Letters

LETTER: Watertown Middle and High Schools Need to Start Later

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Watertown should move the middle and high school start times to 8:30am or later to support students’ health and academic performance. Currently the middle school starts at 7:40 a.m. and the high schools starts at 7:55. The superintendent will report on a survey of Watertown parents, students and teachers regarding potential new school start times at the School Committee meeting to be held on Monday, May 2, 7 p.m. at Town Hall. Middlesex district superintendents released a statement in March agreeing to consider moving high school start times to between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. by fall of 2017. Over the last decade, and increasingly across the country, school districts are looking at starting school later.

Business

Arsenal Project Hosting Pop-Up Mother’s Day Etsy Shop

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Boston-area Etsy artists will be at the Arsenal Project for a Mother’s Day Pop Up Shop on May 7. The store will be open Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Arsenal Project sent out the following information:

Catch this free, 1-day- only, handmade extravaganza featuring a selection of 35+ talented local artists. This fabulous collection of Boston area maker talent will set up a 1-day temporary shop in Watertown at the Arsenal Project. Great for Mother’s Day gifting – offerings include handmade jewelry, soaps, candles, pottery, illustrations, confections, woodwork, textiles and more! The Pop Up Shop will be located inside on the first Floor; storefront between Gap Outlet and Ann Taylor in The Arsenal Project, 485 Arsenal St., Watertown.

Schools

Perkins School Gets Grant From Google to Help the Blind Locate Bus Stops

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Google has provided Perkins School for the Blind with a $750,000 grant to develop a cell phone app to help blind people find bus stops and other specific spots. 

The grant comes from the Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities, and will be able to be more precise than the GPS available on cell phones, according to the article on Perkins website. Designers will work on the app over the next year. Read the entire article by clicking here.

Government

State Starts Study of Mt. Auburn Street Corridor in Effort to Improve Traffic

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The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), in conjunction with the Cities Cambridge and Watertown, plans to commence a Mount Auburn Corridor Planning Study later this month to develop a range of implementable short- and long-term plans for the improvement of Mount Auburn Street from the Watertown line to Fresh Pond Parkway and parts of Fresh Pond Parkway. Additionally, the agency will initiate a community outreach strategy that will assist the DCR’s project team in developing options for creating safe and welcoming conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians, enhancing access to the Charles River Reservation, and optimizing transit bus operations for Routes 71 and 73, while ensuring that vehicular access is maintained. The specific project area extends from Mount Auburn Street at Belmont Street in the west, to Huron and Aberdeen Avenues in the north, and to Fresh Pond Parkway at Greenough Boulevard and Memorial Drive in the southeast. Within the project area there are several high traffic destinations such as the Mount Auburn Cemetery, the Mount Auburn Hospital, local schools, historic neighborhoods, and several local businesses. DCR is assembling a stakeholder group to help work through the intricacies of the project.

Entertainment

Watertown Children’s Theatre Presents ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ in May

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Watertown Children’s Theatre presents Little Shop of Horrors, Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken, WCT announced. A cast of eighth-12th graders, including Watertown’s own Amelia Allison, Shay Donovan, Alexander Feltner Harrison, Audrey Lin, Zoe Papastoitsis, Kira Peterson, Zack Rocklin-Waltch, and Julian Schepis, presents this thrilling musical in an intimate black box setting. Performances are May 6 and 7, 7 p.m., May 8, 1 p.m., May 12 and 13, 7 p.m., May 14, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and May 15, 1 p.m., in the Black Box Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown. A Watertown Children’s Theatre Black Box Series production. Tickets are $15 each, general admission, and can be purchased at www.watertownchildrenstheatre.org or by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006. Parental discretion is advised due to violence and adult content.

Airplane Noise

Group Concerned with Airplane Noise Meeting in Belmont in May

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Boston West Fair Skies (BWFS) will hold its monthly meeting Thursday, May 5 in Belmont, the BWFS Steering Committee announced. Boston West Fair Skies is a group working to reverse the increased airplane noise in our communities that was created by Boston Logan RNAV. The meeting will be held Thursday May 5, 2016  from 7-8:45 p.m. at the Assembly Room in the Belmont Public Library, 336 Concord Ave. Belmont, MA 02478

All are welcome! The citizens grassroots organization includes Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Medford, Somerville, Watertown and Winchester – all communities affected by the increased airplane noise due to the implementation of 33L RNAV (using GPS) departures at Boston Logan Airport.

Around Town

Watertown Church Planning Huge Rummage Sale

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The First Parish Church will be holding a Huge Rummage Sale on May 7. The church, located at 35 Church St., is holding its annual rummage sale on Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

There will be books, audio and video tapes, DVD’s, children’s clothes, linens and white goods, kitchen and household items, small electronics and appliances, arts and crafts, bric-a- brac, sporting goods, toys and games, small furniture and many more treasures. Come and shop!

Business

Watertown Resident Joins Executive Team at Financial Planning Firm

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MKA Executive Planners, which provides personalized retirement income planning for executives, business owners, and professionals, announced that Edward M. Perry has joined the firm as Director of Client Services. Perry has more than 12 years of experience in the financial and life insurance industries, specializing in high-quality customer service, relationship building, operations and process improvement. At MKA, he is responsible for managing client relationships. “We are thrilled to have Ed join the MKA team,” said Barry Koslow, President and CEO of MKA Executive Planners. “Ed brings many years of industry experience and has a strong communications and research background.  He has had an immediate, positive impact on our client service responses and capabilities.”

Prior to joining MKA, Perry served as an operations specialist with Delaware Life and previously held customer service and relationship management roles with Sun Life Financial.