Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/author/guest-writer/page/397/)
Cartoon by James Demarco
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.”
The Watertown Educators Association supports the School Committee and Superintendent Deanne Galdston in their decision to begin the school year with a robust remote learning plan and a strategic return to in-person learning using sensible health and safety protocols. Educators are dismayed by Commissioner Jeff Riley and Governor Charlie Baker’s threatening directive to recklessly force students and educators back into school buildings. How the school year unfolds is a local decision arrived at democratically, and stakeholders in the community have made clear that beginning with remote learning is the best way to meet the needs of students while preventing the spread of COVID-19 to our students, our school staff, and the community. https://www.watertownmanews.com/2020/09/22/watertown-among-districts-encouraged-by-state-to-return-to-in-person-learning/
Educators want nothing more than to be back in classrooms with their students. However, the risk of COVID-19 makes that impossible, and is particularly concerning in Watertown where school buildings present health and safety issues to address before a physical return makes sense.
The following information was provided by Watertown Cable:
Watertown residents of all ages are invited to sign up for Watertown Cable Access Corporations remote workshops, which will take place during the months of October, November, and December. These workshops will be available in two formats: Live webinar and Q&A. For the live webinar format, a WCA-TV instructor will teach a two hour workshop via Zoom. The deadline to sign up for these workshops is the Friday prior to the scheduled Zoom webinar. For the Q&A format, attendees will be sent an instructional video to watch in preparation for a one hour Q&A session via Zoom that will take place at a later date.
Watertown Recreation’s adult tennis and pickleball programs begin this week, and there is still space available. The Recreation Department provided the following descriptions:
Tennis
The fall tennis program participants will have the opportunity to sharpen many tennis skills including forehand, backhand, serving, and scoring. Players will also have the opportunity to compete in singles match play. All participants are encouraged to bring their own tennis racquet. For those without equipment, racquets will be provided.
The following information was provided by MassDOT:
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing an upcoming virtual Public Information Meeting for MassDOT’s Statewide Exit Renumbering Project on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This project is converting all existing exit numbers on freeways to a milepost-based numbering system, per Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requirements. The public meeting will cover information about the project, the construction schedule, and the project team will be there to answer questions. The meeting link is available through registration at this site. Construction is scheduled to begin on this project in mid-October of this year and is anticipated to end in the Summer of 2021.
(PAID POST)
Watertown’s Eastern Clothing will be holding its biggest sale of the year on the weekend of Sept. 25-27, with discounts of up to 50 percent. Get deals on suits, sports coats, business casual wear and accessories during the end of summer sale. Book an appointment by calling 617-924-8240, sending an email to john.m@easternclothing.com, or just stop by the store at 76 Coolidge Hill Road, Watertown (off Arlington Street). As an added bonus, if you show you receipt from an Eastern Clothing purchase at three local restaurants, you can receive a special discount, said co-owner John M. Airasian.
The Department of Public Works will start stormwater catch basin cleaning during the week of Sept. 21. The following information was provided by the Department of Public Works:
Beginning the week of September 21, 2020, the Town will be cleaning stormwater catch basins throughout Town, utilizing a contractor, BMC Corp. There are about 3,200 catch basins in Town and it will take about a month to clean them all. Catch basins carry stormwater off the streets and into the Town’s drainage system, which ultimately flows to the Charles River.
Cartoon by James Demarco
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.”