Government

City Manager Wants to Prioritize Watertown Square Rejuvenation

By |

Charlie BreitroseImproving Watertown Square will be a priority for new City Manager George Proakis. During his preliminary budget presentation to the City Council, City Manager George Proakis said he has heard from a lot of people who want to see improvements made to Watertown Square. He wants to create a coordinated effort to improve the City’s downtown. Like the intersection at the crossroads on the Charles, improving the area requires looking at several prongs. During his first several weeks, Proakis said he has heard many opinions from many people about what to do with the Square.

Around Town

See When Watertown Residents Can Use BB&N Fields

By |

The BB&N fields will be open to use by Watertown residents on weekends. The following announcement was provided by the Recreation Department:

The Recreation Department is excited about the new Buckingham Browne & Nichols Athletic Facility which held its grand opening on September 8, 2022. This Complex is state of the art and will be utilized by the athletic and recreational programs offered by the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School as well as the Recreation Department, School Athletic Programs, Youth Groups and will be made available to “Free Play” for “Watertown Residents Only” at scheduled times. See the schedule below. Please follow all rules and regulations that are clearly marked at the facility.

Government

City Manager Commits to Building a New High School Without Sacrificing Education or Green Features

By |

Ai3 ArchitectsA rendering of the main entrance to Watertown High School from Columbia Street. Watertown has plans to build a new high school which will create enough energy to cover the amount needed to operate the building, be equipped with state of the art equipment and technology, and will educate students for decades to come. Even facing climbing construction costs, City Manager George Proakis vowed that the new school will be built.

Watertown will get a significant portion of the new high school reimbursed —  $44.2 million — by the State through the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The cost of the project approved by the state was $138.6 million, but since the approval in March the cost of construction has escalated. In July, the School Building Committee approved “value engineering” steps to use less costly materials and reduce the scope of the project to keep it on budget.

Government

Rodent Control Plan to be Discussed at Council Committee Meeting

By |

Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashThe City of Watertown is working on creating a rodent control plan. A City Council committee will discuss the problem of rats and other rodents in Watertown at a meeting on Oct. 24. The Committee on Human Services will discuss the problem and what can be done about it with members of the Health Department and the Department of Public Works. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Oct.

Government

Watertown Election Officials: Confirm Your Voter Registration, Even if You Voted Recently

By |

The Watertown Board of Election Commissioners said that residents may have been removed from the voter registration list if they have not returned their City Census this year. The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 8 election is just a couple weeks away. The return rate for the City Census was lower than previous years, and as many as one-third of voters may be removed from the list, according to an announcement from the Board of Election Commissioners. Residents can check if they are registered to vote on the Secretary of State’s website and providing their name, date of birth and zip code.