Environment

Conservation Commission to Hear About Studies of Whitney Hill Park’s Plant, Animal Life; More Info from Annual Report

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The annual report on Watertown’s last piece of wooded land, Whitney Hill Park, recommends continuing to study the trees and animals on the land. The report will be discussed by the Conservation Commission on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 7 p.m. at the Lower Hearing Room in Town Hall, 149 Main St., Watertown. Activities in 2017

Several studies of Whitney Hill took place last year, looking at the plants, animals and more. Data about the lower woody vegetation (which includes saplings and shrubs) on Whitney Hill have been digitized by ConCom member Patrick Fairbairn. This will be used as a baseline to track future changes of the hill.

Entertainment

Musicians from Around the Watertown Public Schools Playing at Bandarama

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Musicians from each of the Watertown Public Schools will perform at Bandarama on March 6, 2018, at 7 p.m. in the Watertown High School Gymnasium. See what each group will be performing during the concert. Middle School Sixth Grade Band

Morgan Schneider, conductor
Raiders March – J. Williams/arr. J. Bullock

Middle School Combined Sixth, Seventh , & Eighth grade String Ensemble

Dr. Frederik Schuetze, conductor
Fiddles on Fire – M. Williams

High School Concert Band

Dan Jordan, conductor
Hawaii Five-O – Stevens/Lopez
The Ides of March – S. O’Loughlin

High School String Ensemble

Dr. Frederik Schuetze, conductor
The Beach Boys – arr. J. Moss

Middle School 7-8th grade Band

Morgan Schneider, conductor
Superheroes R Us – arr.

Real Estate

Check Out the Open Houses Around Watertown This Weekend

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A range of properties are having open houses in Watertown over the weekend. $850,000 – 55 Katherine Road, 2 unit, 13 total room, 6 total bedroom 2 family, Open Houses: Saturday 12-2 Sunday 12-2

$655,000 – 53 Evans St., 6 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath colonial, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1 Sunday 12-1:30

$599,000 – 96 Franklin St. Unit 96, 8 room, 5 bed, 3 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

Sponsored by:

$899,900 – 1-3 Desmond Ave., 2 unit, 12 total room, 6 total bedroom, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

$950,000 – 137 Marshall St., 12 room, 7 bed, 3 bath victorian, Open House: Sunday 2-3:30

Around Town

Public Hears About Narrowed List of Projects to Improve Roads, Bicycling, Walking in Watertown

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A variety of projects – from the Community Path to crosswalks to traffic calming – made the first cut in the creation of Watertown’s Complete Streets Prioritization Plan. Town officials, however, still seek input about which should make the final list of 15-20 projects. Wednesday night, consultants hired by the town to create the Prioritization Plan discussed why some of the projects made the grade and others did not. The town will be able to apply for funding from the Mass. Department of Transportation (MassDOT) for projects on the Prioritization Plan.

Basketball

Watertown Basketball Team Dominates in First Round State Tourney Win

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The Watertown High School boys basketball team came out for warmups for the first round State Tournament game Tuesday night wearing shirts emblazoned with “#SLEEPER.” After the 77-32 win over Essex Tech, however, it will hard for opponents not to take notice of the Raiders. 

Senior center John Korte said the shirts were inspired by Boston Herald high school sports writer Danny Ventura, who called the Raiders a sleeper in the MIAA Div. 3 North bracket. “It was kind of a fireback, because we think we are the best team in D3 North and we wanted to show that, like we did tonight,” Korte said. “And, also, I feel like outside Watertown people don’t really believe in us to be able to go very far –especially with the seventh seed.”

Government

Town Councilor Announces He Will be Stepping Down, Moving Out of Watertown

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Recently re-elected Town Councilor Michael Dattoli announced Tuesday night that he will be stepping down because he and his family will be moving out of Watertown. Dattoli, a Councilor-At-Large, will be resigning effective April 30, 2018. He won reelection last November. “This a surprise to many of you, but my wife Megan and I and my family – after very careful consideration – have a very exciting opportunity,” Dattoli said during he meeting. “The timing is very unexpected but for personal reasons, and there are many of them – and they are difficult, we are relocating out of Watertown.”

Government

Watertown’s Director of Public Buildings Brings Military Background to Town & Schools

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In her previous life, Watertown’s first Director of Public Buildings, Lori Kabel, made sure that our nation’s Air Force bases worked well and now she looks to do the same for the town’s schools and municipal facilities. Kabel, who retired as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Air Force, worked on 10 bases across the United States as well as places around the globe, including Iraq, Germany, Korea and the U.K.

While the scenery will be different, Kabel said her work will not be totally different. “This jobs ties with military very much because I was a civil engineer with the Air Force,” Kabel said. “So, I did building maintenance as well as construction management for the bases that I was assigned to – So very similar; a small town is a like a small base.” Kabel will play a big role in the oversight of the upcoming school building projects, known as Building for the Future, which will include renovating or rebuilding the three elementary schools as well as Watertown High School.

Around Town

Mural Making, Kingian Nonviolence Training & Civil Rights Leader Coming to Watertown

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This spring there will be many ways for community residents, both young and old, to get involved with Watertown’s Kingian Nonviolence initiative, said local organizers. Kingian nonviolence is a train- the-trainer model created by civil rights leader, Dr. Bernard Lafayette, that applies Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophy and methods to current conflicts. Community Mural Project: One way to get involved is through a mixed media mural to be created on the back wall of the Watertown Boys & Girls Club. On March 3rd, 17th, and 31st project organizers will host a series of free tile painting/making and mosaic-building workshops at HATCH Makers’ Space (20 Summer St.), to create pieces of the mural. There will also be a free tile painting/making workshop at the Mosesian Center for the Arts on March 10th as part of a Spring Festival.