Government

OP-ED: State Budget Includes Money for High School Project, Special Education & Roads

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

The following piece was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger, whose district includes Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston. Monday, the House and Senate finalized the Fiscal 2024 Budget. I’m including some highlights of the items that were important advocacy priorities for me. I’m also sharing the Senate President’s Press Release on the agreement for a broader overview. Overall, I am very pleased with this year’s budget and I feel that it reflects many of my stated priorities.

Around Town

Watertown Health Department Holding Household Sharps Collection

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Watertown residents can dispose of needles, syringes, and lancets during the Watertown Health Department’s household sharps collection on Saturday Aug. 5. The Health Department provided the following information:

Syringes may be discarded by bringing them to the Household Sharps Collection days. Follow these tips (PDF) while handling syringes. Sharps Collection Registration Form (PDF)

Household sharps collection days:

April 1, August 5, and December 2, 20239 a.m. to NoonCity Hall, 149 Main St.Parking lot rear of the building

Watertown Residents can bring the following items on collection days:

Used needles, syringes and lancets that are stored in sturdy puncture-proof containers

Unused capped needles, syringes and lancets in original packaging

Unused EpiPens in original packaging.

Entertainment

Multiple Family Events at Coming Up at Gore Place

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Gore Place has plenty going on in August, including several events aimed at families — even parents with infants. The following information came from Gore Place:

Tot Time

Tuesdays, August 1, 15, and 29

Tot Time is now every other Tuesday! Come and play at the Nature Playscape and explore age-appropriate art, science, engineering, and nature play projects with our educator. Activities are open-ended and allow children to do as little or as much as they like. Each session has different activities as well as some returning favorites.

Around Town

Marshall Home Fund Awards $75,000 in Grants to Groups Serving Watertown’s Older Adults

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2023 Marshall Home Fund Grant recipients at the Grant Award Ceremony on May 18, 2023. The following announcement was provided by the Marshall Home Fund:

The Board of Directors of the Marshall Home Fund (MHF) is very pleased to announce the recipients of its latest round of program grant awards. This spring, the Board of Directors granted $75,000 to local organizations for programs that will benefit residents of Watertown who are aged 55 and older. Last year the MHF reached the noteworthy milestone of having awarded a total of $1 million over a 17-year period for the benefit of older adults in Watertown. The mission of the Fund continues this year through the important work of the following 2023 grant recipients:

Carroll Center for the Blind: Services for Seniors with Low Vision or Blindness provides evaluation, recommendations, and training on independent living to older adults with vision loss in Watertown.

Around Town

Watertown Singer Performing at 25th Annual Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism Concert

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The following announcement was provided by the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism:

The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation For Autism, a leading non-profit in the autism community, is excited to host leading artists in the autism community at the “STARS of the Spectrum” Concert on August 24th. Rock out to incredible performances by Autism Advocates from the Flutie Foundation including America’s Got Talent winner Kodi Lee; rapper C-Quig; vocalist Cierra June; songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jake Velazquez and his sister and aspiring actress, dancer, and singer, Sky Velazquez; singer Adin Boyer from American Idol Season 21; Big Brother alumni Britini D’Angelo; singer-songwriter Gabrielle Swi; Flutie Foundation’s virtual choir Spectrum of Sound – including member Noah Ferraresso of Watertown; neuro-diverse theater company Epic Players; and inclusive choir group SSC Community Voices

This inclusive one-of-a-kind concert invites guests to come together to honor the Flutie Foundation’s continued mission of helping people and families affected by autism live life to the fullest, and all families affected by autism will receive free entry to the event. Ring in this milestone anniversary and celebrate the Flutie Foundation’s collective impact in the autism community at the largest concert in the nation by autism for autism. The Flutie Foundation’s 25th Anniversary “STARS of the Spectrum” Concert will be held at Fenway Park on August 24th from 6:00PM-10:30PM. For more information or for tickets, please visit https://givebutter.com/c/FlutieStarsConcert.

Around Town

Man Honored for Work with People with Disabilities in Watertown

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Said Barko

The following announcement was provided by MAB Community Services:

MAB Community Services, a leading social service agency supporting over 1,500 individuals with visual impairment, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and acquired brain injuries across Massachusetts, has honored Peabody resident Said Barko as a recipient of the 2023 Maxo Joseph Excellence in Direct Care Awards. All honorees were formally recognized at a ceremony and luncheon at MAB’s headquarters in Brookline on Thursday, July 13. Established in 2021, these awards honor direct care staff in MAB’s Adult Disability Services division who go above and beyond in their commitment to the participants they support. Their dedication reflects the legacy of Maxo Joseph, an exceptional caregiver and colleague who passed away in 2020. Totaling $50,000 annually, the Maxo Joseph Awards provide individual recipients with awards ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. 

Said is recognized for his extraordinary kindness and devotion in caring for participants as a residential counselor at MAB’s group home in Watertown.

Around Town

Our History: The Falls and Dam at Watertown

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The dam in Watertown Square (Photo courtesy of Marilynne Roach)

The following story is part of a series on local history provided by the Historical Society of Watertown. It was written by Historical Society President Marilynne Roach for the January 2018 Historical Society newsletter, “The Town Crier.” Marilynne is also on the board of the Watertown Historical Commission. After Watertown’s early settlers dammed the Charles River to power a grist mill in 1634, more mills followed over the centuries and another dam replaced the first in 1814. This one, according to the Charles River Watershed Association (i.e. CRWA), included a fishway to help the migrating shad and alewives reach their upstream spawning grounds. The present dam dates from 1955 (after Hurricane Diane damaged the older structure) and the present fish ladder from 1972.

Entertainment

See What Small Saves is Up to in This Week’s Cartoon

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”