Around Town

Phase 2 of Walker Pond Project Partially Funded After Council Vote

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Phase 2 of the Walker Pond project would help create a new park on the Westside of Watertown . The effort to create a new public park in Watertown received a boost on Tuesday when the City Council approved nearly $1 million to go toward the cost of improvements to the Walker Pond site. The $990,000 will come from Community Preservation Act funds, raised from a surcharge on Watertown property taxes. The proposal was recommended by the Community Preservation Committee. In 2022, the City of Watertown purchased the pond site, which used to be owned by Raytheon.

Around Town

Young Boy from Watertown Teams Up with BC Football to Face Medical Challenges

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Watertown’s Logan March, 7, signed a letter of intent with the Boston College football team. BC Head Coach Bill O’Brien presents the letter to Logan and his parents, Lyla and Robert. (Photo by Boston College Athletics)

Boston College’s football team announced the latest roster addition, Logan March, a 7-year-old from Watertown who was born with a rare genetic disorder. Logan born with Gould Syndrome and epilepsy. On Aug.

Development

Council Hears from Public About Potential Watertown Square Garage

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The larger of the two garage options presented by the City of Watertown at the May 20 open house. The City Council got a mix of opinions about the possibility of building a multi-story parking garage in the Municipal Parking Lot in Watertown Square on Monday night. The meeting was the first time that the Council got the opportunity to discuss the proposal that City Manage George Proakis presented in April, which also showed a potential multifamily residential building, and a green space on what is now the parking lot behind CVS. Most of the Council did not weigh in at the April 10 meeting, and no vote was taken during the meeting held the Watertown Free Public Library. City Council President Mark Sideris said the central question of whether the City should build a garage would be the only topic of the evening.

Around Town

Oakley Country Club Recovers from Near Disaster, Clubhouse at Historic Golf Course Rebuilt After Fire

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Oakley Country Club’s Board President, John Verderese, walks through a refurbished dining area damaged during a fire in December 2024. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

A place with much history, both locally and in the sports world, faced near disaster in late 2024. A bit more than a year later, the Watertown’s Oakley Country Club has rebuilt and welcomes golfers and others to the first place where the “father of American golf” worked in the United States. John Verderese, President of the Oakley Board of Directors, vividly remembers when he learned about the fire that occurred early in the morning of Dec. 6, 2024.

Schools

Watertown Student’s Artwork Chosen as a Winner of UMass Lowell’s “Cool Science” Program

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A Watertown 11th grader will have her artwork displayed on buses in Lowell after being selected as one of the winners of the Cool Science programs, sponsored by UMass Lowell. Keeva Angstadt, a homeschooled junior from Watertown, had her artwork selected as one of the winners of the contest. “Many people in my neighborhood view urban trees as annoyances or liabilities. As the climate warms, heat islands are becoming more extreme. The shade provided by trees makes it possible for people to travel outside safely,” Keeva said in a statement about her artwork.

Elections

See What Candidates for 10th Middlesex State Rep. Seat Said About Health Care, Housing & More

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Candidates for 10th Middlesex State Representative, John Lawn and Alison Leary, appeared on a live debate on Watertown Cable Access TV. (Screenshot from WCA-TV)

Transparency on Beacon Hill, the cost of health care, and challenges facing each of the candidates for 10th Middlesex State Representative were among the topics discussed by the two candidates running for the seat representing parts of Watertown, Newton, and Waltham — incumbent John Lawn and challenger, Alison Leary. The 10th Middlesex district includes parts of Watertown precincts 9, 10, 11, and 12. Both candidates are Democrats who will be on the ballot for the State Primary election on Sept. 1, 2026.

Government

Watertown Tax Relief Legislation Signed by Governor, Preventing 18% Jump in Property Taxes

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Massachusetts State House (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown residential property owners could have faced increases of around 18%, but special legislation approved recently on Beacon Hill will prevent that. See the announcement provided by the City of Watertown, below. Gov. Maura Healey signed into law H.5569, the property tax classification bill that will protect Watertown residential taxpayers from an estimated 18% increase in future tax bills. This comes after months of hard work by Sen. Will Brownsberger, and Reps. John Lawn and Steve Owens working with their colleagues on Beacon Hill, as well as the advocacy by the City Council President Mark Sideris and City Manager George Proakis at the State House to get this bill passed.

Schools

School Committee Funds Second School Bus to Meet Demand for Riders in 2026-27

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by Pixabay

The Watertown Schools will run a second bus this year due to high demand for seats during the school year that begins in September. For the past three years middle school students received free busing while Watertown High School students attended the temporary high school at Moxley Field, which sits just across the street from Watertown Middle School. The move was made it part to reduce the traffic going to and from the two campuses. With the new high school opening in September, high schoolers will not be attending class at the Moxley campus. In April, the School Committee voted to change the school bus policy, and increased bus fees.