Government

Watertown Hires Director of City’s New Human Services Department

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City of Watertown is excited to introduce Jenna Bancroft, LICSW, as the City’s first Human Services Director! Jenna joins Watertown after over four years with the City of Newton, where she most recently served as the Director of Human Services. During her time there, Jenna was a key figure in the City’s on-going efforts in providing case management to residents in need of food access, financial assistance, housing, and other supports. Jenna also facilitated the Newton Coalition for Community Wellness, where she delivered community-based wellness, education, and resources about substance use to residents. The Human Services Director position and Department are newly created in Watertown after being a primary recommendation in the Health and Human Services Assessment project the City undertook in 2023 and 2024.

Schools

Watertown Students Will Learn About Nutrition, Agriculture in Former Freight Containers

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Watertown Public Schools educators look inside the Freight Farm indoor growing system that was built inside a former freight container. The following piece was provided by the Watertown Public Schools:

Watertown Public Schools is expanding its educational opportunities for students with the addition of a new Freight Farm, a converted shipping container outfitted to grow food year-round. The 40-foot container allows for food and crops to be grown in a controlled, self-contained environment by utilizing vertical farming techniques and a closed-loop system. The Freight Farm will be used to expand course offerings at Watertown High School while also increasing food production for Watertown’s school cafeterias. “After many years of planning, preparation, and securing funding, we are thrilled to welcome the arrival of our Freight Farm,” said Superintendent Dede Galdston.

Letters

LETTER: Watertown Library Trustee Will Not Seek Re-election

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Barbara Biacnone (Sara’s mother), Library Trustee Sara Keary, and Tim Whelan (Sara’s step-father); This photo was taken in early September 2022 days after Sara’s mother and step-father moved from Pennsylvania to Watertown. Sara had accompanied them to get their library cards from WFPL. (Photo by Carey Conkey-Finn)

To the Watertown Free Public Library Board of Trustees, Library Staff, and Community Members,

After much reflection, I’ve decided not to seek re-election to the Watertown Free Public Library Board of Trustees. The past four years have been challenging and transformative-both personally and in my role as a trustee. Early in my term, the board faced a difficult leadership transition following the retirement of our long-time director.

Letters

LETTER: Chamber Supports Increasing City Council Compensation

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Dear President Sideris,

The Charles River Regional Chamber supports the Blue Ribbon Commission’s proposal to increase City Councilor and Council President compensation. Public service is demanding, often thankless work. If we want to continue attracting talented, diverse, and committed civic leaders, especially those who may not be independently wealthy or retired, we must offer compensation that at least begins to reflect the time, energy, and responsibility these positions require. Most importantly, improved compensation reflects the value of public service and strengthens our democracy by broadening the pool of individuals who can realistically serve. The commission’s recommendation is the result of a thorough data-driven examination of peer communities, taking into account the city’s budget and core responsibilities.

Around Town

CRWA Hosting Building Resilience in the Charles River Watershed Webinar

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The following information came from the Charles River Watershed Association:

Join us on Thursday, June 12, 2025, from 6:30-8 p.m. for the Building Resilience in the Charles River Watershed webinar on Zoom to learn about innovative green and grey flood mitigation solutions, how we could use ponds for added storage and their potential to reduce extreme flooding, and actionable recommendations to safeguard our watershed’s future. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the conversation! Discover how the Charles River Watershed Association and local communities are working together on innovative solutions to manage future flooding from climate change as part of our regional flood initiative. Adapting to the impacts of climate change is a daunting task, but many local cities and towns are facing this challenge head-on! For the past four years, about two dozen communities in the Charles River Climate Compact (CRCC) have collaborated with CRWA and Weston & Sampson to identify opportunities to reduce flooding and build resilience to climate change.

Around Town

Drainage Installation Work Planned This Week at 2 Intersections on Mt. Auburn St.

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During the week of June 9-13 the Mt. Auburn Street roadwork will include installation of drainage on a couple of intersections. See details in the announcement provided by the City of Watertown. Beginning Monday, June 9, 2025, Newport Construction will resume drainage installation on Mount Auburn Street at the intersections with Kimball Road and Elton Avenue. Traffic and Sidewalk Impacts

During this work, you can expect temporary lane shifts and possibly lane closures, but one travel lane in each direction will remain on Mount Auburn Street.

Around Town

Winners of 2025 Historical Preservation Awards Announced at Event Hosted by Gore Place

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The winners of the 2025 Historical Preservation Award. (Contributed Photo)

The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Watertown Historical Commission announced its 2025 Historical Preservation Awards at aceremony on June 5, 2025 attended by over 75 people. “Watertown has a rich history and it takes work to preserve it,” Commission Chair Elise Loukas said. ‘These awards celebrate people and organizations who do the work and help us all in preserving the city’s history for future generations.”

The awards ceremony is held every two years to honor individuals, organizations and projects that have shown leadership in historic preservation in Watertown. This year’s ceremony was held at Gore Place’s Carriage House.

Entertainment

Small Saves’ Dad Gets Woozy in This Week’s Cartoon

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”