Environment

Council Disbands Watertown Recycling Committee

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After 22 years, Watertown’s Recycling Advisory Committee has been dissolved. 

The decision to end the committee was made by the Town Council last week after the Public Works subcommittee recommended the move. The Recycling Committee and officials in the Watertown Department of Public Works have disagreed about the goal of the committee since Watertown went to a single-stream recycling program, according to Councilor Cecilia Lenk, chair of the Public Works subcommittee. Councilor Aaron Dushku worried about what will happen when issues around recycling arise. “I think we need a place where recycling issues will be discussed in town,” Dushku said. “We need some way to convene residents who want to discuss recycling issues.”

Elections

State Rep. Jonathan Hecht Named Environmental Champion

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Watertown State Rep. Jonathan

Watertown State Rep. Jonathan Hecht received recognition for his work on environmental issues from two groups. Hecht was named an “Environmental Champion” by the Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund and the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters (MLEV) and endorsed for re-election for his seat in the 29th Middlesex District. “Our organizations are united in support of the extraordinary commitment to environmental protection made by Jonathan Hecht,” said Chuck Anastas, MLEV board Chairman. “We need his 21st century leadership in the state legislature.”

George Bachrach, president of the ELM Action Fund, said Hecht understands the importance of clean energy technology. “Representative Hecht understands the connection between the environment and the economy,” Bachrach said.

Sports

Watertown Youth Softball Players Get Some Special Visitors

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Watertown Youth Softball players recently got some advice from an experienced softball players. Brook Capello and the Newbury College Nighthawks Softball Team put on a free clinic for the Watertown Youth. See the account from Watertown Youth Softball below:
It is a rarity in today’s world when a group of people can find time from their busy work loads to give back to the community. But that is exactly what Brook Capello and the Newbury College Softball team did this past weekend at the Hosmer Field. These young ladies took time out of their busy college careers and traveled to our town to help support our young and growing program.

Around Town

Possible Flooding in Watertown Wednesday Night

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Look for a long rain storm to hit Watertown on Wednesday, with heavy rains in the evening. The National Weather Service has issues a Flood Watch for the Watertown area and most of Eastern Massachusetts on Wednesday. Rain will start in the afternoon, and get heavy between 5 and 8 p.m. The area could get 1.5 to 2.5 inches and some places it could be as much as 4 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Precipitation will continue into Thursday morning.

Police/Fire

Woman Busted for OUI After Hitting Parked Cars

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A woman faces drunken driving charges after allegedly crashing into two parked cars. Watertown Police received a report of an auto accident on California Street on Oct. 18 at 1:55 a.m.

“Officers found a car facing the opposite direction and two parked cars with excessive damage,” said Watertown Police Lt. Michael Lawn. The car was heading westbound on California Street when it hit the two vehicles, Lawn said. Officers detected an odor of alcohol on the breath of the driver, identified as Corinne Tess Cartwright, 23, of Watertown.

Government

Council Wants to Discuss How to Handle Future Park Projects

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With the recent controversy over how the Victory Field Phase 2 renovation was handled, a Town Council subcommittee will discuss whether a new policy should be developed for handling park projects. Last week, the Council voted to create an ad hoc committee to oversee the design of the renovations of the track and tennis court area at Victory Field. Councilor Aaron Dushku said he wanted to consider having a policy for park rehabilitations and enhancements. Councilor Cecilia Lenk said she is not sure such oversight is needed for all projects. “I understand people are frustrated with what happened,” Lenk said.

Environment

Find Out How to Get a Tree from the Town for Your Property

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Watertown residents can have a tree planted in front of their home, or even on their property by the town – find out how! Watertown Tree Warden Chris Hayward is preparing for the fall 2014 tree planting season and he is looking for places to put new trees. He has nearly 30 species of all sizes to choose from, including variety of dogwood, cherry, maple and many more trees (see the list here). Hayward will put together a database of requests. “They can say these are the trees I want and I’ll come out and see if it works,” Hayward said.

Letters

LETTER: Resident and Dog Want Dog Park at Filippello Park

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To the Editor,

We are writing to support the choice of the Grove Street entrance to Filippello Park for the East End Dog Park, using the guidelines written by the Watertown Dog Park Task Force more than a year ago. We are grateful for the other off leash dog parks. There is a need for a somewhat larger one in this area with larger numbers of people potentially using it. 15,000 sq ft is an optimal size and possible in this space. It is accessible and part of a well-used neighborhood park and, most importantly, in the middle of a well-trafficked area.