Government

Some Councilors Disappointed Communication Position Not Added to Town Budget

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Multiple Town Councilors were disappointed to see that their top budget priority, hiring a Deputy Town Manager responsible for managing communication with the public and enhancing public engagement. On Monday, June 29 at 6 p.m., the Town Council will hold a public hearing and vote on the entire Fiscal Year 2021 Town Budget. See below for more information about how to watch and participate. On June 24, the Town Council had the opportunity to ask questions about the budget presented by Town Manager Michael Driscoll on June 8. Town Manager Michael Driscoll said on June 24 that the Deputy Town Manager position was not funded due to the loss of nearly $4 million in revenue due to the COVID-19 outbreak (mostly in State Aid and lost local meal, hotel and motor vehicle excise taxes).

Police/Fire

Police Log: Fight Breaks Out on Mt. Auburn St., Deli Worker Attacked by Shopper

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Arrests

None

Incidents

Between June 13 and June 21, the Watertown Police Department received 10 reports of an unemployment scheme. The residents report that they got letters about their unemployment applications, but they had never filed for benefits. Unemployment fraud can be reported to the Department of Unemployment Assistance by  clicking here. June 15, 6:52 a.m.: A man who owns a property management company was notified by an employee in Canton that the employee’s vehicle tires were slashed, and the Canton Police were investigating. The man went out of his home on Channing Road and checked his work truck.

Schools

Officials Celebrate Groundbreaking for Construction of 2 Watertown Schools

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Watertown school and town officials put shovels in the ground at the official start of the construction project Cunniff Elementary School. The ceremony also marked the beginning of the Hosmer School project. Standing next to the first of Watertown schools to be torn down and replaced with a state-of-the-art facility, Watertown School and Town officials celebrated the beginning of what will be several years of construction at school sites around town. Officials posed in hardhats, holding shovels during the official groundbreaking of the project at Cunniff Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon. The ceremony also marked the start of the project at Hosmer Elementary School, which will take place simultaneously.

Government

Funding of Watertown Police, Requests to Divert Some of Budget Discussed at Council Hearing

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How the Watertown Police Department’s budget is used, and whether there are other ways the money could be spent became a major topic of discussions of Wednesday night’s Fiscal Year 2021 Town Budget Hearing. The WPD budget was just one of many departmental budgets discussed during the hearing, but it garnered the interested of Councilors and members of the public, many of whom wanted to see a portion spent on mental health services provided by the town instead. The meeting was held remotely over Zoom. The Police Department’s budget of $10.3 million makes up 6.76 percent of the Town’s operating budget. The WPD has 70 police officers (including 52 patrol officers), nine dispatchers and four civilian employees, as well as the school crossing guards.

Schools

Mass. Seeks to Bring Back Students in Fall, Classes Will be Social Distanced

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Lowell School in Watertown, and all Massachusetts schools, will operate differently in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts school officials seek to bring back “as many students as possible to in-person school settings” in the fall, but the classrooms will look different with schools being required to adhere to social distancing guidelines. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has put together its Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance, which is expected to be discussed by Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday. The plan, of which the Boston Globe obtained a copy, says getting students back into the classroom is the goal. Education and medical officials weighed the risks of COVID-19 as well as the impact of keeping students at home.

Fire Department

COVID-19 Impacted Town’s Budget, Details of the Police, Fire Budgets Presented

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Watertown Town Hall

The COVID-19 pandemic will have a major impact on Watertown’s budget, Town Manager Michel Driscoll told the Town Council Tuesday night. He also gave details about how the Police and Fire departments use their funding. Driscoll’s presentation (see the documents here) gave more details about Watertown’s Fiscal 2021 Budget the day before the Town Council will have the chance to ask questions about each Town department’s budget. Two weeks ago, Driscoll presented the $152.4 million budget proposal which included no lay offs, despite the loss of about $4 million related to the COVID-19 pandemic. State Aid is forecast to be down $2.6 million as a result of the impact of the pandemic on the Massachusetts economy, Driscoll said.

Business

See the Watertown Restaurants Approved for Outdoor Seating

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Deluxe Town Diner was one of several Watertown restaurants recently approved to have outdoor seating. Ten Watertown restaurants have been approved to have outdoor by the Town as part of a the COVID-19 reopening. Last week, the Licensing Board approved a temporary measure to allow Town Manager Michael Driscoll to approve temporary outdoor seating at restaurants in town. The following restaurants have been approved to have outdoor seating:

Gerry’s Italian Kitchen1072 Belmont Street

La Bodega21 Nichols Avenue

Conley’s Pub & Grille164 Belmont Street

Deluxe Town Diner627 Mount Auburn Street

Greg’s Restaurant821 Mount Auburn Street

Ixtapa Mexican Grill18 Mount Auburn Street

Ritcey East208 Waverley Avenue

Shiraz Cuisine72 Bigelow Avenue

Stellina47 Main Street

Tresca’s Eating Place25 Church Street

Before the local measure was passed, restaurants already approved to have outdoor seating could open on June 8, when Phase 2 of Gov. Baker’s reopening plan began. On June 22, restaurants can also start serving food indoors, with tables spaced at least 6 feet apart and parties no larger than six people.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Bikes Stolen from Storage Area, Attempted Scam Involving Dog for Sale

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department:

Arrests

None

Incidents

For the second week in a row, the Watertown Police Department received 17 reports of attempted unemployment scams. The residents said they had not applied for unemployment benefits but received a letter about getting benefits. 

June 8, 10:02 a.m.: Two bicycles were reported stolen from Tufts Health Plan. Security looked at security footage which showed two people go into the Tufts parking garage on Grove Street, went to the locked bicycle storage area and one of the people climbed over the fence around the bike storage. The person pressed a self-release button and left with two bikes. The two were seen bicycling on Mt. Auburn Street three minutes later.