Around Town

Community Preservation Committee Accepting Applications for 2026

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The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) is accepting project applications for the FY 2026 funding round. Do you have an idea for an open space/outdoor recreation improvement, the preservation of a historic, or how to create affordable housing. Learn how to turn your good idea into a successful Community Preservation Act (CPA) project application. Key Dates

Community Preservation Act Clinic Hours: 

July 2025

9th – 10am, 10:30am, 11am and 11:30am

10th – 12:30pm, 1pm, 1:30pm, 3pm

14th – 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, 3pm, 3:30pm, 4pm

16th – 10am, 10:30am, 11am, 11:30am

21st – 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, 3pm, 3:30pm, 4pm

July 25, 2025 – Project Eligibility Forms Due

October 16, 2025 – CPA Funding Applications Due

Please visit the CPC webpage for more information, click How to Apply for links to application instructions and application documents. To schedule a CPA clinic appointment or if you have questions, please contact Lanae Handy, Community Preservation Coordinator at lhandy@watertown-ma.gov or 617-715-8620.

Schools

See Which Watertown Students Made the Dean’s List, Earned College Honors During Spring 2025

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Dozens of Watertown students earned honors at their colleges or universities during the spring semester of 2025. See the announcements sent by their institutions below. SNHU

It is with great pleasure that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) congratulates the following students on being named to the Spring 2025 President’s List. The spring terms run from January to May. Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.700 and above for the reporting term are named to the President’s List.

Around Town

Arsenal Park Picnic, Pavilion Permit Applications Now Available

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Arsenal Park’s renovation is nearly complete and the Watertown Recreation Department will accept permit applications for picnics and the pavilion. See more in the Recreation Department’s announcement, below. Watertown Recreation is now accepting Picnic & Pavilion Permit Applications! 

Reservations are available for dates on or after July 16th, 2025 — we are not accepting reservations for earlier dates. We’re excited to roll out new pricing and brand-new Pavilion rental options (includes multiple picnic tables and more)! Filippello Park reservations now require their own specific application.

Letters

LETTER: Residents Deserved a More Urgent Response to Trash Strike

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(The following letter was sent to City Councilors on July 5, 2025)

Greetings Councilors:

Welcome to the East End of Watertown! Notice the attached five photographs, showing toters that continue to be positioned; up and down the streets; waiting for curbside waste collection last Thursday, July 3rd. Does anyone seek-out the City Website for community updates? The photographs, taken on July 3rd, between 5:36 P.M. & 6:00 P.M., are depictive of the streets as follows;

Keenan St. Arlington St.

Letters

LETTER: Resident Concerned About Rat Infestation Due to Garbage Strike

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Here we go,

We will be approaching the most serious time for trash accumulation in the next few days. As people get beyond the storage limits of their hard plastic and covered trash containers, some will begin placing garbage in plastic bags outside of their homes. As the temperature really heats up past 90 degrees, the raw garbage will ferment and become magnets for our already abundant rodent population. They will get into the garbage easily and feast. They will feed and breed rapidly from then on until the food source is cut off.

Entertainment

COMIC: Small Saves is Always Prepared for a Game of Hockey

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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

Teamsters Union Releases Statement About Trash Strike

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The following announcement was provided by Teamsters Local 25:

Following a strike vote that passed by more than 90 percent on Monday, members of Teamsters Local 25 at Republic Services are about to conclude their first week of the work stoppage without a fair offer from the company. 

The overwhelming vote to strike was caused by Republic‘s refusal to agree to pay the same wages and benefits that have been negotiated by Local 25 at Capitol Waste and Star Waste Systems, the trash behemoth’s major competitors in Eastern Massachusetts. “This strike is all about fairness, equity, and maintaining the area standards established by Local 25,” said Thomas G. Mari, President of Local 25. “I have never seen a group of workers who are so united and committed to making certain they are able to enjoy the same pay and benefits as people who are doing the exact same job at another employer.”

Republic has never indicated in any negotiating sessions that it cannot afford to pay the wages and health insurance provided by its competitors. In fact, Republic Services — the second-largest sanitation company in North America — enjoyed total revenue of $16 billion in 2024, a nearly six percent increase over the year prior. The firm also returned $1.18 billion to shareholders and close to $13 million to its CEO.

Weather

Weather Forecast: Sunny Fourth Followed by Classic Summer Weather

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The upcoming stretch features a classic run of summer weather. After a hot, stormy start to the week, a cold front clears the region just in time for Independence Day, ushering in drier and more comfortable air. High pressure then dominates much of the holiday weekend, keeping skies mostly sunny and humidity at bay. Another warm-up arrives by Sunday into Monday, with 90°F possible again and a slight uptick in storm chances. While a few showers may pop up later in the week, widespread rain looks unlikely.