Schools

Finalists for Designing the New Watertown Middle School to be Interviewed by Building Committee

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Watertown Middle School

The finalists for architecture firms seeking to design the new Watertown Middle School will be interviewed in public by the School Building Committee, including one with experience working in town. Four firms will be interviewed at the meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. at City Hall. In November, the City Council voted to make make improving Watertown Middle School a priority. City Manager George Proakis said the option with the most bang for the buck is to knockdown the older part of the building, constructed in 1922, and renovating and modernizing the newer section, added in 1998.

Around Town

Memories of Watertown Rotary Shared During Club’s 100th Birthday Celebration

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Members of Watertown Rotary celebrated the club’s 100th Birthday at Donohue’s Bar & Grill on Jan. 21, 2025. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

For a century, Watertown residents have gathered to make a difference in their community, make connections, and just to enjoy each other’s company. This week, more than a dozen people celebrated the 100th birthday of the Rotary Club of Watertown. The first ever Rotary Club meeting was held on Feb.

Government

City Staff: Removing Winter Parking Ban Could Have Broader Impacts; Council Wants to Study Further

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Residents packed the City Council Chamber to discuss removing the Winter Parking Ban. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Tuesday night’s discussion of whether to eliminate the Winter Parking Ban in Watertown turned into a larger discussion of parking permits, housing, and how the City communicates messages like snow emergencies. The City Council held a special meeting to discuss a petition signed by more than 800 residents calling for the removal of the overnight parking ban in the winter months in Watertown. Many of those residents came to meeting, packing the City Council Chamber, spilling out into the hallway and down the stairway. Plus, more than 130 joined remotely on Zoom.

Around Town

Police Chief Makes Statement on Immigration Policy, Housing Group Honored at 25th Annual Watertown Unity Breakfast

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The Watertown Unity Breakfast celebrated 25 years in 2025. The wood disc was used during the table discussions about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Principles of Nonviolence. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Nearly 500 people packed the Hellenic Center for the 25th annual Watertown Unity Breakfast, a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. During the event, a group that advocates for affordable housing was honored, and Watertown’s Police Chief made a statement about the WPD’s stance on enforcing federal immigration policy. Monday’s Unity Breakfast, organized by World in Watertown, was the first one held in person since the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Sports

Watertown Field Hockey Coach Named National Coach of the Year

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Watertown Field Hockey Coach Eileen Donahue has been named national coach of the year. Here she speaks to the Raiders during a 2024 State Tournament game. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The Watertown Public Schools provided the following piece:

Watertown High School field hockey coach Eileen Donahue has been named the field hockey Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations, adding another award to her Hall of Fame career. Donahue, who was honored as the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Coach of the Year for field hockey in December, has molded the Watertown Raiders field hockey program into one of the most decorated high school athletics programs in the United States. Her 22 state championships are the most in Massachusetts field hockey history.

Around Town

City to Install Electric Vehicle Chargers in Four Lots, Will Eventually Charge for Power

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Watertown residents will have more places to charge electric vehicles (EVs) in public parking lots. For now, the charging will be available for free, but in the next several months the City will begin charging for the electricity. A loan order approved by the City Council on Tuesday will allow the City to purchase eight charging stations to go in four locations: Nichols Avenue Lot, the Phillips Building (the lot for the School Administration’s office and the Senior Center behind 30 Common St.), at the John A. Ryan Skating Rink (1 Paramount Place), and at the Police Station (552 Main St.). The two chargers at the skating rink will be fast chargers, and the other locations will get two dual-port charging stations, said City Manager George Proakis. He added that the loan is for $180,000 and the projected cost of the eight stations is about $136,000, so the City will look at a couple other locations to install EV chargers.

Government

Council to Consider Ordinance Proposed to Make Large Buildings be Net Zero by 2050

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Photo by Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

Watertown will explore creating an ordinance requiring buildings to reduce their carbon emissions and will base it on similar ordinances adopted by other communities in Massachusetts. Work has already begun on drafting a Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance, or BERDO, with a proposed ordinance having been submitted by the Watertown Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee (WE3C). City Manager George Proakis told the City Council on Tuesday that creating a BERDO would “implement a key part of the City’s Climate Plan.” The Resilient Watertown Climate & Energy Plan was passed in 2022. “I have often said (the plan) has many ambitious but achievable goals to address our climate crisis and establish a process in our climate resiliency and climate adaptation, and we’ve worked very hard to do that in a number of different ways,” Proakis said. “What that plan did is also provide strategies to reduce carbon emissions for buildings and called out the necessity for building performance standard ordinance.”

Schools

Pair of Watertown Educators Running 2025 Boston Marathon For Causes Close to Them

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Watertown educators Cheryl Wermer, left, and Maureen Murphy — pictured with her four children — will run the 2025 Boston Marathon. Two Watertown Public School employees have set their sites on the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Copley Square this year, and each will raise money for causes close to their hearts. Maureen Murphy, a special education teacher at J.R. Lowell Elementary School, will be part of the Boston Children’s Hospital’s Miles for Miracles team. Murphy’s family has close connections to the Boston Children’s Hospital. “Two of my sons are patient partners this year.