Government

Council Approves FY27 Capital Items With Funds for Street Repair, Park Projects and the New Middle School

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The City Council approved 36 items from the Capital Improvement Program for the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, including road repairs, some money for the Middle School project, park projects, and requests from the Fire and Police departments. The Council’s Committee on Budget and Fiscal Oversight met twice in February to review the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). On March 10, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the 36 recommendations, as well as asking the City Manager to keep the capital spending under 8% of the total Fiscal Year 2027 operating budget. The projects include $7.5 million in loans to fund road and sidewalk replacements. The list includes Cottage Street and other roadways in the summer of 2027, Forest and Springfield streets in the summers of 2026-28, and Riverside Street the summer of 2027.

Letters

LETTER: Watertown Grieves Civil Rights Leader Bernard Lafayette Who Helped Spread Dr. King’s Teachings to Town

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Dr. Bernard Lafayette and Watertown Kingian Nonviolence Trainer Holly Cachimuel, who is a former Watertown teacher.(Photo by Chuck Dickinson)

The death of legendary civil rights icon Dr. Bernard Lafayette on March 5 resonates deeply throughout the city of Watertown. “Doc” first came here for several days in 2016, at the behest of former Watertown Middle School teacher Ruth Henry. Henry had trained in Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Resolution under Dr. Lafayette. Lafayette had promised Martin Luther King, Jr. before his 1968 assassination that he would spread King’s nonviolence teaching and practice around the world. Later that same year, Watertown hosted Dr. Lafayette for a two-week long Trainers’ Institute, organized by then Superintendent Dr. Jean Fitzgerald.

Government

Detailed Designs of Middle School Being Created to See if City Can Afford a New School

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A vision of what a new Watertown Middle School could look like created by Ai3 Architects and presented to the School Committee in June 2025. Architects have started creating detailed designs for a new Watertown Middle School to determine how much a new school would cost, and that information will be used by the City to see whether Watertown’s budget can handle a project expected to cost significantly more than $100 million. On Feb. 18, the School Building Committee voted to approve the contract to hire a designer to come up with plans on which a detailed budget can be based upon. When the designs are completed and priced out the City will determine if it is feasible for the City to afford the project, Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee on March 2.

Business

What New Industries Might be Attracted to Watertown, Changes to the Square Discussed by City Manager

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City Manager George Proakis spoke at the Watertown Business Coalition’s City Update on March 5, 2026. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown became a magnet for life science companies in the last several years, and City Manager George Proakis said the building boom in that industry may be slowed, but other industries may be attracted to the same things: proximity to Boston and the universities in the area, easy access, and a nice place to be. Proakis spoke about the City’s economic and financial outlook during the Watertown Business Coalition’s City Update on Thursday morning at the Hampton Inn & Suites. His outlook for Watertown’s economic future was positive, despite the dip in the City’s most prominent industry: life sciences. “We are still in a community, in a state that is well invested in new growth.

Around Town

Several Owls Visit Mount Auburn Cemetery During Long-Running Program Hosted by Owl Enthusiasts & Rescuers

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Marcia Wilson holds a Eurasian Eagle Owl during the Eyes on Owls event at Mount Auburn Cemetery. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Mount Auburn Cemetery recently welcomed a couple who have devoted their lives to observing and caring for owls. They have traveled around New England in search of the raptors, from Crane Beach in Ipswich to Rye, New Hampshire, to Nantucket, and have ventured as far as Alaska, Serbia and Nunavut in the north of Canada to catch a glimpse of owls. Mark and Marcia Wilson presented Eyes on Owls on Feb. 21 at Story Chapel, a program that Mount Auburn Cemetery has hosted since 1997.

Schools

School Committee Votes on Watertown Middle School Start Time for 2026-27

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Watertown Middle School (Courtesy of Watertown Public Schools)

The debate over when to start the day for middle school students returned to the Watertown School Committee this week, focusing on what time the school day should begin for the 2026-27 school year. The discussion has been complicated by impact on after-school sports and the shortage of fields in town. The issue of later start times for middle schoolers was discussed in 2017, with the recommendation to move the start time for middle schoolers to from 7:40 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. based on research about teens sleep habits and circadian rhythms, showing that students in middle school do better with later start. In 2018, the start of the school day at Watertown Middle School moved to 8:30 a.m.

In the fall of 2023, the start time moved back to 7:45 a.m. when the high school moved to the temporary campus on Moxley Field so that the two schools did not have drop-offs and pick-ups at the same time. With the new WHS opening in the fall of 2026, there had been discussions about when to start the Middle School in 2026-27.

Schools

Boston Bruins Player Gets an Education About a Sport for the Blind at Perkins School

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Boston Bruin Alex Steeves learns about goalball from two members of Perkins School for the Blind Towerhawks. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Boston Bruins center Alex Steeves has played in some tough environments — Montreal, Toronto, Madison Square Garden — but on Monday he entered the Perkins School for the Blind’s gym to try his hand at a new sport: one which requires him to play blindfolded. The NHL player visited the campus in Watertown to play goalball, a game designed for the blind and visually impaired. Because participants have a range of visual abilities, every player wears an blackout goggles so their vision is completely blocked. Bruins player Alex Steeves throws the ball down court during a game of goalball at Perkins School.

Sports

WHS Sports: Wrestler Reaches 100 Wins; Girls Basketball & Boys Hockey in Tourney Play

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Watertown senior Jimmy Strestha claimed his 100th career win at the All-State Meet in Springfield. (Courtesy of Watertown Athletics)

A pair of Watertown wrestlers faced the Bay State’s best in the All-State Meet in Springfield on Sunday, and one picked up a milestone win. Senior Jimmy Strestha won his first consolation match in the 132 pound division with a technical fall to join a select few in the Raiders’ wrestling program, said Watertown Wrestling Coach Kevin Russo. “Jimmy got his 100th win there, becoming only the 4th wrestler in program history to do so,” Russo said. Another senior, Fahad Khan, also claimed a win at the MassMutual Center in the 106 pound bracket.