Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/author/cbreitro/page/6/)
Four townhouses and a condo were sold in Watertown. 33-35 Hovey St, $1,105,000, 4 bedroom 4 bathroom 1,819 sq. ft. Townhouse
135 Nichols Ave. #135, $1,235,000, 4 bedroom 4 bathroom 2,196 sq.
The identities of 10 more men who allegedly bought sex through a local brothel ring that operated out of luxury apartments, including in Watertown, were revealed on Friday. One of the men, Paul Toner, is a Cambridge City Councilor, according to WBUR. The multi-state prostitution ring used apartment buildings in Watertown, Cambridge, Dedham Virginia and California, including Blvd & Bond apartments located in Arsenal Yards in Watertown. The 10 defendants revealed on Friday were: Toner, of Cambridge; James C. Cusack, of Concord; Anurag Bajpayee, of Cambridge; Jeffrey Henry, of Exeter, N.H.; Steven Riel of Laconia, N.H.; Howard Redmond, of Tewksbury; Frederick G. Rosenthal, of Marblehead; Timothy Ackerson, of Waltham; Matthew Ellis Fulton, of Belmont; and Nathaniel Welch, of Concord. Last week, the first dozen suspects were revealed.
Watertown school officials closed a budget gap of nearly half a million dollars without cutting staff. On Monday night, Superintendent Dede Galdston will present the Fiscal Year 2026 Watertown Public Schools budget at a public hearing. The budget hearing will take place during the March 24 School Committee meeting, which will be at Lowell School beginning at 7 p.m. While the FY26 Budget of $61.9 million, which will cover the 2025-26 School Year, was a challenge, Galdston said, Watertown is in a better position than many other communities. “In the relative scheme of things, it was a more challenging budget for Watertown, not quite as challenging as Brookline or Newton or Lexington or some of the people who have experienced pretty dramatic decreases in their budgets,” Galdston said. Coming into the budget making process, Watertown knew it would be facing a $1.1 million increase in special education tuition for out-of-district placements, but the district also saved about $227,000 in staff turnover savings that occurs when a veteran staff member retires and someone with a lower salary replaces the person.
See the homes around town hosting open houses the weekend of March 23 and 24. 17-19 Hearn St., $1,199,000, 5 bedroom 3 bathroom 2,797 sq. ft. 2 Family, Open house: Sunday, March 23 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
9 Appleton St. UNIT 9, $899,000, 4 bedroom 2bathroom 2,060 sq.
Watertown has a decision to make about what kinds of accessory dwelling units the City will allow to exist. A discussion about ADUs (also known as in-law units or granny units) will be held on Monday, March 24, where residents can learn more about what they are and give input about what kinds they would like to see. The State’s Affordable Homes Act, passed into law in 2024, requires cities and towns to allow certain kinds of ADUs, said Cliff Cook, a member of the Watertown Affordable Housing Trust, when he appeared on the Watertown Cable show “Inside Watertown.” For the past few years, the subject of ADUs has been brought up by City Councilors and others in Watertown. “They are a way of giving the property owner, the homeowner, some additional flexibility in how to use their property,” Cook said.
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. March 8: Police responded to Best Buy for a shoplifter. They got the man’s description and located the suspect near Hampton Inn & Suites. The man admitted to shoplifting from Best Buy and had two speakers in a bag. When he took the speaker he removed the “spider” anti-theft devices.
Cliff Cook (far right) from the Watertown Affordable Housing Trust, and Allison Eck, of Watertown Community Converstations, talked about the upcoming ADU Community Dialogue with Inside Watertown hosts Bob Airasian (left) and Charlie Breitrose. (Screenshot from Watertown Cable)
The latest episode of Inside Watertown focused on the discussion over accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which are sometimes called in-law units or granny units. The guests on the Watertown Cable show talked about the upcoming community dialogue
Cliff Cook, a member of the Watertown Affordable Housing Trust, explained what ADUs are, and how Watertown has complied with the State’s recently added zoning requirement to allow the units. However, the input from the dialogue will help City officials decide if Watertown wants to go farther and allow ADUs in more situations. The Community Dialogue on Monday, March 24 will be led by Watertown Community Conversations (WCC), explained Allison Eck, a facilitator with WCC.
Watertown Fire DepartmentFirefighter Joseph Toscano, a 21-year veteran of the Watertown Fire Department, died on March 17, 2017 after collapsing during a fire. St. Patrick’s Day is a somber one for the Watertown Fire Department. Each year since 2017 Watertown Firefighters pay tribute to Joe Toscano, who lost his life fighting a fire on Merrifield Avenue. On Monday, current and former members of the Watertown Fire Department lined up on Bigelow Avenue, near the home where Toscano collapsed and died during a house fire.