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LETTER: Resident Concerned About Loss of Staff From Health Department

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(The following was first presented to the City Council during the Public Forum at the July 12, 2022 Council Meeting)

I am speaking to you about my concern over the long-standing problems within our Health Department. My information is from my attendance at Board of Health meetings, a review of minutes of public meetings, and my communications with members of the community and City staff. I read a statement at the January Board of Health meeting detailing my concerns, and what I described has since grown worse. In essence I asked the BOH to look beyond the Department Head reports and examine the reasons so many talented people are leaving our city vulnerable during what was such a critical time. I am appealing to the City Council to exercise their charter-mandated oversight responsibility and hold an Executive Session to address the situation. 

My key concerns within the Health Department are:

• An alarming attrition rate: around 8 employees in the last 3 years.

Around Town

Fruits and Veggies in Season at the Watertown Farmers Market

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Farmers Market:

We’re now in full swing with vendors bringing a delicious variety of farm fresh and specialty foods, along with fine arts and crafts from local artisans hosting our weekly guest tent. Be sure to stop by our community and city guest tents to learn about local agencies, services, and resources. 

What’s Growing? Our fabulous produce vendors will be bringing plenty of fresh summer goodies like sweet corn, tomatoes, kale, boc choy, blueberries, currents, radishes, beets, chard, cucumbers, and summer squash! Check out availability here: Dick’s, Farmer Tim’s, Stillman’s. Grab your reusable bags, take a look at our layout below, invite a friend, and come on over!

Around Town

Watertown Curbside Composting Program Starts Soon, See How to Participate

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Watertown DPWCurbside composting toters, like the one on the left, will be part of the Watertown trash and recycling program starting in August. Watertown residents will soon be able to compost their food waste with free curbside pickup. Registration is now open for those interested. The Department of Public Works has partnered with Black Earth, which will do weekly curbside pickup of organic waste, said City Recycling Coordinator Anya Pforzheimer. They collect organic waste put out on the curb in 13-gallon green bins.

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Watertown Cable Employee Honored as Emerging Leader

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Watertown Cable Access TVWatertown Cable Access TV Assistant Director Andrea Santopietro received the 2022 Emerging Leader Award from the Alliance for Community Media. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Cable Access:

Watertown Cable Access Corp. (WCA-TV) is very excited to announce that its Assistant Director, Andrea Santopietro, has received the 2022 Emerging Leader Award from the Alliance for Community Media (ACM). Andrea accepted her award during the national ACM conference in Chicago at the end of June. 

The national ACM conference brings together representatives from public access television stations and media centers from all over the country for three days of networking, vendor presentations, workshops, and awards recognition. 

“Ever since joining WCA-TV Andrea has brought fresh ideas, a spirit of collaboration, and a willingness not only to learn more, but to share her knowledge with volunteers, coworkers, and community organizations,” said WCA-TV Executive Director Helen Chatel. 

The Emerging Leader Award recognizes a professional who is under 40 years of age working in the field of community media who demonstrates the values of building community through media on a consistent basis. 

“I am so honored to have received this award, and I will continue to work hard in making my community and organization the best that it can be,” Andrea said. 

Mike Wassenaar, President & CEO at Alliance for Community Media and Andre Santopietro, Assistant Director of WCA-TV at the awards ceremony in Chicago. Addressing the audience during an awards ceremony in Chicago, Andrea reflected on her role with WCA-TV, which includes coordinating coverage and broadcast of Watertown’s municipal meetings, organizing and teaching workshops, and working with volunteers to help them produce programming. 

“Even with the administrative responsibility of an Assistant Director, I am still able to do what I love and incorporate it in my day to day life at the station,” Andrea said.

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New Youth Engagement Specialist Joins Watertown Youth Coalition

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Watertown Youth CoalitionRaphael Marinho joined the Watertown Youth Coalition as the Youth Engagement Specialist. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Youth Coalition:

Raphael Marinho is the new Youth Engagement Specialist at Wayside Multi-Service Center and will be working with Watertown Youth in two capacities: as the Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leadership Advisor and will also be available to intervene with youth engaged in or at-risk for substance misuse. He will screen, assess, and refer youth to appropriate programs and activities that support their health and wellness. Raphael immigrated from Brazil to get his college education in the U.S., where he studied psychology and acquired a master’s degree in Community Social Psychology. Through a work-study opportunity at an early literacy program, he found his passion for education and community work with at-risk youth and immigrant families.

Around Town

Call for Artists to Create Images of Edible Plants Found in Watertown

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The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Watertown Public Arts & Culture Committee is pleased to launch the first project of Edible Watertown, a long-term interdisciplinary project that promotes awareness of our local environment through community engagement and the artistic and scientific exploration of plants native to Watertown. Edible Watertown aims to uplift the importance of native flora and their ecosystems to connect people with the environment right outside their door. The community connections created by this local movement, in response to the global issue of climate change, will encourage us all to be better stewards of the environment and increase recognition of the known natural gifts in our community. About “Edible Watertown: Plants of Our Past”

In Plants of our Past, 10 artists will be selected to each create a 2-dimensional artwork, one for each of 10 native edible plants in Watertown:

1.    Bearberry2.    Bee Balm3.    Daylily4.    Garlic Chives5.    Mountain Mint6.    Wintergreen7.    Mayapple8.    Red Bud9.    Elderberry10.  Huckleberry

Artists will be selected anonymously by a jury that includes the Edible Watertown Subcommittee of the Public Arts & Culture Committee. Artists will be selected based on a review of their previous work, their ability to complete projects on time (as evidenced by their resumes), their alignment with the Public Arts & Culture Committee’s mission and values and/or Edible Watertown (as evidenced by their artist statement and/or bio) and weighted by their proximity to Watertown.