Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/prominence/homepage-featured/page/276/)
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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.
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).
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.
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.
The areas on Galen Street proposed to become life science lab space. In February, the orange area was rezoned from Limited Business to Industrial 2, the same as the grey area. The developers of a project at the former Colonial Buick GMC dealer on Galen Street will be discussing plans for the site at a pair of virtual community meetings. Developers seek to build life science lab space with some publicly accessible open space on the land, which sits next to the MBTA’s Watertown Yard bus stop. The rezoning of the area became a topic of heated discussion by both residents and the Town Council earlier this year.
Watertown High School’s field hockey team, and other sports, will soon start their fall season, but with several changes due to COVID-19. Weekend games, reduced schedules and very limited fans — these are just some of the changes in store for Watertown High School athletes this fall. Last week, the School Committee approved the plans for holding high school sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most Watertown High School fall sports teams will be getting ready for their season to begin in late September. Outdoor sports, except for football, will compete this fall.
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrest
Sept. 11, 2:40 p.m.: Target security spotted a woman in the store who they knew had a trespassing order, and was not allowed in Target. The order had been issued on Aug. 21.
Watertown had one of the strictest face covering requirements in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, but on Wednesday the Board of Health voted to bring Watertown’s rules in line with those set by Massachusetts officials. The main difference between Watertown’s rules and the state’s was that people over age 5 had to wear face coverings everywhere in public, inside and out, in Watertown. The state guidelines have a face covering requirement when outside only when you cannot stay 6 feet or farther apart. People violating Watertown’s order face a possible fine of $300. Along with changing when face coverings must be worn, the amendment also makes the first violation punishable by a warning, and the second violation could result in a $300 fine.