Around Town

Watertown High School Strives to Bring Attention to Faded Banner Honoring WWI Veterans

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Hidden in plain sight at Watertown High School is a banner dating back 100 years, made to honor the town residents who went to serve in World War I, as well as, those who died in the “War to End All Wars.” The banner is located in a glass case, not far from the top of the central staircase on the second floor of the high school. It caught the interest of Kraig Gustafson, the AP U.S. History teacher and the district’s grade 6-12 Social Studies Coordinator. He also wanted to do something to honor others who served in the military at that time and since then. Once bordered with bright red with a white center and hundreds of stars some of which form the letters W-H-S, the banner now appears in different shades of gray.

Cancer

Watertown Fire Department Making Efforts to Avoid Risks of Cancer

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The past 18 months have been a difficult for the Watertown Fire Department, with two deaths within the department, and Fire Chief Bob Quinn wants to take steps to prevent further tragedies. In March 2017, Firefighter Joe Toscano collapsed and died from heart failure while fighting a fire. Then in October, Fire Chief Mario Orangio died after months battling pancreatic cancer, which is one of the types of cancer which firefighters are more at risk of getting. This year, Quinn has put an emphasis on the health and safety of his firefighters. This includes strength, conditioning, nutrition, stress managment, as well as reducing the risk of on-the-job cancer.

Around Town

Council Subcommittee Exploring Ways to Expand Affordable Housing in Watertown

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The Town Council’s Human Services Committee will hold a series of meetings looking at ways to increase the amount of affordable housing in Watertown. 

The town has not met the state’s goal of 10 percent of the housing units in town being available to rent or buy at an affordable rate. The committee will invite in experts in the area of affordable housing to help them get an idea of where Watertown stands, strategies used by other communities, and what would work in town. The committee will hold meetings at 7:15 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month each month in Town Hall, besides July, thorough the end of the year, said Councilor Tony Palomba, chair of the Human Services Committee. During the first meeting in May the committee heard from Chair of the Watertown Housing Partnership Fred Reynolds about the current state of affordable housing. He said at the last count Watertown was at about 6.9 percent affordable housing.

Around Town

Town Holding Flag Day Ceremony & Flag Retirement Ceremony

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Watertown’s veterans groups will hold a flag retirement ceremony to mark Flag Day on June 14. 

Last year, the town held a Flag Day ceremony for the first time in many years. During the event, flags that have become worn or tattered will be retired and incinerated during a special ceremony involving Watertown’s veterans. The ceremony will be held at Ridgelawn Cemetery on Thursday, June 14, 2018, beginning at 6:00 p.m., said Watertown Veterans’ Agent Mark Comeiro. “This event is open to the public as it would be an honor to have the residents of Watertown attend this prestigious and very special event,” Comeiro said. If you have any questions, please call the Veterans Office at 617-972-6416.

Government

Town Water and Sewer Bills Include Incorrect Charges, To be Resent

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Town officials announced that the latest batch of Water/Sewer bills included an incorrect charge on them, and a corrected bill will be resent. 

The error was due to an error made when inputing the dates for the interest, according to a memo from Department of Public Works Superintendent Gerald Mee. Residents who paid the incorrect amount will have the extra charge credited toward their next bill. The town sent out the following announcement:

The quarterly water and sewer bills dated May, 30, 2018 with a due date June 29, 2018 included an incorrect interest charge. Please be advised that no incorrect interest charges were ever applied to those accounts but were unfortunately printed on the bill. A corrected bill is being mailed which properly reflects the current interest charges, if any.

Arrests

Police Log: Man Arrested on Fugitive from Justice Warrant, Multiple OUI Arrests

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
May 21, 1:19 a.m.: An officer spotted a vehicle heading eastbound on Main Street and then make a sharp right turn onto Pleasant Street, which is one way the opposite direction at that point. The officer stopped the driver and while speaking with the him the officer detected a strong odor of alcohol from the driver. The driver admitted to drinking alcohol before driving. He failed four field sobriety tests.

Sports

Watertown Sprinter Breaks School Record that Stood for Half a Century at All State Meet

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Watertown sprinter Mange Camara wrapped up an outstanding junior season by finishing third place at the MIAA All State Outdoor Track Meet in the 200 meters, and broke a school record that was over 50 years old. Camara came into the meet with the fifth fastest seed time. He ran the preliminary heat in 22.05 seconds. Then improved on that time in the final, 21.87 seconds, which claimed third place and was .35 seconds behind the winner, Joseph O’Brien of Shrewsbury. The time broke the 52-year-old school record of 21.92, that had been set in 1966 by Ken Ryan (a former teammate of Watertown Track Coach Larry Sullivan).

Around Town

Dedication of New Mural Featuring MLK’s Nonviolent Teachings Coming Soon

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This week, a mural focusing on the nonviolence teachings of Martin Luther King will be dedicated. The ceremony outside the Watertown Boys & Girls Club will be attended by a friend of MLK and Civil Rights leader, who teaches nonviolent conflict resolution. The effort to spread Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to nonviolent conflict resolution started in Watertown several years ago. In 2016, the Watertown Public Schools trained students and teachers in the Kingian philosophy and welcomed Dr. Bernard Lafayette, a friend of MLK who helped him in his Civil Rights efforts. Lafayette will return to town on Thursday, June 7, 2018, for the dedication of the mural next to the basketball courts outside the Watertown Boys & Girls Club.