Around Town

Watertown Boy, Age 2, Needs 24 Hour Nursing Care; Family Struggles to Find Nurses

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At the age of 8 months, a Watertown boy named Lucca needed an emergency tracheotomy and now he requires round-the-clock nursing care. His family has found, however, that there are not enough in-home care nurses available to meet his needs. Lucca must have fluids suctioned every half hour to keep his airways clear. He has been authorized to receive 63 hours of in-home nursing care each week, and his family mostly uses the nurses at night so they can sleep, according to his family. Massachusetts faces a shortage of Continuous Skilled Nursing care, in part because of the low pay rates (often $20 an hour or less) due to the state’s reimbursement rate.

Arsenal Mall

Developers Creating Guidelines for Arsenal Yards, Must be Approved by Planning Board

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Developers of the Arsenal Yards announced plans to renovated the oldest buildings in the current Arsenal Mall to bring new life to them while adding a look reminiscent of the past. However, the anchor tenants will get more leeway to diverge from the historic look. Representatives from Boylston Properties, The Wilder Cos. and their design team discussed their plans for the first phase of the Arsenal Yards project at a Community Meeting on Thursday night. This phase includes the renovation of Building A (where Marshall’s is located) and Building E (which now houses Old Navy).

Government

Hearing to be Held for Trees Scheduled to be Removed from Watertown

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The Watertown Tree Warden will hold a Tree Hearing this week to review the removal of eight trees from the streets of Watertown. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, April 26 at 11:30 a.m. in the Lower Hearing Room in Town Hall, 149 Main Street, Watertown. Theses are the locations of, the size and types of trees:

Location
DBH
Type of Tree

159 Boylston St
10”
Norway maple

22 Irma Ave
20 “
Norway maple

11 Hovey St
20”
Norway maple

86 Hovey St
17”
Norway maple

164 Chapman St
28”
Sugar maple

407 Mt. Auburn St
12”
Linden

415 Mt. Auburn St
15”
Linden

36 Edenfield Ave
18”
Norway maple

Government

Athenahealth Honored by State for Commute Options Offered to Employees

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recently celebrated over 200 Massachusetts businesses, colleges, and universities at the seventh annual Massachusetts Excellence in Commuter Options (ECO) Awards ceremony. Attendees were recognized for their efforts in promoting active, healthy, and sustainable travel options programs at their local worksites, including one in Watertown, MassDOT announceds. The event, held at historic Fenway Park, brings together businesses and institutions from across the Commonwealth that provide innovative programs and resources to encourage employees to commute by public transit, carpool, vanpool, bicycling, walking, or teleworking. “MassDOT is proud of the strides that employers are taking to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the Commonwealth,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. “Through partnerships with employers, we are able to provide information on available commuter transportation resources to a greater audience.

Development

First Phase of Arsenal Mall Renovation to be Discussed at Community Meeting

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Developers planning the renovation of the Arsenal Mall will discuss the first phase of the project during a Community Meeting on Thursday evening. Boylston Properties and The Wilder Companies will host the meeting where they will review Phase 1 of the Arsenal Yards master plan. “The purpose of this meeting will be to present and discuss the final layout and design of Building’s A and E, and discuss the operation of the property during construction,” said the meeting announcement. The master plan was approved by the Planning Board in January after nearly a year of discussions and meetings. Both buildings in Phase 1 were part of the original Watertown Arsenal.

Chicken & Rice Guys

Chicken & Rice Food Truck Permit Suspended in Watertown Due to E. Coli Outbreak

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Due to an E. coli outbreak the food serving license for The Chicken & Rice Guys food truck has been suspended by the Watertown Health Department. Ten people have been hospitalized and 15 have been sickened by E. coli which state officials say came from food from The Chicken & Rice Guys, according to a story in the Boston Globe. Symptoms of an E. coli infection can be bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and dehydration. In the most serious cases it can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome which can shut down the kidneys and lead to death. The Chicken & Rice Guys have three restaurants in Boston (including one in Allston), one in Medford and a commissary in Somerville and a fleet of food trucks.

Development

Planning Board OKs Southside Apartments, Some Concern Over Town-Owned Parking

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The Planning Board gave its support for the proposal to transform a Southside commercial building into an apartment complex on Wednesday night. The proposal changed a bit from the one presented at the January community meeting. The number of units have shrunk from 49 to 45 and the roofline design has changed to look more like it has been historically. When owner Kamran Shahbazi first purchased the building it was occupied by Cortiva Institute massage school, but soon afterward the school pulled out, as did many of the other businesses that relied on the school. Instead of looking for another tenant for the building, he decided to turn it into a residential one.

Government

Medical Marijuana Dispensary Gets OK by Planning Board, Last Step ZBA

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The proposed medical marijuana facility in East Watertown got the Planning Board’s approval and now has just one more hurdle before final approval. Wednesday night the Planning Board approved the special permit request from Natural Selections to open a dispensary at 23 Elm Street, and the board gave the dispensary one more day of operation than recommended in the Community Development and Planning’s staff report. The staff report recommended that the dispensary be allowed to be open Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Chief Operating Officer of Natural Selections, Aidan O’Donovan, asked that the days of operations be extended to Sundays. Not everybody like the idea of having the dispensary open seven days a week. Town Councilor Lisa Feltner said that while the area is zoned industrial it has many other types of properties.