Business

Council Asks Board of Health to Create Rules, Oversight of Biotech Companies

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Following a wave of input from concerned residents, Watertown officials will look at ways to make sure that biotech labs in town are safe. 

The issue arose in August when the developers of Arsenal Yards proposed changing office space in the renovated Arsenal Mall into space for biotech research and development. The issue is not likely an isolated one, with biotech being one of the fastest growing industries in the United States and in Massachusetts, and other communities in the area are taking steps to attract this sort of company. Residents noted that other towns have regulations for laboratories and some have committees to oversee biotech companies and advise the Board of Health. At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, Council President Mark Siders said steps will be taken in Watertown to increase oversight of biotech facilities. “Watertown falls a little short when regulating these types of laboratories,”  Sideris said. A memo from Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon to the Town Council said that the Watertown Board of Health will develop a framework for overseeing biotech companies.

Government

Board of Health Considering Tougher Tobacco Regulations in Watertown

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The Watertown Board of Health will consider strengthening restrictions on purchasing tobacco products in Watertown. The Watertown Board of Health sent out the following statement:

In the interest of enhancing the public health protection of Watertown’s youth and adult community, the Watertown Board of Health is proposing additional restrictions on the availability of tobacco products in Watertown. The Board invites all to offer comment on the proposed changes at a Public Hearing on November 15, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Town Administration Building located at 149 Main Street in Watertown. Proposed changes to the existing regulations include a ban on blunt wraps,
implementation of minimum pricing on single cigars, establishment of a 500 foot buffer around all schools on new Tobacco Sales Permits, and a cap on the number of Tobacco Permits that will be issued in Watertown. D.J. Wilson, Tobacco Control Director and Public Health Liaison for the Massachusetts Municipal Association, stated that “The proposed additions to the current Watertown ‘Regulation Regarding Smoking and the Sale and Use of Tobacco Products’ provide additional strategies to keep youth from starting to use tobacco products and to prompt current tobacco users to quit.

Government

Board of Health Considering Making New Tobacco Rules After Hearing from WHS Students

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After hearing about research collected by some Watertown High School students, the Watertown Board of Health will look at possible changes to the town’s tobacco regulations. The students are Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leaders – a program of the Wayside Multi-Service Center – and also take part in a statewide movement of youth fighting tobacco in their communities, said Dawn Graham, media and prevention specialist with Wayside. As part of the statewide anti-tobacco effort, called The 84 Movement, the students mapped where tobacco retailers are in town, and their proximity to schools, parks and places where teens hang out. “They found that there are more tobacco retailers in Watertown than there are schools, parks, and other teen hangouts combined,” Graham said. “They were concerned to see that most places teens spend time – including Watertown High School – are less than a 5 minute walk away from a retailer and that there is currently no cap on the number of retailers that can be in Watertown.”

Government

Town Looking at Raising Age of Buying Cigarettes to 21

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A public hearing will be held to discuss raising the legal age of tobacco sales in Watertown. The current minimum age to buy tobacco products in Watertown is 19, but the proposal from the Board of Health would raise it to 21. The hearing will be held on Monday, Oct. 20 at 8:15 p.m. in the Council Chamber in Town Hall, 149 Main St. The town has two regulations for tobacco, and the Board of Health also seeks to combine them into one called “Regulation Regarding Smoking and the Sale and Use of Tobacco and Nicotine Delivery Products.”

“We hope this will eliminate any confusion finding all of the tobacco regulations in one place,” said an announcement by the Board of Health.