Around Town

Meet the Police and Fire Chiefs at the Next Watertown Business Coalition Event

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The Watertown Business Coalition will host a talk with Watertown’s Police and Fire Chiefs at Cambridge Savings Bank. See details from the WBC below. Come meet the Chiefs on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Cambridge Savings Bank in Watertown, 54 Arsenal St. Watertown Police Chief Justin Hanrahan and Watertown Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson will talk a bit about what’s going on with their departments in the City, then we’ll open it up to questions.

Around Town

Rep. Lawn Receives Mass. Commission on Persons with Disabilities Legislative Champion Award

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State Rep. John Lawn

The following announcement was provided by Rep. John Lawn’s Office:

Watertown State Rep. John J. Lawn, Jr. was recognized as one of two Legislative Champions Awards recipients by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities at this year’s Annual National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebration in the Great Hall of Flags at the Massachusetts State House. The event recognized the invaluable contributions of employees with disabilities, alongside policymakers, employers, service providers, and key stakeholders in the disability community in Massachusetts and the Country. “Representative Lawn cares deeply about the disabled community,” said Commission on the Status of persons with disabilities Chairwoman Rep. Denise Garlick (D-Needham). “He has consistently shown his commitment to fighting for the community through his championing of priority legislation such as Operation House Call and his continued advocacy for its funding. He is a strong ally of the disabled community.”

“I am honored and humbled to be recognized by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities as one of this year’s Legislative Champions,” said Watertown State Representative John J. Lawn, Jr. “This recognition is very personal to me, as my best friend David has an intellectual disability.

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Community Preservation Committee to Hear Presentation on Willow Park Housing Development

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A rendering of the proposed Willow Park Housing development. Hear about the proposed Willow Park Housing development during the presentation to the Watertown Community Preservation Committee on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. See details below. Preservation of Affordable Housing and the Watertown Housing Authority will present their project to redevelop the Willow Park Housing development to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). You are welcome to join in-person or via Zoom with the link: https://watertown-ma.zoom.us/j/91525442843

Read the Willow Park application here.

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LETTER: Open Letter of Gratitude to Former WHS Coach John Barbati

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By Mark RoopenianWatertown High School 1976

Coach Barbati,

No one has impacted my life and who I am today more than you. You taught me toughness, perseverance, preparation, poise, work ethic, and most importantly, that nothing is impossible. You saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself. How else could a skinny Armenian kid headed to Bates College get a full football scholarship to Boston College? Because you cared enough to put your hard-earned reputation on the line with BC Head Coach Joe Yukica.

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LETTER: Install Turf at Victory Field Oval, Field House Should be Part of Renovation

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Dear current and past friends of Watertown, as well as future families of all athletes! Phases 2 and 3 of the Victory field track, which includes turf in the oval, along with new tennis and basketball courts, are up for final consideration. Almost 20 years ago, I stood in front of the community along with Councilor Vinny Piccirilli and the full Council of Watertown expressing the importance and benefits of a field turf facility encompassing the football and baseball areas. The design and implementation of Phase 1 of the Victory Field complex has been nothing short of spectacular for our athletes, our physical education department, and for the recreational activities of the entire community. In addition, since the installation of the field turf in Phase 1, the technology and safety of the turf installed at that time have improved considerably.

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Watertown Veterans Day Breakfast & Closings for the Holiday

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Watertown will hold a Veterans Day celebration on Monday, and Municipal departments will be closed in observance of the holiday. Veterans Day Breakfast

Watertown’s Veterans Services Office will host the 2024 Veterans Day Breakfast at the Marine Corps League Shutt Detachment, 215 Mt Auburn St., at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11. There will be a small ceremony starting around 11 and breakfast will be served immediately afterwards. Closings

Watertown City Hall, Parker Annex, Department of Public Works Offices, Senior Center, and the Watertown Free Public Library, will be closed on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in observance of Veterans Day.

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Plans for Victory Field Track Renovation Presented, Some Call for Artificial Turf Field

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The Victory Field Phase II project includes renovation of the track, courts, and the driveway in the complex. Six years after a committee issued recommendations for the renovation of the track and courts at Victory Field, the project will be moving forward. However, some at the meeting on Wednesday where the plans were presented called for making the field inside the oval artificial turf to allow for more use by high school and youth sports teams.

Another area of concern raised at the meeting held at Lowell Elementary School, was that the project does not solve the lack of a changing area for female athletes at Victory Field. The 75 Percent plans for Victory Field Phase II are based on the recommendations of the Victory Field Ad Hoc Committee, which issued a report in June 2018. In 2019, designers from CDM Smith presented the 25 percent plan, and underground testing was conducted.