Around Town

Registration Open for Watertown Youth Basketball

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The following announcement was provided by Watertown Youth Basketball:

Hello Watertown Basketball Families. ONLINE REGISTRATION for the 2019-2020 Season is NOW OPEN!!! Register at watertownyouthbasketball.com

We offer a fun, competitive opportunity for Boys and Girls Grades 4-8 to play Basketball on either a travel or in house team. Deadline to register for a Travel Team is October 20! Deadline to register for In House is November 16!

Around Town

Girls Who Code Club Coming to Watertown Library

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:

According to the national organization Girls Who Code, Women make up half of the U.S workforce, but hold just 25% of the jobs in technical or computing fields. In an effort to support and encourage young women interested in computer science, Watertown Free Public Library will offer a Girls Who Code club this fall. The club will follow curriculum published by the national Girls Who Code organization. All girls in 6th through 12th grade who are interested in joining the WFPL’s GWC club are encouraged to come to an informational meeting on Thursday, September 26, 7:00-8:15 at the Watertown Free Public Library. This meeting gives potential girl coders and their parents a chance to meet the volunteer facilitators and ask questions about the program.

Around Town

Heather Zarkadas Memorial 5K Run Benefits Family of Watertown Resident

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The 3rd Annual Heather Zarkadas Memorial 5K Fun Run & Walk will be held on Saturday, Sept. 28 to benefit the family of the Watertown resident lost to cancer. Heather was a Watertown resident and reading specialist who taught in the Lexington Public Schools. She passed away in March 2016 from complications from her breast cancer treatment and left behind her husband Jim and three daughters. Jim is the co-owner of Fit-Z’s Bar & Grill on Main Street.

Around Town

Mental Health First Aid Course Offered by Wayside

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The following information was provided by Wayside Youth & Family Support Network:

Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This 8-hour training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care. It also explores skills to manage a mental health crisis until professionals arrive to take over. As a community, we are responsible for supporting those in need around us. This training teaches us how to better understand and support the needs of those in our community who may be struggling with their mental health.

Around Town

Watertown Library Hosting 6th Annual 5K Fun Run

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:

The Watertown Free Public Library invites residents of all ages and abilities to participate in the 6th Annual Book It and Run 5K on September 21, 2019. This family-friendly event promotes community fitness, and helps support Watertown Free Public Library programs.

“The 5K is great opportunity for our community to celebrate our library and enjoy a laid-back run through Watertown.” says WFPL’s 5K coordinator Jamie Kallestad, “The library gets so much love and support from this town, we enjoy giving some of it back by cheering and encouraging our runners on race day. It’s a great day at work for everyone here.”

The Book It and Run course follows a 5-kilometer loop through Watertown neighborhoods. The start and finish line is located in front of the Watertown Boys & Girls Club on Whites Ave, a short walk from the library. Runners will have the chance to stop for water at Victory Field and can look forward healthy snacks donated by Iggy’s Bread and Russo’s at the finish line.

Around Town

Registration Open for Watertown Recreation’s Fall Programs

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The Watertown Recreation Department has a wide variety of programs available this fall, from flag football to yoga to crafts. The Watertown Recreation Department is offering the following program opportunities. The registration information is included below, posted on the Watertown Recreation Website www.recreation.watertown-ma.gov and in the Watertown Recreation Office in the Town Hall. If you or your child is planning to participate in a program this fall, it is important to register as soon as possible. Space is limited and participants will be accepted on a first come first serve basis.

Around Town

Partnership Between Town, Arsenal Yards to Renovate Town Park Over Before it Began

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An overhead view of Arsenal Park. The long red building is the Arsenal Mall, and to the left is the Commander’s Mansion and the Arsenal on the Charles complex. A public-private partnership between the Town of Watertown and the developers of Arsenal Yards, which was to speed up renovation of part of Arsenal Park, has ended, Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced Tuesday night. A disagreement over a construction management fee that Boylston wanted to charge the Town to oversee the construction was the main sticking point, according to Driscoll, who read from a letter from the Town’s attorney Mark Reich of KP Law. “Of particular concern, and the primary impetus for this letter, is the insistence of Mr. (William) McQuillan that the Town pay Boylston Properties a 5 percent construction management fee as part of the proposed public-private partnership,” the letter reads.

Around Town

Health Dept. Warns of EEE in Watertown, Tips to Avoid Mosquito Bites

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Health Department:

Due to the risk level of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in the Middlesex County, the Watertown Health Department is urging residents to take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Even though no positive EEE mosquitoes have been identified in Watertown, the risk to acquire mosquito borne diseases continues until the first deep frost sets in. The Watertown Health Department urges residents to continue to take steps to avoid mosquito bites by using repellents, limit outdoor activity during peak mosquito hours (dusk till dawn), and keep skin covered. For further information regarding the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Department of Agricultural Resources aerial spraying for EEE in critical and high risk communities, click here. Avoid Mosquito Bites

Apply Insect Repellent when Outdoors.