Around Town

Watertown’s New Library Director to Start Work in September

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Kim Hewitt has officially been named Watertown’s new Library Director. (Courtesy of the Watertown Library)

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:

The Watertown Free Public Library Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Kim Hewitt has been named as its new library director. In her role, Ms. Hewitt will lead the way in helping the library accomplish its mission of connecting people to ideas, information, education, creative opportunities, and to each other. She starts her new role on Sept. 11, 2023.

Government

Property Takings Pave Way for Start of Mt. Auburn Street Project, Expected to Last 4 Years

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The City Council approved some property takings on Tuesday to make way for a $30 million federally-funded reconstruction of one of Watertown’s biggest streets. With the easements in place, the City will be able to go to bid in September on the Mt. Auburn Street Reconstruction project that will be paid for by federal Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) dollars which are awarded by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Most of the easements will be temporary, for a five year period, and a few will be permanent, said City Manager George Proakis. “All easements allow for construction to occur on the Mt.

Sports

Watertown Summer Basketball League Trophy Awarded, A 60-Year Tradition

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Donohue’s Kaos Club and New Day faced on in Game 3 of the Watertown Summer Basketball League Finals Tuesday at Saltonstall Park. (Photo by Natalie Nigito Photography)

Members of the Donohue’s Kaos Club posed triumphantly with the championship trophy Tuesday night after capturing the Watertown Summer Basketball League championship, defeating the squad that won the title last year. The league has been operating in Watertown for six decades, most of which were played in the outdoor court in Saltonstall Park next to the Watertown Boys & Girls Club. Donohue’s Kaos Club defeated New Day 67-49 in Game 3 of the Papas Elite League Finals. New Day forced the deciding third game by winning Game 2 in overtime on Aug.

Schools

Watertown High School Prepping for Life at Temporary Campus at Moxley, Other Locations

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A view of the temporary Watertown High School at Moxley Field from a presentation to the School Building Committee. (Courtesy of the Watertown Schools)

The final touches are being made on the temporary campus in preparation for Watertown High School students to return to class on Sept. 5, and the students and staff alike will have to adapt to their new digs, which include sites outside the modular campus at Moxley Field. Principal Joel Giacobozzi told the WHS community that they will have to adjust to a new way of “doing school,” in the introduction in the student handbook (see below). Meanwhile, construction crews continue to work to get the two-story school made from prefabricated modules ready for class.

Around Town

Prospective Young Scientists Get a Look at a Real Lab at Watertown’s Kymera Therapeutics

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Students in the summer program run by MassBioEd and the LEAH Project got to look around the labs at Kymera Therapeutics in Watertown (Courtesy of Kymera)

A group of aspiring young scientists got a glimpse inside a Watertown company that does cutting-edge biopharmaceutical research. The high school age students recently visited Kymera Therapeutics’ offices and labs at Arsenal Yards as part of a field trip organized by MassBioEd’s Summer Program. MassBioEd partners with the LEAH project and LabCentral to offer a lab-based summer internship program to rising high school juniors and seniors. They spend four days a week learning about biotechnology tools and improving their technical skills at LabCentral in Cambridge. One day each week, they visit life science companies and organizations to see how the skills and tools are used.

Police/Fire

Police Log: iPad Stolen from Athenahealth Worker, Pricey Golf Grips Taken from Porch

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

Aug. 8, 12:01 a.m.: Officers patrolling in Watertown Square queried the plates of a BMW and discovered the registration was suspended, and the owner’s license was suspended. The vehicle was pulled over and confirmed that the owner was driving. Joshua Rivers, 32, of Watertown was arrested for driving with a suspended license, driving an uninsured vehicle, and driving with a suspended registration.

Around Town

Watertown Fire Awards Presented for Response to Heart Attack, a Woman Giving Birth & a Girl Stuck in a Duct

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Watertown Firefighters, Police Officers and a Public Safety Dispatcher received awards for saving a man in cardiac arrest. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown Firefighters, Watertown Police officers, and public safety dispatchers who went above and beyond in three incidents received service awards from the Watertown Fire Department this week. Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson presented the awards during Tuesday’s ceremony where Nicholson and other members of the WFD who received promotions were sworn in. The awards were approved by votes of the Commendation Board of the Watertown Fire Department. “These members acted with great distinction and heroism in the saving of a human life,” Nicholson said.

Government

Residents, Developers Raise Concerns Over New Demolition Ordinance, OK’d by Split Council Vote

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Photo by Steve OwensThe Shick House on Grove Street was an example of a home on which the Historical Commission placed a demolition delay in efforts to save it. It was torn down after BB&N could not find someone to move it to another site. The property is now an athletic complex. Under Watertown’s new demolition delay ordinance, a large number of homes will no longer have to go through the Historical Commission process to do additions or even to tear them down, but those that do go before the Commission could be subject to a much longer demolition delay. The City Council adopted the changes to the demolition delay ordinance on Aug.