accepted Into State Building Program

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For the fourth time this year Watertown Public School officials applied to have the renovation Watertown High School partially funded by the state, and this time the project has caught the eye of state officials who will come take a closer look at the aging campus. While WHS has not yet been invited to be part of the MSBA program, in which close to half the cost would be reimbursed by the state, Superintendent Dede Galdston said she is excited to see it being considered. “A group from the state will come to the district to interview people and have an architect come look at the building to determine if it’s one of the buildings that will get funding,” Galdston told the School Committee Monday night. “It is pretty exciting we made the first cut.” If the school makes the list of schools to be accepted into the state program, the work really begins for Watertown officials.

Election 2017

Hear from Those Running for Council, School Committee at 2 Candidate Forums

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Watertown News and Watertown Cable Access will host a pair of candidate forums featuring the people running for Town Councilor At-Large and School Committee in the Town Election. The forums will be held in the Watertown Savings Bank Room at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main Street, beginning at 6:30 p.m., and will also be broadcast live on Watertown Cable. The forums will be rebroadcast on later dates. The first forum will be on Thursday, Oct. 12, and it will include the six candidates for the four-year School Committee seats.

Around Town

Group that Helps People Build Confidence to Speak Publicly Holding Open House

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A group that helps people gain the confidence to speak in public will be hosting an open house in Watertown in October. The Toastmasters Club holds regular meetings where members give prepared speeches on a prepared subject, and others can volunteer to speak. Those who speak will receive constructive evaluations of their speech. The club sent out the following information:

Come see what a Toastmasters Club is all about! On October 21, 2017, please join us for our regular scheduled meeting and open house.

Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Kicks Off Capital Campaign to Renovate Clubhouse

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The Watertown Boys and Girls Club has kicked off its Great Futures Campaign, the public fund-raising effort to pay for a major overhaul of the club on Whites Avenue including the addition of a teen center. On Thursday night, the club hosted a kick off for its capital campaign at the Commander’s Mansion. The total goal of the campaign is to raise $1.4 million for the new construction and other upgrades at the center, but Executive Director Renee Gaudette started the effort last year. “We reached $750,000 this summer and decided to announced to the public our campaign,” Gaudette said, saying many of the donations have come from foundations and businesses. Some of the work has already been completed, Gaudette said, including the new gymnasium floor and a new dehumidification system for the club’s pool, both of which were completed last year.

Environment

Watertown Residents Can Request Trees to be Planted by the Town

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The Watertown Tree Warden has trees that can be planted free in front of or in the near front yard of residential properties in town, but the deadline for signing up is coming up. The Tree Warden’s office sent out the following information:

If you are interested in a tree being planted in front of your home or on your own private property, within 20 feet of the back of the sidewalk, please send an email with your top 3 choices to the Tree Warden, Chris Hayward, by October 13, 2017 at chayward@watertown-ma.gov.

He will try to accommodate your choice selection but if any of your choices are not suitable for your location, he will advise a more suitable species from this list. If you had requested a tree in the spring but did not receive one at that time, your name and location was moved onto the list of recipients for the Fall of 2017. Small and Front Yard trees

(Name, height, spread)

Kwanzan cherry ‘Royal burgandy’ Prunus serrulata 15′ to 25′ 15′ to 25′

Shantung maple Acer truncatum “Shantung” 20′ to 25′ 15′ to 25′

Japanese Tree Lilac Syringa reticulata 20′ to 30′ 10′ to 15′

Snowgoose cherry Prunus “Snowgoose” 15′ to 20′ 15′ to 20′

Ornamental Crabapple Species varies 15′ to 25′ 15′ to 25′

Medium sized trees

Yoshino cherry Prunus yedoensis 20′ to 40′ 15′ to 30′

Sun valley maple Acer rubrum “Sun Valley” 20′ to 40′ 20′ to 30′

Large Shade Trees

Pin oak Quercus palustris 50′ to 70′ 30′ to 40′

Red oak Quercus rubra 75′ to 100′ 60′ to 75′

White oak Quercus alba 50′ to 80′ 50′ to 80′

Elm “Princeton” Ulmus spp. 50′ to 70′ 30′ to 50′

Ginko Ginko biloba 50′ to 80′ 35′ to 45′

October glory red maple Acer rubrum 40′ to 50′ 20′ to 35′

Red Sunset maple Acer rubrum 40′ to 50′ 20′ to 35′

Autumn blaze red maple Acer rubrum 40′ to 50′ 30′ to 40′

Redpointe maple Acer rubrum “Frank Jr” 35′ to 45′ 20′ to 30′

Black gum Nyssa sylvatica 40′ to 65′ 30′ to 40′