Sports

Watertown Runs Into Tough Melrose Team in League Football Opener

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After scoring 50 and 48 points in their first two games, the Watertown High School football team held to two touchdowns in the 28-14 loss at Melrose Friday night. Watertown trailed 21-7 at halftime, with quarterback Nick McDermott throwing to John Korte for a second quarter touchdown. In the fourth quarter the Raiders pulled within one score when McDermott hit Mange Camara for a touchdown. Melrose’s Rey Guity ran for a 78 yard touchdown to reestablish the 14 point gap, according to the Boston Herald’s report. The Raiders fall to 2-1 and 0-1 in the Middlesex League.

Government

Pedestrians & Cars to Share Victory Field Driveway, Fencing to be Replaced

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The driveway at Victory Field will be transformed into an area where pedestrians, bicycles and cars will intermingle. 

The Ad Hoc Committee on Victory Field Phase 2 voted to make changes to the area between the two parking areas at Victory Field to make a shared use area. The area will be raised and the surface will be something different from asphalt, likely some sort of brick or paver. Tuesday’s meeting was the second time the committee had discussed the possibility of creating a shared space at Victory Field (read about the last meeting here). The group asked for some possible designs for the shared area and on Tuesday Designer Glenn Howard of CDM Smith presented some mock-ups for how the shared area might look with new surface, plantings and other features. The portion of the driveway that goes between the track and the football bleachers is quite narrow, and adding a sidewalk would just make it tougher for vehicles to pass each other, Howard said.

Real Estate

See All the Open Houses Around Watertown This Week

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Check out all the open houses around Watertown this week. $949,000 – 62 Robbins Road, 8 room, 4 bed, 2 full 2 half bath colonial, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

$489,000 – 81 Carroll St. Unit 81, 6 room, 3 bed, 1 bath townhouse, Open House: Saturday 11:30-12:30

$545,000 – 10 Locust Lane Unit D, 7 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse, Open House: Sunday 11-12:30

$659,900 – 5 Highland Ave., 8 room, 3 bed, 1 bath cape, Open Houses: Saturday 12-2 Sunday 11-1

$699,000 – 268 Palfrey St. Unit 268, 6 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 12-3 Sunday 12-3

$575,000 – 199 Coolidge Ave. Unit 514, 5 room, 2 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Friday 12-1:30 Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

$629,900 – 46 Hall Ave.

Schools

Watertown Officials ID Solution for Overcrowded Buses to Minuteman

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Due to a jump in the number of students from Watertown going to Minuteman Regional Vocational School, the bus going to the school has been filled to the brim, and sometimes over capacity. 

Because Watertown is not a member community of Minuteman, responsibility for getting the students to school falls on the Watertown Public Schools. Watertown school officials learned in April that 62 students would be enrolling at Minuteman, which was three more than anticipated, according to a letter to parents from Superintendent Dede Galdston. In additions, two more students were enrolled because it was the best place to accommodate their educational needs. The district sent out letters to the families of students going to Minuteman asking if they would like to ride the bus to school, Galdston wrote, and by Aug. 15, 38 parents replied.

Community Choice Aggregation

Town Looking at Joining Green Energy Program for All Residential Electric Customers

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Watertown may join a state program that would provide “greener” electricity to customers and would likely come at a lower rate than for regular Eversource customers. Ed Lewis, the town’s Energy Manager, presented information about the Community Choice Aggregation program at a last week’s Town Council meeting. The town’s Energy Office and the Watertown Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee (WE3C) are asking the Town Council to consider signing Watertown to be part of the program. More than 110 communities across the state have become a part of the program, Lewis said, including nearby communities of Arlington, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville and Melrose. The program applies to residential customers, small businesses and non-profit groups.

Around Town

Watertown’s Faire on the Square Coming Up This Weekend

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The annual Faire on the Square, the is coming up this Saturday in the park next to Town Hall. 

The Faire runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 23, and features music, performances, food, and vendors and organizations from around Watertown. The event is at the Saltonstall Park, next to Town Hall, 149 Main St., Watertown. There are plenty of activities for children of all ages. Admission is free.

MBTA

UPDATED: Downed Bus Wires Backup Traffic in Watertown Square

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Downed wires for the MBTA buses caused major backups Wednesday morning. The lines were secured by MBTA crews about 8:30 a.m.

Police sent out an alert via social media just after 7 a.m. Wednesday. The wires serve the electric buses, also called trackless trolleys, used on the MBTA’s 71 bus line. Traffic was backed up in all directions heading toward Watertown Square. MBTA crews working on repairing the wires got the overhead wires secured about 8:30 a.m., but repairs may have to wait until a later date.

Arrests

Police Log: Man Harasses Woman in CVS, Man Uses “Flim-Flam” to Steal Money

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
Sept. 7, 9:35 p.m.: A woman shopping in CVS in Watertown Square was in in the cosmetics aisle when a man approached and got very close to her. She became uncomfortable and began moving around the store, but he followed her without speaking. She left the store and he followed her to her vehicle.