Around Town

Drivers Will Have to Start Paying to Charge Electric Vehicles at City’s Charging Stations

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The City of Watertown announced changes to the policy of charging EVs at City-owned charging stations. Starting on May 1 drivers will have to pay to charge at the stations located in City and school lots. See the details below:

Parking at an EV Charging Station

Beginning on May 1, 2025, users of the City of Watertown’s EV charging stations will be charged a rate of $0.25 per kWh to charge their vehicle. The City of Watertown owns 29 EV charging stations across the city for public use, located at:

Watertown Free Public Library parking lot – 4 plugs

Howard Street Parking Lot – 6 plugs

Lowell Elementary School – 1 plug but restricted to school staff during the day

Cunniff Elementary School – 3 plugs but restricted to school staff during the day

Hosmer Elementary School – 6 plugs but restricted to school staff during the day

Department of Public Works – 8 plugs (open to public 5pm – 6am)

The income gathered will go toward the City’s sustainability goals in the future. The EV charging stations at the three elementary schools (Lowell, Cunniff, and Hosmer) will be open to the public outside of school hours, from 6pm – 6am.

Around Town

Historical Society Joining Browne House for 2 Upcoming Events

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The Browne House, built in 1698, is the oldest standing house in Watertown. The following announcement was provided by the Historical Society of Watertown:

The Historical Society of Watertown is joining with the Browne House for 2 upcoming events:

Community on the Lawn at Browne House, Watertown

562 Main Street, Watertown

Saturday, May 3, 2025 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Join Historic New England and local cultural organizations for an afternoon of history, culture, and connection. Explore the Browne House, enjoy family-friendly activities and lawn games, browse books at the mobile library, and meet your neighbors as we celebrate Watertown’s rich heritage. Participating organizations include:

Watertown LibraryHistorical Society of WatertownWatertown Public Arts & CultureThe Pigsgusset InitiativeCharles River Museum of Industry and InnovationGore Place

Tour the 2 Oldest Houses in Watertown on the Same Day

Sunday, June 15, 2025

The Browne House (c. 1698) at 562 Main Street, Watertown

Tours at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00 noon

(Free for Watertown Residents)

The Edmund Fowle House (1772) at 28 Marshall St, Watertown

Tours at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.

(Free that day for Watertown Residents)

Government

City Councilor Tony Palomba Will Hold Two Annual Meetings

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Tony Palomba seeks re-eleciton as Town Councilor At-Large. City Councilor At-Large Tony Palomba announced he will host a pair of meeting with the public. See the announcement below. Please join me at one of my Councilor Annual Meetings.  Each councilor is required to hold at least one community meeting annually. This is required of our City Charter. I have chosen to hold two meetings in order to give the residents of Watertown a couple of options. 

The meetings will be on Wednesday, April 30 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM and again on Thursday, May 1 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. Both meetings will take place in the Mastrangelo Room on the second floor of the Watertown Free Public Library. There is no formal agenda nor will there be a formal presentation.

Around Town

Watertown Group Will Participate in Mother’s Day Walk for Peace

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Watertown Walks for PeaceWatertown Walks for Peace joined the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace in Dorchester. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Walks for Peace:

Watertown Walks for Peace  Sunday May 11

We hope you will join us again with donations and walking for the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace.  For those who walk we will have a bus so we can gather  and return together. Or meet us there! What better way to honor your mother than to partake in the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace and support the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute and its services to families and communities affected by gun violence. This is our 11th consecutive year participating in the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace in Dorchester. 

Visit our webpage to sign up to walk and/or donate and help achieve our fundraising goal. Last year we raised over $7,000. Can we top that? As always, there will be inspiring speakers, an energizing walk, and a welcoming community of supporters.

Letters

OP-ED: Watertown Budget 101: Where Does Our Money Come From?

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

A Quick Look at Watertown’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

I’ve been looking at ourFiscal Year 2026 Budget. First, I’d like to thank our City Manager for. presenting us with a very well laid out document. These are some of my observations and some questions that I’d like answered as we continue to look at this very lengthy and detailed document. Let’s look at some City departments that actually bring in revenue.

Around Town

Mt. Auburn St. Project: Conduit Installation Continues Near School & Boylston Streets

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During the week of April 28 through May 3, 2025, work on the Mt. Auburn Street Project includes installation of conduit in two areas of the roadway, including at the intersections of School and Boylston streets. See more in the announcement provided by the City of Watertown:

Next at School St. and Boylston St. 

Starting Monday, April 28, 2025 Newport Construction will continue installing traffic electrical conduit (underground electrical pipes) at the intersection of Mount Auburn Street and School Street beginning at 7am. During this time Newport Construction will also continue down Mount Auburn Street to install electrical conduits at the intersection of Mount Auburn Street and Boylston Street. Traffic and Sidewalk Impacts

During this work, you can expect temporary lane shifts and possibly lane closures, but one travel lane in each direction will remain on Mount Auburn Street.

Government

Fair Housing in Watertown Meeting Planned After Study Found Housing Discrimination

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The Human Rights Commission & Affordable Housing Trust are hosting an event in response to the recent West Metro Homes Consortium report which found housing discrimination present in Watertown, as well as in every other community surveyed. See the information provided by the City of Watertown. Join us at the Fair Housing in Watertown Meeting on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. virtually via Zoom, at: https://watertown-ma.zoom.us/j/91712481602. (The public may also join the virtual meeting audio only by phone: 877-853-5257 or 888-475-4499 (Toll Free) and enter Webinar ID: 917 1248 1602)

Sophia Suarez-Friedman of the Wayside Multi-Service Center will talk about what she has learned helping individuals and families find housing in Watertown. Elizabeth Brusie and Cliff Cook will co-moderate and discuss steps the city can take to combat housing discrimination.

Letters

LETTER: Resident Shares Experience With Mediums

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Watertown resident Fred M. Grandinetti has been writing about popular culture figures since 1983. His recent article takes a different approach. In the March 2025 edition of Paranormal Underground, Grandinetti details his and his mother’s experiences of being read by mediums.

Grandinetti’s piece reads:

The week funeral services were being held for my grandmother Joan Rivers had on her talk show a gentleman who had written a book titled, We Don’t Die. The author was George Anderson, a medium with the ability to communicate to those who have passed on. The Masonic Temple in Watertown, at one time, had medium’s days on Saturday mornings. I read Anderson’s book while having readings. I concluded mediums were like plumbers: some great, others not so much.