District A

Library Trustee Mike Hanlon Announces Candidacy for District A Town Councilor

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Mike Hanlon. Mike Hanlon, an elected member of the Watertown Library Board of Trustees, has announced his candidacy for East Watertown District A Town Councilor. Hanlon provided the following statement:

My wife, Joyce, and I are longtime residents and homeowners of Coolidge Avenue having lived in Watertown for over 25 years. We have appreciated living in a community that is rich in tradition and deep in so many cultures where people are so respectful and friendly. I understand the importance of the quality of life for Watertown residents and it has been a wonderful experience to have been elected to four terms (a total of 16 years) as a member of the Watertown Free Public Library Board of Trustees.

Government

OBIT: John Flynn, 63, Served as Watertown Town Clerk for 26 Years

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Long-time Watertown Town Clerk John Flynn. John “Jack” Flynn, who served as the Town Clerk of Watertown for more than a quarter century, died on Friday, May 7, 2021 after a brief illness. He was 63 years old. Born in Cambridge, he served as Deputy City Clerk and Principal Budget Analyst for the City of Cambridge before becoming Watertown’s Town Clerk in 1995. He retired in 2021.

Around Town

Watertown Library Seeks Donors to Help Cover Cost of Book Mobile

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Watertown Free Public LibraryThe Watertown Free Public Library. The Watertown Library is looking to bring books and other items closer to residents by starting a book mobile. The effort got a big boost from a donor, but the library still needs to raise about $70,000 to cover the cost of the custom vehicle, said Daniel Pritchard, a member of the Watertown Board of Library Trustees. “It is a great opportunity to reach the parts of the Watertown community that are not able to get to the Library, and maybe aren’t as mobile and can’t get down there as easily,” Pritchard said. “The Library is also just such an important resource for the Town, and to be able to go out to every nook and cranny in the community and make resources available is a really exciting opportunity.”

Arrests

Police Log: Employee Charged With Assaulting Assisted Living Center Resident, Stolen Vehicle Recovered

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

April 28, 1 p.m.: Police received a call from The Residence at Watertown Square on Summer Street after management found an employee of the assisted living center mistreating a resident. During an internal investigation on a separate matter, management found a video showing an employee being physical with an 83-year-old woman. Watertown Police reviewed the surveillance video and determined the worker’s treatment of the resident rose to the level of an assault and battery charge. Police spoke with the employee, and as a result of the investigation the employee, an 46-year-old Waltham woman, was summonsed to Waltham District Court for assault and battery on a person over 60 years of age.

Car Fire

Fire Damages Three Vehicles at Watertown Rock Climbing Gym

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A fire that began in an SUV parked in the parking lot of Central Rock Gym also damaged two vehicles parked nearby. The blaze at the gym on Acton Street was reported at 6:31 p.m. on April 26, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. “Upon arrival, officers observed a 2016 Ford Edge to be fully engulfed in flames,” O’Connor said. Watertown Firefighters arrived and saw that the fire had extended to two other vehicles — a Jeep Compass and a Subaru Outback. Deputy Fire Chief Rob Iannettta was the incident commander and ordered two hoses to be used to extinguish the fire, said Watertown Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson.

COVID-19 Funds

Watertown Offering Free Summer School, Adding Enrichment Classes

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The Watertown Public Schools will offer free summer school in 2021, including both programs for students needing to make up credits or improve skills, and those looking to learn something new this summer. The district will use funds received to assist during the COVID-19 Pandemic to provide most of the programs free of cost, this year. Assistant Superintendent Theresa McGuinness said that the Watertown Public Schools are focusing on getting students back into the groove after the past two school years were impacted by the Pandemic. “This summer and into the fall we are prioritizing relationships, re-socialization and healthy human connections as we plan for both academics and social-emotional wellness for our students through enriching supportive programming,” McGuinness said. For students in PreK to eighth grade who need to boost their academics, the focus will be on literacy and math, McGuinness said, while in the high school grades emphasis will be placed on credit recovery in English, math, science and social studies.

Around Town

Watertown Voters Will Continue to Directly Elect Council President After Vote by Charter Review Committee

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Watertown Town Hall

Voters in Watertown will continue to elect the Town Council President directly, rather than having the position chosen by a majority of the Council. The decision was made by the Watertown Charter Review Committee on Tuesday night. The decision came on the same night that members discussed the makeup of the Town Council and the councilor compensation. Also, if the Council President should serve on the School Committee, or have a designee. The group reviewing the document that defines how the Town’s government operates looked at the Legislative section of the Charter on Tuesday.

Around Town

Resident Group’s Survey Finds What People Like, Want Improved in Watertown

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Charlie BreitroseThe Watertown Dam near Watertown Square slows the flow of the Charles River. People like the community and diversity in Watertown, but would like to see improvements in the schools and affordability, according to the preliminary results of a survey being conducted by a resident group called Watertown Forward. The group started as an effort to help people understand the Town Charter and the once-a-decade Charter Review, but the group seeks to keep people engaged, said Nicole Gardner, a member of Watertown Forward. “We want to encourage them to get engaged. (Watertown Forward is) at this moment hyper-focused on charter review.