Live Well Watertown Hosting Walks in July

The City of Watertown’s Live Well Watertown will host weekly walks on Thursdays. In July and August the walks begin at 10 a.m. See the schedule below. July Walk Schedule

July 10 ~ Wellness Walk

Meetup:  Saltonstall Park’s red brick plaza, next to City Hall, 149 Main StreetJoin Stephanie Venizelos, Community Wellness Manager, and Kristina Courage, Certified Fitness Trainer, for a mindful morning walk and series of balancing exercises. July 17 ~ Public Arts & Culture Walk / Project Save Photograph Archive -https://projectsave.org

Meetup:  Thomas J. Cannalonga Memorial Park, 480 Pleasant St.Join in a walk to visit Project Save Photograph Archive on Pleasant St. Executive Director Arto Vaun will show us the space and talk about the 50 years of the project and the stories of the 80,000 photographs archived there. 

July 24 ~ Walk N Talkin collaboration with Watertown Business Coalition (WBC), this event will spotlight businesses in Watertown Square.

Trash Collection Resumes, Emergency Trash Option Available

Watertown DPWTrash and recycling pickups resumed Monday. Republic Services resumed trash and recycling pickup on Monday, while contract negotiations continue. Residents who have overflowing garbage bins can drop off items at a drop off location. Trash can be dropped off at 148 Waltham St. on Tuesday, July 8 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., City officials announced Monday.

Community Preservation Committee Accepting Applications for 2026

The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) is accepting project applications for the FY 2026 funding round. Do you have an idea for an open space/outdoor recreation improvement, the preservation of a historic, or how to create affordable housing. Learn how to turn your good idea into a successful Community Preservation Act (CPA) project application. Key Dates

Community Preservation Act Clinic Hours: 

July 2025

9th – 10am, 10:30am, 11am and 11:30am

10th – 12:30pm, 1pm, 1:30pm, 3pm

14th – 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, 3pm, 3:30pm, 4pm

16th – 10am, 10:30am, 11am, 11:30am

21st – 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, 3pm, 3:30pm, 4pm

July 25, 2025 – Project Eligibility Forms Due

October 16, 2025 – CPA Funding Applications Due

Please visit the CPC webpage for more information, click How to Apply for links to application instructions and application documents. To schedule a CPA clinic appointment or if you have questions, please contact Lanae Handy, Community Preservation Coordinator at lhandy@watertown-ma.gov or 617-715-8620.

Arsenal Park Picnic, Pavilion Permit Applications Now Available

Arsenal Park’s renovation is nearly complete and the Watertown Recreation Department will accept permit applications for picnics and the pavilion. See more in the Recreation Department’s announcement, below. Watertown Recreation is now accepting Picnic & Pavilion Permit Applications! 

Reservations are available for dates on or after July 16th, 2025 — we are not accepting reservations for earlier dates. We’re excited to roll out new pricing and brand-new Pavilion rental options (includes multiple picnic tables and more)! Filippello Park reservations now require their own specific application.

Teamsters Union Releases Statement About Trash Strike

The following announcement was provided by Teamsters Local 25:

Following a strike vote that passed by more than 90 percent on Monday, members of Teamsters Local 25 at Republic Services are about to conclude their first week of the work stoppage without a fair offer from the company. 

The overwhelming vote to strike was caused by Republic‘s refusal to agree to pay the same wages and benefits that have been negotiated by Local 25 at Capitol Waste and Star Waste Systems, the trash behemoth’s major competitors in Eastern Massachusetts. “This strike is all about fairness, equity, and maintaining the area standards established by Local 25,” said Thomas G. Mari, President of Local 25. “I have never seen a group of workers who are so united and committed to making certain they are able to enjoy the same pay and benefits as people who are doing the exact same job at another employer.”

Republic has never indicated in any negotiating sessions that it cannot afford to pay the wages and health insurance provided by its competitors. In fact, Republic Services — the second-largest sanitation company in North America — enjoyed total revenue of $16 billion in 2024, a nearly six percent increase over the year prior. The firm also returned $1.18 billion to shareholders and close to $13 million to its CEO.

Q&A with Laura Kurman Who is Retiring from Wayside Multi Service Center After More Than 30 Years

Laura Kurman retired as Executive Director of the Wayside Multi Service Center in June. She worked there for more than three decades. (Courtesy of Wayside Multi Service Center)

For more than three decades, Laura Kurman has been working to help those in need in Watertown. She retired as Executive Director of the Wayside Multi Service Center at the end of June, and looked back on her time. Kurman spoke with Watertown News Editor Charlie Breitrose in her office at the house on North Beacon Street that serves as the offices for the Wayside Multi Service Center in early June.

Trash Strike Continues, See When Pickups Could Resume

Watertown DPWWatertown’s trash and recycling pick up will be cancelled for Wednesday, July 2. The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

Curbside trash and recycling pickup is cancelled on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, and for the remainder of this week, due to the on-going labor strike between the City’s contractor, Republic Services and their unionized workforce. Today, Republic Services informed the City of Watertown, in writing, that they will mobilize crews to provide curbside trash and recycling collection beginning again on Monday, July 7, 2025. If this does not occur, we will provide further information as it is available. Our Public Works and Communications team are communicating with the Republic Services’ team.

Watertown Rotary Members from Past and Present Gather to Celebrate 100th Anniversary

The Rotary Club of Watertown celebrated 100 years with a dinner on June 24. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

WALTHAM — For a century, the Rotary Club of Watertown has been coming together to make the community a better place, and put service above self. The Club has a variety of events, including hosting the Senior Citizen Cook Out for more than 30 years, awarding scholarships to Watertown High School students, and hosting the Dancing With the Stars event. Watertown Rotarians from as far back as the 1980s joined current active members on June 24 to celebrate the Club’s 100th anniversary at an event held at Stazione di Federale in Waltham. Longtime Rotarian, and emcee for the evening, Paul DerBoghosian said that Watertown’s club was founded 25 years after the first Rotary Club was founded when Paul Harris brought a group of people together in Chicago to make their community and our world a better place together.