65 Grove Street

Ink and Printing Company Opening Global Innovation Center in Watertown

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Markem-Imaje announced it will be creating a new global innovation center in Watertown which will focus on industrial laser marking and printing products and have 40 employees. The company is a subsidiary of Dover Corp. and will be moving into the recently remodeled building at 65 Grove St., according to Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon. The building was previously was home to GE Ionics. The company chose Watertown because of its close proximity to the top engineering talent in the universities and high-tech businesses in the Boston area, while still being close to another engineering hub – the New York metro area, and to the company’s United States headquarters in Keene, NH, according to an announcement about the move.

Sports

Watertown Ice Hockey Goalie Playing in Shriners All Star Hockey Game

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Watertown High School’s Jonna Kennedy will be playing in the Shriners All Star Hockey game for the second year in a row. 

The goalie for the Raiders’ girls hockey team will be playing in the game at Canton Ice House at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 31, 2018. The High School All-Star Hockey game is sponsored by the Shriners and Mass High School Hockey Coaches Association. The game features the best high school senior boy and girls from Massachusetts. All proceeds benefit Shriners Hospital for Children. Kennedy has been the starting goalie for the Watertown High School ice hockey team since she was in eighth grade.

Around Town

Senior Center, Live Well Watertown, Farmers Market & Food Pantry Featured on Local Cable Show

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The latest episode of Inside Watertown features interviews with representatives from Live Well Watertown, the Watertown Senior Center, the Watertown Farmers Market and the Watertown Food Pantry. The locally produced cable show is hosted by Paul Airasian and Charlie Breitrose. This first segment of this month’s show features Stephanie Venizelos from Live Well Watertown, and Ashley Wagner from the Watertown Farmers Market. The second half of the show includes an interview with Watertown Director of Senior Services Anne-Marie Gagnon and Watertown Food Pantry Coordinator Kathy Cunningham. Episode 6 is now airing on Watertown Cable’s Public Channel (Comcast Channel 9, RCN Channel 13) on these days and times.

Government

Town Council Approves List of Complete Streets Projects Around Watertown

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The list of Complete Street Projects in Watertown which Town officials hope to get state funding to complete was adopted by the Town Council on Tuesday night. 

Complete Streets is a practice to make roadways accessible to as many users as possible, including drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians and public transportation. The list includes 24 projects, with four that will be put forward for funding this year. The projects were narrowed down from more than 150 suggestions collected from the public and the Town at meetings in December and reported back their findings at a meeting in March. A list of at least 15 projects had to be submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) by April 1, and the list for the Construction Application for this year is due by May 1, according to the town’s consultants from Alta Planning + Design. The list includes a variety of projects, including construction of sections of the Community Path (a pedestrian and bike path through Watertown), improving crosswalks, making safe routes to school, improving pedestrian safety, and traffic calming on some roads.

Police/Fire

Chelsea Man Indicted on Drug Trafficking Charges from Arrest in Watertown

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A Middlesex County grand jury indicted a Chelsea man arrested on drug trafficking charges from an arrest in Watertown. London Cohen, 28, of Chelsea, was charged with trafficking fentanyl, trafficking over 18 grams of cocaine, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle after revocation of license as habitual traffic offender, and failure to stop for police, according to an announcement this week by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan’s Office. The indictments were handed down between January 18 and March 6, 2018. In April 2017, Cohen led police on a chase through Watertown which included Massachusetts State Police search dogs and a State Police helicopter. He had been the target of a drug sting by the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force after suspicious activity was reported on the Westside of Watertown.

Schools

School Committee Weighing Busing Options Under New School Start Times

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The School Committee is considering options for school busing for next Fall when the start time of the high school and middle school move later. They seek to serve as many students without increasing school bus fees or adding greatly to the budget. The state requires students in grades K-6 living more than 2 miles from school to be bused for free by districts. Currently, Watertown buses students who live 1.5 miles or more from Hosmer School and sixth-graders living more than 2 miles from the Middle School for free. For students living closer, or seventh or eighth graders, the district offers busing for a fee of $300 (and a $475 family cap), with students living south of the Charles River going to Hosmer paying a discount rate of $200 (family cap of $320).

Police/Fire

Watertown Fire Department Promotes Two Members, Welcomes Two Firefighters

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Two Watertown Firefighters took steps up the ladder with the Fire Department, while two more started their careers with the Department. The Watertown Fire Department promoted a captain and a lieutenant and swore in two new firefighters during a ceremony at the Watertown Free Public Library on Friday. William Maietta was promoted to Fire Captain. Ryan Gleason was promoted to Fire Lieutenant. He has been on the Department for 12 years.

Obituaries

OBIT: Donald Burton, 74, Boston Herald Maintenance Supervisor, Grew Up in Nova Scotia

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A graveside service for Donald G. Burton will be celebrated by the family at Ridgelawn Cemetery at a later date. Mr. Burton, a son of the late Donald and his living mother Rose (Martell) Burton, passed away after a brief illness in his home on Friday evening, March 23, 2018. Don was 74. Donald was educated in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada where he grew up. He came to the states after schooling and worked as a maintenance supervisor for the Boston Herald.