Author: Elizabeth Mehler

  • School leadership, performance get City Council committee’s attention

    School leadership, performance get City Council committee’s attention

    The high turnover of principals in Waltham schools and the high school’s low score on a state education report card dominated discussion at the City Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting Monday night.

    Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa gave committee members an update on the city’s School Department, stressing that she’s working to tackle the key challenges facing the department.

    Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa addresses Committee of the Whole

    She acknowledged the challenges the city has had in retaining principals, especially at Waltham High. John Barnes, who has served as Waltham High School’s principal-in-residence since July, submitted his resignation in March. He will leave at the end of the school year. He will be the fourth principal to leave WHS since 2020. 

    Mendoza said the role is “the hardest in the district,” because WHS is the biggest school in the district with many flagship programs, including the Career and Technical Education program. She also emphasized the unique range of cultures and backgrounds making up the student body. 

    The district is looking to interview principal candidates for WHS next week and plans to hire a veteran principal for the role. She also aims to provide additional support, including more administrators and a stronger professional development plan. 

    As for WHS’s low performance, which falls in the bottom 10% statewide, Mendonsa said she recently met with teachers to develop a response plan around graduation and retention rates.  

    “A diploma is the strongest piece of paper we can deliver in the city of Waltham,” she said. 

    Mendonsa said one of the challenges is that teachers are not seeing their students regularly, which she aims to fix. Teachers are spending 15 to 20 minutes of class time to reteach students past material, due to having core classes only an average of three days a week, she said. 

    “Our teachers do not have enough time with our students,” she said. “Children cannot learn if they are not with their teachers on a regular basis, we have to fix that.” 

    Despite speculation in the community, Mendonsa said the low test scores are not because of the high percentage of English-language learners in the school. 

    “That ninth percentile means that the great majority of students are not achieving,” she said. 

    Motion to rename Northeast Elementary is tabled

    In other school-related City Council action, the council’s Licenses and Franchises Committee discussed a request to rename Northeast Elementary School. 

    The request came from Margaret Cannon, a former Waltham school district employee. Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy read a letter from Cannon to the committee, advocating for the school to be named after former Superintendent John Daddona, a lifelong Waltham resident who died in February. 

    McCarthy emphasized Daddona’s legacy as one of the longest serving superintendents. Daddona was “strong when he had to be and kind when he ought to be,” McCarthy said. 

    City Councilor Robert Logan moved for the resolution to be sent to the School Committee for a recommendation. Logan said although only the Licenses and Franchises Committee has the power to rename schools, he wants to hear the School Committee’s opinion. 

    City Councilor-at-Large Emma Tzioumis objected to the motion, saying her discussions with the Northeast community members showed “no desire” for the school to be renamed. 

    “I want to make sure the council does its due diligence to ensure the community has a part in this,” she added. 

    Tzioumis said the current Northeast community has no ties to Daddona. McCarthy, however, emphasized Waltham’s tradition of naming schools after influential figures, including superintendents who had districtwide impacts. 

    “Either it is a war hero, president or a superintendent,” McCarthy said. “That’s the standard.” 

    The Licenses and Franchises Committee motioned to table the matter. 

  • City Council in brief: Future economic recovery options for Route 128 corridor

    The City Council’s Economic and Community Development Committee voted to request that the mayor fund a new economic development manager position in the next city budget. It also requested the clerk’s office compile job descriptions for business managers in neighboring cities for the committee to later review.

    This decision came after Frank Craig, chair of the city’s Board of Assessors, presented on how Waltham’s Route 128 corridor is facing difficulties attracting and retaining businesses in the current financial environment.

    Craig, speaking Monday at the Economic and Community Development Committee meeting, said the Route 128 corridor until recently had experienced a steady inflow of biotechnology companies looking for lab and office space. However, commercial occupancy in the last few years has tapered off as biotech companies have had more difficulty obtaining capital funding. 

    Craig spoke at Monday’s meeting to paint a picture of Waltham’s economic pressures to give councilors more information as they considered whether to hire a business manager for Waltham. 

    Craig described lab and office buildings constructed within the last five years that seem to have experienced difficulty finding tenants, including three that are fully or partially vacant. He said that given the high cost of building specialized lab spaces, real estate companies are reluctant to start construction on new buildings, meaning even more city lots will likely continue to sit empty and lose value unless companies find other ways to use them.

    Older buildings may be in an even worse position, Craig said, as real estate markets witness a “flight to quality” in the commercial sector. He pointed out that one office building at 130 Turner St. sold last year for $25.5 million — significantly less than the last time it changed hands in 2018, when it sold for approximately $80 million.

    Craig pointed to Burlington and Watertown as municipalities that have done a good job weathering this real estate downturn by taking advantage of opportunities to build new developments with office, residential and commercial spaces in close proximity. He added that Burlington and Watertown both employ municipal economic development specialists.

    The Board of Assessors has been forecasting economic trends in the city to assess the value of its commercial properties. However, Craig said the city would benefit by trying to put together a longer-term picture of those trends and their impact, for example of the potential effects of currently proposed construction projects around the city, such as the housing developments proposed under Massachusetts General Law 40B, on future commercial development. 

    City ‘eager’ to continue with mixed-use district plan

    In other City Council action, the council’s Ordinances and Rules Committee took steps toward approving a zoning change to allow real estate companies to construct mixed-use developments on three parcels of land around Route 128.

    These zoning overlay districts were proposed in December by real estate companies BXP Inc., which owns the land at the Winter Street Bay Colony and along Jones Road, and 1265 Main Street LLC, which owns the parcel at 1265 Main Street. 

    Councilors expressed a desire to move forward with the zoning changes. “The city is really eager to achieve this goal with you,” Ward 8 Councilor and committee Chair Cathyann Harris told representatives of the two companies at a Monday meeting.

    Representatives of BXP reviewed the results of a recent consultation with neighbors of the Bay Colony property. They said most of the changes requested by neighbors would be taken up in upcoming special permit discussions, but it committed to expanding the setback at the northwest edge of the property from 75 to 100 feet.

    Mark Fougere, a consultant hired by BXP to assess the developments’ fiscal impact on the city, told the committee he expects BXP’s two proposed districts to ultimately earn more money for Waltham. He estimated that the Bay Colony site would bring in about $3.9 million in new revenue from sources such as property taxes and cost the city between $1.5 and $2.2 million in services for new residents. The Jones Road parcel, he estimated, would bring in about $1.75 million in city revenue, and cost between $436,000 and $693,000.

    On the recommendation of Planning Director Robert Waters, the committee voted to allocate $55,000 to hire CommunityScale LLC, the company conducting Waltham’s ongoing zoning review, to review plans for the three overlay districts while the committee continues to deliberate. Ward 2 Councilor Caren Dunn requested CommunityScale estimate how long its review will take to complete to ensure it aligns with construction deadlines associated with the zoning districts.

    The committee also requested Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy appear at its next meeting on April 21 to discuss the three proposed zoning changes.

    Additionally, the City Council:

    • Officially filed a 2-year-old motion welcoming Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa to the district after hearing an update from Mendonsa on Waltham’s schools. (Committee of the Whole)
    • Approved a preliminary plan for the $850,450 that Waltham will receive in Community Development Block Grant funding which the Planning Department plans to submit to the Department of Housing and Economic Development after Thursday’s community feedback meeting. (Economic and Community Development)
    • Approved an appropriation of $35,339.10 for the Disabilities Services Commission’s accessibility supplies, including changing tables, aquatic wheelchairs and scholarships for individuals impacted by disabilities (Finance) 
    • Approved a state grant of $3,500 for the Waltham Police Department to train 911 dispatchers. (Finance)
    • Preliminarily approved a grant of location at Bear Hill Road near Fox Road for the electric utility company Eversource to provide underground storage space expansion (Licences and Franchises Committee) 
    • Renewed a secondhand dealers’ license for The Tool Shed at 471 Main St. (Licenses and Franchises Committee)
    • Approved special permit extensions for three proposed office spaces at 1432 Main St., 460 Totten Pond Road and 850 Winter St. allowing landowners to postpone construction on the projects. Ward 9 Councilor and Council President Robert Logan warned that councilors should consider an upper limit on extending special permits, pointing out that the 50 Winter St. permit was originally granted in 2013 and has been affecting feasibility studies for all other prospective developments in the meantime. (Ordinances and Rules)
    • Reviewed updates to plans for a proposed hotel on Moody Street. The petitioner presented changes to the building’s aesthetic design requested by McCarthy and agreed to add in specifics about parking permits the building will purchase from the city and the funding it will provide for local park improvements. The committee sent a draft of an air rights easement the building will require for its proposed second-floor cantilever over the Embassy parking lot to McCarthy’s office for review. (Ordinances and Rules)

  • City Council in brief: Future economic recovery options for Route 128 corridor

    By Artie Kronenfeld & Elizabeth Mehler

    The City Council’s Economic and Community Development Committee voted to request that the mayor fund a new economic development manager position in the next city budget. It also requested the clerk’s office compile job descriptions for business managers in neighboring cities for the committee to later review.

    This decision came after Frank Craig, chair of the city’s Board of Assessors, presented on how Waltham’s Route 128 corridor is facing difficulties attracting and retaining businesses in the current financial environment.

    Craig, speaking Monday at the Economic and Community Development Committee meeting, said the Route 128 corridor until recently had experienced a steady inflow of biotechnology companies looking for lab and office space. However, commercial occupancy in the last few years has tapered off as biotech companies have had more difficulty obtaining capital funding. 

    Craig spoke at Monday’s meeting to paint a picture of Waltham’s economic pressures to give councilors more information as they considered whether to hire a business manager for Waltham. 

    Craig described lab and office buildings constructed within the last five years that seem to have experienced difficulty finding tenants, including three that are fully or partially vacant. He said that given the high cost of building specialized lab spaces, real estate companies are reluctant to start construction on new buildings, meaning even more city lots will likely continue to sit empty and lose value unless companies find other ways to use them.

    Older buildings may be in an even worse position, Craig said, as real estate markets witness a “flight to quality” in the commercial sector. He pointed out that one office building at 130 Turner St. sold last year for $25.5 million — significantly less than the last time it changed hands in 2018, when it sold for approximately $80 million.

    Craig pointed to Burlington and Watertown as municipalities that have done a good job weathering this real estate downturn by taking advantage of opportunities to build new developments with office, residential and commercial spaces in close proximity. He added that Burlington and Watertown both employ municipal economic development specialists.

    The Board of Assessors has been forecasting economic trends in the city to assess the value of its commercial properties. However, Craig said the city would benefit by trying to put together a longer-term picture of those trends and their impact, for example of the potential effects of currently proposed construction projects around the city, such as the housing developments proposed under Massachusetts General Law 40B, on future commercial development. 

    City ‘eager’ to continue with mixed-use district plan

    In other City Council action, the council’s Ordinances and Rules Committee took steps toward approving a zoning change to allow real estate companies to construct mixed-use developments on three parcels of land around Route 128.

    These zoning overlay districts were proposed in December by real estate companies BXP Inc., which owns the land at the Winter Street Bay Colony and along Jones Road, and 1265 Main Street LLC, which owns the parcel at 1265 Main Street. 

    Councilors expressed a desire to move forward with the zoning changes. “The city is really eager to achieve this goal with you,” Ward 8 Councilor and committee Chair Cathyann Harris told representatives of the two companies at a Monday meeting.

    Representatives of BXP reviewed the results of a recent consultation with neighbors of the Bay Colony property. They said most of the changes requested by neighbors would be taken up in upcoming special permit discussions, but it committed to expanding the setback at the northwest edge of the property from 75 to 100 feet.

    Mark Fougere, a consultant hired by BXP to assess the developments’ fiscal impact on the city, told the committee he expects BXP’s two proposed districts to ultimately earn more money for Waltham. He estimated that the Bay Colony site would bring in about $3.9 million in new revenue from sources such as property taxes and cost the city between $1.5 and $2.2 million in services for new residents. The Jones Road parcel, he estimated, would bring in about $1.75 million in city revenue, and cost between $436,000 and $693,000.

    On the recommendation of Planning Director Robert Waters, the committee voted to allocate $55,000 to hire CommunityScale LLC, the company conducting Waltham’s ongoing zoning review, to review plans for the three overlay districts while the committee continues to deliberate. Ward 2 Councilor Caren Dunn requested CommunityScale estimate how long its review will take to complete to ensure it aligns with construction deadlines associated with the zoning districts.

    The committee also requested Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy appear at its next meeting on April 21 to discuss the three proposed zoning changes.

    Additionally, the City Council:

    • Officially filed a 2-year-old motion welcoming Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa to the district after hearing an update from Mendonsa on Waltham’s schools. (Committee of the Whole)
    • Approved a preliminary plan for the $850,450 that Waltham will receive in Community Development Block Grant funding which the Planning Department plans to submit to the Department of Housing and Economic Development after Thursday’s community feedback meeting. (Economic and Community Development)
    • Approved an appropriation of $35,339.10 for the Disabilities Services Commission’s accessibility supplies, including changing tables, aquatic wheelchairs and scholarships for individuals impacted by disabilities (Finance) 
    • Approved a state grant of $3,500 for the Waltham Police Department to train 911 dispatchers. (Finance)
    • Preliminarily approved a grant of location at Bear Hill Road near Fox Road for the electric utility company Eversource to provide underground storage space expansion (Licences and Franchises Committee) 
    • Renewed a secondhand dealers’ license for The Tool Shed at 471 Main St. (Licenses and Franchises Committee)
    • Approved special permit extensions for three proposed office spaces at 1432 Main St., 460 Totten Pond Road and 850 Winter St. allowing landowners to postpone construction on the projects. Ward 9 Councilor and Council President Robert Logan warned that councilors should consider an upper limit on extending special permits, pointing out that the 50 Winter St. permit was originally granted in 2013 and has been affecting feasibility studies for all other prospective developments in the meantime. (Ordinances and Rules)
    • Reviewed updates to plans for a proposed hotel on Moody Street. The petitioner presented changes to the building’s aesthetic design requested by McCarthy and agreed to add in specifics about parking permits the building will purchase from the city and the funding it will provide for local park improvements. The committee sent a draft of an air rights easement the building will require for its proposed second-floor cantilever over the Embassy parking lot to McCarthy’s office for review. (Ordinances and Rules)

  • Potter Place inspires confidence, purpose for people with mental health conditions

    Elizabeth Mehler

    Charles Webster Potter Place Clubhouse on Vernon Street in Waltham. Photo by Elizabeth Mehler.

    Ruth Torres, 55, has been showing up to Potter Place Clubhouse in Waltham four days a week for nearly three decades — not just to pass the time, but to build new skills, from math to French, with the help of staff who guide her progress.

    “I decided to come to the clubhouse to find a job, to work dependably by myself, to help my family,” she said. 

    Community unit coordinator Menucha Krinsky began teaching Torres skills when Krinsky first met her as an intern. They began doing puzzles together, and eventually she introduced her to educational French and math videos on YouTube. 

    “I knew that Ruth had a brain that she wasn’t utilizing in the way that I wanted her to,” Krinsky said. 

    While most mental health services offer a clinical space for therapy, Potter Place Clubhouse on Vernon Street offers a warm, welcoming space where members like Torres can build confidence and find a sense of community.

    They eat meals together, socialize, sweep the floors and answer phones together — all in the name of building community. 

    “Everything we do is done side by side for the overall mission of supporting members in recovery from mental illness,” said Michael Nderitu, assistant director of Potter Place Clubhouse. “Our model is recovery through work.”

    Regaining a sense of purpose

    The entrance hall at Potter Place Clubhouse welcomes members and visitors. Photo by Elizabeth Mehler.

    Since 1988, Waltham’s Potter Place Clubhouse has emphasized pre-vocational, vocational and social experiences to support people with mental illness

    The program is based on the international clubhouse model, which designs mental health treatment based on helping members regain a sense of self purpose and vocational confidence to be productive in society. 

    Potter Place has 100 members in Waltham. Its motto states “Once a member, always a member,’’ Nderitu said. 

    About 20 members with a diagnosed mental health condition come to the clubhouse daily for services, which are funded by the Department of Mental Health.  

    A pillar of the clubhouse’s model is its Transitional Employment Program, which helps members find short-term employment for six to nine months with local businesses, including the Waltham Chamber of Commerce. Potter Place also has partnerships with Brandeis University, More Than Words bookstore and Common Good coffee shop. 

    The goal is to find jobs that best suit members’ interests, Nderitu said. Members typically get janitorial, clerical or food services work. “[This is] meant to build them up, get them used to working again, so that hopefully, ideally, the next step is moving on to a part-time or full-time position,” Nderitu said. 

    Peter DuBois, a 65-year-old Belmont resident, has been a member of Potter Place for 30 years and said he prefers the clubhouse model over group therapy. 

    “If you’re an adult living in the United States, work is important,” he said. “You can do so much group therapy, [but] getting back to work, that’s very important.”

    “We help people regain the confidence that they need to go about their life to reenter the workforce, get back to school, or just be part of a community,” Nderitu said. 

    Building confidence and community

    The Career Hub at Potter Place provides job opportunities in the community to members. Photo by Elizabeth Mehler.

    Molyna Richards, executive director of Waltham Chamber of Commerce, hailed the clubhouse hiring program as good for the members and the larger community. 

    “We tell people how remarkable it is and the benefits of hiring from Potter Place,” she said. 

    She added, “They do little things, and that gives them the confidence of being back in the workplace. They get to meet other business professionals, and they can network that way, which is really helpful.”

    Potter Place offers more than just employment opportunities. It holds socials every Saturday, planned and decided by members themselves, and is even open on holidays. 

    “Some people do just come here for the social aspect,” Nderitu said. “[They] want a community.”  

    Krinsky said she’s witnessed members form “strong bonds” with one another, socializing in, and sometimes outside of, the clubhouse. 

    “[For many members] this is the common ground, this is how we connect,” she said. “This is going to be our place, which puts a lot of reliance on this place being here.”

    This story is part of a partnership between The Waltham Times and the Boston University Department of Journalism’s Newsroom program.

  • Waltham class helps older adults avoid internet scams  

    Scammers use AI-generated voices to fool people that their family member is in trouble and needs quick money.

    They target “the weakest moments” when people are most vulnerable. 

    And they use schemes such as phishing and spoofing to trick their victims into disclosing sensitive personal or financial information. 

    Those were some of the lessons at a recent presentation  at the Waltham Senior Center titled “Money Smart for Older Adults.” The class is aimed at arming senior citizens with the tools they need to protect themselves from people who attempt to steal their money.

    “Elderly adults are … easy prey for these types of scams,” said Jorge Martinez, who co-taught the class on Feb. 18. 

    Northern Bank employees Martinez, a commercial loan specialist, and Sara Amzough, a commercial lending closer, have been teaching anti-scam courses in Waltham and several neighboring towns as part of the bank’s effort to warn against internet scams that “dupe” older people into giving out their personal financial information. 

    Online internet scams targeting adults ages 60 or older in the United States have skyrocketed over the past several years. Fraud losses reported by older adults have grown from about $600 million in 2020 to $2.4 billion in 2024, according to the most recent data by the Federal Trade Commission. 

    In 2025, the Waltham Police Department received 296 reports of scams or fraud, officials said. A department official said police do not have data on the breakdown of types of scams or the age of the people reporting them. 

    Martinez said phishing scams are when senders are searching for individuals’ private account information so they can commit fraud or identity theft. He said spoofing happens when a scammer disguises an email to look familiar to the people being scammed. 

    Red flags for possible scams

    Linda Luke, a Brighton resident who attended the class, said she appreciated the information. 

    “There’s so much new stuff coming out, and a lot of elderly [people] might not know it because they don’t go out that much. They don’t communicate too much with other people,” Luke said. “So it’s good to have a class like this with different examples.” 

    During their presentation, Martinez and Amzoug provided examples of common internet scams, including messages that appear to be from organizations the individual may do business with, such as banks or insurance companies. 

    She and Martinez also provided tips on how senior citizens can avoid computer or internet scams, including being cautious about opening attachments or downloading files from emails, using trusted security software, making strong passwords and not being reliant on caller ID to authenticate phone calls. 

    Martinez advised attendees to pay attention to messages with spelling errors or messages with hyperlinks in a font size larger than the rest of the text, as those often indicate a scam. They also urged participants to report scams to the local police.

    Additionally, Martinez said banks should not be requesting personal information to be verified by email. Instead, he said users should call their bank directly if they receive any messages related to their finances. 

    “We work for banks, so we usually would never ask you to verify your information because we have your information,” he told the attendees. 

    Both he and Amzough recommend that seniors delete any suspicious emails or messages from unfamiliar sources and download security software that scans their computer.  

    Seniors at the event pledged to remain vigilant. 

    “I’ve heard the same spiel a million times, but sometimes it penetrates a little further into the brain,’’ said Carol Dargie, an 81-year-old Waltham resident who attended the class.  

    “So maybe [I’ll] think twice before I’m one of these [stories],” 

  • At Waltham’s Banh Mi O’i, Vietnamese cuisine and inclusivity are on the menu

    Tucked away on Lexington Street, across from Star Market, is Banh Mi O’i, a bright, modest cafe serving up tasty Vietnamese fare. 

    Customers said they visit for that authentic flavor. John Bangs, a construction and property manager in Waltham, said he has been coming to Banh Mi O’i weekly for about a year, often bringing coworkers. 

    “I had the pork Banh Mi and fell in love with it,” Bangs said. 

    Banh Mi O’i interior. Photo by Elizabeth Mehler.

    Phong Huynh, a new employee at Banh Mi O’i, said he moved to America from Vietnam five years ago and appreciates the restaurant’s authenticity.

    “When you work in a restaurant that is run by Vietnamese people, they actually understand how to make food exactly like in Vietnam,” he said.

    Ahn Pham, the cafe’s manager, said his cousin Yeanie Bach, who owns Banh Mi O’i, launched the shop to honor her family’s history. She was inspired by her own childhood experiences, when she and her mother ran a Banh Mi cart in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, Pham said. 

    Bach opened her first Banh Mi O’i location in West Roxbury in 2020 and the Waltham store on Lexington Street two years ago. 

    “Banh Mi is about honoring the hands that built a better life, paying tribute to roots, and building a space where culture, memory, and community come together,” Bach wrote on the cafe’s website. It is “more than a restaurant.”

    All about communication

    Banh Mi O’i extends its welcome to everyone, including people with communication challenges. Because of its efforts in fostering an inclusive space, the restaurant was highlighted in a new short documentary, “We Need to Talk,” which features five individuals who use an AAC device. 

    In the film Tiny, a 22-year-old with autism, walks up to the counter at Banh Mi O’i and orders lunch using an augmented alternative communication device. The tablet-like device lets Tiny, who is nonverbal, press buttons to give voice to her wishes.

    Banh Mi Oi Tiny and mom get their order. Photo by Elizabeth Mehler.

    “Can I have a barbeque chicken [and] water, please?” the device says. 

    The front desk server quickly responds and brings her the order. 

    “Sandwich,’’ the device says as Tiny begins to enjoy her food. 

    Tiny first began visiting the restaurant with her mother, who already knew Pham, the manager. Though the staff initially had no training with the AAC device, Pham said they are extra welcoming to Tiny.

    “We feel like if we can do something to make her happy, to welcome her more, we just pay a little more attention,” Pham said.

    “The [documentary’s] message is that individuals who use AAC are part of our community,” said Corinna Riggs, a senior clinical advisor at the Guild for Human Services, a nonprofit based in Concord. She served as a production consultant on the film to raise awareness about AAC devices. 

    In the film. Tiny’s mother, Oanh Bui, says Tiny had no means of communicating with anyone, including her family, before getting an AAC. The device has given her a newfound independence and freedom to express herself, Bui adds. 

    Banh Mi O’i employees are “accepting of [Tiny’s] different communication style,” Bui says. “They really have the patience to be able to wait for her so that she can be able to get her orders in.”

    Shop manager Pham honed his communication skills through his immigrant experience. He grew up in Vietnam before moving to America at 19 years old. He attended high school in South Boston and then two years in college before joining the Army. Along the way, he learned how to connect with others in English. 

    Pham said that meeting customers at the Waltham shop has helped him to better serve people of all backgrounds and abilities.

    “It’s a small store,” Pham said. “So they come in, we welcome them [and] let them know they are at home so they can feel relaxed and happy.” 

    A screening of “We Need to Talk” was held Feb. 2  at Maynard Theatre. The documentary is also available for viewing on YouTube.