Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/page/2/)
The City Council approved 36 items from the Capital Improvement Program for the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, including road repairs, some money for the Middle School project, park projects, and requests from the Fire and Police departments.
Dr. Bernard Lafayette and Watertown Kingian Nonviolence Trainer Holly Cachimuel, who is a former Watertown teacher.(Photo by Chuck Dickinson)
The death of legendary civil rights icon Dr. Bernard Lafayette on March 5 resonates deeply throughout the city of Watertown. “Doc” first came here for several days in 2016, at the behest of former Watertown Middle School teacher Ruth Henry. Henry had trained in Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Resolution under Dr. Lafayette. Lafayette had promised Martin Luther King, Jr. before his 1968 assassination that he would spread King’s nonviolence teaching and practice around the world.
A vision of what a new Watertown Middle School could look like created by Ai3 Architects and presented to the School Committee in June 2025.
Architects have started creating detailed designs for a new Watertown Middle School to determine how much a new school would cost, and that information will be used by the City to see whether Watertown’s budget can handle a project expected to cost significantly more than $100 million.
City Manager George Proakis spoke at the Watertown Business Coalition’s City Update on March 5, 2026. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Watertown became a magnet for life science companies in the last several years, and City Manager George Proakis said the building boom in that industry may be slowed, but other industries may be attracted to the same things: proximity to Boston and the universities in the area, easy access, and a nice place to be.
The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:
On March 26, 2026, at 6 PM, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) staff will present the preliminary results of its testing of potential incentives to promote affordable housing in Watertown.
The Annual Watertown MusicFest is coming up and musicians can now sign up to take part in the event that supports the music program in the Watertown Public Schools. See more in the announcement from the Friends of Watertown Music, below.
By Linda ScottWatertown Resident
This is the second part of three looking at the impacts of the Life Science Industry on Watertown. Part One focused on the impact on housing and the environmental impacts. In Part Two, we looked at the costs to the City of Watertown to maintain safe control over the Life Science industry and its effects on our community.
In Part Three, we’ll look at linkage fees and how they could help our community. We’ll also look at how our community got into a position where in Watertown, a city well known for its fiscal responsibility, residential property taxes could soar to 18 percent higher by 2027.
See the homes that were sold this week in Watertown.
By Linda ScottWatertown Resident
This is the second part of three looking at the impacts of the Life Science Industry on Watertown. Part One focused on the impact on housing and the environmental impacts. In Part Two, we’ll look at the costs to the City of Watertown to maintain safe control over the Life Science industry and its effects on our community.
St. Patrick’s Church will be hosting a St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance on Saturday, March 14. See information provided by the church, below.
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.
By Linda ScottWatertown Resident
A quick overview:
In Part One of this series, we’ll explore housing disruption and environmental issues plaguing Watertown.
In Part Two, we’ll look at the costs to the City of Watertown to maintain safe control over the Life Science industry and its effects on our community.
In Part Three, we’ll look at how our community got into a position where in Watertown, a city well known for its fiscal responsibility, residential property taxes could soar to 18 percent higher by 2027.