Schools

Take a Look Around the Half Completed New Watertown High School

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Architects showed the tour the inside of the new auditorium at Watertown High School. The balcony can be seen on the left side. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

While still a mesh of steel, concrete, and wood, visitors can get an idea of what the future home of Watertown’s high schoolers will look like when it opens in 2026. With construction of the new Watertown High School at the midpoint, the designers of the new school led a group of Watertown School and City officials around the four-level school building taking shape between Common and Columbia streets. City Councilor President Mark Sideris, left, and Council Vice President Vincent Piccirilli stand outside the Watertown High School construction site.

Around Town

UPS Customer Service Center in Watertown Has Closed

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The UPS Customer Service Center in Watertown has closed and the company encouraged customers to use other locations, such as the UPS Store in Watertown Square. The Customer Service Center was located at 76 Arlington St. and was a place to pick up and drop off packages. Mitch Polikoff, UPS Director of Media Relations confirmed the closing. “We are closing select UPS Customer Centers to better align with our customers’ preferences for more convenient and easily accessible drop-off options,” Polikoff said.

Government

What’s Next in the Watertown Square Plan? See When the Next Meeting Will Take Place

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The City of Watertown provided the following announcement:

The next steps of the Watertown Square Area Plan implementation will be to discuss and approve zoning amendments. A zoning amendment is a proposed change to the zoning requirements and map, without having to completely rewrite the zoning code. To approve new zoning, the City will hold a Joint Public Hearing with the City Council and Planning Board to discuss the proposed zoning, hear public comment, and approve new zoning amendments. The above map is the proposed zoning map from the final endorsed Watertown Square Area Plan. 

When does this next step begin? The first step will be to complete something called a “first reading.”

Around Town

See Photos from a Damp and Fun-Filled 2024 Faire on the Square

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Umbrellas and rain slickers were the fashion choices for the 2024 Faire on the Square. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The 2024 edition of Watertown’s Faire on the Square was a wet one, but those who braved the elements enjoyed plenty of activities, food, music, and booths featuring local businesses and organizations. Among the visitors to Saltonstall Park was Congresswoman Katherine Clark, who toured the Faire with Watertown elected officials and was interviewed by Watertown Cable Access Television. Watertown Cable Access spoke with Congresswoman Katherine Clark. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The entertainment stage featured Steve Tashjian Ensemble, School of Rock, Chris Cote and his band of These Guys, and demonstrations by Watertown Police Officer Andrew Civetti and K-9 Zane.

Government

City Manager: State of the City is Healthy & Strong, Concerns Remain About Tax Revenues

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The State of the City is “healthy and strong,” City Manager George Proakis stated Thursday evening. Watertown sits in a good position financially, Proakis said, the Council has done a good job improving and replacing facilities and parks, the City has been able to fill long-time openings, and there are some major efforts in the works, such as the new high school, the human services study, and Watertown Square. Proakis and City Council President Mark Sideris gave the second annual State of the City address on Thursday evening at the Watertown Library. The State of the City is a requirement added in the recent City Charter changes. While the City’s financial situation looks good, Proakis said there is still much work to be done.

Sports

Raiders Football Team Kicks Off First Home Game With New Coach, New Look

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The Watertown High School football team preps for its first home game of the 2024 season. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The 2024 Watertown Raiders football team will have a different look and the team hopes to have different results from last season. Watertown High School hosts its first home game under its new head coach at Victory Field Friday night at 7 p.m. against Ipswich. Last year, the team finished 3-8, and was shut out by Belmont on Thanksgiving. This year the team will play under a new head coach, Joey Carroll, who has brought in a new system.

Around Town

Life Science Building Could Potentially Go on Part of Home Depot Parking Lot

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A rendering of 300 Forge, a life science building that could go on part of the Home Depot Parking lot. (Courtesy of Boylston Properties)

A six-story life science building which would to be built on part of the parking lot behind the Home Depot in Watertown is in the planning stages. Boylston Properties, the developers of Arsenal Yards, submitted pre-application plans to the City of Watertown showing a six-story building with five levels of life science space and one story of parking. Plans were submitted to the Planning Department on Sept. 5.