Around Town

Find Out About Watertown’s New Electricity Plans at Upcoming Meetings

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The Town of Watertown will host a series of informational sessions about the new Electricity Choice program, which has a deadline in August. The Town of Watertown provided the following information:

If you have questions regarding Watertown’s Electricity Choice Program, there are four upcoming opportunities for face-to-face question and answer periods. The schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, July 24,  2:30-6:30 p.m. at the Watertown Farmers Market (Saltonstall Park) – booth for questions Saturday, July 27 noon at the Watertown Free Public Library – formal presentation / Q&A Thursday, Aug. 1, 7:00 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library – formal presentation / Q&A  Tuesday, Aug. 6, 10:00 a.m. at the Watertown Senior Center – formal presentation / Q&A  

The four meeting dates are all prior to the Aug.

Around Town

Member of Watertown Troop 30 Earns Scouting’s Highest Rank: Eagle Scout

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Luke Black recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Here he is with his parents Lee and Mary Helen Black at the Eagle Scout Ceremony. Recently, Luke Black — a member of Watertown Boy Scout Troop 30 — reached an achievement that only a handful of boys reach in their time as scouts. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout. On June 13, Luke Black received his Eagle pin from Scoutmaster Chris Derocher at a ceremony held at Watertown-Belmont United Methodist Church.

Around Town

MTBA CharlieCards Now Available in Watertown

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The following information was provided by MassDOT:

The MBTA announced that the Town of Watertown has partnered with the T in the growing initiative to increase the availability of CharlieCards to residents who rely on public transportation. Under the initiative, free no-balance CharlieCards are available at the following Watertown locations:

•        Watertown Town Hall 149 Main Street Watertown, MA 02472

CharlieCards available in the Clerk’s Office on the ground floor and in the Planning Department on the third floor. •         Watertown Free Public Library 123 Main Street Watertown, MA 02472

The Town of Watertown joins a growing list of Cities and Towns partnering with the MBTA to increase access to CharlieCards. The City of Chelsea partnered with the MBTA in January 2019 with CharlieCards pre-loaded with $5 as well as free no-balance CharlieCards available in the Treasury Office of Chelsea City Hall. CharlieCards available in the City of Lynn and the City of Salem are also coming soon.

Around Town

A Little Library in Watertown Brings Together Book Lovers, Neighbors

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Rebecca Conlon and Emily Neill stand next to the Little Free Library that recently went up on Hall Avenue. Watertown’s branch libraries closed in 2007, but book lovers can now visit a little library just off Belmont Street in Watertown that is not much bigger than a mailbox. Standing on a single post, the library holds about 30 books. People are welcome to grab something to read, as well as dropping off something for someone else to enjoy. The selection includes fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, books for teens, and tweens, and more, said Rebecca Conlon, who volunteered to house the library in her front yard.

Around Town

Mini Grants Available from Tufts Health Plan Foundation

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The following announcement was provided by Tufts Health Plan:

Tufts Health Plan Foundation announced Momentum Fund mini-grants of up to $10,000 are available to advance age-friendly and dementia-friendly work in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. These one-year awards are designed to build on community experiences and insights as they advance age- and dementia-friendly cities and towns. 

“The strongest ideas for engaging on aging issues come from community,” said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of Tufts Health Plan Foundation and vice president for corporate citizenship at Tufts Health Plan. “Our desire is to ensure these resources support those ideas.” 

As the only regional funder focused exclusively on healthy aging, Tufts Health Plan Foundation works to strengthen and support communities to help them become great places to grow up and grow old. Since 2008, it has given nearly $34 million to community organizations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The Foundation will begin funding in Connecticut this year. 

To inform decision making, review proposals and make recommendations for funding, the Foundation has convened local committees in each state.

Around Town

Middlesex Sheriff Receives Money to Expand Youth Public Safety Academy

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The following information was provided by the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office:

Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian today announced the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (MSO) has been awarded nearly $3,700 from Attorney General Maura Healey’s Healthy Summer Youth Jobs Grant Program to help support the MSO’s 20th Annual Youth Public Safety Academy (YPSA). “We are grateful to Attorney General Healey for providing this funding which allows us to hire an additional counselor and expand the number of cadets we are able to accept into this year’s YPSA,” said Sheriff Koutoujian. “Not only does this grant provide an opportunity for more cadets to participate in this program, but also for a young adult to work in an environment where they can mentor younger neighbors.”

YPSA is a series of six, one-week long camps designed for children ages 8-12 who live in Middlesex County. Cadets spend the week with MSO staff as well as police officers and firefighters from their hometown, forming important bonds with their local law enforcement officials. Cadets also participate in classroom and practical activities designed to teach them important public safety skills including a simulated fire safety trailer offered by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, a challenge course held at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Billerica, and demonstrations offered by the MSO and partner agencies. “Our summer jobs program provides young people across the state with an opportunity to challenge themselves and make a difference in their own community,” AG Healey said.

Around Town

Watertown Honors Fallen Marine by Dedicating Square Near his Childhood Home

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The sign proclaiming the intersection of Emerson Road and Main Street a memorial to Pvt. Paul Gorman, who was killed in Vietnam 1968, was unveiled Friday by Veterans Services Officer Patrick George. Gorman’s sister and brother, Bonnie and Bob, had a front row seat. Around 100 people gathered on a quiet side street off Main Street Friday afternoon to pay respects to one of Watertown’s own who was killed while serving with the Marines in Vietnam in 1968. The Town of Watertown officially dedicated the corner of Emerson Road and Main Street as Private Paul James Gorman Memorial Square on Friday morning.

Around Town

LETTER: Group Hosting Vigil to End Human Detention Camps

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Event organizers submitted the following announcement:

On Friday, July 12, 2019, Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Detention Camps will bring thousands of people to locations across the nation to protest the inhumane conditions faced by refugees. We are part of a coalition of people dedicated to human rights and the fundamental principle behind democracy: that all human beings have a right to life, liberty and dignity. Please join us on the green in Watertown Square from 7-8 p.m. We’ll have candles–bring your signs and songs! This is a family- and child-friendly event. A silent sea of candles in cities, towns, homes, and especially at every detention camp, will light up the nation.