Government

Watertown Fields will be Open, but Not Likely Ready for Gametime

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After being closed due to wet conditions, Watertown’s recreation facilities will be open for use on Saturday, but perhaps not ready for primetime. Recreation Director Peter Centola, announced the fields would be open on April 5, but added “Please be advised that although the facilities will be open for use, they will most likely not ready for game play this weekend.” The game preparation by the Department of Public Works staff was hindered both by the recent rains and the preparation for the wake and funeral of fallen Boston Fire Lt. and Watertown native Edward Walsh, Centola said. “Although the fields are open, I would ask that all residents and groups who use the field, to only utilize areas that are dry and safe to participate on,” Centola said. To use of the facilities for games, groups must reserve them and get a permit, Centola said.

Around Town

Rep. Hecht Gives Forecast of Special Ed Circuit Breaker Funding

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State Rep. Jonathan Hecht said the Governor’s budget does not fully fund the Special Education Circuit Breaker, but he hopes the Legislature can fix that. 

One of the main topics of discussion during the School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee meetings over the past week has been special education funding. The state chips in a significant amount for the most expensive services for special needs students – those costing $41,000 or more a year, according to Student Services Director Arlene Shainker. The cost is based on “four times the state average foundation budget per pupil as calculated under the Chapter 70 education funding law,” according to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. When fully funded, the state provides 75 percent reimbursement for the amount over $60,000. Last year the state fully funded the program with $250 million (Watertown received more than $2 million), but this year the governor’s budget is level funded, Hecht said.

Development

Town Council Looking to Change Rules for New Developments in Watertown

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The Town Council seeks to change the rules for new developments proposed to be built in Watertown. 

On Tuesday, the Council voted to recommend changes to the town’s Zoning Ordinance, and requested that Director of Economic Development and Planning Steve Magoon start the process to change the rules. Under the recommendation from the Rules and Ordinances subcommittee, a public meeting would have to be held for any residential project with four or more units and any non-residential project of more than 10,000 sq. ft. before it could be submitted to the Planning Board. The proposal would require meetings to be advertised at least two weeks before the meeting, and the district councilor for the area where the project is proposed must be notified.

Around Town

Watertown School Supporters Call for Stabilization of Special Education Costs

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By Charlie Breitrose

The uncertainty of how much special education will cost the Watertown Public Schools each year has been a thorn in the side of school administrators and parents alike, and now supporters of the school want to establish a stabilization fund to deal with unexpected costs. The town must provide education for students with special needs from the age of 3 through high school, and in some cases until the age of 22. Some students attend programs in Watertown, but others attend schools outside of town which often have high price tags. This year alone, the district got 12 students who they had not anticipated who required out-of-district programs, said Student Services Director Arlene Shainker said at the School Committee Budget and Finance Subcommittee meeting on Monday night. That number is higher than most years.

Around Town

School Officials Say $6 million Hike Needed to Provide Excellent Education

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Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald, second from left, Assistant Superintendent Dari Donovan, second from right and financial specialist Frank Colvario presented the first draft of the Fiscal 2015 Watertown School Budget. Director of Student Services Arlene Shainker also participated. Photo by Charlie Breitrose

By Charlie Breitrose

School officials discussed a very preliminary school budget for the 2014-15 school year, but one number stuck out – an increase of $6 million or 16 percent officials said they need to provide the education that Watertown’s students need. The increase is based on what principals and program directors said they needed to run their school or program right, said Assistant Superintendent Dari Donovan said during Thursday’s School Committee Budget and Finance Subcommittee meeting. “This is what people really feel like that need to proved an excellent education to students next year,” Donovan said.

Around Town

Is Your Street on the Watertown Road Improvement Plan?

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Road repairs are coming to Watertown. Photo by Charlie Breitrose

By Charlie Breitrose

The list of Watertown roads that will be repaired, and in some cases completely rebuilt, was approved by the Town Council last week. The projects will repair 12 roads and will cost $25 million. Some will be repaired with the reclamation method, where the entire road is taken up, ground up and laid down again. Others will be fixed with the mill and overlay, where the top layer is ground down and a new layer of asphalt is put down.