Around Town

City’s 311 Service Center Can Now be Reached by Text

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People with questions about City government or services, as well as those seeking to report something can now text the City of Watertown’s 311 Service Center, as well as by phone or online. See the announcement from the City, below. 311 Texting has arrived. In addition to calling the 311 Service Center Team by dialing 311 inside of Watertown or 617-458-8311, Watertown residents with non-emergency questions now have the option to text our 311 team at 617-458-8311. You can also email the office at 311@watertown-MA.gov or use the Watertown MA mobile app or visit watertown-ma.gov/reportit.

Around Town

See How Presidents Day Will Impact City Hall, Library, Trash & More

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City Hall, the Watertown Library and trash and recycling collection will be impacted by Monday’s Presidents Day holiday. See details below provided by the City of Watertownn. Please be aware that Watertown City Hall, Parker Building, Senior Center, Department of Public Works Office, and Watertown Free Public Library, will be closed on Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 16, 2026. Please note that there is a one day delay for trash and recycling pickup the week.

Entertainment

Small Saves: A Valentine’s Day Cartoon

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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.”

Around Town

Watertown Groups Hosting “Resist With Love” Standout on Valentine’s Day

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The following announcement was provided by Indivisible Progressive Watertown and the Watertown Rapid Response Network:

All are welcome to join in the Resist With Love Stand Out Against ICE in Watertown Square on Saturday, Feb. 14th, Valentine’s Day, from 10-11:30 a.m. Bring a sign, Bring a friend. Be ready to sing with B-Vocal. Wear something red. This is a peaceful, non-violent protest. 

Sponsored by Indivisible Progressive Watertown and the Watertown Rapid Response Network.  For more information, write to: indivisibleprogesswatertown@gmail.com

Business

See the Highlights from the Charles River Chamber’s Forum on Housing, Real Estate

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The Charles River Regional Chamber recently hosted a forum looking at housing production in the area, and heard from a panel of experts, as well as State Sen. Will Brownsberger. See details in the announcement below. A new Boston Indicators report, authored by Newton’s own Amy Dain, found that the law has already helped generate nearly 7,000 housing units statewide. So far that includes 203 homes completed or in the pipeline thanks to MBTA-C in Needham; 193 homes in Watertown; 158 homes in Newton; but none to date in Wellesley, according to Dain’s report.  

(We believe the Watertown number of MBTA-C units is actually higher than Dain reported … Dain concludes that MBTA-C is the most effective state policy to boost housing production in years, writing that “construction is happening as a direct result.”

At the same time, she cautions that the law’s hallmark flexibility “leaves a lot of leeway for communities to embrace — or sidestep — the law’s housing goals.”but sadly not Wellesley’s.)

What’s next?

Around Town

$24K in School Grants Awarded by Watertown Community Foundation

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

For the concluding year of the School Program Grants, the Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) awarded $24,500 to the Watertown Public Schools (WPS) to support education programs in every school that will enhance learning beyond the classroom. Grants will support programs across multiple disciplines, including STEM programs, Literacy Week and the arts, to serve 2,700 students of all ages across the district. The list of grantees is here. A new grant portfolio, Education and Youth Development, will launch this March. This award includes support for STEM initiatives for K-3 students district wide, giving elementary students inquiry-based learning experiences that bring science to life.

Entertainment

Watertown Actor Appearing in Play Developed at Armenian Museum in Watertown

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Watertown’s June Baboian will appear in Boston Playwrights’ Theatre’s “Zabel in Exile,” a play by R.N. Sandberg about an Armenian writer and activist imprisoned in the Soviet Union. The play was developed at The Armenian Museum of America in Watertown. See the announcement from Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, below. A powerful memory play set in a Soviet prison in 1937, “Zabel in Exile” tells the story of Armenian feminist writer and activist Zabel Yessayan. As personal and political histories collide, Zabel confronts not only the ghosts of her past, but what it means to resist — and to remember — when the very worst of human history repeats itself. 

“It’s hard to overstate how proud I am to be bringing the first production of “Zabel in Exile” to Boston Playwrights’ Theatre,” BPT Artistic Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian, who will direct, says.

Elections

State Sen. Will Brownsberger Endorsed by City Councilors Past and Present

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Will Brownsberger

State Sen. Will Brownsberger has been endorsed by current and former Watertown City Councilors in his 2026 run for reelection to serve the Suffolk and Middlesex District. He has been senator since Jan. 24, 2012. See more information in the announcement from Brownsberger, below. I am grateful to accept the endorsements of all nine sitting members of the Watertown City Council and two former members. City Council President Mark Sideris

City Councilor at Large Caroline Bays

City Councilor at Large John Gannon

City Councilor at Large Theo Offei

City Councilor at Large Tony Palomba

District A City Councilor Nicole Gardner

District B City Councilor Lisa Feltner

District C City Councilor Vinnie Piccirilli

District D City Councilor Emily Izzo

Former City Councilor John Airasian

Former City Councilor Cecilia Lenk

Statements by Councilors

 I’m proud to support Senator Brownsberger for all that he’s delivered for the Commonwealth and in particular the issues that directly affect the city of Watertown.