Around Town

Boys & Girls Club’s Renee Gaudette Stepping Down, Club Searching for New Director

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Watertown Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Renee Gaudette will be leaving her position. Here, she received the Executive of the Year Award in 2015. She was nominated by Chris Chrombie, right, the club’s Project Director. The Watertown Boys & Boys Club announced Executive Director Renee Gaudette will be leaving the club leadership position after nine years. Gaudette led the Club through an unprecedented period of growth in membership, programming and funding.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Man Arrested After Resisting Arrest, Shoplifter Caught Wearing the Boots He Stole

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

March 17, 3:03 p.m.: Officers were at Target when they were alerted about a possible shoplifter. One of the employees saw the man take some headphones and a portable charger, and then exit the store. He rode away on a bicycle. The officer saw the same bicycle parked alone in front of Best Buy.

City Council

City Council Wants to Talk to DCR About Closing of Greenough Blvd.

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City Councilors have invited representatives from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to talk about the status of Greenough Boulevard in 2022, and whether it will once again be closed to traffic for several months. City Council President Mark Sideris said he would like the Council to have discussions with officials from the State agency that owns the roadway known as “Little Greenough,” which runs along the Charles River from Arsenal to North Beacon streets. “A year ago, this came before Council and we wrote a letter saying we want to have discussions, and DCR basically closed Little Greenough without any further talks with the City,” Sideris said. “I have spoken to (state) Sen. (Will) Brownsberger and he thought it was appropriate that we ask that they come talk to the Committee.” 

A screenshot of a Google Map showing the section of Greenough Boulevard closed by the DCR for recreation use in 2021. It stretches from North Beacon Street to Arsenal Street.

Government

Council Approves $2.5 Million for Road Projects, See Which Roads Are on the List

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Funds to repair road in 2022 were approved by the City Council this week. The $2.5 million will go toward reconstructing four roadways in Watertown. Department of Public Works Superintendent Greg St. Louis said the streets on the list for repairs this year are: Boylston Street (from Fairfield Street to Porter Street), Chester Street, Locke Street, and Chapman Street (from Main Street to Highland Avenue). The work will include fully replacing the roadway surface, installing granite curbing and replacing sidewalks.

Government

Funding to Renovate, Expand Lowell School Approved by Council

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Ai3 ArchitectsA view of what the renovation to the Lowell School, including the addition seen on the right, which has tall windows, including on the corners. The funds for Watertown’s third elementary school project got approval from the City Council Tuesday night. The Lowell Elementary School project, unlike the first two, will not be a brand new school. Instead the historic building will undergo a major renovation and will have some additions. The approval for borrowing $48.895 million for the Lowell project on Tuesday came on the same night that the Council approved borrowing $198 million to construct the new Watertown High School.

Government

Council Approves Borrowing $198 Million for State of the Art, Green Watertown High School

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Ai3 ArchtiectsA rendering of what the new Watertown High School will look like (note the colors have not been settled). The City Council approved borrowing $198 million to construct the new school. School and City officials hailed the City Council’s approval of funding to build the new Watertown High School as an important step not just for the students of Watertown, but the community as a whole. Tuesday night’s approval of the borrowing of $198.8 million opens the way for the final planning and construction of a state-of-the-art, and energy efficient building to be constructed on the site of the current school. The figure covers the cost of construction, plus the creation of temporary swing space at Moxley Field.

Around Town

Watertown’s Winter Parking Ban Lifted Early

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The Watertown Police Department announced the end of the winter parking ban. The WPD sent out the following announcement:

Police Chief Michael Lawn would like to inform you that Watertown will lift enforcement of the all night parking ban effective Wednesday, March 23, 2022 at 12:00 pm. The Department of Public Works, Police Department and Fire Department would like to remind motorists that keeping the streets clear allows for road repairs, street cleaning and easy access for public safety vehicles. To that end, all Departments encourage residents to make full use of off-street parking when it is available.

Around Town

Sheepshearing Festival Returns to Gore Place, Tickets Now Available

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Gore PlaceAfter a two-year hiatus, the Sheepshearing Festival returns in-person at Gore Place on April 23. The following information came from Gore Place:

Forced to move online by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sheepshearing Festival at Gore Place will return in-person on Saturday, April 23, 2022. Since 1987, this annual event has entertained guests with music, 100 craft and fiber artists, demonstrations of traditional shearing and herding dogs, and historic re-enactors, on the beautiful grounds of this historic, 50-acre estate. According to Executive Director and festival organizer Susan Robertson, “We’re proud that the Sheepshearing Festival has become a New England spring tradition for so many. People often tell us that spring doesn’t begin until the Sheepshearing Festival.