Around Town

Watertown Hosting Poppy Social With Wreath Laying Ceremony, Open House

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As part of the Memorial Day celebrations, the City of Watertown will hold a Poppy Social, with a wreath-laying ceremony and open house at the Commander’s Mansion. See more information from the City’s Events Team, below. Poppy Social: Open House & Wreath-Laying Ceremony

Friday, May 22, 2026 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Commander’s Mansion

440 Talcott Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472

We are pleased to welcome all Watertown Veterans and the general public to join us for the annual Poppy Social! The Watertown Veterans’ Services and City Events Team will host an Open House at the Commander’s Mansion including light refreshments and guided tours of the historic residence located in the Arsenal on the Charles complex. Be sure to arrive by 10:30 a.m. for the Honor and Color Guard wreath-laying ceremony!

Entertainment

Celebrate New Public Art, Meet the Artists at Community Sculpture Walk Opening Reception

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The 2026 additions to the Community Sculpture Walk, clockwise from top left: Bent by David Skora, Structural Misinformation by Jeremy Entwistle, Tangent II by Carlos Davila, and Respite (Out Straight) by Roe Osborn. The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City of Watertown is proud to announce the installation of four new contemporary sculptures as part of the ongoing Community Sculpture Walk. To celebrate these new additions to the city’s landscape, a public opening reception will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., hosted by the Public Arts & Culture Committee. The event will begin where the Community Path starts at Saltonstall Park, located next to the Thaxter Street municipal parking lot behind the Watertown Free Public Library. The reception offers a unique opportunity for residents and visitors to meet the artists behind the work.

Around Town

Sidewalk Work, Lane Shifts and Parking Restrictions on Mt. Auburn Street This Week

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Construction of the Mt. Auburn Street Project this week includes work on sidewalks, but business entrances will still be accessible. Also, expect require lane shifts and parking restrictions. See details in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Traffic Line Striping – Overnight Work

Traffic line striping is scheduled for Wednesday, May 6, 2026, beginning at 8:00 p.m. and lasting approximately four hours.

Government

City Hall Annex at Parker Building to Temporarily Close

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City’s Parker Building at 124 Watertown Street will be temporarily closed from May 2-12, 2026, to undergo electrical service upgrades in the building. All City Departments who work in the Parker Building will be relocated to Watertown City Hall’s Lower Hearing Room (ground floor of 149 Main Street) during the temporary closure. Members of the community needing to communicate with the departments below can continue to reach them by phone, or by visiting the Lower Hearing Room during their normal operating hours, which can be found on the City’s website. Public Health

Inspectional Services Division

Zoning & Code Enforcement

Planning & Zoning

Information Technology

Public Buildings

The Watertown Food Pantry will be closed on their regularly scheduled days of May 5 and May 12, 2026, due to the service upgrades. To account for the closed dates, the Food Pantry will run a temporary schedule at their location in the Parker Building on:

Tuesday, April 28, 10am – 2pm (regular hours)

Friday May 1, 10am – 2pm

Wednesday, May 13, 10am – 2pm

Thursday, May 14, 10am – 2pm

Tuesday, May 19, 10am – 2pm (regular hours)

The City has communicated with all private tenants in the Parker Building, who will not be able to operate in the building during this closure.

Schools

Class of 2019 Can Get Copies of Their School Records Before They are Destroyed

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Members of the Class of 2019 can get copies of the records before they are destroyed. See more information in the announcement from the Watertown Public Schools, below. Kathleen Desmarais, M.Ed, Director of Student Services, is notifying the public that in accordance with Massachusetts Student Records Regulations temporary records which have been maintained by the school system for the Class of 2019 are about to be destroyed. Former students have the right to receive copies of any or all of these records prior to their destruction. After July 1, 2026, only the transcript, which includes the minimum information necessary to reflect the student’s educational progress, will be on file for at least 60 years.

Entertainment

COMIC: See What Caught Small Saves’ Eye

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Government

Council to Discuss Watertown’s FY27 Budget at 3 Public Hearings

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Watertown City Hall

The City Council will hold three public hearings on the Fiscal Year 2027 budget on May 6, 11 and 12 at 6 p.m each day. The meetings will take place in City Hall, will be televised by Watertown Cable Access, and will be available by Zoom (click here for links). See more details provided by the City of Watertown, below. In accordance with the Watertown City Charter and the Council Rules, the Honorable City Council will meet, as the Committee of the Whole, for the purpose of holding public hearings on the City Manager’s Proposed Budget for the Fiscal Year 2027. The public hearings on the City Manager’s Proposed Budget for the Fiscal Year 2027 will be held as follows:

Wednesday, May 6, 2026 – 6 PM

Constituent Services

Information Technology

City Clerk / Elections

Community Development & Planning

Health and Human Services Departments

Public Safety Departments

Non-Department Appropriations (Debt, Capital Projects, Etc.)

Monday, May 11, 2026 – 6 PM

Human Resources

Public Buildings

Library

Recreation Departments

School Department

Department of Public Works

Water & Sewer Enterprise Budgets

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 – 6 PM

City Council

City Manager

Auditing

Procurement

Assessing

Treasurer / Collector

Parking Lots & Meters

City Attorney

Department Heads will be available for questions at the above scheduled hearings.

Letters

LETTER: How Did That Garage Get There??

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“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw

To quote one of our Watertown residents in Watertown News regarding the survey for the (failed) city logo, “There is a FlashVote asking for input on which of 4 versions of this logo people prefer. Not sure why this project has continued without community input until – ‘which version of this logo do you prefer?’ The comments in this thread were clear, sensible and seemingly went completely unheard…”

This feels very familiar. How did we get to a place where we’re considering the fine points of a four or five story parking garage in the CVS parking lot before Watertown residents were even asked what, if anything, should be put in this space? Have the Square businesses even been polled by our City Council (the people who represent them) about what they’d like to see? Now that the idea of this garage has been so strongly introduced, would they even feel comfortable speaking up?