Schools

Construction Underway at Temporary High School Site at Moxley Field

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Public Schools, and was part of the Superintendent’s Update:

Construction activity is picking up at Moxley Field, the temporary Watertown High School site beginning next school year. Crews are preparing the property for the installation of the modular buildings, which is expected to begin in January. The new modular high school will house the entire Watertown High School population while the new school building is under construction. Construction is taking place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Deliveries to the site will not be permitted during Middle School morning dropoff and afternoon pickup to minimize disruption in the neighborhood. You can watch the most recent community forum on the Moxley construction efforts here and view a detailed presentation on the project timeline below.

Entertainment

The Huntington’s Latest Play Features 3 Watertown Residents

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The latest production at The Huntington, The Art of Burning, features three Watertown residents: actor Adrianne Krstansky, who plays Patricia; actor Sarah Newhouse, understudying Patricia and Charlene; and fight director Ted Hewlett. See The Huntington’s announcement for the play below:

The Huntington announces the world premiere of The Art of Burning, a new play from acclaimed Boston playwright Kate Snodgrass and directed by Melia Bensussen, in association with Hartford Stage. The production runs from January 13 – February 12, 2023 at The Huntington’s Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA with digital access to the filmed performance available until February 26, 2023. Snodgrass’ new play marks her debut at The Huntington and follows modernist painter Patricia as she changes the terms of her divorce with husband Jason mid-negotiation. Meanwhile, their daughter Beth didn’t show up for school.

Government

Watertown’s First Deputy City Manager Has Experience in Medford, Somerville

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Emily Monea

The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

City Manager George J. Proakis is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Emily Monea as Watertown’s new Deputy City Manager. Ms. Monea has most recently served as Acting Chief of Staff to Mayor Luengo-Koehn for the City of Medford, supporting the Mayor in daily leadership and management of the City, focusing on HR modernization, recruiting, complex employee matters, and labor relations. Prior to that she was the Chief of Staff to Mayor Curtatone for the City of Somerville and later became the Transitional Director of the Mayorʼs Office of Innovation and Analytics (SomerStat) supporting the transition of Mayor Ballantyne into office. While serving as the chief administrative officer for a city employing over 1,000 employees and serving over 80,000 residents in four square miles, Ms. Monea managed day-to-day operations while leading medium- and long-term strategic planning and organizational change. Ms. Monea partnered with senior staff to effectuate the Mayor’s legislative and policy agenda; to develop accompanying strategies for City Council and community engagement; and to align financial, legal, HR, and operational strategies, including oversight of the City’s $270+ million operating budget.

Schools

Former Watertown Teacher Earns Statewide Award for Work in Weston Schools

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Phil Oates

Phil Oates, a former Watertown Middle School teacher and interim principal at Lowell School, received an honor from the Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association for his work as assistant principal at Weston Middle School. He lives in Watertown. The Weston Public Schools published the following announcement:

We are thrilled to announce that our own Mr. Phil Oates has won the MSAA Assistant Principal of the Year Award for 2023! Please join the entire WMS community in congratulating Phil on this amazing accomplishment. The Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association announced today that Mr. Philip Oates, Assistant Principal of Weston Middle School, has been selected as this year’s Assistant Principal of the Year. Phil has served at the Middle School for the past six years. Phil graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Sciences in Mathematics.

Around Town

Our History: A Look Back at the Flu Pandemic of 1918 in Watertown

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This is the first of a series of stories on Watertown history that originally appeared in the Historical Society of Watertown’s newsletter:

The following story was written by David J. Russo, for the January 2012 Historical Society newsletter, “The Town Crier”. At the time, David was the Historical Society Recording Secretary and Chair of the Watertown Historical Commission. Watertown’s Flu Pandemic of 1918

This fall we’ve been reminded to get our annual flu shot. Our public health officials advise that the minimal inconvenience and pain of the shot is far better than the malady itself. As one who has had both a flu shot and the flu, I would heartily agree.

Around Town

Small Saves Checks Out His Highlights in This Week’s Comics

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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.”

Around Town

Unity Breakfast Hosting Music, Art & Community Event Saturday

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Charlie BreitroseA closeup of the section of the Kingian Nonviolence Mural featuring Martin Luther King on the back of the Watertown Boys and Girls Club. The following announcement was sent out by the Watertown Unity Breakfast:

Get Ready for the MLK Breakfast with Art and Music! As the community prepares to celebrate Martin Luther King, Junior Day this year, the Unity Breakfast Planning Committee will host an afternoon of music and art at the Cunniff School on Saturday, January 7 from 4 to 6 pm. Watertown youth, family, and other residents are invited to enjoy music by the Cunniff Choir and Berklee musicians that celebrates the Black experience. In addition, participants can contribute to an art mural, and learn about the six principles of nonviolence.

Government

LETTER: City’s Planned Linkage Fee Concerns Regional Chamber

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The following letter was sent by the Charles River Regional Chamber to City Council President Mark Sideris and Planning Board Chair Jeffrey Brown:

Dear President Sideris and Chair Brown:

The Charles River Regional Chamber and the Watertown development community share the city’s commitment to creating and preserving affordable housing and applaud last year’s establishment of the Watertown Affordable Housing Trust. We also support the city’s goal of creating more affordable housing through linkage fees. However, we respectfully caution the city to be thoughtful about implementing the linkage program given the serious economic headwinds — including rising interest rates, material shortages, weakening demand for life science and office space, layoffs in the tech sector, a labor shortage in the building trades and a looming recession — before us. 

Watertown’s linkage fees will inevitably be competitive with fees in Cambridge and Boston. But we fear projects in Watertown will be at a competitive disadvantage to neighboring communities that don’t require linkage payments. We also worry about the impact the high cost of development might have on another one of our shared goals: The revitalization of Watertown Square.