Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/page/2/)
The Watertown Public Schools may ask the City to tap the Special Education Stabilization Fund created several years ago for a rainy day. The 2026-27 School Budget may be stormy, as the district faces a shortfall of $2.5 million as of Monday’s School Committee meeting. Other ways to make up shortfalls may include reinstating athletics and extracurricular fees.
Watertown City Hall
Watertown residents were not overcharged on the CPA surcharge on their tax bills, City officials said, but bills in fiscal year 2025 looked different from other years, leading to the appearance that they were calculated differently.
A rendering of the new Watertown High School from Ai3 Architects.
After originally hoping to open Watertown’s state-of-the-art new high school after spring break, Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston said that the school will not host classes until the fall of 2026.
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.
The following announcement was provided by the Charles River Watershed Association:
Join CRWA staff and City of Watertown officials for an in-depth conversation about stormwater — what it is, how stormwater pollution impacts the Charles River, and the major challenges municipalities face in managing it.
By Linda ScottWatertown Resident
Looking at Trends
Looking back on the past few years, I see a trend:
1 – The Watertown Square Planning process was a plan to rezone our city core. The MBTA state Law that mandated zoning for 1701 new housing units was a major part of this process, and yet a plan for 1,701 didn’t even reach our councilors’ desks, not to mention the community. After community input for 1,701 units, the City came back with a plan for 6,320 units and effectively defined Watertown Square as an area that extended west on Main to Lexington Street and up Galen, almost to the Mass Pike. The City ultimately “settled” for a number just over 3,000 (3,133) units. The response from our City government when this bait and switch was pointed out?
Nearly 20 properties are hosting open houses in Watertown this week.
By Linda ScottWatertown Resident
Part One: Preserving Our Neighborhoods
“Preserving neighborhood character involves balancing tradition with growth through strategieslike historic designation, context-sensitive zoning (scale and setbacks), protecting green spaces, community engagement, and rehabilitation of existing buildings, all while fostering a sense of place, often focusing on a neighborhood’s unique look, feel, and activities, rather than just enforcing uniformity, to maintain stability and appeal.”
Watertown students attending college at Saint Anselm, James Madison, the University of Wisconsin, Northern Essex Community College, Hofstra, Assumption, SNHU, and Lasell made the dean’s list during the fall of 2025, and a student at Emmanuel College presented his research project.
To the Editor:
Dozens of Home Depot Stores in Texas are sharing parking lot surveillance camera license-plate scans — through the Flock network — with the Johnson County, Texas, Sheriff’s office. This is according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and 404 Media.
This winter weekend starts off with two events that highlight bringing more light to our winter days. On Friday night at the Watertown Center for Healing there is a special dance called a Biodance which is about bringing together music, movement and positive feelings. Then on Saturday afternoon, the River of Light Lantern Parade is happening at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. It was so beautiful last year. I highly recommend going to see it or even better, bringing your own lantern to join in the parade. And, I’m excited to share that my brass band, Good Trouble Brass Band and the Watertown High School Band will be accompanying the parade. If you prefer a smaller gathering, there is a seed packing party at the library on Saturday morning. You can help the library get seeds ready for their seed library reopening in February. On Sunday the Gore Estate is giving a talk about early 19th century women’s fashion. It’s in preparation for their upcoming Regency Ball. Finally, I have another restaurant recommendation. We have a new seafood restaurant in town, Boxfish, which I expect will be fantastic as it’s the same chef as at Cha Yen, Manita Bunnagitkarn, who is sharing with us her cooking expertise in the old Cha Yen space, but this time focused on seafood.
Not every sporting event is created equal. Some games have all the makings of something special and then turn out to be duds. Others seem like a mismatch on paper, but turn out to be great games. Some even surprise and disappoint all before the final buzzer sounds. Tuesday night, Watertown hosted Winchester and one did not know what to expect.