Around Town

Town Running Flu Clinics, Offering Walk Through & Drive Through Options

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Watertown Town Hall

The Watertown Health Department will be running flu clinics. Residents can attend walk through or drive through clinics. The Health Department provided the following information:

When going to get a flu vaccine during COVID-19,  it is essential you follow all the protective protocols; wear a mask/face covering, social distance and must be COVID-19 free for a minimum of three days. Watertown Health Department recommends children from 6 months to 14 years go to their pediatrician for their vaccines. 

You can obtain a Flu Vaccine Insurance Form at the Town Hall, customer service window on Thaxter Street side or the Lower Hearing Room next to the park. 

Watertown Flu Vaccine Clinics For Watertown Residents 15 and Older

Drive Thru Dates: Saturday, October 10th, 9am‐ 2pmSaturday, November 7th, 9am‐ 2pm

Walk Thru Dates For residents 65+:

Saturday, October 10th, 9am‐12pmSaturday, October 24th, 9am‐12pm

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/flu-vaccine-clinic-drive-thru-tickets-118961291425

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/flu-vaccine-walk-in-clinic-tickets-120442477693

For more information and required forms please visit: https://www.watertown-ma.gov/1019/Seasonal-Influenza-and-Clinicsor call the Health Department at 617-972-6446

Around Town

DPW Recommends Seven Watertown Roads to be Repaved in 2021

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The roads in Watertown proposed to be repaired in 2021. The Department of Public Works recommended that seven roads around Watertown be reconstructed during the 2021 construction season. The list of roads to undergo full reconstruction, including sidewalks, was presented to the Town Council’s Public Works subcommittee on Sept. 24. The roads that made the list are:

Alden Road Sheldon RoadHazel Street (Quimby Street to Dexter Avenue) Gertrude StreetGoldie StreetElmwood AvenueGrandview Avenue (Chapman Street to Copeland Street)

Town Engineer Matt Shuman explained that the roads were chosen were in the greatest state of disrepair.

Schools

Parent Starts Petition Asking Schools to Move to Hybrid Earlier

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A screenshot of the parent petition asking for the Watertown Schools to reopen earlier. The Watertown Public Schools will not be moving to a hybrid model with a mix of in-person and remote learning, until Oct. 26 at the earliest, but a Hosmer Elementary School parent has started a petition asking officials to reconsider. The decision to start the year remotely, and move to hybrid later in the fall, was made in August. School officials have been under pressure from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to open earlier because COVID-19 rates put the Town into the lower-risk category (green) in the state’s Community Level COVID Data Reporting system.

Around Town

Farmers Market Organizers Pleased with Turnout, Look to Extend Access to Fresh Produce

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With the pandemic shutdown in full force, the organizers of the Watertown Farmers Market had to consider whether they should host the weekly market in 2020 and, if so, how they could do it safely and whether people would come out. As the season nears its end, organizers are pleased with how the market turned out. Stephanie Venizelos, the Town’s Community Wellness Program Manager and Farmers Market Manager, said the market at Saltonstall Park got a good crowd every Wednesday over the summer and into the fall. “No one knew what to anticipate. We’ve been bringing in 500-700 people a week.

Arrests

Police Log: Man Pulls Knife During Road Rage Incident, 2 Mopeds Stolen

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

Sept. 16, 1:56 p.m.: A shoplifter was detained at Home Depot after being seen trying to take items without paying for them. Store security saw the man place numerous hand tools in a tool box he grabbed at the store. After he filled the tool box, he attempted to exit the store but was stopped.

Cunniff School

Dirt Removal Caused Messy Streets, Increased Cost for School Projects

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A view of the design for the new Cunniff Elementary School. The old building has been demolished, and the first parts of the steel for the new school has been delivered. Dirt from excavation getting on the street has been an issue at both Cunniff and Hosmer, in East Watertown. Hundreds of truckloads of soil have been removed from the building sites of the new Hosmer and Cunniff elementary schools, which has caused a bit of a mess on nearby streets and added to the cost of the project. Last week, the School Building Committee received a report on the progress of the projects, and also approved a change order that added nearly $450,000 to the project (but was still within the total project budget).

Police/Fire

Purchase of New Ambulance Approved, Number of Calls Increasing

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The Watertown Fire Department will be getting a new ambulance, which will help with the increasing numbers of medical calls to which paramedics respond. On Tuesday night, the Town Council unanimously approved the borrowing of $355,00 to pay for the purchase of a new ambulance. It will be paid off over five years with a total expected cost, including interest, of $402,925. The current ambulance, a 2016 GMC, has about 42,000 miles on it and will be kept as in reserve after the new one is delivered, said Fire Chief Bob Quinn. He said there is a lead time of about 8 months after ordering an ambulance.

Schools

Watertown Among Districts Encouraged by State to Return to In-Person Learning

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The Watertown Public Schools welcomed students back Tuesday with classes being taught remotely via computer. On Monday, the Massachusetts education officials sent a letter to Watertown and other districts running virtual classes asking when they will start running in-person classes. The letter, sent by Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Commissioner Jeffrey Riley, asked 16 school districts where the rate of COVID-19 infections are low, to return to in-person learning. Belmont was one of the other districts to receive the letter from the state. State officials said that DESE only recommended remote learning for communities with high risk of COVID-19 infection.