Around Town

Public Invited to Support Group for Family, Caregivers of People with Mental Illness

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Mental Illness support group: NAMI Family Support Group is a free, structured, confidential peer-led support group for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness, organizers announced. A support group will be held on Wednesday, July 19, 7:30 – 9 pm in the Board Room of the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church at 207 Washington Street in Wellesley. This is organized by the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI).

Entertainment

Meet “Henry David Thoreau” at Free Watertown Library Event

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In celebration of Henry David Thoreau’s 200th birthday, the Watertown Free Public Library will host a free event on Thursday, July 20 from 1-3 p.m. where people can “meet” the man known for his love of nature, opposition to slavery and poetry. 

The library sent out the following information:

Henry David Thoreau is a great American essayist, philosopher, naturalist, abolitionist, tax resister, poet, and historian. His 2-year experiment in living simply yielded the ever-popular ‘Walden,’ and his brilliant and powerful essay ‘Civil Disobedience’ is as relevant today as when he penned it in 1849 (after spending a night in jail for failure to pay the state poll tax). Mr. Thoreau will visit the library to discuss his life, work, and views on the role of man, nature, and governments. He will honor us with a reading of portions of ‘Civil Disobedience.’ We understand he enjoys cake, too, so we’ll provide one. Please stop by to help celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Thoreau!

Government

Town Councilor Michael Dattoli Holding Office Hours Twice in July

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Town Councilor At-Large Michael Dattoli announced he will be holding office hours twice this month to meet with residents and discuss issues that are of concern to them. On Tuesday, July 11 Councilor Dattoli will be at the cafe tables outside of the Watertown Free Public Library (Main Street side) from 5:00-6:15 p.m., Councilor Dattoli has also scheduled office hours on Sunday, July 16 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. at the Dunkin Donuts in Coolidge Square (635 Mount Auburn Street). Councilor Dattoli can be contacted by phone at 617-999-5333 or email at michaeldattoli@gmail.com.

Government

Hearing to be Held About Two Trees Proposed to be Cut Down

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Watertown Tree Warden Chris Hayward will hold a hearing to discuss two trees that are proposed to be taken down. The Tree Hearing will be held on Thursday July 13, 2017, at 11:30 a.m. in Town Hall in the 3rd Floor Meeting Room. Location
DBH
Type of Tree

137 School Street
8”
Kwanzan cherry

1 Howe St (on Boylston St)
17”
Norway maple

Please note that you do not need to attend the Tree Hearing to be heard, Hayward said in the announcement. If you cannot attend but are for or against the removal of any of the trees listed and want your thoughts to become public record, please email the Tree Warden at chayward@watertown-ma.gov. Your concerns will be read into the public record at the hearing. Your email must be received by me by 10:30am on July 13, 2017.

Government

LETTER: Use of Victory Field Reaching Capacity, Adult Rec Needed Too

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The following is an open letter that Watertown Resident Patrick Fairbairn submitted to the Ad Hoc Committee on Victory Field Renovations Phase 2. The committee will meet on Monday, July 10 at 7 p.m. in the Lower Hearing Room of Town Hall. Fairbairn is a member of the Conservation Commission but submitted the letter as a resident. The letter reads as follows:

Having sat in on the first two meetings of the Victory Field Renovations Ad Hoc Committee and participated in the intervening site inspection, I’d like to contribute to the discussion as follows. 1.

Colleges

Watertown Student Makes Dean’s List at University of Maine

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The University of Maine recognized 2,303 students for achieving Dean’s List honors in the spring 2017 semester, including one from Watertown. Of the students who made the Dean’s List, 1,727 are from Maine, 533 are from 29 other states and 43 are from 22 countries other than the U.S., the university announced. Listed below are students who received Dean’s List honors for spring 2017, completing 12 or more credit hours in the semester and earning a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Watertown: Cody Orvik

Please note that some students have requested that their information not be released; therefore, their names are not included. About the University of Maine:
The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state’s land grant university, with research and community engagement classifications awarded by the Carnegie Foundation.

Charity

Watertown-Belmont Chamber Awards Four Scholarships to High School Seniors

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The Watertown-Belmont Chamber of Commerce awards scholarships annually to Belmont and Watertown high school seniors planning to attend college. The WBCC announced the winners. This year the Chamber received multiple applications from Watertown and Belmont seniors. A volunteer scholarship committee comprising members of the Chamber’s board of directors, Katherine Rafferty, Mount Auburn Hospital; Pamela Giannatsis, Tufts Health Plan; and Sandy Penchansky, of Watertown Savings Bank read each application and selected the award recipients. Here are this year’s award recipients:

WBCC Scholarship

o   $1,000 to a Watertown High School (WHS) senior and Watertown Resident: Bailey Herrera Samayoa

o   $1,000 to a Belmont High School (BHS) senior and Belmont Resident: Colleen Murphy

The Barclay Good Citizen Scholarship

o   $500 to a High School senior boy and Watertown Resident: Sam Carton

o   $500 to a High School senior girl and Watertown Resident: Stella Varnum

Congratulations to our recipients!

Transportation

MassDOT Holding 2 Meetings About Commonwealth Ave. Bridge Replacement

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced it will be hosting two Pre-Construction Public Meetings for the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Replacement Project:

Tuesday, July 11, 6:30 PM Boston University College of General Studies Jacob Sleeper Auditorium (Lower Level, Room 129) 871 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA

Thursday, July 13, 6:30 PM Newton Free Library, Druker Auditorium 330 Homer Street, Newton, MA

The same presentation will be delivered at each meeting, so participants may choose the most convenient date or location. Please join the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) for a presentation on the upcoming major construction activities for the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Replacement Project. MassDOT and project team staff will describe the Summer 2017 Construction Shutdown (July 26 – August 14) in more detail, review detour routes, and respond to questions. During the shutdown, there will be significant service impacts to all modes of transportation along Commonwealth Avenue in the BU/Saint Paul Street neighborhood and on I-90 (Mass Pike). Please visit the project website, www.mass.gov/MassDOT/CommAveBridge, for a full schedule of the upcoming closures, detour routes and maps, and to sign up for project updates.