Government

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

By |

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

By |

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

By |

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

By |

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

By |

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

By |

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.

Development

First Details of Redevelopment of Watertown Square Parking Lots Revealed, Including Garage & Residential Project

By |

Watertown City Manager George Proakis gave some details about a possible Demonstration Project on the Municipal Parking Lot in Watertown Square. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Monday night, the public got the first glimpse of a possible future for the parking lot behind CVS, the Armenian Museum of America and other businesses in Watertown Square, and it may include a multi-story garage built by the City and a residential building constructed by a private developer. City Manager George Proakis spoke to a packed room at the Watertown Free Public Library. He discussed a variety of topics, including how the Watertown Square planning got to Monday’s meeting, designing the new look intersection, and the main event: the Demonstration Project that would be built on the Municipal Parking Lot. Due to constraints, such as the City of Cambridge’s water supply line that runs under the parking lot, Proakis said the likely layout would be to put the garage on the area in back of the Armenian Museum of America.