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The number of COVID-19 cases continued to drop, and the number of recent cases dropped to its lowest point since the beginning of December. According to the latest Mass. Department of Public Health report, Watertown has had 157 cases over the prior 14 days. The number dropped by 78 from the previous week’s report. The last time the Town had fewer cases over the previous 2 weeks was the Dec.
Watertown School leaders have begun equity and anti-racism training, and more staff members will soon be working with the group hired after the reports of racial harassment in the Watertown Schools went public. School leadership recently went through a two hour training on becoming a culturally proficient leader, which is part of a 10-hour course, said Superintendent Dede Galdston. On Monday, Galston introduced Dr. Kalise Wornum of KW Diversity, which is conducting the training and working with the district on related issues, at the School Committee meeting. She also updated the committee on efforts to hire someone for the newly created Director of Equity and Inclusion position. Wornun has been working with schools on these issues with colleges and public schools for three decades.
Watertown’s Kourtney Kennedy, who plays at UConn, made the Big East’s preseason All-Conference team. The Big East Conference named former Watertown High School field hockey star Kourtney Kennedy to its preseason All-Conference team. Kennedy, a senior back for the Huskies, was one of four UConn players named to the pre-season All-Big East team prior to the start of the season, according to the announcement from UConn Athletics. Normally a fall sport, field hockey was delayed until mid-February due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a junior, Kennedy scored a career-high three goals and added three assists.
The landing page for the Town of Watertown’s cell phone app. Website upgrades, building social media presence and high-tech billboards are some of the ways which the Town of Watertown is trying to reach residents. Complaints about the ease of accessing information about local government has come from residents and elected officials alike. The website has been a particular focus of the dissatisfaction. The Town of Watertown added personnel specifically to work on technology issues, hiring Chief Information Officer Chris McClure in the fall, and the Town will soon be hiring another person focused on social media and the website.
An illustration of the plans for the former Mount Auburn Club at 99 Coolidge Ave. A community meeting will be held Monday about the project. One of the first steps in the making of the Watertown school budget will be presented Monday night, a community meeting will be held about the redevelopment of the Mount Auburn Club site, and the Planning Board will discuss two major projects. Watertown Public Schools administrators will present the Fiscal Year 2022 level services budget at Monday’s School Committee meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. That budget shows how much it would cost to preserve the district’s current staffing and programs, with no additions or cuts. It is typically the first major step in the school budget process.
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
None
Incidents
Jan. 25, 1:28 p.m.: Target conducted an investigation on an employee suspected of stealing products from the store. Target security found that an employee working in the online order fulfillment department was selecting additional items not on the order list and placing them into a carriage. He put the items in separate bags, and at the end of his shift he would take the bags and leave the store.
A Watertown Department of Public Works snow plow. Watertown’s Superintendent of Public Works Gregory St. Louis announced a snow emergency for Sunday’s snow storm. The Watertown DPW sent out the following announcement:
The Superintendent of Public Works is declaring a Snow Emergency effective 12:00 Noon, Sunday, February 07, 2021. Watertown is expecting approximately 6-8 inches of snow with additional storms forecasted for later this week.
The Charter Review Committee wants to hear from the public, and has posted an online poll about several issues that have come up during the group’s meetings. Questions include whether the length of Town Councilor terms should be extended, should the Town add a public information officer position, and should the town start a 311 service for a “one-stop” number that residents can call with their questions and concerns. Also, should the Town Council’s compensation be reviewed, should the Town Manager and Council President be required to hold at least two meetings a year where residents can come to get their issues addressed, and should the Town Council be able to hire an analyst to help Councilors with their work. The final question is: “Do you think a mayor-city council would be more responsive than our current government of Town Council and Strong Town Manager?” See the poll by clicking here.