Around Town

New Date for Watertown Boys & Girls Club Golf Tournament

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The Watertown Boys & Girls Club will host their annual golf tournament on Monday, August 14, 2017 at the Oakley Country Club. The tournament honors one of the Club’s original founding members, Stephen Mugar. His children and grandchildren generously perpetuate his legacy by sponsoring this annual event. The Mugar Family will match the tournament’s net profits up to $80,000, thus making this the largest annual fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club, accounting for nearly 30% of the Club’s yearly revenue. Foursomes and single golfer tickets can be purchased at bit.ly/WBGCGolf2017, along with sponsorships of varying levels.

Transportation

Road Work on MassPike Starts Soon, Impacts Travel Through Late August

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) sent out a reminder to travelers that due to the upcoming Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Replacement Project, I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) will be reduced from four lanes to three lanes in each direction in Boston between the Allston Interchange and the Beacon Street Overpass beginning on the evening of Friday, July 7. 

After July 7 and until August 28, lane reductions will be necessary and MassDOT will strive to make lane shift decisions in the best way possible to lessen the impact on drivers using the highway. The reduction to three lanes in each direction on July 7 is necessary in order to allow for logistical setups for the replacement of the Commonwealth Bridge over I-90. Crews on July 7 will begin to use the non-travel lanes areas to safely build a crane and place major equipment in the median of I-90. “Travelers are advised that I-90 in Boston will be reduced to three lanes in each direction for 24/7 beginning on Friday, July 7 so our crews can begin putting in place the necessary equipment and logistics for the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Replacement Project,” said Acting Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “We appreciate the cooperation and patience of the traveling public and we encourage people to consider alternative modes of transportation.

Around Town

Tufts Health Plan Foundation Awards More Than $1.7 Million in Grants

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Tufts Health Plan Foundation announced new community investments of more than $1.7 million to build healthier communities by promoting collaboration and improving systems and best practices. These grants reflect the Foundation’s commitment to advancing age-friendly policies and practices that are relevant, focus on older adults, and include them in community solutions.  To date this year, the Foundation’s active community investments, including ongoing commitments to previously announced grants, total more than $2.6 million. “Momentum is building around the age-friendly movement,” said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of the Tufts Health Plan Foundation and vice president, corporate citizenship for Tufts Health Plan. “These grants emphasize collaboration and system change.

Around Town

Celebrate Two Huge Historic Moments that Took Place in Watertown

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The Historical Society of Watertown will celebrate two significant historical events for the town, the state and the nation during the Treaty Day celebration. The Historical Society announced that everyone is welcome at the free event on Saturday July 15, 2017, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Edmund Fowle House, 28 Marshall St., Watertown. The Treaty Day 2017 event marks two important occasions in history that occurred at the Edmund Fowle House in Watertown: the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence to the citizens of Watertown on July 18, 1776; the signing of the first treaty negotiated by the new nation with a foreign power, namely the St. John’s (a.k.a. Maliseet) and Mi’kmaq Tribes of Nova Scotia on July 19, 1776. Guest speakers will share information related to the importance of the Treaty.

Charity

Tufts Health Plan Employees Volunteer to Help Out the Watertown Boys & Girls Club

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Tufts Health Plan employees participated in their 9th annual Volunteer Day on Tuesday, the company announced, fanning out across Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, helping community organizations with projects ranging from preparing meals for local homeless shelters to providing safer access to the water for athletes with disabilities. Some employees spent the day volunteering at the Watertown Boys & Girls Club at Hale Reservation in Westwood where the Club holds its summer camp. Tasks included cleaning up the area, sectioning off parts of the site for different activities, putting up tents, loading supplies. The Watertown Boys & Girls Club is the largest nonprofit youth service organization in Watertown, serving 1,000 registered members between 7 and 18 years old. “The employees in our organization are extraordinary — they believe very strongly in our mission and demonstrate their commitment to improving the lives of our members and our community each and every day,” said Tom Croswell, Tufts Health Plan president and CEO.

Transportation

New Ramp for Mass Pike/128 Interchange Opens on Friday

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has announced that on the evening of Friday, June 23, it will open a newly constructed on-ramp in Weston for vehicles traveling from I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) westbound onto Route 128/I-95 north and southbound. This ramp opening is part of the ongoing work to reconstruct the interchange where toll plazas were removed last fall. In order to facilitate the change this weekend, MassDOT will also close the off-ramp from I-90 westbound onto Park Road and South Avenue/Route 30 westbound beginning on Friday evening for approximately one week. “We are pleased to reach this milestone in rebuilding the Weston interchange,” said Acting Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “Drivers should be aware that as of Friday night there will be a new path of travel in certain directions at the Weston interchange and should also be mindful of the detour route as the off-ramp from I-90 westbound to local roadways will be closed for one week.”

The new ramp will provide additional merging space for traffic entering Route 128/I-95 north and southbound and create a safer connection between the two major interstates.

Charity

Watertown Woman to Swim in Boston Harbor to Raise Money for Children’s Cancer Programs

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Wendy Gulley of Watertown will swim in the Boston Harbor alongside Olympic swimmers Heather Petri, Kristy Kowal, Carlton Bruner, Janel Jorgensen McArdle, Alex Meyer and Eric Wunderlich for the 21st annual Swim Across America Boston Harbor Swim on July 7, 2017 to support pediatric cancer programs at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at MassGeneral Hospital for Children, the hospital announced. “Every year, swimmers of all ages come together for the Swim Across America Boston Harbor Swim to make a splash in the fight against cancer,” said Kitty Tetreault, event director, Swim Across America Boston. “Participants get to spend the day doing something they love while raising critical funds for pediatric programs at Dana-Farber and MassGeneral Hospital for Children. The SAA Boston Harbor swim is a 22-mile relay style open-water swim beginning at 7 a.m. on July 7 from Rowes Wharf behind the Boston Harbor Hotel. A minimum fundraising pledge of $2,000 is required for individuals to participate.

Obituaries

OBIT: Clementine McDermott, 91, Owned Clemy’s Knit & Yarn Shop

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A Funeral Mass for Clementine M. “Clemy” (Van Huychem) McDermott, will be celebrated on Friday June 23, 2017 at 9 a.m., in the Church of Saint Patrick, Watertown. A daughter of the late Joseph and Leonie (Van Dist) Van Huychem. Passed away in her home on Monday evening after a period of declining health. She was 91. Clemy was born and schooled in Belgium.