Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/page/206/)
Watertown officials celebrated the new historical marker in honor of General Lafayette. From left, Council Vice President Vincent Piccirilli, Council President Mark Sideris, Marilynne Roach of the Historical Society, City Manager George Proakis, Julien Icher of the Lafayette Trail, Joyce Kelly from the Historical Society, and City Councilor Caroline Bays. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
On a drizzly, cool morning, a small crowd of Watertown history buffs came out to celebrate a Frenchman who played an important role in winning the American Revolution. During the ceremony, Watertown’s newest historical marker was unveiled, honoring the Marquis de Lafayette, who served as a general in the American Army.
By Kendra FoleyChair, Watertown School Committee
The Watertown School Committee has been busy over the last two months tackling budget decisions, discussing policy changes, and reviewing educational data that affects our school community.
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.
The Boston Renegades, who practice in Watertown, got to play at Fenway Park for the first time on April 12. The beep baseball team has members who are visually impaired and others who are not, all of whom wear blindfolds. (Photo by Jim Vershbow)
BOSTON — Bravery. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Among the bravest, in my opinion, are those individuals who are forced to live their lives visually impaired. Sight is a precious thing, and not having it is one of the cruelest things you could inflict on any human being. Yet, over the years so many incredible techniques and equipment have been devised and developed to allow the visually impaired community to do things that those of us with sight take for granted. One of those things is the opportunity to play the great sport of baseball, more commonly known to the visually impaired community as Beep Baseball.
A screenshot of the City of Watertown’s website.
The City of Watertown received a Municipal Website Award at the recent Massachusetts Municipal Association conference.
By Tony PalombaCouncilor at Large
The Citizen Petition to Help Our Neighbors
On Tuesday, January 21 the City Council held a public hearing about a Citizen Petition (CP) that would amend the Watertown Winter Parking Ban (Ban) so that it is put into effect only when a significant snow or ice storm is forecasted or when there is a significant accumulation of snow or ice. The CP was initiated by Watertown Citizens for Better Parking and was submitted to the City Clerk with over 800 signatures. (Our Charter only requires 150 signatures of registered voters.) I played a role in helping to move this effort forward and below you can see the statement I read, in part, on Tuesday night when the members of the Council were allowed to address the CP.
The following information was provided by Storefront Art Projects:
Storefront Art Projects will host Lois Tarlow: Works on Paper from Maine and New Mexico beginning Feb. 8.
Here’s the updated daily weather forecast from Wednesday, February 5 to Friday, February 7 by Meteorologist Matthew Moll of New England Weather Consulting:
A book launch for “Lost Gaels: Remembering the Members of the GAA Killed During the Conflict in Ireland” will be held in Watertown. See more in the information provided by the Ancient Order of Hibernians below.
Watertown City Hall
Following the multi-hour meeting about Watertown’s Winter Parking ban, City Manager George Proakis updated the City Council about next steps and urged residents to sign up for the City’s alert system. Also, Council President Mark Sideris requested a review of Watertown’s Demolition Delay Ordinance, and Proakis provided information on Federal grants received by the City.
By Clyde YoungerFormer Watertown Council President
Last Wednesday, Jan. 31, around 9 p.m., video captured a horrific collision of two airplanes as they erupted into flame.
MassDOT’s study area at Newton Corner.
The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing it will be hosting the third working group meeting for the Newton Corner Long Term Planning Study. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 5, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., hosted virtually via Zoom. A dedicated public information meeting will also be held on Tuesday, February 25, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.