Around Town

Watertown Runner One of Fastest Women in 2022 Boston Marathon, See How Other Locals Fared

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A Watertown woman finished among the top female runners in the 2022 Boston Marathon. She was one of more than a dozen runners to run the race on Patriots Day

Elaina Tabb finished 16th in the women’s race with a time of 2:31:34. She was also the 174th fastest runner, overall. In 2021, Tabb finished 12th in the women’s race. The fastest male runner from Watertown was Matthew Farkas, who finished 346th in the men’s race, and 368th overall.

Engineering

Watertown Robotics Team Earns Honors for Success in Competition & Team Spirit

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Travis NorrisThe Watertown High School Robotics Team celebrated after becoming a finalist at the FIRST Robotics Greater Boston Event and winning the Team Spirit Award. A small but dedicated group of Watertown High School students designed, programmed, and piloted a robot that competed and fared well against competition from around Eastern Massachusetts. And the WHS Robotics Team enjoyed one of its most successful years in 2022. The team reached the final of the knockout stage of the Greater Boston Event in late March. This is the farthest the team has ever advanced in its history.

Around Town

Plaques Unveiled to Remember Five Firefighters Who Lost Their Lives Serving Watertown

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Charlie BreitroseThe memorial plaques for the five Watertown Firefighters who died in the line of duty are unveiled by Watertown firefighters Rob Mannix, left, and Paul LaFauci on April 13, 2022. David Morrill, far left, attended the ceremony on the 63rd anniversary of his father Charles’ death. Five Watertown Firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty will have a permanent place at the Watertown Fire Headquarters. Each was memorialized with a plaque placed on the front of the building. The Watertown Fire Department unveiled the plaques to Willard Streeter, Gilbert Nichols, Ernest Ford, Charles Morrill and Joseph Toscano on Wednesday afternoon.

Boston College

Hall of Fame Hockey Coach, Watertown Native Jerry York Retires from BC

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Boston College AthleticsBoston College men’s hockey coach Jerry York, a Watertown native, announced his retirement on April 13, 2022. Here he lifts the NCAA Championship trophy in 2010. He won five titles in his career. After coaching for half a century, the last 28 years at Boston College, Watertown’s Jerry York announced his retirement. The Hall of Fame coach is the winningest coach in NCAA hockey history.

Fiscal Year 2023 Budget

FY23 Watertown School Budget Adds Funds for Several Positions

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The Watertown Public Schools budget for Fiscal Year 2023 will include a 3.5 percent increase, and planned additions for the 2022-23 school year include funding for equity coordinators, drama and music teachers, assistant principals and a family engagement and communication specialist. The total budget will be $55.63 million, which is a $1.88 million increase from the previous fiscal year, said Superintendent Dede Galdston, who presented her recommended budget to the School Committee Monday night at the meeting held at Cunniff Elementary School. Most of the increase, about 80 percent, will go to providing a level-service budget, Galdston said, which is maintaining the programs and services provided during the current school year. The remaining funds, $370,835, will mostly be spent on new staff and positions. No budget area has increase significantly, Galdston said, but the Administration and Curriculum budget appears to be much higher than FY22 (46.8 percent more).

Sports

Watertown’s Lauren Kelly Brings Cup Home After Winning Women’s Pro Hockey Title

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Boston PrideWatertown’s Lauren Kelly, right, celebrates after winning the Isobel Cup with the Boston Pride. It was the second straight title for the women’s professional hockey team. Watertown Middle School students greeted staff member Lauren Kelly with a big sign last week, and she brought along a great item for show-and-tell: the Isobel Cup, awarded to the team that wins the Premier Hockey Federation championship. Kelly, who works with autistic students in the Connections Program at WMS during the day, plays defense for the Boston Pride on nights and weekends. The women’s professional hockey team recently traveled to Tampa, Fla., for the Isobel Cup Playoffs, and came home champs after winning three straight games.

Around Town

New Rep Theatre Reemerges from Break, Returns to the Stage With a New Focus

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Nine months after going on hiatus, New Repertory Theatre will return to the stage with a show that is part of the new focus of the Watertown-based theater company. New Rep’s We Are Storytellers series begins at the Mosesian Center for the Arts on Saturday, April 23. The two-show festival features the stories of people who have not always had a chance to be seen and heard on stage. This is part of the strategy that New Rep has adopted as it makes its return after the break. The Hiatus

When the COVID-19 Pandemic hit in March 2020, New Rep could not put on performances inside the Mosesian Center, but continued with a pair of virtual plays in 2020, and an outdoor, historical walking play on the grounds of the Arsenal on the Charles in 2021.

Government

Residential Snow Shoveling Ordinance Being Reviewed by Council Committees

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A pair of committees of the City Council began working on changing Watertown’s Snow Removal Ordinance to include rules for residential properties, including required width of shoveling, deadlines, and fines. The Joint Committees on Public Works and Rules & Ordinances discussed the changes during a virtual meeting on March 29, and discussed some significant changes to the ordinance. Eventually the proposed ordinance will be presented during a Public Forum, and then considered by the full City Council for approval. Classification of Properties

One of the first changes was how to define properties, and which rules would apply to each classification. The current Snow Removal Ordinance has different rules based on the zoning of the area, business districts vs.