Letters
LETTER: Whose Job is it to Unmask the Threat to Democracy?
|
Dear Editor,
It is like it has not happened in Watertown.
Whose Job is it to Unmask the Threat to Democracy?
2025 Watertown Election Includes Races for City Council, School Committee & Library Trustees
|
Candidates pulled papers to challenge for seats on the Watertown City Council, School Committee, and Board of Library Trustees in the 2025 Watertown City Election. At least one incumbent on each of the boards will not be running, and there will be new faces on all three.
Police Officers, Dispatcher Commended for Saving a Worker’s Life
Watertown Police announced a special recognition for officers and a dispatcher who helped a man who suffered a serious injury after getting his arm caught in a machine.
Focus on Missed Trashed Pickups, Drop Off Site Open for Trash & Recycling All Week
Watertown DPWCurbside composting toters, like the one on the left, will be part of the Watertown trash and recycling program starting in August.
On Monday, replacement crews during the trash strike continued to collect any missed pickups from last week, so Monday pickups may not all be collected on July 14. The City will keep the drop off area for trash and recycling open from Monday to Friday during the week of July 14, with a limit of three bags of trash or equivalent recycling.
Planning Board Approves Accessory Unit in Carriage House Under ADU Ordinance
Types of accessory dwelling units, also called ADUs. (Graphic from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities)
The Watertown Planning Board has decided to conditionally approve a Site Plan Review for a new accessory dwelling unit (ADU) within the carriage house on a property on Hovey Street after a brief meeting on July 9.
More Headlines
Trash Strike: Secretary of State Urges End of Strike, Republic’s Statement on Negotiations
Watertown Woman Used Her Experience With Chemo to Create Patient Care Kits
Police Log: Employee Caught Stealing Cash from Register, Checks Taken from Mail Altered to More Than $31K
Obituaries
OBIT: Tom Lewis, 82, Architect Who Worked at Perkins & Harvard Medical School, Senior Center Volunteer
|
Tom Henry Lewis, 82, of Watertown, Massachusetts, died peacefully from natural causes on July 3, 2025, at Neville Center at Fresh Pond, near his home in Watertown.
Letters
LETTER: Better Communication Needed When Utility Work is Planned on City Streets
|
A letter from Watertown resident Linda Scott to City Manager George Proakis:
Hi George,
I hope that you’re enjoying your vacation. Here’s a picture of what we’re up to here in Watertown. We miss you!! At last night’s City Council meeting, the Council President said that you had long-term plans. Somehow, I imagine if there was something called an emergency rezoning meeting or they were reviewing plans for that “big, beautiful seven story parking garage” you want to plunk, unceremoniously in the middle of Watertown Square, you would have made other plans.
Around Town
City to Seek Compensation for Trash Service Impacted by Strike, Pickups Slower Than Normal
|
Overflowing trash and recycling bins on Main Street during the trash strike. (Photo by Dean Martino)
The City of Watertown will be seeking compensation for the service interruption. While trash and recycling collection has restarted, City officials said that the backup crews are taking longer than normal, and recycling will not be prioritized while the company continues contract negotiations. Also, the Recycling Center will remain closed, causing the cancellation of a planned event.
Around Town
City Hosting Extreme Weather Preparedness Workshop
|
The City of Watertown will host a workshop on how to prepare for extreme weather on July 14. See details in the announcement below.
Around Town
Learn About Historic Events in Watertown in July 1776 at Historical Society’s Presentation
|
Charlie BreitroseA colonial re-enactor listens to a reading of the Declaration of Independence from the Edmund Fowle House on Marshall Street during the Historical Society of Watertown’s celebration in 2015. This year’s event will be at the Watertown Senior Center.
The Historical Society of Watertown will host “Historic Events in Watertown, July 1776” at the Watertown Senior Center, 31 Marshall St., on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, from 5-6:30 p.m. See details in the event announcement below.
Around Town
Trash Collections Continue, Some Areas Still Awaiting Pickup
|
Watertown DPWCurbside trash and recycling has restarted but some residents still await pickups.
The City of Watertown provided the following update on trash collection, and announced that the emergency drop off location on at 148 Waltham St. will be open again on Wednesday, July 9 from 7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. See the announcement below.
Business
Life Science Company Moving from Cambridge to Watertown
|
An illustration of the plans for the former Mount Auburn Club at 99 Coolidge Ave.
A life science company will relocate from Cambridge to Watertown, and will lease a space on Coolidge Avenue.