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Watertown Declares Snow Emergency for Nor’easter, Schools Dismissing Early

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The Town of Watertown declared a Snow Emergency due to the impending snow storm forecast to hit the area on Monday afternoon through Tuesday. Also, the Watertown Schools will dismiss early on Monday, but the status of Tuesday’s school day has not been announced, as of 9:50 a.m. Monday. Superintendent of Schools Dede Galdston announced early dismissal times for the Watertown Public Schools on Monday. She did not announce plans for Tuesday, but said if a snow day is declared, there will be no remote learning, it will be like a normal snow day. See more details below.

Around Town

Sneakers to be Distributed, Winter Recreation Session Extended, Open Forum

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The Watertown Recreation Department will be giving away shoes. Each pair will be packaged and picked out in a socially distanced event at Victory Field’s Field House. The Recreation Department provided the following information:

OPEN FORUM: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2nd AT 7:00pm

Join us for our monthly “Open Forum” through Zoom Technology and Face Time Live on Tuesday, February 2 at 7:00. This is an opportunity for our residents to listen to current information relative to our Recreation Department and ask questions, share concerns and recommendations. WINTER SESSION I, EXTENDED UNTIL FEBRUARY 14

Our current Winter Session I programming schedule has been extended until Sunday, February 14.  All programs now in process will continue, same day, same time, same location.

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Town: People 75 & Up Can Register for Vaccine Online, Expect Wait to Get Appointment

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The following announcement was provided by the Town of Watertown:

The State has opened up scheduling today for COVID vaccinations for seniors over the age of 75 at various sites across the Commonwealth. Registration is done online and at this time, there is a high volume of registrants and many sites are experiencing little or no availability of appointments. We encourage you to keep trying to access an appointment, as more sites will open up in the weeks ahead. Families, please provide computer assistance for your elderly family members or, if you do not have access to a computer, you can contact the Watertown Senior Center at (617) 972-6490 for assistance, but they have the same access as everyone else. Please be patient.

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As Phase 2 of State’s Vaccination Plan Approaches, Town Waits for Vaccine

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Watertown residents anxiously await the COVID-19 vaccine, but to the chagrin of Health Director Larry Ramdin, he does not have any to distribute. Last week, Gov. Baker announced that Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution would begin on Feb. 1, beginning with people age 75. Second in the order of priority will be people 65 and over and people with two comorbidities

“We are spending a lot of time responding to people’s calls asking for the vaccine,” Ramdin said. The Health Department vaccinated members of the Watertown Fire and Police departments as part of Phase 1 recently, but Radmin said they were able to get the vaccine through a collaboration with the town’s of Belmont, Arlington and Lexington.

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Zoom Knitting, Pet Lovers Group Part of This Week’s Senior Center Virtual Programs

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Watertown Senior Center

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Senior Center:

Programs for Week of January 25, 2021

Join us via Zoom for the following programs. Call for access info: (617) 972-6490. New participants always welcome in every program! We hope you’ll join us

Monday:   10:00 AM, Art Class with Dawn Scaltreto12:30 PM, Chair Yoga with Diane2:00 PM, New! Zoom Knitting

Tuesday:     12:30 PM, Tai Chi & Meditation with Marie2:00 PM, Line Dancing with Bradley

Wednesday: 10:00 AM, New! Pet Lovers Group 11:00 AM, Exercise with Joanna2:00 PM, Death Café with Richard Davis

Thursday:        9:00 AM, Pilates with Marina Z.10:30 AM, Talk with Tom: Coffee & Casual Conversation2:00 PM, Zoom Film Review with Debi Block

Friday:            10:00 AM, Exercise with Shannon Lee Jones     12:00 PM, Seated Strength & Balance with Pearl1:30 PM, Mellowtones Chorus with Anne Silverman

Senior Shuttle Bus Update

The Watertown Senior Shuttle Bus is back on the road for grocery shopping! Due to COVID-19, the bus is limited to 4 riders plus the driver.

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Watertown Residents Can Apply for Scholarships to BB&N Summer Camp

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The Watertown Recreation Department sent out the following announcement:

The Watertown Recreation Department is pleased to announce the offering of a limited number of scholarships for Watertown families whose children would like to attend the Buckingham Browne & Nichols Summer Camp. Each candidate must have a demonstrated and documented need for financial assistance or has a special circumstance that is considered exceptional. The Town of Watertown is grateful to the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School for offering this outstanding opportunity. The camp options are identified at https://bbnsummer.com/, and scholarships arefor any of their programs.

Each child may attend two weeks of camp and if awarded the scholarship will be in the amount of $200.00 each week toward the cost of the camp.This scholarship is available for Watertown residents only. We will begin to consider applications starting February 1, 2020 and accept them until June 1 or until all slots are filled, whatever occurs first.

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Health Department Plans to Host COVID Vaccine Clinics, Stresses Need to Keep Up Prevention Steps

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Watertown Fire Chief Bob Quinn gets a COVID-19 vaccination shot during the clinic for police and firefighters run by the Watertown Health Department last week. The light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel can be seen, with the first vaccinations by the Watertown Health Department starting last week, but Health Director Larry Ramdin said people must continue their virus prevention practices even after they get their shots. On Jan. 14 and 15, members of the Watertown Police and Fire departments received their first COVID-19 vaccine shots, Ramdin said. He and Public Health Nurse Wil VanDinter have begun planning for public clinics in Town, but do not know when they will be able to administer the vaccine to the general public, Ramdin said.

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New Parking Meters Offer Payment Options; Prices & Length of Stay Differ by Location

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New parking meters, like this one, will be installed in Watertown’s Municipal Parking Lots. They will accept credit cards as well as coins. The new parking meters being installed in Watertown’s will have new payment options, and will have different prices and maximum stays depending on the location. Watertown Senior Transportation Planner Laura Wiener said the new meters — which began being installed this week — accept coins and credit cards, and later this year people will be able to use a pay-by-phone app. The Town will be using the PayByPhone cellphone app, which is used by other area communities, including Waltham, Concord, Wellesley, Arlington, Somerville and MBTA commuter lots, such as at Watertown Yard.