Biotech

Watertown Company Developing COVID Therapy, Trying to Inspire Future Scientists

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Charlie BreitroseBryan Goodwin, chief biologist at Enanta Pharmaceuticals, and Watertown High School Senior Phil Centola look at a new microscope donated by the biotech company. Watertown-based Enanta Pharmaceuticals has a potential therapy for COVID-19 ready for human testing, and it also hopes to develop some future scientists with a donation to Watertown High School. On Monday morning, representatives from Enanta presented three new microscopes donated by the company to the WHS Science Department. The equipment can be hooked up to a tablet or cellphone to make it easier to see objects under magnification, and images can even be shared with other devices. The school had one of the microscopes, said Lynsey Kraemer, the district’s Science Curriculum Coordinator for Grades 8-12, but the district could not afford more.

Schools

See Photos from the Opening of the New Hosmer School & Rededication

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Charlie BreitroseParents and students head to the grand opening celebration of the new Hosmer School on Feb. 1, 2022. Watertown’s newest elementary school opened for the public to see Tuesday afternoon, and the bright and spacious three-story Hosmer School wowed those who roamed its halls and classrooms.

Superintendent Dede Galdston welcomed attendees who crowded the courtyard between the two wings of the Eastside school, and noted that it was just four months ago that the City opened another new school. “Many superintendents and city managers go through their entire career never opening a school and here we are opening the second in a year and a third on the way,” Galdston said, referring to Cunniff and Lowell schools. “And a new high school in the not too distant future.”

Around Town

Watertown’s Shick House to be Remembered with Historic Marker

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Watertown Free Public LibraryThe Shick House has been located on Grove Street since the 1800s. It was home to the owners of one of the few Jewish farmers in Massachusetts. Bob Bloomberg recalls the first time he got to look inside the Shick House. The house oozed history, but it was clear then, he said, that the home of the owners of one of the few Jewish-owned farms in Massachusetts was not in good shape. “I was in the house twice, the first time was about a year ago, and at that point we could go to the second floor,” said Bloomberg, a member of the Historical Society’s board who has researched the history of the house.

Schools

Community Forum to be Held on Watertown High School Project This Week

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Ai3 ArchitectsAn illustration of what the outside of the new Watertown High School will look like. A Community Forum to discuss the Watertown High School project will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m.

The meeting will be held virtually on Zoom, and will also be broadcast on Watertown Cable. The forum is the ninth one focused on the new WHS, according to the announcement from the School Building Committee. The most recent plan, which would cost an estimated $198 million, calls for the old school to be torn down and the new one constructed on the same site.

Around Town

Share Your Snow Photos from the Blizzard

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Charlie BreitroseA person bundles up against the winds during the blizzard on Jan. 29, 2022. Not much snow had piled up as of 10 a.m.

Two feet or more of snow is expected to fall on Watertown on Jan. 29. Share your photos taken from the warmth of your home, or from the chilly outdoors if you are more adventurous.

Around Town

Saturday’s Big Storm Forcing Closures, City Under Snow Emergency

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Watertown will get more than a foot of snow during Saturday’s snowstorm, according to weather forecasters. The City of Watertown has declared a Snow Emergency, and has already canceled some events. The National Weather Service announced that Eastern Massachusetts is under a Blizzard Warning from midnight on Friday to midnight on Saturday. The Watertown area could get more than 2 feet of snow, according to WCVB Channel 5, while WBZ Channel 4 has the are in the 12 to 18 inch zone. Snow Emergency

Superintendent of Public Works Greg St.

City Manager

Retiring City Manager Reflects on His 3 Decades Leading Watertown

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Michael Driscoll attended his final City Council meeting during his career as Watertown’s Town and now City Manager that lasted nearly three decades. At the end of the meeting, Driscoll spoke to the Council, the staff and the community and reflected upon his accomplishments, his appreciation of Watertown’s departments and their leaders, and provided some advice for “good government.” Some of the highlights include improving Watertown’s facilities, building three elementary schools and constructing a new high school in coming years, and paying off the deficits in the City’s retirement and benefits accounts. He thanked the City departments, and had some advice for the future direction of some, including the Watertown Police Department. Driscoll also congratulated a couple of department head who will also soon be retiring.

Government

Council Delays Vote on Airbnbs to Discuss Short Term Rental Regulations Further

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown’s City Hall. After hearing from concerned residents during Tuesday’s meeting, and in letters and emails, the City Council decided that Watertown’s regulations on short-term rentals (i.e. Airbnb) need more refinement. The issue has been discussed for a number of years and a set of draft regulations came before the Council Tuesday night. Currently, short-term rentals are not allowed in the Watertown Zoning Ordinance, however dozens of homes and rooms — if not more than 100 — can be found on websites such as Airbnb and Vrbo. Draft Ordinance

The proposal would allow three types of short term rentals: entire homes, a unit in a multi-family home, or a bedroom in a residence (up to three bedrooms in a home can be rented but the owner must be in one of the other bedrooms), said Acting Deputy City Manager Steve Magoon.