Business

Watertown Company Applying for Approval for Treatment for Blindness

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Watertown-based company pSivida is working on a treatment for blindness and has applied for approval in Europe. 

The Boston Business Journal reports that pSivida has submitted an application for Durasert inthe European Union, and the company expects to submit an application to the FDA for approval in the United States later in 2017. The treatment combines a drug and a device that treats an inflammatory disease that can lead to vision loss or blindness. The device is injected and deliver the medicine for up to three years. The company is located in the Riverworks complex on Pleasant Street, in the former Aetna Mills building.

Around Town

Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance Starts Soon, See How to Get Your Free Bag

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On Saturday, July 1, 2017, Watertown’s Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance will take effect, meaning that single-use plastic bags will no longer be given out by stores. The group that originally proposed the new rules will provide free bags to residents and has spread the word about the new ordinance. The ordinance first came to the Town Council from the ReThink Plastic citizen’s group more than four years ago. The Council’s Rules & Ordinances subcommittee worked with members of ReThink Plastic to draft the ordinance that was ultimately approved by the Town Council in June 2016. “The Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance will help make Watertown a healthier place to live and will help reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the Charles River and in our trees and parks,” said ReThink Plastic member Eileen Ryan.

Arts

Local Band Opens Watertown Concert Series with Family Concert

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The first Watertown Summer Concert features an award winning band for children and adults. 

The Jamberries with Watertown-based musician Ethan Rossiterwill, play on Thursday, June 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Saltonstall Park (next to Town Hall), with a rain location of the Watertown Free Public Library. The concert is free and open to the public. The band is made up of four local dads and has won a Parent Choice Award Winner. They play toe-tapping, family fun music that blends funk, pop, rock, and a flavor of country. “Their shows are filled catchy songs, killer trombone lines, and of course, dancing kids and parents!,” according to the Jamberries website.

385 Pleasant Street

Loss of Trees, Traffic Impact of Pleasant Street Project Worry Residents

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Residents living near a proposed mixed use project on Pleasant Street were upset about the prospect of removing a long berm and the trees on top of it. Traffic and the position of the driveways also concerned residents at Monday night’s Community Meeting at the Watertown Police Station. The developers, Amstel Heritage Watertown LLC, want to turn what is now a parking lot and the former Fields Company building into townhouses, condos and commercial office space. The lot is long and thin – more than 1,000 feet long and as narrow as 55 feet – and the back of the site includes the berm where railroad tracks used to run. The project includes 58 units, including 3 studios, 5 one-bedrooms, 14 one-bedroom lofts and 36 two bedrooms. The housing includes 30 townhouses in three 3-story buildings on the east side, 14 units in the existing brick building and another 14 units in a five story building west of the brick building.

Missing Man

Body of Missing Watertown Man Discovered Off Deer Island

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The body of a missing 26-year-old Watertown has been located near Deer Island, Watertown Police announce Tuesday. 

Fisherman discovered the body on June 8 in the water near Deer Island, and State Environmental Police recovered the body. The Office of the State Medical Examiner positively identified the man as Nolan Gargas of Watertown, according to Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. The cause of death remains undetermined, O’Connor said. Gargas was reported missing on May 21, and his Toyota was found near the shore in Nahant. A $25,000 reward had been set up to find Gargas.

Interim Superintendent

Here Less Than a Year, Interim Superintendent Has Had a Profound Impact

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When John Brackett was appointed Watertown’s interim superintendent the town’s schools faces many issues – a leadership vacuum, schools needing modernizing and expanding and someone to oversee the finances. Last week, the School Committee said goodbye to Brackett, and lauded him for not just keeping the Watertown Public Schools in the same shape he found them but leaving them in a position to take the next step forward. Brackett was hired in late October 2016 following the sudden retirement of Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald in September and he will end his tenure on June 30, 2017. The Watertown Schools needed to hire not only a permanent superintendent but also a school business manager, prepare the district to renovate or rebuild all of its schools along with the business of running the schools each day. All of those have been accomplished or in the case of the school renovations, have made significant progress.

Around Town

New Rules for Commenting on Watertown News Stories

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Starting Monday, June 26, Watertown News will have new guidelines for commenting on stories on the site, with preference given to people signing their names to comments. Due to numerous complaints I have received from people in the community about people commenting anonymously or using a screen name, the rules for those who do not use their name will be different. I read comments before approving them to go on the site, but over the past year or so I feel some debates have gotten out of control. While I understand people may not want to use their own name, I also think it is not fair to allow people to make statements – especially directed at other commenters or people in the story – under the anonymity of a screen name. People will still be able to comment without their name, BUT, a person can only make one comment per story anonymously.