Around Town

CANCELLED: Celebrate Spring with Watertown Families Together Kids’ Event

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UPDATE: The Watertown Mall announced that the Spring into Spring event has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Mall:

The Watertown Mall, located at 550 Arsenal St., together with Watertown Families Together invite you to come on March 19, 2020 from 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. for “Spring into Spring”, an event to celebrate Spring & Easter. There will be Spring time songs, stories and crafts as well as making your own basket, bunny or chick. This is a free event & all ages are welcome, although the stories and songs are catered to younger children. This will take place in the back hallway of the mall, across from Carter’s.

Around Town

Library Postpones One Book, One Watertown Events

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Watertown Free Public Library

The Watertown Free Public Library announced the remaining events related to One Book, One Watertown planned in March have been postponed. This year’s book is Lara Prescott’s The Secrets We Kept, and the activities kicked off last week, and several more were planned. The library sent out the following statement:

Due the unavailability of multiple presenters, the Watertown Free Public Library has made the decision to postpone all remaining One Book, One Watertown programming, which was scheduled to take place throughout the month of March. Rather than present programs piecemeal, the Library aims to present all of the programs as a group at another time. Please watch our website (www.watertownlib.org) and newsletter for updates as soon as we have them.

Around Town

Watertown Officials Start Preparing to Respond to Coronavirus

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A hand sanitizer dispenser has been placed outside the Town Council Chamber as one of the responses to the Coronavirus in Massachusetts. While there are no cases of the Coronavirus in Watertown, the Town’s Emergency Team met Tuesday to discuss ways to respond to the Coronavirus in Watertown. The town has already begun posting information about ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (the Coronavirus) in town buildings, and a liquid hand sanitizer dispenser and a sign saying “Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands” were placed outside the Town Council Chamber before Tuesday’s meeting. At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, Town Manager Michael Driscoll read statements from Director of Public Health Larry Ramdin and Fire Chief Bob Quinn. Ramdin stressed there are no cases of COVID-19 in Watertown, but added that on Tuesday, Gov. Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts due to the Coronavirus.

Around Town

Local Cable Station Collecting Food for the Watertown Food Pantry

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This year WCA-TV announced it is putting on a food drive for the Watertown Food Pantry. The collection runs from March 16 to April 6, and will be ending in time for Passover and Easter. Drop off locations will be at the Watertown Cable studio, in the basement of Watertown High School, at the high school (50 Columbia St.), or at the Watertown Police Station (552 Main St.). The Watertown Pantry needs include: coffee, cold cereal, baked beans, canned vegetables, canned fruit, boxed oatmeal, tomato sauce and dried pasta and rice. Please do not donate opened or expired food.

Around Town

Watertown Library Welcomes New Trustee, Emily Izzo

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A panorama of the Watertown Free Public Library. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:

On February 19, the Watertown Free Public Library Trustees and Town Council President Mark Sideris selected Emily Izzo to fill the open seat on the Library Board of Trustees. She will serve until the next election in November, 2021. A Watertown resident, Izzo works as a municipal finance law attorney with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. She is looking forward to the opportunity to expand the impact and shape the future of Watertown’s well-loved public library.

Around Town

Alcohol, Drug Use Down Among Middle, High Schoolers, Vaping More Common Than Smoking

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Watertown High School and Middle School students are drinking, smoking and doing drugs less than they have in previous years, according to the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The study also looked at depression, suicide and bullying. Stephanie Sunderland-Ramsey, Program Coordinator of the group that organized the survey — Wayside Youth & Family Support Network — spoke to the School Committee on March 2. She believes the decrease is the result of efforts to education students and try to prevent them from using alcohol, tobacco and rugs. “We’ve existed on grant funding for the last 20 years, and so I would say it is prevention at work,” Sunderland Ramsey said.

Around Town

Proposal for Filippello Park Lights to be Heard at Town Council Meeting

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Filippello Park’s two athletic fields, picnic area, playground and more draw lots of visitors. The proposal to put lights on both playing fields at Filippello Park will be presented to the Town Council on Tuesday night. The presentation will be made at the Council meeting, which begins at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10. The vote on approving the funding for the project will be made at a future meeting, said Town Council President Mark Sideris. The proposal calls for replacing the existing lights on the Grove Street Field with LED lights on seven poles, and installing LED lights on four poles on the Arlington Street Field.

Around Town

Watertown School Staff Member Sent Home as Precautionary Measure Related to Coronavirus

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A teacher from Watertown High School who had recently traveled abroad, was sent home as a precaution measure after the possibility of having been exposed to the COVID-19 “Coronavirus,” the Watertown Public Schools announced. Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston said the measure was taken out to be cautious, and was in line with recommendations by local, state and federal health officials. She also talked about a planned WHS trip to Europe during spring break. School officials said there has not been a confirmed case of the Coronavirus in the Watertown Public Schools, however, there is a staff member who went home just in case the person was exposed to the virus. “I can confirm there are no known or suspected cases of Coronavirus in Watertown,” said Galdston, who said she could not comment specifically about the case, or even if the person had been tested, due to federal HIPAA regulations protecting people’s medical records.