Around Town

Committee Recommends Calming Traffic on Church Street

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In an effort to make Church Street safer, the Town Council’s Public Works subcommittee recommended that a traffic table, like those near Watertown Middle School, be installed at Palfrey Street. Residents of the area complained to the Council that the intersection is dangerous and has frequent close calls and many accidents, too. Aaron Caine lives near the corner of Church and Palfrey streets and said there are close calls on a daily basis at the intersection, and about once a week there cars screech to a halt trying to avoid a collision. WorldTech, a firm hired by the town to study traffic in the area, did a traffic study and made recommendations. They did not recommend a stop sign, but did say a speed table could be installed.

Around Town

Watertown Mall Hosting Job Fair This Week

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Attention job seekers, it is time to head to the mall to find a new job. On Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25, some stores at the Watertown Mall will be holding a job fair. Whether you are looking for part time, full time or seasonal work, you can find it there.

Around Town

Possible Flooding in Watertown Wednesday Night

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Look for a long rain storm to hit Watertown on Wednesday, with heavy rains in the evening. The National Weather Service has issues a Flood Watch for the Watertown area and most of Eastern Massachusetts on Wednesday. Rain will start in the afternoon, and get heavy between 5 and 8 p.m. The area could get 1.5 to 2.5 inches and some places it could be as much as 4 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Precipitation will continue into Thursday morning.

Around Town

New Season of Top Chef Features Show Shot in Watertown

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Bravo’s reality cooking show Top Chef shot its latest season in the Boston area, including one episode in Watertown. Top Chef season 12 features segments from Boston area landmarks such as Fenway Park, Plimouth Plantation, the Cheers Bar and our very own Commander’s Mansion. The episode at the historic house located in the Arsenal on the Charles was shot in late May, said Tammy McKenna, facility manager at the Commander’s Mansion. The show included employees from athenahealth, the company that now owns the Arsenal complex. When the show was looking for a filming location athena suggested the mansion, McKenna said.

Around Town

Victory Field Plans Scrapped, Requirement for Project – Grass

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The effort to renovate the track area of Victory Field will start again from scratch and Town Council President Mark Sideris gave the group in charge of designing it one directive – it must have natural grass. The plan for Phase 2 of the Victory Field renovation included replacing the grass in the middle of the track with artificial turf. The Town Council asked the architects to make some changes to the plan at the Sept. 23 meeting, but Town Council President Mark Sideris proposed starting the project over at Tuesday night’s Council meeting. The plan had been drawn up by architects from CDM and officials from the Recreation Department. Residents made it clear at two meetings in September, that the majority of the people opposed parts of the project – mostly the artificial turf.

Around Town

Fallen Firefighter Ed Walsh to be Honored at WHS Football Game

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On Friday night, Watertown native and fallen Boston Firefighter Ed Walsh will be honored at the Watertown High School football game. Lt. Walsh died fighting a fire in the Back Bay in March. His funeral was held at St. Patrick’s Church in Watertown and thousands of firefighters from around the country came to pay tribute (see more here). Other WHS sports teams have paid tribute to Walsh, who attended the high school, including the baseball and lacrosse teams.

The game will be at 7 p.m. on Oct.

Around Town

Tufts Health Plan Foundation Awards $880K in Grants

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Organizations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island received more than $880,000 during the second cycle of the Tufts Health Plan Foundation’s grant awards. More than 25 percent of grants this cycle are for programs which have not been funded previously by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation, according to an announcement from the foundation. These include intergenerational programs in Somerville and Worcester, evidence-based Tai Chi and Fall Prevention programs in Boston and Johnston, RI, and a new driving assessment program for older adults through Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod. Also receiving funding for the first time this cycle is the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging’s Aging Mastery program, which was created by the National Council on Aging to empower participants to make small but impactful changes in their health behaviors. The program will be offered in nine Massachusetts communities selected through a bid process.

Around Town

Watertown Library Now Offering Digital Copies of Yearbooks, More

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The Watertown Free Public Library will offer a new digital resource to look at historic Watertown High School yearbooks and has plans to add more resources. Through BiblioBoard, library users can view various WHS yearbooks from 1925 and 1958. Find pictures of yourself or family members in old editions of The Annual. Highlights from The Annual include everything from photos of the high school’s marching band in a 1955 parade to advertisements from beloved local businesses such as one for a prom dress from Mary Burns’ formal boutique for only $19.95, according to the announcement. Users can access BiblioBoard through the library’s website (watertownlib.org) or synch with the device of their choice, including the iPad, iPad mini, Kindle Fire, Galaxy, Nexus and more.