Around Town

Mural Coming to Watertown Square Celebrates Artist’s Love, Vision for His New Hometown

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The mural, called “I See a Dream,” planned to be created on the wall outside CVS in Watertown Square by Amir Tabatabaei. A large wall in the center of Watertown will get a bright new look when a local artist creates a mural inspired by his experience moving to his new hometown. The project will be the first public art for its creator since he emigrated from Iran. Amir Tabatabaei will work on the mural that will go on the side of the CVS on Main Street in Watertown Square starting this spring. It will start where the gate opens onto Merchant’s Row, the alley off of Main Street, and unfolds along the wall.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Woman Wearing Wig Tries to Cash Check, Man Seen Taking Baby Monitors on Several Dates

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

March 27, 8:47 p.m.: Officers on Arsenal Street saw a vehicle driving westbound dragging two construction cones under the front bumper and speeding. The cones came from a construction site farther down Arsenal, near Louise Street. Police pulled the vehicle over and the driver had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. He performed field sobriety tests and did not pass four.

Sports

College Sports: Pitcher Earns Win, High Jumper Wins for Bridgewater, Senior Signs to Play Field Hockey

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Former WHS player Anthony Panza got the win for Framingham State’s baseball squad. (Courtesy of Framingham State Athletics). A pair of former Watertown High School athletes have excelled in college sports recently, and another will be playing at the next level next year. Baseball

Anthony Panza, a WHS grad, closed out a shutout for Framingham State on April 7, and notched a win for the Rams over Bridgwater State. The decision was the first win for the senior, who has two saves in eight appearances along with 22 strike outs, just one walk, and an ERA of 0.00.

Around Town

Developers of Life Science Projects Make Case to Ease the Impact of Linkage Fees

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Elkus Manfredi ArchitectsA view from Water Street of the life sciences building being built by Boston Development Group at 66 Galen St. Developers working on life science projects in Watertown say the proposed linkage fees, being considered by the City Council, could put the City at a disadvantage compared to communities not charging the fees, and it comes at a bad time. They propose some changes to how they pay the $11.12 per square foot, which has been earmarked to create affordable housing. At the City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 11, Councilors will discuss and are scheduled to vote on the linkage fee rules. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Watertown has already received approval from the State Legislature and Gov. Charlie Baker to charge up to $18 in linkage fees.

Around Town

Watertown Rotary Club Growing, Adding New Initiatives

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown Rotary President Kim Severino pins new member Christian Dallas at a ceremony on March 28. Coming out of the pandemic, the Rotary Club of Watertown struggled with attendance at its weekly lunch meetings and events, but recently, the club’s membership has started growing. On March 28, three new members were inducted as Rotary Club members in a ceremony held at Demos Watertown: Diane DiMascio Cinar of CK Realty Group, Christian Dallas of Dallas Insurance, and Massimo Zeppa of Keller Williams Realty. All three of the new members said that Rotary’s service mission attracted them. “I am so happy to be a Rotary member,” said DiMascio Cinar.

Schools

Watertown Preschool Worker Being Investigated for Neglect Allegation

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A worker at the Watertown Public School’s preschool has been placed on leave after an allegation of neglect was reported in March. A staff member at Early Steps Preschool, which is run by the Watertown Public Schools (WPS), has been placed on administrative leave after WPS officials got report of “potential classroom neglect,” according to Assistant Superintendent Theresa McGuinness. The district, the Department of Children and Families, and police are investigating the incident, according to a report in on Fox 25. School officials learned of the incident on March 3, Superintendent Dede Galdston told the Boston Globe. “Our district immediately placed the staff member on administrative leave and, per protocol, filed a report with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families,” Galdston said in a statement to the Globe.

Schools

Few Options at Area Vocational Schools, Watertown to Work with Students to Find Best Solution

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Medford High School and Vocational Technical High SchoolOne of the options for Watertown students seeking a vocational education is in Medford. The options for Watertown students looking for a trade or vocational training program have shrunk recently, but local school officials will work with them to try to find a place for them at Watertown High School or in surrounding districts. The School Committee heard the report from the Vocational, Technical, and Career Education Options Ad Hoc Committee on March 27, and unanimously adopted the recommendations. The study of vocational programs in Watertown and at other schools in the area found that spots are difficult to find these days, especially for incoming ninth-graders in the fall of 2023. School Committee member David Stokes, the chair of the ad hoc committee, said that many of the schools in the area have been undergoing changes in leadership, have recent or ongoing construction projects, or both.

Government

Council Changes Conflict of Interest Rules to Try to Attract More People to Serve on City Boards

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A rule preventing anyone who is a “city employee” from appearing in front of any City committee or board had been limiting the number of candidates for volunteer boards, said City Manager George Proakis, so he asked the City Council to make some changes so they have more freedom under the conflict of interest rules. People serving on volunteer boards, such as the Planning Board, Conservation Commission or Licensing Board, will now be “special municipal employees.” They had been considered municipal employees, which led to some strict rules. “It makes it difficult to recruit and retain someone with certain areas of expertise,” Proakis said. “You may want someone with landscape architecture expertise to be on the Conservation Commission, but if they work for a firm that does a project in front of another board for other business – that is not allowed.”