Around Town

Trash Strike Has Ended, City Closing Temporary Drop Off Site

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A Watertown trash bin. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The strike by union employees working at Republic Services has ended as the two sides announced an agreement on Friday. The strike began on July 1, and lasted more than 11 weeks. A five-year deal was signed by the two sides, according to a joint announcement. Republic Services and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 25 have reached a five-year collective bargaining agreement.

Schools

School Building Committee Members Raise New Strategies to Keep Hopes of Middle School Renovation Alive

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Watertown Middle School (Courtesy of Watertown Public Schools)

While the possibility of totally renovating or rebuilding Watertown Middle School appeared to be over, some members of the School Building Committee brought up strategies that they said could still allow the project to happen. The Middle School was a major item on the School Building Committee’s agenda on Sept. 17. The meeting followed the Sept. 9 City Council meeting where City Manager George Proakis told the Council that he would not recommend that Watertown try to rebuild or fully renovate the Middle School.

Entertainment

Watertown Author Wins Mass. Book Award for Her YA Novel

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Robin Wasley of Watertown won a Massachusetts Bok Award for her YA novel “Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear.” Watertown’s Robin Wasley received a Massachusetts Book Award in the middle grade/young adult category for her novel “Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear.” A ceremony will be at the State House in October. See details about the winners in the announcement from the Massachusetts Center for the Book, below. The Massachusetts Center for the Book has announced the winners of the 2025 Massachusetts Book Awards, celebrating the most outstanding books published in 2024 by Massachusetts authors, artists, and poets.

Schools

Back to School: One School Welcomed a Large Kindergarten, Middle School Renovations Shift, Draft Cellphone Policy

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Cunniff Elementary School has a particularly large number of kindergartners this fall. (Photo by Watertown Public Schools)

Students in Watertown returned to class this month, including a large number of kindergartners on one campus. Back to School nights will be held this week, and the School Committee also heard about a proposal that would prevent students from using cellphones and other devices anytime during the school day. At Monday’s School Committee meeting, Superintendent Dede Galdston thanked the Watertown Schools’ faculty and staff for preparing the schools to welcome students to the 2025-26 School Year. The first day of class was Sept.

Around Town

Council Sees Plans for 2 Parks; Asks About Crosswalks Near Bemis Park, Facilities at How Park

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Drawings for the improvements at Bemis Park. Two parks on the westside of Watertown will be renovated in the near future, and City Councilors had questions about the features of the park, as well as the pedestrian crossings for one of the parks. Conceptual drawings of Bemis Park on Waltham Street, and How Park on Pleasant Street were presented by CBA Landscape Architects at the Sept. 8 Council meeting. The designs for Bemis Park, which features a little league baseball field, include a new playground, a splash pad, a porta-potty enclosure, and field improvements.

Development

City Looking at How to Create Public-Private Partnership to Redevelop Watertown Square Parking Lots

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An illustration from the Watertown Square Area Plan with the municipal parking lot behind CVS outlined in red. The City Council is considering redeveloping that area. City Councilors will be wearing a second hat when it comes to the redevelopment of the parking lots behind CVS, the Watertown Library and perhaps others in Watertown Square. On Sept. 2, consultants from Innes Land Strategies Group spoke to the Council about their role as a Redevelopment Authority, and some of the options for making the projects a reality.

Schools

Full Middle School Renovation is Off the Table, City Could Turn Focus to a New Senior Center

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Watertown Middle School (Courtesy of Watertown Public Schools)

Watertown cannot afford to totally renovate or rebuild Watertown Middle School, City Manager George Proakis told the City Council this week. At the Sept. 9 Council meeting, Proakis outlined the results of the feasibility study of renovating/rebuilding the middle school. The City budgeted $84.7 million for the middle school project, but the cost estimates for a project that would create a modern school that could accommodate 630 students came in well over $100 million. “I wanted to come here and share with you tonight that after spending a significant time and looking at this from every imaginable perspective, building a $112 million Middle School is not something I feel comfortable recommending that the Council do,” Proakis said.