Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/author/cbreitro/page/19/)
The Knights of Columbus Watertown Council #155 will host an American Red Cross blood drive on Saturday, May 31. The blood drive is scheduled for May 31, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Basement Hall at Saint Patrick’s Church, 212 Main St., Watertown. To register click here: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/donation-time?zipSponsor=02472
Walk ins are welcome. Questions, contact Nino Hanna at Ninos44@gmail.com
Former Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao, right, and Interim Secretary Ashley Stolba spoke at the Charles River Regional Chamber Spring Business Breakfast. (Photo by Leise Jones)
NEEDHAM — Statistics and trends shared by an economist from the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston painted a sobering picture for the Boston Metro region, but the former Mass. Secretary of Economic Development gave a pep talk for the attendees of the Charles River Regional Chamber’s Spring Business Breakfast. Employment has not reached pre-Pandemic levels, some of the regions key areas — life sciences and higher education — have fared poorly or faces challenges, cost of living is high, and opinions about prospects for the future are negative, said Mary Burke, principal Economist and Policy Advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Also at the Business Breakfast at the Needham Sheraton was Interim Secretary of Economic Development Ashley Stolba, as well as her predecessor, Yvonne Hao.
The City of Watertown maintained its high bond rating by S&P Global Ratings for the 2025 general obligation bonds. Watertown will have more than $56 million in general obligation loans that will be used for capital projects, including the construction of the new Watertown High School. City officials received a letter from S&P dated May 16, 2025 informing them of the AAA bond rating for the $56.83 million series 2025 general obligation municipal-purpose loan bonds. Projects to be funded with the bonds include high school improvements, street reconstruction, middle school HVAC replacement, sewer system improvements, and vehicle and equipment replacement. The letter reads: “The stable outlook reflects our expectation that Watertown will continue to produce surplus operating results and growing reserves, given stable revenues supported primarily by property taxes and a forward-looking management team.”
Two condos, a pair of two-families, a townhouse and a single family home were sold in Watertown. 64 Bradford Road, $1,375,000, 6 bedroom 3 bathroom 3,105 sq. ft. 2 Family
153 Summer St. #153, $1,065,000, 4 bedroom 2 bathroom 2,535 sq.
This week, the City Council voted to give City retirees an increase in their pension benefits, while maintaining a fully-funded pension system. Retirees typically get an annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 3 percent a year, said City Manager George Proakis, but that increase only applies to the first $14,000. On May 13, the Council voted to increase the amount that the COLA is applied to by $1,000. The pension number is fixed based upon an employee’s years of service and their age when they retired, Proakis said. The increase came at the request of the Watertown Retirement Board, said City Council President Mark Sideris.
More than 35 Watertown homes will be having open houses over the weekend. 12 Riverside St. APT 1-3, $439,000, 2 bedroom 1 bathroom 685 sq. ft. Condo, Open houses: Saturday, May 17 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM Sunday, May 18 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
11 Adams St.
The Watertown Fire Department got approval to run a second ambulance after the City Council approved funding to staff the ambulance on Tuesday. The vote came a couple weeks after the City Council’s Committee on Budget & Fiscal Oversight heard a presentation from Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson and members of the City administration. That meeting was the second hearing on adding a second ambulance. Nicholson said when calls are handled by the contracted ambulance run by Pro EMS, it takes longer to get to calls, and the City is losing reimbursement for the transportations to hospital when the outside ambulance handles a call. Additionally, he said that Watertown’s paramedics are overworked, morale is low, and several have left the WFD.
Watertown Police Officer Mike Hill looks at the screen in the Middlesex Sheriff Office’s Mobile Training Center. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
A trailer parked on a vacant lot in Watertown appeared quiet and tranquil from the outside, but inside Watertown Police officers faced intense situations in which they sometimes had to draw their firearms and even fire real bullets. The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office recently parked its Mobile Training Center on the former Sterritt Lumber site on Waltham Street for a week, so that the Watertown Police could take part in real world simulations with videos while using their own equipment. Lt. Kevin McManus, who oversees the WPD’s Training Division, said having the training center in town allows officers to go through some of the most realistic training while having the convenience of going through it while they are on a normal shift. The training center uses a system created by Laser Shot, and offers more than 600 different scenarios.