Elections

See the Watertown Candidates Forum Live Tonight

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Candidates in the Watertown Town Election will be appearing at an election forum co-hosted by Watertown News and Watertown Cable Access Television Thursday night beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The Candidate Forum will be held on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 6:30-9 p.m. It will be held in the Lecture Hall at Watertown High School, 50 Columbia St. If you cannot attend, watch the forum from home on WCA-TV’s Public Channel:

• Comcast: Channel 9

• RCN: Channel 3

• WCATV.org: wcatv.org/public-channel-2/

• Facebook LIVE: facebook.com/WatertownCable

This year’s Watertown voters will vote for Town Council President, Town Councilors At-Large, District Councilors, School Committee and Board of Library Trustees. The evening begins with statements from un-opposed candidates at 6:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., the seven candidates for Town Councilor At-Large will be answering questions. Some questions will be prepared by the organizers, and some time will be set aside for questions from the audience.

Government

New Policy Allows Squares in Watertown to be Named for Non-Veterans

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The Town Council adopted a policy for naming squares in Watertown after non-veterans, such as the one honoring of fallen Watertown Firefighter Joseph Toscano. For many years, squares and intersections in Watertown could only be named for a veteran. The Town Council voted Tuesday night to create a policy for naming squares after non-veterans. The Council followed the recommendation of the Public Works subcommittee, which looked at policies from several area communities. They decided that Belmont’s was the one that was closest to the policy they would like.

Business

Council OKs Entering Agreement to Allow Recreational Marijuana Dispensary in Watertown

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The Town Council put its support behind a Host Community Agreement with the group seeking to sell recreational marijuana at a site in East Watertown. The agreement is with Natural Selection, also known as NS AJO Holdings, which has already been approved to sell medical marijuana from the site at 23 Elm St. The location is behind the Residence Inn by Marriott and across the street from the Watertown Mall parking lot. The agreement applies to sales of recreational marijuana, which is also called adult-use marijuana. It puts into place fees to be paid by the dispensary to the Town to cover services, such as police, fire and permitting.

Development

Second Meeting Planned for 85 Walnut St. Project, Discussion Will Include Traffic Report

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An overhead illustration of the proposed redevelopment of the Doble Engineering site at 85 Walnut St. in Watertown. The second Community Meeting will be held for a project proposed on Walnut Street, which would create space for a life science building, a garage and a public park. The project would redevelop the former Doble Engineering site, 85 Walnut St., and put up a four story, 213,500 sq. ft.

Around Town

Hear What the Council Heard from Residents About Community Engagement

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The following announcement came from the Committee on Media and Public Outreach Committee:

The public is invited to the Community Engagement Project Meeting with the Town Council’s Committee on Media and Public Outreach Committee. How do residents engage with town government? What tools do they use? What tools would they like to see expanded or developed? What do they see as major opportunities and challenges to increase community engagement?

Government

Watertown Seeks Grant to Bring in New Bike Share Option

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Watertown could see a shift in bike share options, with the current provider leaving and Town officials seeking help to bring in another well-known brand. Last week, Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon told the Town Council that the Town will be joining other communities to apply for a grant to bring in bike share docks for Bluebikes, which used to be known as Hubway. “The Lime Bikes option in town is no longer an option,” Magoon said. “We are looking to bring Bluebikes.” Lime Bike has reduced the number of bikes in town, so it no longer provides a reliable option for Watertown residents.

Candidate Forum

Hear from the Candidates at the Watertown Election Forum

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Candidates in the Watertown Town Election will be appearing at an election forum co-hosted by Watertown News and Watertown Cable Access Television. The Candidate Forum will be held on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 6:30-9 p.m. It will be held in the Lecture Hall at Watertown High School, 50 Columbia St. This year’s Watertown voters will vote for Town Council President, Town Councilors At-Large, District Councilors, School Committee and Board of Library Trustees. The evening begins with statements from un-opposed candidates at 6:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., the seven candidates for Town Councilor At-Large will be answering questions.