Police/Fire

Police Log: Pair Break Into Apartment & Take $11K Valuables, Skimming Device Found in Bank ATM

By |

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

July 1, 12:07 a.m.: An officer spotted a vehicle stopped facing the wrong way on Baptist Walk. The Jeep Grand Cherokee had its engine running and was facing toward Mt. Auburn Street, on the road which is one way the other direction. The driver appeared to be sleeping behind the wheel, and the officer had to knock several times to wake him.

Around Town

City Receives More Than 30 Applications for ARPA Funds

By |

The City of Watertown has $10.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that can be spent on a variety of areas as part of Pandemic recovery. The City Council requested proposals for use of the money and received 32 applications from City departments, community organizations, individuals, or a combination of those. The requests total nearly $24 million in funds, and include areas such as affordable housing, food pantries, and social workers. The City has several applications, including multiple for water infrastructure projects. The Watertown Library seeks to build another study/work room.

Government

Reorganization of City Government Includes Changes to Planning, DPW and Other Departments

By |

When the City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, they also approved a reorganization of Watertown’s municipal government. Some changes impact who directly reports to the City Manager or the Deputy Manager. Other positions have been moved into new departments, and some departments have been split into divisions. One department with new divisions is Community Development and Planning, which will have Planning and Building Divisions and a third for community events and the Commander’s Mansion. The Planning Division includes a Current Planning Group and a Planning Director to oversee long-range planning.

Around Town

Watertown Preparing to Form a Human Rights Commission, Working on Details of Group’s Role

By |

Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

Watertown is on the verge of a milestone as it moves closer to establishing its first-ever Human Rights Commission. After a vote in the Subcommittee on Rules & Ordinances on June 5th, a final draft of the Human Rights Commission ordinance passed out of the committee and will move to a final vote in the Council. No one, it seems, expects it to meet much blow-back. “This is incredibly exciting and overdue,” said Bevin Croft, who was a member of the informal residents’ committee and a former member of Cambridge’s Human Rights Commission. “It’s exciting to see something that was so controversial before get another push and be met with almost no resistance.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Pair Arrested After Fight Involving Knife, Man & Woman Caught Doing Fentanyl

By |

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

June 19, 7:16 a.m.: A man parked his car on Mt. Auburn Street in front of Dunkin’ near Watertown Square but he was not fully in the spot. A passing car honked its horn to have him move his car. The man, identified as Yesner Espinal, gave the driver an obscene gesture and yelled at him.

Around Town

Water & Sewer Rates Rising, City Could Use ARPA Funds to Lessen the Impact

By |

Watertown water and sewer bills will be going up more than 5 percent this year, but the City could soften the blow by using federal COVID relief funds to pay for infrastructure projects. On Tuesday, the City Council approved the water and sewer rates for Fiscal Year 2024, which includes a 5.5 percent increase for water, and a 6 percent jump for sewer. For an average residential customer who uses 1,800 cubic feet of water a quarter the combined water and sewer bill would go up $16.88 from the current year to $306.76 ($107.56 for water, $199.20 for sewer). City Manager George Proakis said that a study by the City’s water and sewer consultant, The Abrahams Group, found that if the City uses the ARPA funds to pay for the $1.25 million in water and sewer projects from Fiscal Year 2025 to 2028, the rate increase would drop. The City Council has received 32 proposals for how to use the $10.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from City departments as well as outside organizations.

Government

Zoning Board Wants More Changes to Main Street Project

By |

A view of the revised plans for the 104-126 Main Street project. The sixth floor has been scaled back and would not be seen from Main Street. (Illustration by Icon Architecture)

Developers of the six-story mixed-use project on Main Street reduced the number of apartments slightly and increased the landscaping along the public walkway along the building, but that did not satisfy some members of the Zoning Board of the Appeals. The hearing for the project at 104-126 Main Street, which stretches to Pleasant Street and Cross Street, was continued for a second time after some Zoning Board members said on Wednesday night that they did not think the project met the requirement to provide public amenities. Meeting that requirement is necessary to get the additional height to allow the sixth story.

Schools

Former Students, Educators Get Final Look Around Watertown High School

By |

Photo by Charlie BreitrosePeople lined up to get one last look at Watertown High School before it is torn down. The hallways of Watertown High School buzzed with activity one last time last week, as former students, teachers, even principals took a look around the old school and shared memories. The school, parts of which date back to the 1920s, will be torn down in the fall to make way for a brand new, state-of-the-art building. While many looked back on their memories at WHS fondly, most agreed it was time to say goodbye on June 22. Photo by Charlie BreitroseFormer students and staff milled around the hallways at Watertown High School one last time.