Around Town

Senior Center This Week: Bridge Returns, Boston Harbor Zoom Presentation & More

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Town of WatertownWatertown Senior Center

The Watertown Senior Center provided the following information:

Programs for Week of July 19, 2021

Changes to Our Programs

As we slowly return to in-person activities at the Council on Aging/Senior Center (COA), some July programs continue to be offered on Zoom and some are now offered at the COA in the afternoons including Knitting, Whist, Chair Volleyball, Bridge, Rummikub, and Canasta. Please review the newsletter for details, and call to register your spot: (617) 972-6490. New participants are always welcome in every program. We hope you’ll join us! Greetings! Many Watertown Senior Center Programs via Zoom. Call (617) 972-6490 for details.

Around Town

Mosquito With West Nile Virus Found in Watertown, See Tips for Avoid Bites

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The Watertown Department of Health sent out the following announcement:

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) announced today that West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in mosquitoes collected from Watertown, Massachusetts. WNV is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. The mosquitoes that carry this virus are common throughout the state and are found in urban as well as more rural areas. While WNV can infect people of all ages, people over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe infection. By taking a few, common sense precautions, people can help to protect themselves and their loved ones:

Avoid Mosquito Bites

• Apply Insect Repellent when you go outdoors.

Arsenal Yards

California-Based Super Food Eatery Opening Cafe in Watertown

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Vitality BowlsVitality Bowls will be coming to Arsenal Yards in Watertown. Vitality Bowls provided the following announcement:

Vitality Bowls, the leading health-food restaurant concept which specializes in açaí bowls and smoothies, has signed a lease with local entrepreneur Tim Johnson to open two new superfood cafés in Watertown and Cambridge. Johnson is planning for a 2021 opening at 425 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge and 113 Bond Street in Watertown’s Arsenal Yards. The health-focused fast casual restaurant will grant local residents, professionals and visitors access to an assortment of nutrient-dense foods not found elsewhere. “I’m thrilled to open my cafés in Central Square in Cambridge and at Arsenal Yards in Watertown, and to bring healthy and delicious food options to the community,” said Johnson, a seasoned professional with a wealth of sales and operations experience.

Around Town

Applicants Wanted for Watertown’s New Public Arts & Culture Committee

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Watertown Town Hall

The Town of Watertown provided the following announcement:

Town Manager Michael J. Driscoll is seeking eight (8) Watertown citizens interested in servingon the Public Arts and Culture Committee. The Town of Watertown has established a Public Arts Master Plan that was created through the efforts of a steering committee that included a number of representatives of stakeholder organizations in the community that deal with arts and culture, as well as Town departments and the Town’s consultant, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The Honorable Town Council adopted the Watertown Public Arts Master Plan at its meeting on February 23, 2021. The Watertown Public Arts Master Plan includes a number of implementation strategies, including Implementation Item 1A, a recommendation for the creation of an appointed Public Arts and Culture Committee (PACC) that acts as a permanent, standing advisory body to the Town of Watertown, to make recommendations over two core program areas:

1) Art in Public Places: Permanent, semi-permanent, temporary, and ephemeral artworks and activations that create a vibrant, welcoming, inclusive, and connected public realm. This may include semi-permanent projects as well as temporary artworks and installations funded through a variety of funding sources.

Around Town

It’s Hurricane Preparedness Week, See Tips from Mass. Emergency Officials

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NOAAA satellite image of the 2014’s Hurricane Arthur. The Town of Watertown provided the following announcement:

Tropical Storm Elsa was a reminder that Massachusetts is at risk for tropical storm and hurricane impacts. It was even more timely because this week, July 11-17, 2021, has been proclaimed Hurricane Preparedness Week by Governor Baker. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) reminds all residents to prepare themselves, their families, and their homes for tropical storms and hurricanes. 

Hurricane season runs from June1st through November 30th each year. Download this Hurricane Preparedness Tips flyer

Schools

Watertown Student Makes UMaine’s Spring 2021 Dean’s List

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The University of Maine provided the following announcement:

The University of Maine recognized 3,670 students for achieving Dean’s List honors in the spring 2021 semester. Of the students who made the Dean’s List, 2,392 are from Maine, 1,195 are from 39 other states and 83 are from 35 countries other than the U.S.

Due to the unusual and challenging circumstances faced this semester amid the global pandemic, the university has modified its Dean’s List policy for the spring 2021 term. The requirement that students earn 12 calculable credits to be eligible for Dean’s List has been waived. Instead, students will be eligible if they earned a minimum of nine letter-graded (A–F on the transcript) credits for full-time students in addition to the criteria in the catalog. For part-time students to be eligible, they must have earned at least six letter-graded credits across the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters, in addition to the criteria in the catalog for Part-time Dean’s List.

Homepage Featured

Former MassBay Student from Watertown Graduates from Northeastern, Pursuing Engineering PhD

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Watertown High and MassBay Community College alum Juan Mesa recently graduated from Northeastern. He is heading to Carnegie Mellon to get his Ph.D.

MassBay Community College provided the following piece:

Juan Mesa, a native of Colombia, was five years old when he moved with his family to Boston and then settled in Watertown, in 2005. After Juan graduated from Watertown High School in 2013, he enrolled in the automotive technology program at MassBay Community College to turn his passion for cars into a career. “I didn’t do that well in high school because, to be honest, I was headed down the wrong path,” said Juan. At MassBay, Juan turned things around and began focusing on his studies and planning his career path. He enjoyed his BMW classes and earned his Associate in Science degree in Automotive Technology in 2015.

Charter Review

Join the Charter Chat on the Final Stages of the Watertown Charter Review

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The Town of Watertown is reviewing and proposing changes to the Town Charter, which spells out how the municipal government works, and the process is nearing its end. A group of residents will host a virtual Charter Chat on Sunday, July 11. Watertown Forward has organized discussions of the Charter Review during the course of the process. This week’s chat will be on Sunday from 7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Watertown Forward sent out the following information about the Charter Chat:

The next Sunday WF Charter Chat will focus on what’s next in the process and on how to continue improving communications and public engagement. Specifically, this Charter Chat will:

• Bring folks up-to-date on the results of the CRC’s work (what is being proposed and what is deferred for action by ordinance or other means) and what comes next (review by the Town Council and approval by voters in November);

• Hear from Chris McClure, Tony Palomba and possibly other guests on ideas about how to keep residents well-informed about the proposed Charter changes, the Town Council’s vote and the November ballot.  There will be time for questions and discussion about transparency and communication in general. 

See how to join the Charter Chat by clicking here.