Around Town

Watertown Preschool Embraces Imagination, Nature

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Tucked away in the bustle of Watertown Square sits a place where young children can play, learn and grow. The Russell Cooperative Preschool opened in 1975 and since the early 2000s it has made its home in the basement of the First Parish of Watertown. The preschool is big on parent participation, nature and it encourages children to be creative and use their imaginations, said Director Sara Andrikidis. The cooperative part of the school includes having parents help out at the school regularly. “One parent a day comes in to help with daily tasks, such as snacks, setting up, clean up and getting beds ready for rest time,” Andrikidis said.

Elections

LETTER: Watertown Resident Helped Question 1 Succeed

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To the Editor,

On November 4th the voters of Massachusetts said no to “Taxation Without Representation” by voting Yes on Question 1. We repealed the legislation that raised the gasoline tax atomically every year without any further debate or vote of the legislature. In so doing the Commonwealth’s voters restored representative democracy, in it’s birthplace and cradle. The vast majority of credit for this effort belongs to Watertown’s own Steve Aylward. He conceived this ballot initiative.

Sports

Field Hockey Heads to Section Final; Football at Home Friday

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The Watertown field hockey team continued its march toward a sixth straight state title Wednesday night. The Raiders (20-0) rolled over Tewkesbury with six first half goals, including a hattrick from sophomore Kourtney Kennedy. Watertown heads to the North Section Div. 2 final on Sunday at North Andover High School. Football

The season continues for the Watertown football team despite last week’s loss to Swampscott in the first round of the state playoffs.

Schools

Superintendent Receives New Contract and Big Raise

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Watertown Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald will be around for some time, and will receive a raised of more than $20,000 after the School Committee approved her new contract. At Wednesday night’s School Committee meeting the board approved a five-year contract with a salary of $180,000 in the first year, which starts on July 1, 2015. “I am honored to be superintendent in Watertown,” Fitzgerald said. “I promise to do my best for the students in the school district for the next five years.”
School Committee Chairwoman Eileen Hsu-Balzer said the contract is typical for school districts in the region. “The salary range in this general geographic area, according to figures we have from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, averages $187,568,” Hsu-Balzer said.

Around Town

Watertown Woman Spearheads Effort to Raise Money for Homeless Veterans

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Rather than have a birthday celebration for her 85th birthday, real estate agency owner and Watertown resident Sonia Boyajian decided to raise money to help homeless veterans. Boyajian, who owns Real Estate 109 on the Belmont/Watertown line, asked the owner of Not Your Average Joe’s restaurants, Stephen Silverstein, about doing a month-long fundraiser. “I just couldn’t accept that some of our veterans, who’d served our country, were without places to live,” Boyajian said. Silverstein agreed to have the fundraiser at all 16 for the New England Center for Homeless Veterans of his restaurants and in addition offered to host a ticketed event in the Watertown NYAJs at the end of October to help launch Veterans Month in November. The sold-out fundraiser, held on Oct.

Around Town

Newly Renovated Watertown Park Ready for Fun and Games

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The park behind the new Watertown Police Station has reopened after a renovation and now features a gazebo, a multi-use court and a new tot lot. 

The process to renovate the park, known as 552 Main Street Park, began in 2010, and construction started in March, said Recreation Director Peter Centola. “It seems like a good balance of aesthetically pleasing yet a functional and fun place,” Centola said. The park was built with the help of a $200,000 grant received by the Recreation Department. Children can climb and slide on the new tot lot, and older children can enjoy the multi-purpose court that has basketball hoops and can also be used for activities. The gazebo and other areas will provide places for people to relax.

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Busted When Police Find Drugs During Search

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Watertown Police were called to Waltham Street to check on the welfare of a man, and when they located them they also found something incriminating on him. Police received a call from a concerned family member on Oct. 27 at 8:17 p.m. When officers went to the man’s home, they were told he was out, said Watertown Police Lt. Michael Lawn. Around 10:36 p.m., police found the man on Waltham Street near Falmouth Road. “Officers pat frisked him and located a baggie with a white substance believed to be cocaine,” Lawn said.

Elections

See How Watertown Voted in Tuesday’s Election

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Watertown backed Martha Coakley for governor opposed adding new bottle deposits and opposed separating the gas tax from inflation in an election that saw more than half the voters turn out. The voter turnout in Watertown was 52.31 percent – with 11,698 ballots cast. That was close to the number in the last governor’s election in 2010 when 12,019 people voted. The presidential election in 2012 had 16,200 voters. Town Clerk John Flynn said the turnout was healthy.