Election 2021

Town Charter Changes Going on the Ballot, Info to be Sent to Residents

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The proposed changes to the Town Charter, the document that lays out how Watertown’s government operates, will be on the November ballot in the form of two questions. The items will appear as summaries on the ballot, but voters will receive detailed information about all the changes. On Sept. 2, the Town Council ironed out a few issues the Attorney General’s office had with the proposed Charter changes, and also discussed how the items should be on the ballot. Number of Ballot Questions

Initially, the proposal was to have three separate items: one on changing the official name from the “The City Known as the Town of Watertown” to “The City of Watertown,” one about the preamble proposed to be added at the beginning of the Charter, and a third covering “everything else,” or all the other changes to the document.

Police/Fire

Two-Family Home in Watertown Heavily Damaged in Two-Alarm Fire

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Five residents of a two-family home on Spruce Street have been displaced by a two-alarm fire that Firefighters from Watertown and four other communities battled on Monday night. Smoke detectors in the second floor unit of 143 Spruce St. woke up the residents, who were able to get out and wake up the residents of the first floor. Five people and a dog all got out safely, said Watertown Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson, but the house was significantly damaged. “The fire got a good head start.

Entertainment

Guitarist Featured in Summer Concert Has Played with Jazz & Rock Greats, His Music Has Been Used by TV Shows

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Watertown’s John Baboian has played guitar with the stars of rock and jazz, and will be performing at the Watertown Summer Concert series. Wednesday’s Watertown Summer Concert features guitarist John Baboian, who has played with some of the greats in rock and jazz, and his music has been used on television soundtracks. “Although best known for his work in the jazz & swing idioms, John has performed in the Classical, Blues, Rock, R&B, Latin and World music genres,” Baoboian’s bio on his website said. The concert is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 8, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Saltonstall Park, next to Town Hall (149 Main St., Watertown).

Homepage Featured

Team New Day Sweeps the 2021 Watertown Summer Basketball League Finals

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Watertown RecreationTeam New Day took on Team HBC in the finals the Papas Elite League championship. The Watertown Summer Basketball League wrapped up for the year with a two game sweep by the 2021 champions. See the game report provided by the Watertown Recreation Department, below. The Summer of 2021 will go down as an unusual year for the Watertown Recreation Department’s Men’s Summer Basketball League. Due to COVID concerns, the league got a late start, but fortunately there was a positive response from some of the veteran teams in the Papas Elite League.

Fire

2 Alarm Fire Damages Watertown Restaurant Near Galen Street

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A fire started in the basement of a Watertown restaurant, and significant damage was done by the two-alarm blaze. A fire alarm rang at Jana Grill & Bakery, at the corner of Watertown and Galen streets, at 10:18 p.m. on Aug. 30. The Watertown Fire Department arrived about 10:30 p.m. and smoke was found in the basement. Watertown Engine 1 and Ladder 1 responded to the first alarm.

Government

Town Charter to be Discussed at Special Town Council Meeting

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Watertown Town Hall

The Town Council will discuss the Town Charter during a special meeting on Thursday evening. The agenda includes discussing any feedback from the Attorney General’s office on the propose changes to the document that lays out how the Watertown government works. They will also discuss any changes requested by the AG’s office. In addition, the Council will discuss how the proposed charter changes will be communicated to voters, including a mailing to voters. The changes will be on the Nov.

Homepage Featured

Timeline for Building New High School; Questions Posed About Ability to Use Moxley Field, Size of WHS Gym

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Ai3 ArchitectsA proposed layout of the temporary Watertown High School at Moxley Field. During the Community Forum on the new Watertown High School, questions were brought up about the use of Moxley Field for the temporary WHS site and about the size of the gym. Officials also updated the timeline for the design and construction of the new WHS. The high school project took a big step forward last week when the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Board voted on Aug. 25 to let the project move into the schematic design phase.