Around Town

Watertown Named One of Top Places to Live in New England

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Watertown wound up near the top of the best places to live in New England list made by Movoto.com. Coming in at third in the Top 10 Best Places in New England, the list noted Watertown’s historic and cultural amenities and low crime and unemployment rates. The food offerings at restaurants and markets in town were also pluses in the town’s favor. The criteria examined were amenities, quality of life, crime, tax rate, unemployment, commute time and weather. See the entire list by clicking here.

Government

LETTER: Resident Opposes Victory Field Phase II Project

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To the Editor:

On Thursday, September 11th the Watertown Recreation Department hosted the first of two required public meetings regarding Phase II of the Victory Field renovation project. Roughly 100+ project stakeholders attended the presentation, including our Town Manager, local elected officials, high school varsity coaches, Victory Field abutters, and residents from throughout the community. After hearing presentations from the Recreation Department and project consultants, attendees were invited to speak and ask questions to gain a better understanding of the draft proposal. A majority of attendees shared their concerns with the project team; most referencing the economic, environmental, and health impacts related to the proposed synthetic turf that would replace existing natural grass within the track. Several attendees did speak in favor of the proposal, citing the increasing demand for appropriate practice times by Watertown High School athletic teams.

During the forum, Recreation Department Director Peter Centola confirmed to me that the fundraising efforts of Phase I have concluded with only 20% (roughly $300,000 on a $1.5M target) being raised. The project, we were informed, is now being paid entirely for by monies borrowed by the town due to the fact that, according to Centola, “the fundraising goal was too ambitious”.

Real Estate

Home Sales for the Week in Watertown

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A couple of homes sold in Watertown this week. See the details here. $590,000 – 126 Winsor Avenue, 2 unit, 10 total room, 4 total bedroom, 2 Family home

$335,000 – 107 Lexington St. Unit 2, 5 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, 2 Family condo

Police/Fire

Police Log: Man Argues with Officer, Woman Steals Cellphone

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

Sept. 3, 5:41 p.m.: An officer pulled over a driver who ran a stop sign on Patten Street. When the officer asked for the man’s license and registration the driver became agitated, and began yelling and waving his arms. As the officer turned to go back to his cruiser the driver threatened the officer and swore at him. The man would not calm down after being asked to do so.

Around Town

Residents Sound Off on Victory Field at Boisterous Meeting

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Well over 100 people made their voices heard during a volatile meeting about the proposal to renovate the track area of Victory Field. Many opposed the project, but the project had its strong supporters, too. The Phase II project calls for adding more parking, installing a multi-use court that can be used for hockey and installing a new track. The items that seem to cause the most controversy include replacing the grass inside the track with artificial turf and the addition of lights around the track (See more details on the Recreation Department’s proposal here). Glenn Howard, project architect with CDM, said the artificial turf would allow the field to be used earlier in the fall and earlier in the spring as well as later at night.

Schools

School Officials Have Plan to Avoid Financial Problems This Year

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Last school year, the Watertown Public Schools had to freeze spending when they had a major mid-year deficit, but they ended up with a large surplus. The Fiscal 2014 budget looked like it could be a major problem for Watertown school officials, who froze spending in January when the school budget ran $926,000 in the red, said Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald. The district turned it around, but officials still appeared to have a major problem in June when they though they needed to make up a shortfall in the special education budget of about $640,000. It turns out the money was not needed. At Monday’s School Committee meeting, Watertown Director of Business Services Charles Kellner said the district ended the year with a $770,00 surplus.

Schools

Watertown Football Ready to Kickoff its Season, More WHS Sports

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The Raiders kick off the 2014 football season Friday night at Victory Field. Watertown hosts Medway at 7 p.m. on Sept. 12 in Watertown. The team lost some talented seniors to graduation, but Coach John Cacace told the Watertown Tab that this year’s team will try their hardest to get a sixth straight winning season. (Read the Tab’s season preview by clicking here).