Around Town

DCR’s Dealtry Pool Open for the Season, See the Hours

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The DCR’s Dealtry Pool in Watertown. The DCR’s pool off Pleasant Street in Watertown opened for the season and will be open seven days a week through mid-August. See more information in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. The Clarence W. Dealtry Memorial Swimming Pool,  64 Pleasant St. in Watertown, has reopened as of Saturday June 20, 2026.

Around Town

First WBC Walk & Talk of 2026 Takes Place Along Pleasant St.

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The first Watertown Business Coalition’s Walk & Talk will focus on businesses on and around Pleasant Street. There will be some special give aways for participants. The walks are part of Live Well Watertown’s Watertown Walks series. See more information in the announcement from the WBC, below. We’re back with another season of Walk & Talks in partnership with Live Well Watertown!

Around Town

Mt. Auburn Project: Sidewalk Work in Coolidge Sq., Drainage Installation Near Walnut St.

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Caution tape blocks off an area of sidewalk under construction in Coolidge Square in early June 2026. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Sidewalks will be torn up in some places, and repoured in other sections of Mt. Auburn Street in Coolidge Square during the week of June 22-26. Also, drainage will be installed in the area from Walnut Street to Spruce Street. See the impacts and other details in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below.

Around Town

DPW Hosting Neighborhood Community Meeting About Cottage Street Reconstruction

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Residents of the Cottage Street area can learn about upcoming road and sidewalk reconstruction during a community meeting hosted by the Department of Public Works on June 30. See more information in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. The City of Watertown and the Department of Public Works are hosting a community meeting for the residents of the Cottage Street neighborhood to discuss upcoming road reconstruction and improvement projects. Come view the plans, ask questions, and learn about the work that will be done to improve the roadways and sidewalks. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 6 p.m. We will meet at the intersection of Cottage Street and the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway and walk a short distance throughout the neighborhood.

Entertainment

Grab a Scoop of Ice Cream and Support the Watertown Arts Market

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Support the Watertown Arts Market (WAM) and get a tasty treat during an upcoming ice cream fundraiser. See more details provided by WAM, below. The Watertown Arts Market is holding a benefit night at Ben & Jerry’s Arsenal Yards on Monday, June 22nd from 6-8 p.m. During this window, 20% of sales will benefit the Watertown Arts Market, scheduled for Aug. 8th! 

Launched in 2021 by the Watertown Business Coalition to support local artists, the Watertown Arts Market is now in its sixth year as a city summer staple. Organized by volunteers and city partners such as the Watertown Cultural Council, this free, family-friendly event features 100+ artist booths, live music, interactive activities, and local food.

Around Town

Watertown Group Protests Bank for Link to ICE Detention Centers

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Some of the protesters at Watertown’s De-ICE Citizens Bank Campaign on June 13. (Contributed Photo)

The following article was submitted by Indivisible Progressive Watertown:

On Saturday, June 13, Indivisible Progressive Watertown hosted its third stand out this year in front of the East Watertown Citizens Bank branch at 630 Mt. Auburn St. Twenty-five people gathered to protest Citizens Bank’s connections to ICE prisons. 

In addition to holding signs and passing out flyers to passersby and customers, attendees also “chalked the walk” with related messages. The stand out was part of a National Week of action organized by the De-ICE Citizens Bank coalition https://www.de-icecitizensbank.org/ to call attention to the role Citizens Bank plays in financing CoreCivic and the GeoGroup, two private prison companies running ICE Detention Centers. The GeoGroup is the owner of Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, where inmates are participating in hunger and labor strikes. https://www.aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/hundreds-at-delaney-hall-join-detained-people-across-country-in-hunger-strike-against-inhumane-conditions. 

As a result of the abuse at Delaney Hall, Jersey City has withdrawn $265 million from Citizens Bank https://jcitytimes.com/jersey-city-to-pull-millions-from-bank-over-ice-detention-financing/. If you have an account with Citizens Bank and aren’t ready to close your account, you can sign the De-ICE Citizens Bank Not with our Money Pledge: https://www.de-icecitizensbank.org/take-action.

Around Town

Inside the City’s 311 Service Center, Where Staff Fields the Public’s Questions, Requests & More

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311 Service Center staff — Constituant Service Director Laura Murray (left) and Constituent Services Representative Stephanie Owens — outside their office City Hall. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Inside a small office in the back corner of City Hall sits the heart of Watertown’s 311 Service Center. The two-woman operation fields calls, texts, emails, and other messages about potholes, people trying to reach a City employee, and occasionally to report something strange they have just witnessed. The system is called 311 because that is the number people can call from within the City limits. In late 2023, Laura Murray came in as Constituent Services Director to turn the old See-Click-Fix program into a one-stop customer services center for residents, businesses, and others.

Charity

Watertown Community Foundation Challenge to Raise $25,000; Gifts Doubled Until June 26

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation has launched a matching gift campaign to raise $25,000 in community donations and unlock up to $25,000 in matching funds. Through June 26, 2026, all gifts to support the work of the Watertown Community Foundation will be matched dollar for dollar — thanks to WCF’s Board of Directors. “With rising prices, we can see that people are struggling,” said Lauren Coughlin Unsworth, Board Co-President, Watertown Community Foundation. “When you give by June 26, your gift will go twice as far to help. Thanks to the leadership and generosity of our Board of Directors, we were able to offer this matching fund to respond to need at a critical time.”

The Watertown Community Foundation uses gifts from community members to fund grants to nonprofits and programs that serve people who live and work in Watertown and has awarded a total of $136,000 so far in 2026.