Obituaries

OBIT: William Fleming, 68, WHS Class of 1968, Ran Own Architecture Firm

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William J. Fleming of Winchester died on August 4, 2018 after a year long struggle with ALS. Beloved husband of Nancy (Farnsworth) Fleming. Loving father to John A. Fleming, William F. Fleming and his wife, Lauren, and grandfather to Libby Marie. Survived by three brothers – John J. and his wife Sheila (Sullivan) of Northampton, MA; Richard J. Fleming of Sandwich, MA and Robert P. Fleming of Arlington, MA. Bill is also survived by six nieces, two nephews, many close friends, including his best lifelong friend, Alfred Zani.

Transportation

See When the Garage at Alewife MTBA Station Will be Reopening

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The following information was provided by the Mass. Department of Transportation:

Following the weekend closure of the Alewife Station parking garage, work crews were able to address areas of concrete deterioration, which will allow all levels of the garage to reopen at 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 13. Out of an abundance of caution, the MBTA proactively closed the garage on Friday, Aug. 10, to allow crews to expedite concrete repairs and to conduct a comprehensive engineering assessment. During the weekend closure, crews were able to address additional areas of deteriorated concrete, inspect and cover expansion joints where appropriate, and secure the paths of travel for pedestrian and vehicular access to the garage.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Joining Drive Sober Campaign Which Focuses on Alcohol, Marijuana

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Police Department:

The Watertown Police Department will increase impaired driving patrols on local roads with grant funds from the Highway Safety Division of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS). Watertown Police will join local departments across the state as well as the Massachusetts State Police in the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement mobilization and public information campaign. This year’s campaign will urge drivers drinking alcohol or using marijuana and other drugs to plan ahead and designate a sober driver, use a ride-share service or take public transportation. “Impaired drivers create dangerous situations for everyone around them,” said Chief Lawn. “This grant will help increase our efforts during the busy summer travel season to keep our roads free of impaired drivers and avoid tragedies.”

“Getting behind the wheel after drinking alcohol, using marijuana or both is one of the most dangerous things drivers can do,” said Jeff Larason, Director of the Highway Safety Division.

Transportation

Lane Closures on Charles River Road Overnight Through Mid Next Week

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The Town of Watertown released the announcement from the Department of Conservation and Recreation:

Starting tonight, Thursday, August 9, 2018, and continuing through Wednesday, August 15, 2018, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will implement some lane closures along Charles River Road in the Town of Watertown from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. to accommodate pavement markings operations. Work is dependent on weather, and is not likely to occur on all seven days. While pavement markings are being placed, some noise will be generated as it is applied to the roadway surface. Traffic patterns will be clearly visible and a police detail will be on site. WHERE: Charles River Road in the Town of Watertown

WHEN: Thursday, August 9, 2018 – Wednesday, August 15, 2018 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

Changes Coming to Charles River Road, Including New Crosswalks, Re-striping of Road

Alewife

MBTA Closing Alewife Garage Over the Weekend

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The MBTA sent out this message about the repairs on the Alewife Garage. NOTE, this story was updated at 4 p.m. on Aug. 10: 
The safety of its customers and employees is the MBTA’s highest priority. Today, the MBTA is announcing that out of an abundance of caution, the Alewife garage will be closed through the weekend to allow for continued repairs and a comprehensive engineering assessment. 
Through ongoing assessments and repair work, additional areas of deteriorated concrete that need to be addressed have been discovered. As such, the garage will be closed over the weekend to address these areas and to expedite the repair plan.

Around Town

Queue Jump Lanes Added to Mt. Auburn Street in Effort to Improve Bus Service

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The following information was provided by the Department of Public Works:

Following days of initial testing, the Town of Watertown has debuted two “queue jump” lanes at School Street and Walnut Street. Queue jump lanes allow buses to move more quickly through intersections by “jumping” to the front of a line of traffic. Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems around the world use queue jump lanes to create a faster and more reliable bus ride and improve overall traffic flow. “Roughly 5,000 bus trips are made each day in Watertown in this corridor, and the Route 71 bus is an important asset to the community,” said Matthew Shuman, Town Engineer for the Town of Watertown. “We also know from research in other places that moving Watertown closer to BRT with queue jump lanes has the potential to speed up the commute for everyone by separating buses from cars at intersections.

Around Town

Watertown’s Adrianne Faggas Named President of Mass. Funeral Directors Association

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The following information was provided by the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association:

Massachusetts Funeral Directors recently installed Adrianne F. Faggas, of Watertown, as president of the association for the 2018-19 term. Adrianne and her brother, George Faggas, are second-generation funeral directors, and Adrianne’s daughter, Nicole M. Faggas, is a third-generation director at Faggas Funeral Home in Watertown. She is the daughter of Nick and Ann Faggas. Nick celebrated his 60th year of licensure at the event. A longtime board member of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association, Faggas is also a member of the NFDA and an active member of her community.

Around Town

Watertown Scouts Preparing for First Meeting of the Year

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For youth looking to have fun in the outdoors, Troop 30 is holding its first meeting of the year Sept. 6. BSA in Watertown, the Boy Scouts of America program serving youth from Watertown, Allston and Brighton, is for kids in fifth grade through high school. Troop 30 raises funds for its own activities, which includes camping trips, summer camp, winter hikes and earning merit badges in everything from archery to woodcarving. The troop meets Thursday nights, from 7:15 – 8:30 p.m., at 80 Mt.