Around Town

Watertown Boys and Girls Club Has Extra Hours for Half Days, Spring Break

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Watertown Boys & Girls Club will be open from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 12 to Friday, April 15 to reflect the half-days of school in Watertown, the club announced. Watertown Boys & Girls Club will be open during the week of April Vacation (Tuesday, April 19 to Friday, April 22) from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Club will be closed in observance of Patriot’s Day on Monday, April 18. The Club will be closed on Saturday, April 23 and swim lessons and family swim are cancelled for that day. For more information, please visit our website at www.watertownbgc.org or call us at 617-926-0968.

Business

Watertown Savings Hands Out $85K in Customer Choice Awards

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On Tuesday, April 5, Watertown Savings Bank (WSB) distributed $85,000 to the 26 local community organizations chosen by their banking customers, in the bank’s 20th annual Customer Choice Awards. The ceremony was held at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown. More than 200 bank employees and board members; representatives of the winning organizations; and town officials from Watertown, Waltham, and Belmont were in attendance. This year’s total brings the grand total of funds distributed via this program to one million dollars. The list of winners is below.

American Red Cross

Blood Drive in Watertown Planned to Commemorate Marathon Bombings

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The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive in Watertown on April 16 to pat tribute to the many who showed resilience following the Boston Marathon bombings. The blood drive will be held on Saturday, April 16 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Watertown High School, 50 Columbia St. The Red Cross sent 600 blood products to Boston area hospitals after rhe Boston Marathon bombings, according to a press release, and MTBA Officer Dic Donohue (now a sergeant) needed 46 blood products to save his life after being shot during the shootout with Boston Marathon bombing suspects. Donors will received a free pass to Six Flags New England, which the Red Cross notes cannot be transferred or redeemed for cash.

Charity

Watertown Runner Joins Celtics Foundation Marathon Team

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Watertown’s Yasi Abdolmohammadi will be running the 2016 Boston Marathon on behalf of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, and will raise more than $5,000. 

This is the third year in a row the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation (BCSF) has put together a team to run in the Boston Marathon. Abdolmohammadi, Kim Horton of Stoneham, Alexandra Zedros of Melrose, Caitlin Leary of Tewksbury, and Julie Mauro of Medford, have pledged to raise at least $5,000 each on behalf of the BCSF, which aims to extend the reach of the Celtics championship legacy into the community through programs that directly benefit children in need. As a team, BCSF has raised $126,000 this year to date. For more information on this group of runners or the 2016 BCSF Marathon Team, please visit celtics.com/marathon.

Schools

Watertown Rotary Offering College Scholarships to High School Seniors

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All residents of Watertown who are high school seniors and applying to college are eligible for Watertown Rotary Scholarships. The amount of each award and the number of scholarships granted will be determined on a yearly basis, Watertown Rotary announced this week. All Watertown High School students must submit completed applications to the Guidance Department prior to April vacation. All other Watertown residents must submit applications, postmarked no later than the Friday before April vacation, to:

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE
ROTARY CLUB OF WATERTOWN
P.O. BOX 765
WATERTOWN, MA 02471-0765

The form must be completed in full and accompanied by a transcript and letter of recommendation to be considered a valid application. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed by the Scholarship Committee. All information supplied on this form will be kept strictly confidential.

Elections

Cambridge-Based Attorney Kicking Off Run for Governor’s Council in Watertown

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Attorney Peter Georgiou is kicking off his campaign for Governor’s Council, 3rd District, in Watertown on April 26, 2016, he announced this week. Peter runs a successful worker’s compensation practice in Cambridge. He is running to represent the district that stretches from Brookline, Newton to Shirley and from Chelmsford to Westborough, and includes parts of four counties. The event will be held at the Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Ave., Watertown, MA 02472. For more information, please visit Peter’s website at PeterG2016.com.

Bee Keeping

Town Looking at Changing Rules for Keeping Chickens, Bees in Watertown

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Watertown residents can keep chickens and bees on their property, but the rules could be changing at an upcoming meeting of the Board of Health. The Watertown Health Department sent out the following announcement:

The Board of Health will hold a public hearing on an updated “Regulation Governing the Keeping of Animals” and a new “Regulation Governing the Keeping of Hens and Honey Bees,” on April 20, 2016, starting at 7:30 p.m., in the 3rd Floor Conference Room of the Town Administration Building, 149 Main St., Watertown. Comments on the updated animal regulation will be heard first. The second regulation will be divided into a discussion on the keeping of hens first with the keeping of honey bees immediately following. The primary changes to the existing animal regulation include removing the section on chickens; the addition of specific definitions of animals; and specifying that ten pigeons per applicant will be permitted.