Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/more/aroundtown/page/448/)
Visitors of this year’s Faire on the Square will see some changes, including new rides, entertainers, food truck and — organizers hope — beer and wine. The 2018 Faire is the 20th annual Town celebration. It will be held on Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will once again take place around Town Hall. In an effort to liven the event, organizers have brought in some new elements.
The following information was provided by the Department of Public Works:
Following days of initial testing, the Town of Watertown has debuted two “queue jump” lanes at School Street and Walnut Street. Queue jump lanes allow buses to move more quickly through intersections by “jumping” to the front of a line of traffic. Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems around the world use queue jump lanes to create a faster and more reliable bus ride and improve overall traffic flow. “Roughly 5,000 bus trips are made each day in Watertown in this corridor, and the Route 71 bus is an important asset to the community,” said Matthew Shuman, Town Engineer for the Town of Watertown. “We also know from research in other places that moving Watertown closer to BRT with queue jump lanes has the potential to speed up the commute for everyone by separating buses from cars at intersections.
The following information was provided by the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association:
Massachusetts Funeral Directors recently installed Adrianne F. Faggas, of Watertown, as president of the association for the 2018-19 term. Adrianne and her brother, George Faggas, are second-generation funeral directors, and Adrianne’s daughter, Nicole M. Faggas, is a third-generation director at Faggas Funeral Home in Watertown. She is the daughter of Nick and Ann Faggas. Nick celebrated his 60th year of licensure at the event. A longtime board member of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association, Faggas is also a member of the NFDA and an active member of her community.
For youth looking to have fun in the outdoors, Troop 30 is holding its first meeting of the year Sept. 6. BSA in Watertown, the Boy Scouts of America program serving youth from Watertown, Allston and Brighton, is for kids in fifth grade through high school. Troop 30 raises funds for its own activities, which includes camping trips, summer camp, winter hikes and earning merit badges in everything from archery to woodcarving. The troop meets Thursday nights, from 7:15 – 8:30 p.m., at 80 Mt.
Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian recognized 189 Youth Public Safety Academy (YPSA) cadets from Watertown, Acton, Malden, Maynard and Newton during a graduation ceremony Friday, Aug. 3 at Chelmsford High School. Thirty-five of the graduating cadets were from Watertown. During the course of the week, the cadets participated in team building exercises, learned fire and personal safety skills and enjoyed educational games. They also spent time with members of the MSO staff and their local police and fire departments. “Year after year, YPSA is one of the most well-received community outreach programs we run,” said Sheriff Koutoujian. “It’s a great opportunity to build relationships between youngsters, the MSO and our public safety colleagues in fun-filled, educational settings.”
“YPSA is a great program, and a fantastic way to connect our youth and public safety professionals in a safe and positive atmosphere,” said Police Chief Michael Lawn.
The following piece was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger:
When the going gets tough, you see what people are made of. I liked a lot of what I saw this year in the legislature and I got closer to my colleagues as we shared difficult choices. I will never forget the day-long meeting we had in December to grapple with the first news of the tragic scandal involving former Senate President Rosenberg and his husband. Every senator was vocal, emotional and forthright. We had different instincts on how to handle the situation. Some put their foot down for immediate action. Others favored investigation before drawing conclusions.
Watertown Recreation Director Peter Centola provided the following information:
As a follow-up to the Filippello Park (Grove) renovation update, which was distributed on July 27, I would like to provide more specific instructions for parking beginning Monday, Aug. 6. The entryway to Filippello Park (Grove) will be closed beginning Aug. 6 due to the renovation of this area. Renovation will continue until approximately mid-November.
A severe thunderstorm that produced a tornado in Central Massachusetts Saturday calmed down by the it hit Watertown, dropping only rain
The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed a tornado struck Webster, damaging some buildings in the downtown area of the town in southern Worcester County. The NWS had issued a Tornado Warning for parts of Worcester County and Southeast Middlesex County which expired at 10:45 a.m.
Watertown was under a flash flood warning from the NWS.