Around Town

Watertown Curbside Composting Program Starts Soon, See How to Participate

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Watertown DPWCurbside composting toters, like the one on the left, will be part of the Watertown trash and recycling program starting in August. Watertown residents will soon be able to compost their food waste with free curbside pickup. Registration is now open for those interested. The Department of Public Works has partnered with Black Earth, which will do weekly curbside pickup of organic waste, said City Recycling Coordinator Anya Pforzheimer. They collect organic waste put out on the curb in 13-gallon green bins.

Around Town

Watertown Cable Employee Honored as Emerging Leader

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Watertown Cable Access TVWatertown Cable Access TV Assistant Director Andrea Santopietro received the 2022 Emerging Leader Award from the Alliance for Community Media. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Cable Access:

Watertown Cable Access Corp. (WCA-TV) is very excited to announce that its Assistant Director, Andrea Santopietro, has received the 2022 Emerging Leader Award from the Alliance for Community Media (ACM). Andrea accepted her award during the national ACM conference in Chicago at the end of June. 

The national ACM conference brings together representatives from public access television stations and media centers from all over the country for three days of networking, vendor presentations, workshops, and awards recognition. 

“Ever since joining WCA-TV Andrea has brought fresh ideas, a spirit of collaboration, and a willingness not only to learn more, but to share her knowledge with volunteers, coworkers, and community organizations,” said WCA-TV Executive Director Helen Chatel. 

The Emerging Leader Award recognizes a professional who is under 40 years of age working in the field of community media who demonstrates the values of building community through media on a consistent basis. 

“I am so honored to have received this award, and I will continue to work hard in making my community and organization the best that it can be,” Andrea said. 

Mike Wassenaar, President & CEO at Alliance for Community Media and Andre Santopietro, Assistant Director of WCA-TV at the awards ceremony in Chicago. Addressing the audience during an awards ceremony in Chicago, Andrea reflected on her role with WCA-TV, which includes coordinating coverage and broadcast of Watertown’s municipal meetings, organizing and teaching workshops, and working with volunteers to help them produce programming. 

“Even with the administrative responsibility of an Assistant Director, I am still able to do what I love and incorporate it in my day to day life at the station,” Andrea said.

Arrests

Police Log: Man Wields Knife at Co-Workers, 2 Scooters Stolen

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

June 28, 9:05 a.m.: Police checked the property in the Watertown Square Plaza on Mt. Auburn St., where Dunkin’ Donuts is located, after the property owner said homeless people had been seen camping and loitering there. Officers spotted man in a back alley on the property. They discovered he had six warrants for his arrest out of Waltham District Court for trespassing.

Government

Watertown’s Veterans Agent Named President of Statewide Group

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown Veterans Services speaks during the 2022 Memorial Day ceremony. Watertown Veterans Services Officer Patrick George will lead the statewide organization for city and town officials whose job is to serve veterans and help them get benefits that they earned by serving their country. George will serve as president of the Massachusetts Veterans’ Services Officers Association for 2022-23. The MVSOA focuses on professional development for VSOs, as well as building relationships with public and private organizations to enhance services for veterans, according to the association’s website https://mvsoa.com. George said he will be one of the public faces of the MVSOA and he said it is a key time for VSOs.

Around Town

Assisted Living Facility in Historic Building Gets Improvements Under New Leaders

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The Brigham House assisted living community is housed in Watertown’s former East Junior High School. Residents of the Brigham House assisted living community in Watertown live in a historic building, but the century-plus old facility has gotten some sprucing up recently. The credit for the improvements to the Brigham House goes to some people new to their positions at the community, which is run by HallKeen Management. Wendy Nollman took over as executive director at the Brigham House in early April. She has already left her mark, said Tabitha Jones, sales specialist at HallKeen.

Around Town

Bookmobile Arrives at Watertown Library, See When it Will Debut

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Watertown Free Public LIbraryThe new Watertown Library Bookmobile has arrived and will soon make its debut. The Watertown Free Public Library’s new bookmobile has arrived, and is charging up to get ready to make its debut in coming weeks. The vehicle will allow the Library to bring books to community events, go out into neighborhoods, and reach people outside of the library’s doors. The first event for the bookmobile will be the Watertown Arts Market on Aug. 13 from noon to 5 p.m. at Arsenal Park.

Around Town

Watertown Upgrading Technology at Voting Sites for Next Election

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Charlie Breitrose

Watertown voters will see some new technology when they vote in 2022. The City Clerk’s Office will use computer tablets which officials hope will streamline the check-in at the polls, and speed up the counting process. Last week, City Clerk Janet Murphy told the City Council about the poll pads that will be used in Watertown. They replace the large paper voter list books that have been used at precincts in Watertown. She was asked if the poll pad comes on an Apple iPad tablet.