Around Town

Mount Auburn Cemetery Becomes First Cemetery in the U.S. to Earn AGZA Green Zone Certification

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The following announcement was provided by Mount Auburn Cemetery:

Mount Auburn Cemetery, the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA), and Quiet Communities announced that Mount Auburn has become the first cemetery in the United States to earn AGZA Green Zone® Certification, cutting carbon emissions by 16 tons annually. The designation marks a shift from gas-powered handheld landscaping equipment to battery-powered tools, creating a cleaner, quieter, and healthier environment for people and wildlife alike and offering a model for how cemeteries and other large landscapes can operate more sustainably. The AGZA Certified Green Zone program is a four-level program designed to transition landscape maintenance operations away from fossil fuel-powered equipment to battery electric-powered equipment and other low impact alternatives. AGZA and Quiet Communities implement the program for parks, municipalities, institutions, and businesses across the country, providing education, training, support, and metrics that demonstrate reductions in emissions, noise, and other impacts over time. “As the first garden cemetery in the United States, we have a responsibility to continue leading in how landscapes like ours are cared for,” said Matthew Stephens, President & CEO, Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Schools

College Students from Watertown Make Honor Roll, Graduate & Present Research Projects

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Students from Watertown earned honors at Emerson College and SNHU; graduated from Regis College; and students presented their research projects. The following information was provided by the colleges and universities. Honor Rolls

Emerson College

The following students are named to Emerson College’s Dean’s List for the Fall 2025 semester. To make the Dean’s List, students must have a grade point average of 3.7 or higher for that semester. Nel Blinman of Watertown

Arthur Beceveli Venturim of Watertown

Lydia Mihretab of Watertown

SNHU

It is with great pleasure that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) congratulates the following students on being named to the Spring 2026 Dean’s List.

Around Town

Creating Community, One Micro-Forest at a Time

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The following announcement was provided by Trees for Watertown:

Come to a FREE Workshop on Saturday May 23 at the Watertown Free Public Library, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

What is a micro-forest? A micro-forest is a multi-layered plant community of native species — a special kind of “mini pocket park” that can provide urban cooling and natural habitat, and eventually can sustain itself without significant human care, even in a space as small as the corner of a Watertown Yard. Much like the larger Miyawaki forest at Watertown’s Lowell Middle School (Stop by to visit! The forest is beautiful in its second Spring!), a well-designed micro-forest creates a resilient urban oasis of shade and beauty for humans, and food and shelter for native birds and animals. Miyawaki forests, public shade trees, private shade trees, pollinator gardens, bioswales — especially when native plant species are used, all these forms of natural green infrastructure support the urban ecosphere that supports us, and all temper the punishing effects of climate change.

Letters

LETTER: About Our Post Office

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

A long-time resident and respected Watertown businessman wrote a response to my recent Watertown News letter on the proposed 4 or 5 story parking garage to replace the CVS open air parking lot. He wrote about Watertown Square not being a destination: “We don’t even have a post office anymore which I consider a must have convenience which attracts people to any City Center.“

Sorry. We have squandered our ability to have a post office in our city center, and for what? Here’s a bit of the history:

April 11, 2023

I refer you to an April 11, 2023 letter that I wrote concerning this topic to Watertown News, entitled “How will Main Street Project Impact Post Office, the Square & Affordable Housing?” In it, I ask the question: Where’s our post office going? I’ll quote part of the answer:

“When asked, and they are asked quite frequently by residents, the developers just shrug their shoulders and say that they’re in negotiations.

Entertainment

Artist Diana Markosian’s ‘Father’ to Make U.S. Debut at Armenian Museum of America

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Diana Markosian, “The Cut Out,” one of the images by Diana Markosian that will be featured in the Father exhibition running May 29- Sept. 13 at the Armenian Museum of America. The Armenian Museum of America will host Diana Markosian’s “Father” from late-May to mid September, and a Member Preview featuring a conversation between artist Diana Markosian and curator Anahit Gasparyan takes place on May 28. See more details in the announcement from the museum, below. The Armenian Museum of America is proud to present Father, a deeply personal and visually compelling project by internationally acclaimed artist Diana Markosian.

Letters

LETTER: City-Owned Land an Opportunity for Mixed-Income Housing

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Watertown is a Mixed-Income City, City Land Should Prioritize Mixed-Income Housing

This coming Wednesday, May 20 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., the City will host an open house at 9 Galen Street where residents will have an opportunity to better understand the proposed Watertown Square Demonstration Project, ask questions, and weigh in on our visions and priorities. At last month’s rollout of the demonstration project, the City shared a lot of information about its plans for Watertown Square. We heard about a new parking garage, 200-300 units of market-rate housing and new open space in parcels behind the existing CVS, much of which is city-owned. Like many residents, we have questions about the project. We are particularly interested to hear more from the City on the following questions:

• What would need to be in place for housing over the garage to be possible?

Charity

Watertown Community Foundation Awards Inaugural Education & Youth Development Grants

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation has awarded $39,475 in the inaugural Education and Youth Development grant cycle. This new grant program creates access to opportunities for Watertown youth that foster skill-building, creativity, leadership, confidence and resilience, while creating pathways for all young people to thrive. The Watertown Public Schools (WPS) was the largest grant recipient, receiving $22,575 to support six programs and provide student internship support. One of the grants, totaling $5,000, was awarded to the WPS Student Opportunity Fund, which covers the cost of student activities, field trips, and clubs for families who need support. This grant increases the district’s Student Opportunity Fund by approximately 25% for the 2026–2027 school year — a year that will see the reinstatement of athletics and activity fees at the middle and high school levels.