Government

Plans to Improve Watertown Square Intersection to be Discussed at Meeting

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The Town will be making improvements to Watertown Square which may include major changes to the intersection. A meeting will be held for members of the public to get more information and to give their input. The meeting of the Town Council’s Public Works subcommittee will be held on Monday, Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers in Town Hall. The Town sent out the following announcement:
The Town of Watertown is redesigning Watertown Square to improve traffic operations and safety.

Real Estate

A Fall Weekend Full of Open Houses Around Watertown

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Watertown home buyers have dozens of open houses to check out this weekend. $548,500 – 3 Repton Place Unit 3108, 6 room, 2 bed, 2 bath mid-rise, Open Houses: Saturday 11-1 Sunday 11-1

$399,900 – 83 Bradford Road Unit 1, 5 room, 2 bed, 1 bath 2/3 family, Open House: Saturday 12-1:30

$639,900 – 24 Stuart St., 10 room, 4 bed, 2 bath colonial, Open House: Saturday 12-1:30

$629,000 – 332 School St. Unit 332, 8 room, 4 bed, 1 bath detached, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

$749,000 – 31 Lawrence St., 2 unit, 14 total room, 6 total bedroom 2 family, Open Houses: Saturday 2:30-4 Sunday 2:30-4

$1,215,000 – 46 Russell Ave., 9 room, 5 bed, 3.5 bath colonial revival, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

$1,799,000 – 11 Nichols Ave. 4 unit, 17 total room, 9 total bedroom 4 family, Open House: Saturday 1-2

$245,000 – 32 Whites Ave. Unit D35, 3 room, 1 bed, 1 bath high-rise, Open Houses: Saturday 12:30-2 Sunday 12:30-1

$499,500 – 72 Forest St.

Business

Athenahealth Lays Off 100s of Workers, Closes Satellite Offices

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Watertown’s biggest employer and owner of the Arsenal on the Charles complex had big layoffs Thursday and closed offices in other locations. The Boston Business Journal reported that the company laid off 400 people, including some at the Watertown headquarters, and closed offices in San Francisco and Princeton, N.J. The Boston Globe put the layoffs at 500, or 9 percent of the overall workforce. Athenahealth had about 2,300 employees in Watertown. “We do not take the decision to reduce our workforce lightly, but these are necessary changes to enable athenahealth to succeed over the long-term,” the company said in a statement. The job cuts come at the same time that Athenahealth has teamed with the town and the state on a multi-million dollar project based on adding jobs at its Watertown headquarters.

Government

See Which Streets in Watertown Will be Repaved in 2018

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The list of streets that will be repaved in 2018 was revealed by the Public Works Department on Wednesday night, with several making the list, but others not making it this year. The town bonds $2.5 million a year to pay for street and sidewalk repair. Watertown also receives Chapter 90 money from the state and uses some funds from the water and sewer enterprise funds when the project has expenses related to water and sewer work. The condition of the road is an important component when making the decision for which roads to repave each year, said Town Engineer Matt Shuman, but that is not the only factor. DPW officials also go around town and observe conditions of the roads and sidewalks, and they listen to input from the public.

Elections

Watertown Homeowners Group Hosting Meet the Candidates Forum

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Come meet the candidates in the Watertown Election at an event hosted by the Concerned Watertown Homeowners Association. The “Meet The Candidates” evening will be on Thursday, Nov. 2 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Watertown Public Library’s Watertown Savings Bank Room. The evening will be an interactive, town hall-type event with questions from the Concerned Watertown Homeowners Association (CWHA) group as well as the audience. “We think the community will benefit greatly from having all the candidates in one room, and perhaps some voters more interested in the School Committee race will learn about an At-Large candidate, and vice versa,” said John Labadini, president of the CWHA.

Government

Board of Health Considering Tougher Tobacco Regulations in Watertown

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The Watertown Board of Health will consider strengthening restrictions on purchasing tobacco products in Watertown. The Watertown Board of Health sent out the following statement:

In the interest of enhancing the public health protection of Watertown’s youth and adult community, the Watertown Board of Health is proposing additional restrictions on the availability of tobacco products in Watertown. The Board invites all to offer comment on the proposed changes at a Public Hearing on November 15, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Town Administration Building located at 149 Main Street in Watertown. Proposed changes to the existing regulations include a ban on blunt wraps,
implementation of minimum pricing on single cigars, establishment of a 500 foot buffer around all schools on new Tobacco Sales Permits, and a cap on the number of Tobacco Permits that will be issued in Watertown. D.J. Wilson, Tobacco Control Director and Public Health Liaison for the Massachusetts Municipal Association, stated that “The proposed additions to the current Watertown ‘Regulation Regarding Smoking and the Sale and Use of Tobacco Products’ provide additional strategies to keep youth from starting to use tobacco products and to prompt current tobacco users to quit.

Government

New Council Subcommittee Will Discuss Lights at Victory Field, Other Places

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How the lights are used at Victory Field and other fields around town will discussed by a newly created Town Council Subcommittee. 

At last week’s Town Council Meeting, Council President Mark Sideris announced that he would be creating the Ad Hoc Committee on Policy and Procedures for Lights, and it would go beyond Victory Field. “I attended most of the Victory Field Phase 2 Committee meetings and at most meetings I’ve attended the lights on Phase 1 were brought up as a problem,” Sideris said, adding that he has also heard from neighborhoods near other fields in town with lights. Some residents spoke about the lights at the Council Meeting, too. Dick O’Connor, who lives near Victory Field, said that the lights have been an issue since the new ones were installed. They went up during Phase 1 of the renovation of Victory Field, during which  artificial turf was installed at the football and baseball fields.