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.

Arrests

Police Log: Man Caught Wandering Around Construction Site, Juveniles Vandalize Signs in Parking Lot

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

June 23, 5:02 a.m.: A worker at a construction site on Arsenal Street spotted a man walking around inside the fence who did not appear to belong. Police were called and when they spoke to the man he said that he was fixing the fence. Officers confirmed that he did not work there, and there were numerous “no trespassing” signs. At first the man provided a false name and date of birth.

Around Town

Community Spirit Awards Return, Watertown Youth Coalition Holds In-Person Celebration

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Watertown Youth CoalitionThe Watertown Youth Peer Leaders pose with the staff from the Watertown Youth Coalition after the peer leaders received their awards at the 2022 Community Spirit Awards. For the first time since 2019, on June 8, the Watertown Youth Coalition along with Wayside Youth and Family Support Network hosted their yearly Community Spirit Awards ceremony and reception at Arsenal Park in Watertown. The event was put together by Watertown Youth Coalition (WYC) Peer Leadership Advisor, Zhane Goode, and WYC Program coordinator Stephanie Sunderland, who had to miss the ceremony due to unforeseen circumstances. Zhane, who has been working with all of the honored students for a few years, was very happy to finally be able to hold the awards in person and noted that the students were especially excited to get to celebrate together with their friends and family. For Zhane herself, she began her work at the WYC during the pandemic, so she said it was really nice to see everyone all together as a community. 

The event has not been held in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was attended by many members of the community, including the honorees, those who nominated them for spirit awards, and families, friends, and other Watertown citizens who came to celebrate their achievements.

City Council

Watertown Seeking Permission to Purchase Property in Waltham

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Leo MartinWalker Pond, on the Westside of Watertown, is one of the town’s hidden wetlands. A portion sits in Waltham, and the City Council is exploring purchasing that property. The City Council voted to start the process to enable the City of Watertown to purchase a piece of land that lies just over the border in Waltham that could be part of an open space resource. City Council President Mark Sideris said Tuesday night that Watertown is considering purchasing a property that includes a portion of Walker Pond (also called Walker’s Pond), a small body of water on the western edge of Watertown. The pond is one of the few in Watertown, and has been discussed as a possible open space resource in the City.

Schools

Watertown Exploring Variety of Options for Vocational Education

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The group exploring vocational and technical education options for Watertown students has found a variety of possibilities, but the ad hoc committee has not come up with recommendations yet. Watertown could look to join a vocational high school district, join into an agreement with another community that has a vocational program, expand the number of offerings at WHS, or use a combination of those options, said School Committee member David Stokes, who chairs the Vocational Technical Ad Hoc Committee. “It seems like we haven’t gotten very far, but we have done a whole lot,” Stokes said. “We are farther along than a lot of people think, because we haven’t produced anything yet, but it is coming shortly.” The committee was formed after students seeking vocational or technical education programs struggled to get into Minuteman High School in Lexington.