Around Town

Replacing Victory Field Turf with New Artificial Surface Supported by School Committee

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Charlie BreitroseVictory Field is home to Watertown High School’s football team, along with the field hockey, girls and boys soccer, boys and girls lacrosse, and baseball teams.

On Feb. 6, the School Committee supported the recommendation to replace the artificial turf surface at the field most used by Watertown High School’s athletic teams, however some did so with strong reservations because it would be a different type of artificial turf. The artificial turf field at Victory Field is nearing the end of its recommended life. The City plans to replace it with another artificial turf, but with an organic material between the plastic blades of grass. The final decision on whether to approve the project will come from the City Council, and the funding would come from the City’s budget, not the Schools.

Around Town

Community Meeting About Saltonstall Park Project

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The following announcement came from the City of Watertown:

There is an Upper Saltonstall Project Community Meeting on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 5:30 PM. Please join us via ZOOM https://watertown-ma.zoom.us/j/81177139425

For additional information, please contact Bob Dirico at rdirico@watertown-ma.gov or 617-972-6420.

Around Town

OBIT: Michael Driscoll, 70, Served as Watertown Town Manager for 29 Years

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Michael Driscoll

The following information came from Nardone Funeral Home:

Michael J. Driscoll, Retired Watertown City Manger, Age 70, of Watertown & East Dennis, passed away surrounded by his loving family on Saturday February 11, 2023. Beloved husband of Jane (Ohnemus) Driscoll. Loving father of Amy Driscoll & her partner John Indeck, Allison Privitera & her husband David, Aileen Driscoll, Sarah Giorgio & her husband Nicholas. Cherished ‘Papa’ to Charlie Driscoll, Lola Giorgio and the newest arrival Brooks Giorgio. Dear brother of Brian, Paula Wheeler, Mark, Peter, Leanne Norris.

Around Town

Registration Available for Recreation Dept.’s Winter II Session

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Sports, robots, adult programs and more are available during the Watertown Recreation Department’s Winter II session. Registration has opened for the session, which runs from Feb. 27 to April 16. Sports for kids include basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, wrestling, whiffleball, and all-sports, which includes several different sports. Science focused activities include Chemical Creations, robots, and Bridges & Buildings.

Around Town

LETTER: Medicare Advantage Helps Seniors Stay Active, Healthy

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Dear Editor,

As I recently read in a news article, happiness spikes in our 70s. Seniors are staying healthier and living longer than ever before, and they enjoy their retirement years with lots of free time to spend with friends and family. However, there are health complications that come with age, and that is why it is important for seniors to have quality health insurance. For me and over 30 million other seniors and people with disabilities, Medicare Advantage delivers affordable access to care. My Medicare Advantage plan prioritizes preventative care, so that my older years are spent less frequently in hospitals.

Around Town

Longtime Former Town Manager Michael Driscoll Passes Away

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The man who led Watertown’s municipal government for nearly three decades, former Town Manager Michael Driscoll, passed away on Saturday. Driscoll worked for the Town, and now City, of Watertown for 45 years, beginning as the manager of the John A. Ryan Arena in 1977, became treasurer collector in 1985 before becoming Town Manager in 1994. He grew up in Woburn and lived in Watertown with his wife, Jane. He has three daughters and one step daughter: Amy, Allison, Aileen, and Sarah. 

The City of Watertown sent out a statement that read, in part: “We are saddened to share the news that former Watertown City Manager Michael Driscoll passed away early on February 11, 2023 after receiving treatment for cancer over the past year. …

Around Town

Local Store Buys Girl Scout Cookies for Troop to Deliver to Food Pantries

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Amy TrapassoMembers of Watertown Brownie Troop 70133 delivered donated Girl Scout cookies to the Watertown Food Pantry. They posed with Food Pantry Coordinator Kathy Cunningham. A Watertown store purchased more than 100 of boxes of Girl Scout cookies from a Watertown Brownie Troop, and the girls recently delivered them to a pair of food pantries in town. A local merchant bought 128 boxes of cookies from Brownie Troop 70133, and asked the girls to donate them, said Amy Trapasso, co-troop leader. “Teresa, one of the new owners of The Meat Spot in Watertown Square, generously purchased more than $600 worth of Girl Scout cookies from Watertown Brownie Troop 70133 and asked that we donate them to the two food pantries in town,” Trapasso said.

Around Town

Our History: Tour the Inside and Out of the Home of One of Watertown’s Famous Architects

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Charles Brigham House, 84 Garfield Street, 2nd story lost in hurricane of 1938 (Courtesy of Sigrid Reddy Watson)

The following story is part of a series about local history. It was written by Sigrid Reddy Watson Terman for the October 2000 Historical Society newsletter, The Town Crier. Sigrid is a former Board member and former President of the Historical Society, as well at a former Director of the Watertown Free Public Library. For several years starting in 1997, she wrote a Watertown history column for the Watertown TAB/Press called “Echoes.”

CHARLES BRIGHAM’S HOUSES GRACE GARFIELD STREET

Recently I had the pleasure of seeing both the exterior and the interior of Charles Brigham’s house on Garfield Street at the invitation of Wilga Rivers, the present owner. It sits on a large lot, and retains many of the features for which Brigham was renowned.