Schools

Watertown School Bus Fees Increasing, District May Buy Electric Buses

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by Pixabay

School bus fees will rise $200 for students who don’t qualify for the mandated busing areas of town in the 2026-27 school year. School officials will also look at purchasing its own buses, which would be electric. Increasing school bus fees was one of the steps taken to balance the school budget for Fiscal Year 2027. School officials had to close a $2.5 million gap. This year, students were charged $300 to ride the school bus, with a family cap of $475, said Superintendent Dede Galdston.

Government

Watertown’s Budget Maintains Programs & Staffing, But City Needs Legislature’s Help to Do So

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Photo by Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

Despite uncertain economic times, Watertown’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget will maintain the City’s program and staffing from the current year, but keeps staffing “headcount neutral.” The City will be in better shape than many communities in the area, City Manager George Proakis told the City Council on Tuesday night. Proakis presented the Fiscal Year 2027 Watertown Budget, which totals $226,212,930. The budget is 0.43% less than the revised FY26 budget. Pulling out of the other financial uses line (that includes using “free cash”) which fluctuates by year, the increase from FY26 to FY27 is 6.8%.

Government

After Recent ICE Detention in Watertown, School & City Officials Were Asked About Plans & Protections

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Following the detention of a Watertown man by federal immigration enforcement agents on April 10, School and City officials discussed actions being taken or planned by local officials. At about 9 a.m. on Friday, April 10, a man was taken from his vehicle on Rutland Road by ICE agents after they broke the window. Witnesses contacted the LUCE hotline, which got in touch with the Watertown Rapid Response Network (RRN) (a group of about 250 residents with “concerns about the current immigration enforcement”) who contacted the man’s wife. The man was taken to a detention facility in Plymouth, according to a member of the RRN. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, a member the Rapid Response Network requested that City officials “issue an executive order that prohibits City resources from being used for immigration enforcement, prohibits immigration activities on City property, requires valid warrants before ICE enters City buildings, ensures transparency and community notifications regarding ICE activity, and protects every Watertown residents Constitutional and human rights.”

Around Town

Care Packages Made by Children in Watertown Lift Spirits of Sailors Deployed to the Middle East

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Sailors deployed to the Middle East received care packages sent from Watertown. (Contributed Photo)

Packages sent by a Watertown-based Operation American Soldier put a smile on the faces of a group of sailors deployed to the Middle East. The non-profit group has been providing care packages to troops for 24 years, said Wendy Rocca, one of the founders. OAS sends between 1,200 and 1,800 packages a year depending on the need, the group’s stock, and available funds. Volunteers put together the care packages, which include snacks, drink mix, some toys, and a handwritten note.

Around Town

New Historic Marker to be Unveiled, Celebrates Day That Watertown Welcomed a Key Figure in the Revolution

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A new historic marker celebrating the visit to Watertown by the Marquis de Lafayette in 1784 will will be unveiled on Sunday, April 19. The public is invited to the unveiling of the Lafayette Trail Revolutionary War Marker. The Lafayette Trail is partnering with the Historical Society of Watertown to host the event which will take place on the green-space triangle by the walking path next to the Halfway Café at 394 Main St., Watertown, on Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 10 a.m.

The new marker was donated to the City of Watertown by The Lafayette Trail, Inc., with funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. It is one of 170 markers on the Lafayette Trail, which stretches from West Point to Yorktown and from sites up and down the Mississippi River and Eastern seaboard commemorating Lafayette’s farewell visit 200 years ago, according to the Lafayette250.org website. During the Revolutionary War, the Frenchman served as a general in the Continental Army under George Washington.

Sports

Watertown Athlete Wins Titles on the Wrestling Mat and in the Boxing Ring

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Watertown’s Fahad Khan won his Golden Gloves boxing match in Lowell the same month he won a high school wrestling title. (Photo by James Thomas for the Lowell Sun)

Watertown’s Fahad Khan enjoyed a very successful winter, winning titles on the wrestling mat and in the boxing ring. The WHS senior competed on the Raiders wrestling team, with whom he won MIAA Div. 3 North Sectional championship in the 106 pound division in his second year of competition. He became the first wrestler in Watertown history to be a two time sectional champion.

Development

Draft Plan for Watertown Sq. Project Had 2 Options; Both Have Multi-Story Garage, 247 Housing Units & a Park

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A view of the area proposed to be redeveloped in Watertown Square, including the parking lot behind CVS, Baptist Walk, and some privately owned parcels. (City of Watertown)

Detailed plans for redeveloping Watertown’s Municipal Parking Lot in Watertown Square, behind CVS, are included in the City’s draft plan for the Demonstration Project. The 163-page document outlines two options, both of which include a multi-story parking garage, a multi-story residential building (both with retail on the ground floor), and a public green space. City Manager George Proakis gave an overview of the redevelopment of the lot, which would require buying or taking by eminent domain of several properties, at a packed meeting in the Watertown Free Public Library. The presentation did not include many details, however the draft plan includes a ream of information about the options, the cost, and the timeline.