City Council in brief: Celebrating Waltham’s role in Revolutionary War history

March 17 marks the 250th anniversary of Evacuation Day. In honor of the anniversary, Ward 6 Councilor Sean T. Durkee proposed that the City Council officially recognize Waltham’s role in the country’s Revolutionary War history and the Waltham residents who fought in the Continental Army.

Durkee at the council’s Monday meeting presented stories about Waltham’s contributions to the Revolutionary War while introducing his motion. “I know this is kind of a longer resolution, but I promise [I’ll submit it] only once every 250 years,” he joked.

Evacuation Day celebrates the evacuation of the British troops that had occupied Boston during an 11-month siege of the city. The Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, successfully broke the siege and drove out British forces and civilian loyalists after fortifying Dorchester Heights in early March 1776. 

Durkee said that records of Revolutionary War soldiers and sailors published by the Massachusetts secretary of state between 1896 and 1908 specifically list members of the Waltham Minutemen company led by Capt. Abraham Peirce as having fought to take Dorchester Heights.

Waltham residents were deeply invested in the war, Durkee said. He described how significantly the war touched the community: Records show that half of all Waltham men 16 or older were conscripted as soldiers; and its population dropped from 870 people at the war’s start to 689 at its end, the result of war casualties and families retreating from the conflict.

Waltham also has ties to the cannons used by the Continental Army to strengthen its hold at Dorchester Heights. Henry Knox, a 25-year-old former schoolteacher, famously led the improvised transportation that brought the cannons and other weapons captured at Fort Ticonderoga in New York to Suffolk County. This “noble train of artillery” passed through Waltham’s Weston and Main streets, a journey memorialized by a monument at the two streets’ intersection.

The council agreed to table the matter so Durkee could return with a formal copy of the resolution for councilors to sign and present to the Waltham Historical Society.

The City Council also referred to its committees for next week:

• A discussion on whether to seek bids from private companies to take over the administration of the Robert Treate Paine Estate after a request made by the mayor. (Committee of the Whole)
• A request for the Charles River Watershed Association to present to the council on Waltham’s progress in ensuring climate resilience and identifying next steps for the city. (Committee of the Whole)
• A discussion about hiring a city business manager. (Economic and Community Development)
• A donation from the Robert Treat Paine Historical Trust to restore the historical estate’s piano. (Finance)
• A donation of a historical telephone directory and Embassy Theatre tickets. (Finance)
• A request for $217,157 to renovate the softball fields at the Veterans Memorial Field complex. (Finance)
• A request for $12,118 to renovate the heating systems at the Arthur C. Clarke Government Center. (Finance)
• A state grant for the Council on Aging. (Finance)
• A transfer of $174,541 to pay for out-of-district tuition and transportation for special education programs. (Finance)
• A resolution to run an outdoor dining program for restaurants and businesses this summer, similar to last year’s program, and open applications. (Licenses and Franchises)
• The approval of 23 lodging house license renewals, including 10 for dormitories at Bentley University. (Licenses and Franchises)

Additionally, the City Council:

• Agreed to schedule public hearings for changes to the city’s dog grooming and affordable housing rules, as requested by the Ordinances and Rules Committee.
• Approved business discussed by committees last week, including the completion of the midyear budget hearings, the purchase of office supplies for the city, the purchase of a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon for Trapelo Road, conceptual design funding for the Farwell Street Bridge, increases in teacher salaries after a recent union renegotiation, and a license for a temporary kayak dock on the Charles River.
• Approved funding for the conversion of the former Woerd Avenue dump into Koutoujian Park after the Attorney General’s Office dismissed a bid protest against the city.
• Participated in the Pledge of Allegiance with local Girl Scout Daisy-Brownie troop 63252.
• Recognized Earth Day on April 22, and Arbor Day on April 24. Ward 8 Councilor Cathyann Harris told residents the council would have more updates on city programs for the two holidays as they approached.
• Voted to go into executive session to discuss strategy in a real estate matter.