Around Town

Portion of Bike Path Along Charles River Closed for Repairs

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The Department of Conservation and Recreation announced that the bike path between Arsenal Street and North Beacon Street will be closed for repairs beginning June 1. The work on the path, which runs along Greenough Boulevard in Watertown and Soldiers Field Road in Boston, is expected to be take two weeks. \The DCR sent out the following information:

DCR Recreational Advisory: Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path

WHAT: Starting on Monday, June 1, 2020, and continuing through Monday, June 15, 2020, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will implement a closure of the Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path in the City of Boston and the Town of Watertown between North Beacon Street and Arsenal Street from 8:00AM to 4:00PM to accommodate pathway reconstruction work. An alternative route is available along Greenough Boulevard in the Town of Watertown. Furthermore, pedestrian patterns will be clearly marked.

Around Town

Library Curbside Pick Ups Continue, New Phone Number

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The historic facade of the Watertown Free Public Library. The Watertown Library provided the following announcement:

Beginning Monday, June 1 the new phone number to place curbside pick up orders at the Watertown Free Public Library is 857-203-8009. 

Placing Orders

Calls can be made Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. A library employee will take orders for up to 5 items that are currently available in the library catalog. Anyone that does not have internet access may call for personal assistance with choosing materials. We are only accepting orders via phone at this time. Picking Up

Library materials are available for pickup on Mondays from 1-4, Wednesdays from 11-2 and Fridays from 9-12.

Community Policing

Watertown Police Release Statement About George Floyd’s Death

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Watertown Police Station

The men and women of the Watertown Police Department are deeply disturbed by the death of Mr. George Floyd.  We share the public’s outrage and disappointment, and will not let the actions of a few officers tear away the trust we share with our great community. 

Please see Chief Lawn’s response to emails he received concerning this horrific incident. Good Afternoon-

The men and women of the Watertown Police Department are deeply disturbed by the actions of those police officers in Minneapolis. I personally was sick to my stomach watching that video. I am very proud of the work that the men and women of the WPD do every day. We should not be judged or painted with the same brush by incidents that occur in other states.

Entertainment

Small Saves Goes Clothes Shopping in This Week’s Cartoon

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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.”

Around Town

Hatch Makerspace Offering Curbside Pickup of 3D Printing, Laser Cutting

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Hatch Makerspace Coordinator Liz Helfer preps the 3D printer for new orders. Design and submit your 3D printing or laser cutting projects and the Watertown Library’s Hatch makerspace will do the work. Then you pick it up! See details in the Hatch announcement below:

Even though the Watertown Free Public Library’s Hatch Makerspace is closed to the public, you can still access Hatch’s 3D printers and laser cutter for free. Starting the week of May 25, Hatch staff will be available to 3D print and laser cut original work submitted online.

Around Town

Scams to Watch for Related to COVID-19, Unemployment

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There are a number of ongoing scams to watch out for and Watertown Savings Bank has put together a list of the details for some of these scams.

Read the announcement from Watertown Savings below:

Safeguarding your personal and financial information is crucial to preventing fraud. We would like to make you aware of new scams—some related to COVID-19—that have recently affected our communities. The scammers have targeted the elderly, those applying for and receiving unemployment benefits, those seeking information on the coronavirus, and others. Elderly Scams: A scammer calls elderly residents claiming to be their grandchild or their grandchild’s lawyer; they proceed to tell fake stories to ask for money (e.g. the scammer claims the grandchild is in jail and needs bail money). Be mindful of the information you share on social media about your family and whereabouts.Always be wary of urgent requests for money made over the phone, by email, in person, or on social media.

MassDOT

Mass. Registry of Motor Vehicles Extends Deadlines for Licenses, Permits

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The following information was provided by MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is announcing today it will be implementing further extensions to the renewal timelines for expiring motor vehicle inspection stickers, passenger plate registrations, professional credentials, and driver’s licenses and learner’s permits, including Commercial Driver’s Licenses and Commercial Learner’s Permits (CDLs / CLPs). While the RMV has previously announced extensions for most credentials, passenger plate registrations and inspection stickers expired or expiring in March, April, and May, today’s action will apply an additional extension to those credentials and an extension to some credentials expiring in June, July, and August. These extensions replicate the ongoing measures the RMV has taken to reduce the need for customers to physically visit an RMV Service Center or one of its business partners’ facilities, allowing for ‘social-distancing’ by decreasing non-essential travel and customer volume. Additional, longer-term extensions will also allow the RMV to ensure ‘social-distancing’ guidelines are met as demand for in-person service and renewals resumes during the Commonwealth’s reopening phases. The new changes to expiration extensions will be in effect as follows:

Driver’s licenses and ID cards, including Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs), that expired or will expire in March, April, and May 2020, will now expire in September 2020 and do not need to be renewed at this time. Driver’s licenses and ID cards that will expire in June have been extended until October 2020, those that will expire in July have been extended until November 2020, and those that will expire in August have been extended until December 2020 and do not need to be renewed at this time.   The specific expiration date typically coincides with an individual’s birth date.

Schools

Minuteman High School Honored by State Reading Association

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The following information was provided by Minuteman High School:

Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School is pleased to announce that the Massachusetts Reading Association (MRA), an organization that promotes literacy, has honored Minuteman with its Exemplary Reading Program Award. “This award legitimizes the work we have done over the last 10 years to make sure we take care of the needs of the students,” said Minuteman High School Principal George Clement. “We recognized a need and stuck with it. It’s all been worthwhile.” For the first time in MRA history this award is being given to a secondary school. The previous recipients of this honor have been elementary schools. Minuteman was selected in a competitive process that involved 12 nominated schools from across the state. According to the MRA, the five objectives of this award program are: 

To improve literacy in our society;To recognize schools that demonstrate excellence in reading and literacy programs;To encourage the development and refinement of exemplary reading/language arts programs;To report to the public noteworthy efforts to improve reading/language arts, and;To disseminate specific information about high-quality programs so that other professionals can use it to improve their own instructional efforts.” 

 “We were very impressed with Minuteman,” said MRA Vice President-Elect Patricia Kelley. She specifically mentioned the media center situated at the hub of the school, the integration of reading skills in the school’s career and technical programs as well as in its academic programs, the outstanding reading program for freshmen, the multi-tiered system of support for the reading program throughout the school, and the allocation of financial resources to the reading program. “There is a lot of commitment from everyone at Minuteman,” Kelley said. “Literacy is being integrated across the curriculum.