Government

Water & Sewer Rates to Increase for Watertown Residents; Council to Examine Issue

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Water and sewer rates will increase in Fiscal Year 2022, but not as sharply as this year’s rate hike. Tuesday night, the Town Council approved the Water and Sewer rates, which include a 3.2 percent increase for both water rates and sewer rates. During the last water and sewer rate adjustment, rates went up by more than 8 percent. Town Auditor Tom Tracy said last year’s large increase was part of a plan to rebuild depleted reserve accounts for the Water and Sewer operations. Both of the accounts operate as enterprise funds, which are independent of the Town’s Operating budget and are self-sustaining using payments from water and sewer customers.

Police/Fire

Watertown Nursing Facility Thanks First Responders, Looks to Show Them Things Have Changed Under New Management

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Vero Health CareVero Watertown thanked members of the Watertown Police and Fire departments for a cookout, recently. Pictured, from left, Fire Lt. Glen McManus, State Rep. Steve Owens, Vero Health Care President/COO Uma Rajagopal, Police Officer Ryan Vaughan, and Vero Watertown Administrator Tim Churchill. The operators of a Watertown skilled nursing facility that has struggled recently wanted to show that the place is under new management, and invited over the first responders, who visit on a regular basis, to thank them. At the end of June, Vero Health & Rehab of Watertown held a cookout for the members of the Watertown Fire and Police departments, and also invited State Rep. Steve Owens to come by and tour the facility. The facility on Coolidge Hill Road came under scrutiny after reports of possible elder abuse and hundreds of 911 calls coming from there, including sometimes from patients.

Government

City or Town of Watertown – Charter Review Committee Weighs in on That & Other Proposed Changes

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Typically, Watertown is referred to as a town, but it has a city-form of government. The group proposing changes to the Town Charter looked at officially changing the name to the City of Watertown. The Charter Review Committee also looked at a range of areas in the document that defines how the town’s government works, including how the Town Auditor should be supervised and disciplined, what information should be included on the Town’s website and how many councilors it takes to call employees to appear before the Town Council. City or Town

Watertown was founded in 1630, and for most of that time was known as a Town. In 1980, the Town voted to change from a town form of government, with a Town Meeting, to a city form with a council and manager.

Arrests

Police Log: Driver Arrested on OUI Drugs Charge, Apartment Complex Office Vandalized

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

June 28, 2:49 p.m.: A motorist observed another vehicle swerving in the roadway for about two miles and the driver appeared to doze off at one point. The motorist called police and a Watertown Police officer located the grey Hyundai Sonata on Main Street near Whites Avenue. The officer saw the vehicle cross the double yellow line and straddle the line, so the officer put on the blue lights. The vehicle abruptly went back into the right lane and cut across two travel lanes and struck the curb.

Around Town

Historical Society Pays Tribute to Two Major Events in U.S. & State History with a Virtual Celebration

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Charlie BreitroseAt the 2016 Treaty Day celebration, Bob Childs of the Historical Society of Watertown reads the Declaration of Independence from the same spot it was first read in 1776, the second floor of the Edmund Fowle House. Each July, the Historical Society of Watertown celebrates the anniversaries of two major events which took place in town that played a significant role in the history of Massachusetts and the United States. This year’s Treaty Day celebration is a virtual one. On July 18, 1776, the town played host to the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Massachusetts. The following day, the first treaty made by the newly independent United States with a foreign power was signed in Watertown at the Edmund Fowle House.

Government

Charter Review Group Discusses How Planning, Zoning Board Members are Appointed

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The Town of Watertown’s Zoning Map. With development in Watertown being a topic of controversy for the past decade, the Charter Review Committee examined how the two boards overseeing building and development are appointed. At the June 29 meeting of the Charter Review Committee, resident member Marcia Ciro proposed an amendment to the Town Charter, which would change the way the members of the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals are appointed. Currently the Town Manager makes the nominations for appointment, and the Council votes to confirm, or not, the person. Ciro proposed having the Town Council appoint the members of both boards.

Weather

Effects of Tropical Storm Elsa Expected to be Felt in Watertown

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National Weather Service

Tropical Storm Elsa will pass over southern New England on Friday, and Watertown is forecast to get heavy rains and wind from the storm. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Tropical Storm Warning at 5 a.m. on Thursday, July 8, 2021, for southeast Middlesex County, as well as for Cape Cod, the Islands and Southeast Mass. The Warning means that Tropical Storm force winds are expected within the next 36 hours. The storm is expected to kick up winds of 5 to 10 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph. Potential power outages and road closures could result from tree limbs and other items falling on power lines and roadways.

Business

Watertown Advertising Agency Works on Campaigns of Change, Including the State’s COVID-19 Efforts

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MORE AdvertisingThe co-owners of MORE Advertising, Managing Partner and President Judi Haber, left, and Founder and CEO Donna Latson Gittens. A Watertown-based advertising agency with a different focus has been in business for nearly a quarter century. Unlike most agencies it does not market products, it works on campaigns of behavior change, including Massachusetts’ COVID-19 prevention and vaccination efforts. MORE Advertising is a full-service, integrated advertising agency, but there is a major difference from most agencies, said Managing Partner and President Judi Haber. “Traditional advertising agencies sell products.