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.

Business

Watertown Bicycle Store Wins National Award

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The store that started as a small bicycle on Galen Street nearly 40 years ago has been named one of the top bicycle stores in the nation. 

Farina’s, located on Galen Street near Watertown Street, was named one of 2014 America’s Best Bike Shops by the National Bicycle Dealers Association. Stores across the nation can apply, and the criteria for the award include customer service, business practices, bicycle advocacy, employee training and community service, said Paula Farina Pollis, one of the co-owners along with her brothers Anthony and Michael. “We are thrilled to be ranked among the top stores,” Farina Pollis said. “This year less than 300 shops fell into this category out of more than 4,000 bicycle retailers.” The process is long, and included essay questions and having a secret shopper come into the store.

Sports

WHS Sports: Soccer, Field Hockey Win and Cross Country Preps for States

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The Raiders continued their tournament success this week with both the boy’s soccer and field hockey teams moving on. The boy’s soccer team defeated Wakefield on Monday evening with a game-winning goal by Roman Davis. He also had an assist on the first goal, according to the Boston Globe report. The past two years, Watertown (9-5-5) made it to the state semifinals (and made it to the state final two years ag0). The team faces a tough challenge in their next game when the Raiders take on the top seed in the North Section Div.

Business

Liquor License Debate Gets Murkier for Town Council

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Three Town Council subcommittees met last week to shore up the details of the town’s request to the State Legislature for more liquor licenses, but by the end of the meeting Councilors had not made a decision. At a previous meeting, the members of the Rules & Ordinances, Economic Development & Planning, and Public Safety subcommittees, discussed asking for 15 new licenses. Five would go to approved projects or existing locations. The other 10 would be divvied up among different areas of town. Last week, however, the group was not sure how to handle the forthcoming requests for liquor licenses from the Arsenal Project (formerly Arsenal Mall) for new restaurants.

Elections

LETTER: Residents Explain Why They Support Coakley for Governor

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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are supporting Martha Coakley for Governor on Tuesday, November 4. We hope you will too. Martha has been a dogged and courageous force for fairness and progressive values throughout her public service career in Massachusetts. She has consistently protected women’s access to reproductive health services and fought for equal pay for equal work.  She challenged the Defense of Marriage Act and won and she went after predatory lenders and kept over 30,000 families in their homes. However even beyond her clearly progressive record, there is another critical issue facing us now: the growing inequality of wealth in our Commonwealth and across America. How we deal with this now will impact us all, rich and poor, for many years to come. The growing gap between haves and have-nots is an urgent moral and political issue, but there is also a growing chorus of economists who contend that the accelerating hollowing-out of the middle class in America will have a severe negative impact on the long term health of our economy and our society. Policies that support the growing concentration of wealth actually weaken our economy.

Police/Fire

Police Log: String of Broken Car Windows and More

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

Oct. 20, 4:54 p.m.: An officer ran the registration of a Nissan Altima and found the owner had an outstanding warrant. The officer also discovered the driver had a suspended license. The 46-year-old Somerville woman was arrested on the warrant from Cambridge District Court for traffic offenses and a charge of driving with a suspended license.