Real Estate

Check Out This Weeks Watertown Open Houses

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Watertown has more than a dozen open houses to visit this week. $549,000 – 84 Fitchburg St., 9 room, 3 bed, 1.5 bath colonial, Open Houses: Saturday 12-2 Sunday 12-2

$849,500 – 199 Coolidge Ave. Unit 513, 5 room, 2 bed, 2.5 bath mid-rise, Open House: Sunday 12-2

$749,000 – 149 Robbins Road, 9 room, 5 bed, 2 bath cape, Open Houses: Saturday 11:30-1 Sunday 11:30-1

$598,900 – 149 Hillside Road Unit 2, 10 room, 4 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse, Open House: Sunday 11-12:30

$399,900 – 358 Lexington St. Unit 358, 6 room, 2 bed, 1 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 2-4 Sunday 2-4

$599,000 – 16 Commonwealth Unit 16, 10 room, 4 bed, 2 bath 2/3 family, Open House: Sunday 12:30-2s

Sponsored by:

$559,000 – 12 Rose Ave. Unit 12, 6 room, 3 bed, 2 bath townhouse, Open House: Sunday 11:30-1

$639,900 – 24 Stuart St., 10 room, 4 bed, 2f bath colonial, Open House: Sunday 2-3:30

$979,900 – 137 Marshall St, 12 room, 7 bed, 3 bath victorian, Open House: Sunday 11:30-1

$849,900 – 174 Edenfield Ave., 9 room, 5 bed, 4 bath colonial, Open House: Sunday 12-2

$949,900 – 11 Hill St., 14 room, 5 bed, 3 bath colonial, Open House: Saturday 12:30-2

$949,900 – 11 Hill St., 2 unit, 14 total room, 5 total bedroom 2 family, Open House: Saturday 12:30-2

$575,000 – 478 Main St., 9 room, 4 bed, 2 bath colonial, Open Houses: Saturday 2:30-4 Sunday 11-1

$575,000 – 478-480 Main St.

Business

New Watertown Bath & Kitchen Showroom Features Products from Around the World

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The latest addition to Pleasant Street features any kind of bathroom and kitchen fixture you can imagine, with opportunities to try some of them out for yourself. Designer Bath opened its second showroom in Watertown, and hosted a grand opening on Oct. 21. The showroom features products from around the United States and across the globe, said President Jason Sevinor. The showroom is split into different areas, with kitchen sinks in one area, shower heads in another and bathroom sinks and toilets in their own locales.

Schools

Find Out How to Give Input on the Watertown High School Mascot

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The final four options for the Watertown High School mascot – or logo – that will go with the Raiders nickname were presented to the School Committee this week, and they seek input from the public about the finalists. The School Committee has set up an online survey for the community to give its input about the four images. The finalists are: a knight riding a horse into battle, a knight’s helmet with “Raiders” on the grill, a shield with a “W” on it, and a knight standing behind a shield. Take the WHS Mascot Survey by clicking here. Students at the high school will be surveyed by the School Committee High School Representatives.

Police/Fire

Two Men Arrested for Dealing Drugs During the Daytime on Arsenal Street

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A Boston man and a New Jersey man face drug dealing charges after being arrested by police following an investigation by drug investigators from Middlesex County and Boston. On the afternoon of Oct. 21 members of the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force – which includes an officer from Watertown – working with the Boston Police Drug Control Unit were watching two individuals in the parking lot of Target on Arsenal Street, near Friendly’s, said Watertown Police Sgt. Thomas Grady. “The officers observed behavior consistent with drug dealing,” Grady said.

Elections

Watch the Town Council, School Committee Candidate Forums On-Line

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If you missed the Candidate Forums featuring the people running for office in the 2017 Watertown Election, you can watch them online. 

Watertown Cable Access has the Town Council and School Committee forums available to watch on-demand on its website. Follow these links to watch the forums that were co-sponsored by Watertown News and Watertown Cable Access. Town Council Forum: http://watertown.vod.castus.tv/vod/?video=bb39e1d2-165f-4f19-bd5e-f631bc649714&nav=programs/Special%20Programming

School Committee Forum: http://watertown.vod.castus.tv/vod/?video=3fd82af1-1d30-470d-9148-cf5b3013b643&nav=recent

Food

The Last Watertown Farmers’ Market of the Year Coming Thursday

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As the end of October approaches, so does the end of the season for the Watertown Farmers’ Market and there are some special events this week. 

The final market of the year will be held from 2-6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26 on the green outside Panera Bread in the Arsenal on the Charles. Organizers of the Farmers’ Market sent out the following message:

Thank you all for coming to market this year — What a wonderful season. Please join us this week for the last market packed with activities including face painting, raffles, and delicious, local food! Come celebrate the end of the season with us, stock up for the next several weeks, and thank the vendors who make it all happen.

Schools

Start Time for Watertown High School Moving Later Starting Fall of 2018

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Watertown High School will start 35 minutes later starting in the fall of 2018 after the School Committee voted to approve the school start time change on Monday night. 
Both the high school and Watertown Middle School will start at 8:30 a.m., while Cunniff, Hosmer and Lowell elementary schools will start at 8:15 a.m.

Research shows benefit of moving the start of school later is that high school students will be more ready to learn because it is more inline with adolescents’ biological clocks, said School Committee Chairman John Portz. “In the education world often times with research you have conflicting opinions. This is an issue where there is very little conflict,” Portz said. The change was made after more than two years of discussion and research by Watertown School officials. After an initial study by the School Start Time Task Force, the same group was asked to come up with recommendations for how to implement a time change and how it would impact other schools in town.

Schools

Asbestos Found in Walls of Watertown High School, Effort to Remove it Underway

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An inspection of Watertown High School discovered that the plaster on the walls contain asbestos, Superintendent Dede Galdston announced Monday, and the district has started determining the best way to deal with the hazardous material. 

The inspection was conducted by a firm hired by the Watertown Public Schools as part of complying with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). Galdston sent a letter about the asbestos to Watertown High School parents, and read it at Monday’s School Committee meeting. “During these inspections it was determined that the skim coat plaster at the high school contains some amount of asbestos,” Galdston said. “While previous reports did not identify asbestos in the plaster, more recent sampling and analytical methods have improved such that the levels of asbestos in plaster can now be detected.” All the plaster in the school is being examined to determine the extent of the asbestos, Galdston told the School Committee.