Around Town

New Signage for Paintings in City Hall Provides a Historical Perspective

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The historic paintings in Watertown City Hall now have signs with information about the town’s history. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The entry lobby in City Hall is beginning to look like a room at the Museum of Fine Arts, with the addition of signs to accompany the recently restored historical paintings of Watertown. The foyer of City Hall has long been home to a pair of paintings depicting Watertown, one showing the town in the 1630s when it was founded, and one in the 1930s, around the time when City Hall was built. The signs have been installed in front of the paintings that hang on either side of the entryway off of Main Street. The Historical Society received money from the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) to pay for the creation and manufacturing of the signs. The contents went through several iterations before reaching the final version, said Watertown Community Preservation Coordinator Lanae Handy.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Man Arrested for Causing Disturbance at Restaurant, Police Locate Man Wanted on 3 Warrants

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Feb. 16: An officer spotted a vehicle traveling at 45 mph in a 30 zone on Common Street. The vehicle then made a right on a red at a no turn on red intersection. Officer Colton Bailey pulled the vehicle over and discovered the driver had a warrant for driving on a suspended license — a subsequent offense.

Around Town

Watertown Teachers Running Marathon, Holding Fundraising Event

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Cunniff third grade teacher Erin Hallisey and Maureen Murphy, a special education teacher at the Lowell, are running the 2026 Boston Marathon. Erin is raising money for the Boston Public Library, while Murphy is raising money for the Newton Firefighters Children’s Fund and they will be hosting a fundraising event in March. 

“John Brewers has graciously offered to host a fundraiser event for us. Twenty percent of any dine-in/take out orders made between 3 p.m.-7 p.m. on March 12 with proceeds be donated to both organizations!” Murphy said. Hallisey and Murphy provided the following information about the organizations:

The Boston Public Library Fund provides financial support to keep the BPL “free to all.”

Government

City Relaxing Sidewalk Shoveling Rules After Blizzard, Keeping Parking Ban in Place

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Snow banks left from plowing and shoveling after the blizzard of Feb. 22 and 23. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The City of Watertown will give residents a break from the sidewalk snow shoveling rules after the blizzard of Jan. 22 and 23 dumped around 15 inches of snow on top of snow remaining from the storm in January. But the overnight parking ban — scheduled to end on Feb.

Police/Fire

Firefighters Battle Two Alarm Fire, Slowed by Snow Around Hydrants

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Charlie Breitrose

Watertown Firefighters battled a blaze on Flint Road on Tuesday, and efforts were slowed because some hydrants in the area were not shoveled out after Monday’s storm. A resident heard a smoke alarm at about 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 24 and found a fire on the third floor. A second alarm was ordered quickly by incident commander Deputy Chief Daniel Tardif to ensure adequate resources and support for the firefighting operations, said Watertown Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson. Flames could be seen coming out of the roof of the home in the footage from NBC 10 Boston.

Around Town

Proposal for Walker Pond Includes Boardwalk, Community Garden, Places for Recreation & for Reflection

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A rendering of the latest proposal for Walker Pond, presented at a Community Meeting on Feb. 5, 2026. (Courtesy of City of Watertown)

Landscape architects presented a vision for Walker Pond, Watertown’s newest outdoor space, where visitors would have different experiences in various parts of the park on the westside of town. The meeting on Feb. 5 was the third one for Walker Pond, and designers presented the preferred design, known as Forest Park.