Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/page/886/?fbclid=IwAR1wR7XDX4kAWceRgAR58782208Wrbk5xzMTVQ3WdQXYwcOSvVAKESaHMk0)
A pole struck by a vehicle lies on top of power lines on Main Street. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
A vehicle struck a utility pole on Main Street, snapping it in half and cutting off power for several hundred customers on Monday around noon.
Watertown City and State officials appeared before a joint committee at the State House on Jan. 27, 2026, to discuss the City’s Home Rule Petition. Pictured, from left, Steve Owens, George Proakis, John Lawn, Earl Smith, and Mark Sideris.
The City of Watertown’s effort to prevent a tax hike for residential property owners, which could be as high as 18%, cleared a major hurdle when it was approved the the House of Representatives on Beacon Hill.
Watertown residents will see an increase of 4.5% in both the water and sewer rates for the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2026, which is slightly higher than forecasted a year ago. However, the future increase could be significantly higher than projected due in part to an error made calculating future year revenues.
The Watertown Police Department is considering purchasing a drone like this one made by Paladin Drones (Photo from Paladin)
An automated drone is one of the new technologies being considered by the Watertown Police Department. On July 9, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee held a hearing to ask questions and hear from the public about the possible use of a drone.
The Watertown Department of Public Works will be examining the fire hydrants in town for leaks, and while the hydrants will have a “out of service” covering on them, the hydrants will still be operational in an emergency.
The following information was provided by Watertown Cable:
Watertown residents of all ages are invited to sign up for Watertown Cable Access Corporations remote workshops, which will take place during the months of October, November, and December. These workshops will be available in two formats: Live webinar and Q&A. For the live webinar format, a WCA-TV instructor will teach a two hour workshop via Zoom.
The Watertown Fire Department will be getting a new ambulance, which will help with the increasing numbers of medical calls to which paramedics respond.
Watertown Recreation’s adult tennis and pickleball programs begin this week, and there is still space available.
The following information was provided by MassDOT:
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing an upcoming virtual Public Information Meeting for MassDOT’s Statewide Exit Renumbering Project on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This project is converting all existing exit numbers on freeways to a milepost-based numbering system, per Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requirements.
The Watertown Public Schools welcomed students back Tuesday with classes being taught remotely via computer. On Monday, the Massachusetts education officials sent a letter to Watertown and other districts running virtual classes asking when they will start running in-person classes.
The areas on Galen Street proposed to become life science lab space. In February, the orange area was rezoned from Limited Business to Industrial 2, the same as the grey area.
The developers of a project at the former Colonial Buick GMC dealer on Galen Street will be discussing plans for the site at a pair of virtual community meetings.
(PAID POST)
Watertown’s Eastern Clothing will be holding its biggest sale of the year on the weekend of Sept. 25-27, with discounts of up to 50 percent.