Around Town

Third Annual Life Science Panel Hosted by Watertown Business Coalition

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The Watertown Business Coalition will host the third annual Life Science Panel on April 25 featuring representatives from four local life science companies. The first WBC life science event was held in April 2021 during the virtual days of the pandemic. Last year, the group held an in-person event at Hosmer Elementary School. This year’s event, “Biotech in Our Back Yard,” will be on Tuesday, April 25 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. The event begins at 5:30, and the panel will run from 6:00-7:00, followed by networking and food provided by Branch Line. 

The moderator will be Merle Kummer, the founder of CoLab which partners life science companies in the City with Watertown High School students to coordinate class visits, field trips and internships.

Around Town

LETTER: Residents Ask Council to Increase Linkage Fee to $15/Sq. Ft.

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Note to reader: There has been a lot of talk recently in Watertown about the need for more affordable housing. One thing everyone in Watertown can do to help build more affordable housing is to attend the City Council Meeting on 4/11 at 7:00 PM and voice their support for proposed linkage fee ordinance that would raise money for affordable housing by applying a modest fee to new large non-residential developments in the city. While there is some debate about the exact fee amount (below is a copy of our letter to the City Council outlining the case for a $15/sqft fee), the most important issue to make sure the linkage fee is implemented as soon as possible, so we do not lose out on any more funds for affordable housing. 

Dear City Council President Sideris and City Councilors Gardner, Feltner, Piccirilli, Izzo, Airasian, Bays, Gannon, and Palomba:

We applaud the City Council’s efforts to promote affordable housing, first by establishing the Watertown Affordable Housing Trust and now by working with our state delegation to establish a linkage fee to directly fund affordable housing development. As the council considers enactment of the linkage fee, we urge the council to adopt a linkage fee of $15 per square foot, which our technical analysis below shows is in line with recent increases in residential construction costs not measured by the original Nexus study published last year. The Nexus study published last April recommended the council consider a linkage fee in the range of $9.44 to $11.12, which balances raising revenue for affordable housing while maintaining Watertown’s competitive position in the commercial (mainly focusing on life sciences) development space.

Schools

Record Amount of Grants for Watertown Schools from Life Science Companies

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) in collaboration with Life Sciences Cares and five Watertown-based life science companies has awarded record setting $45,000 in grants for Watertown Public Schools. Now in its second year, the STEM Fund, continues to build on Watertown Community Foundation’s annual school-based educational grants program to support instruction and learning in and beyond the classroom. Support from five corporate contributors — C4 Therapeutics, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Kymera Therapeutics, Landmark Bio and Vigil Neuroscience, Inc. — and Life Science Cares, increased the foundation’s capacity to provide greater financial support for science, technology, engineering, and math programming. “With this support, our students are extending what they learn in the classroom by engaging in real science facilitated by experts from the greater Watertown community.  We can bring hands-on programs that spark their curiosity, and the students are excited to find out more.” said Elizabeth Kaplan, Math/Science Coordinator for grades K-7, Watertown Public Schools. This collective giving program also allows companies, leaders, and employees in the burgeoning Watertown life sciences field to learn about Watertown Public Schools and forge deeper relationships with the school STEM community.

Around Town

OP-ED: How Safe is Watertown from a Bio Lab Emergency? Part 4: Conclusions

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

A Thank You

First, if you have been following this series, you know that many people have dedicated their time to helping Watertown residents understand this issue. I thank Provisional Chief Nicholson, Director of Health Larry Ramdin, industry professionals, including Heather McManus, for context on the biotech industry, and the volunteer BioSafety Committee for literally showing us how it’s done. I entered this process with some serious questions about how we were handling our new (and potentially dangerous) corporate neighbors. I have learned that the Fire Department, with the help of a new Lab Safety Fire Captain is “on it” and that the BioSafety Committee, with their tremendous knowledge in the Life Sciences field is tirelessly committed to making this new venture work and work safely for Watertown, despite persistent information sharing problems with the Health Department. (See BioSafety Meeting Feb.

Around Town

OP-ED: How Safe is Watertown from a Bio Lab Emergency? Part 3

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CSET, Georgetown University

By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

In my interview with Mr. Larry Ramdin, Watertown’s Director of Public Health, I focused mainly on the nuts and bolts of permitting and keeping track of bio labs entering Watertown as a safety issue. After our telephone conversation, I followed up by sending this interview to Mr. Ramdin to review. I’d like to thank Mr. Ramdin for his input. At my request, Mr. Ramdin sent me the most recent list of bio labs in Watertown. Although the list contained 63 separate entries, at least 14 had the same company name as another, which Mr. Ramdin explained in some cases indicated two divisions of the same company.

Around Town

OP-ED: How Safe is Watertown From a Bio Lab Emergency? Part 1

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

In both numerous news articles about Watertown becoming a biotech hub and from our own personal observations here in Watertown, the vast and rapid proliferation of biotech buildings is looming large. It has become a grave concern for me and for many in this community. And in Waltham, a neighboring city, it was recently reported in the Globe that there was a chemical spill at the Waltham Azenta Life Sciences Lab, involving a liter to a gallon of acid-based, flammable solvent, and requiring the Waltham Fire Department and the Massachusetts State Hazmat team to be called in for assistance. Because of the massive proliferation of bio lab space in Watertown and a recent bio lab chemical spill just next door in Waltham, I decided that it was worth taking a closer look at Watertown’s biosafety preparedness status. To do so, I reviewed the Watertown Biosafety Committee meetings and regulations and City Council meetings.

Around Town

Developers Have Vision for Site at Pleasant St. & Rosedale Ave.

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Broder/CBTAn illustration of the potential designs for a project at Pleasant Street and Rosedale Avenue, which would include a life science building, a garage and retail space. A project has been envisioned for a major parcel on Pleasant Street that would add a life science building, retail and a parking garage. Broder and CBT seek a Site Plan Review application for a project on the former Cannistraro property (and the former home of the Plumbing Museum) at the corner of Pleasant Street and Rosedale Ave. The project includes multiple parcels: 275 & 313 Pleasant St., 80 Rosedale Road and 60 Acton St. Project documents were submitted to the Watertown Planning Department and posted on the City website on Nov.

Around Town

Watertown Company Creating Way to Dramatically Cut the Number of Pills Patients Take

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Lyndra TherapeuticsA prototype of Lyndra’s stellate medical platform is placed in a machine to undergo stress testing. A company with headquarters in the East End of Watertown will soon start the final trials for a way of delivering drugs that would allow patients to take just one pill a week instead of seven pills or more. And the company is working on technology that could cut it to just two or even one a pill a month. Lyndra Therapeutics moved to its space on Grove Street in 2017, and employs nearly 130 people there, in Lexington, or who work remotely. The company also helps train the next generation of life scientists by working with students from colleges in the area, and has also started reaching out to classes at Watertown High School.