Government

Hearing on Mt. Auburn St. Trees Rescheduled After Legal Determination

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16″ DBH Honeylocust at 489 Mount Auburn Street in Watertown. A public hearing on the fate of nine trees on and near Mt. Auburn Street was held on Wednesday. At the hearing, it appeared that the future of the trees was out of the hands of the City of Watertown, but a legal counsel’s determination has changed that and the hearing has been rescheduled. The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

Mount Auburn Street Tree Hearing Statement At the scheduled tree hearing on May 14, 2025, city staff indicated that the trees on Mount Auburn Street that are scheduled to be removed are not under the purview of the city’s Tree Warden.

Government

City Watertown Retirees Will Get a Pension Boost After Council Vote

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This week, the City Council voted to give City retirees an increase in their pension benefits, while maintaining a fully-funded pension system. Retirees typically get an annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 3 percent a year, said City Manager George Proakis, but that increase only applies to the first $14,000. On May 13, the Council voted to increase the amount that the COLA is applied to by $1,000. The pension number is fixed based upon an employee’s years of service and their age when they retired, Proakis said. The increase came at the request of the Watertown Retirement Board, said City Council President Mark Sideris.

Government

Staffing for Second Watertown-Run Ambulance Approved by City Council

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The Watertown Fire Department got approval to run a second ambulance after the City Council approved funding to staff the ambulance on Tuesday. The vote came a couple weeks after the City Council’s Committee on Budget & Fiscal Oversight heard a presentation from Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson and members of the City administration. That meeting was the second hearing on adding a second ambulance. Nicholson said when calls are handled by the contracted ambulance run by Pro EMS, it takes longer to get to calls, and the City is losing reimbursement for the transportations to hospital when the outside ambulance handles a call. Additionally, he said that Watertown’s paramedics are overworked, morale is low, and several have left the WFD.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Faced Real-Life Scenarios in the Middlesex Sheriff’s Mobile Training Center

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Watertown Police Officer Mike Hill looks at the screen in the Middlesex Sheriff Office’s Mobile Training Center. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

A trailer parked on a vacant lot in Watertown appeared quiet and tranquil from the outside, but inside Watertown Police officers faced intense situations in which they sometimes had to draw their firearms and even fire real bullets. The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office recently parked its Mobile Training Center on the former Sterritt Lumber site on Waltham Street for a week, so that the Watertown Police could take part in real world simulations with videos while using their own equipment. Lt. Kevin McManus, who oversees the WPD’s Training Division, said having the training center in town allows officers to go through some of the most realistic training while having the convenience of going through it while they are on a normal shift. The training center uses a system created by Laser Shot, and offers more than 600 different scenarios.

Entertainment

See What’s Planned for the 2nd Annual Watertown Porchfest

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Watertown’s Porchfest is back and expanded, with more than 180 performances at locations around town, and after hour events. See the announcement from the Porchfest committee below. Porchfest is returning for its 2nd year, this Saturday, May 17th from 12-6 p.m. with After Hours from 6-9 p.m.! 

Porchfest is a day of free music performed outside of people’s homes – on porches, patios, driveways, and lawns. This year there are 180+ performances at 70+ locations spread throughout the city. Start the day with the Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee’s celebration of the new sculptures on the Community Sculpture Walk.

Schools

Watertown High School Teacher Named Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year

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Watertown High School chemistry teacher Liz Mundy was named Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year. (Contributed Photo)

A Watertown High School science teacher was recently honored as one of the two Massachusetts STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) teacher of the year by the New England Patriots. See the announcement from the Watertown Public Schools, below. The New England Patriots have named Watertown High School chemistry teacher Liz Mundy as one of their two Massachusetts STEM Teachers of the Year. Mundy was selected for her unwavering commitment to her students, her dedication to teaching, and her innovative work with CoLAB, a Watertown nonprofit where local life science professionals and high school educators collaborate to inspire students to pursue STEM careers.

Elections

Candidate Papers for Watertown’s 2025 Election Will be Available in Early June

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown residents cast their ballots at Watertown City Hall. The General City Election will be Nov. 4, 2025. Residents planning to run for elected office in Watertown in 2025 will be able to take out papers in the beginning of June, and will have to get the signatures to the City Clerk by mid-July to run in the 2025 City Election, which will take place on Nov. 4.

Schools

Watertown High School Earns National Recognition for STEM Education

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The sign for the temporary Watertown High School at PFC Ricard Moxley Field. (Courtesy by City of Watertown)

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Public Schools:

Watertown High School has been named a Distinguished School by Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a national nonprofit organization aimed at educating and preparing students for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics careers. The PLTW Distinguished School recognition honors schools committed to increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in their STEM programs. To be eligible for the designation, WHS had to meet multiple criteria in the 2023-24 school year such as number of PLTW courses available to students, percent of students enrolled in PLTW, and percent of students taking more than one PLTW course. “We are thrilled to receive this recognition from PLTW,” said Laura Alderson, Career and Technical Education Coordinator for Watertown Public Schools. “WHS has been partnering with PLTW since 2015 for our Pre-Engineering program.