Letters

LETTER: Noise from Buildings in Watertown Drowning Out Charles River

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Good morning councilors and city leadership,

I’ve written in the past, requesting common-sense noise ordinances for Watertown. We still get woken up by 5 a.m. dumpster maintenance on Pleasant St. and the systems on top of labs and other buildings still dominate the river landscape along Watertown. A Google search leads to noise dampeners that are widely available- and in fact these quieting systems are in place in our neighboring towns (like Waltham). This morning at Watertown Dam, the rush of water and sounds of birds are impossible to hear over the blasting of the mechanical system on the roof of 64 Pleasant st.

Letters

LETTER: Group of Parents Support Bell-to-Bell Personal Electronic Device Ban in Watertown Schools

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Dear Watertown Community Members:

As parents and residents of Watertown, we have closely followed the discussions of the Watertown Public Schools (WPS) PED Task Force regarding personal electronic devices (PEDs) in our schools. While we understand the initial hesitation some feel regarding a complete ban, the more we examine the data and the neurobiology of our children, the clearer it becomes: a full, bell-to-bell ban for grades 9-12, including passing time and lunch, is not just a restrictive policy, but a necessary step to protect our students’ mental health and academic futures. The academic benefits of removing smartphones are undeniable. Research shows that schools implementing such bans see significant increases in GPA and academic outcomes, with a particularly powerful impact on mathematics scores. Furthermore, the mental health implications are staggering; one major study found that these bans led to a 60% decline in consultations with specialists for psychological symptoms and a 29% decline in GP visits for the same issues.

Letters

LETTER: Resident Endorses Daniel Lander for State Senate

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To the Editor,

As a Watertown resident, I find it deeply unsettling how little we actually know about what happens behind the closed doors of our State House. In 2024, I was among the 66% of Watertown voters —and the 71.5% of folks statewide — who voted in favor of a ballot question to finally allow an audit of the State Legislature. We spoke with a clear, united voice, yet years later, legislative leaders have consistently blocked that audit. It is frustrating to live in a state that is consistently rated as one of the least effective legislatures in the country. To me, transparency isn’t just a political buzzword; it’s a major problem because, right now, we simply don’t know what our legislators are doing.

Letters

OP-ED: Thoughts on the Proposed Updated Noise Ordinance

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(NOTE: The City Council’s Committee on Rules and Ordinances will discuss the proposed updated Noise Ordinance. Tuesday, April 21, 6 p.m. City Hall in the Lower Hearing Room and remote. See more info here). 

By Rita ColafellaWatertown Resident

Last year, I opposed the adoption of the COVID era (2019-2024) noise ordinance draft. That same framework has resurfaced in discussions of the 2026 proposal. The core problem with the earlier draft was its reliance on vague, subjective standards like “plainly audible,” where violations do not depend entirely on objective measurement. This invites arbitrary enforcement where everyday sounds, from a humming air conditioner to a child’s birthday party, can trigger citations simply for being heard next door.

Letters

LETTER: Numbers, Numbers and is a Parking Garage Coming to the Square?

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Is a Parking Garage in Watertown Square’s Future? But first, a Development Timeline, or watch the “magic numbers” grow

If you have already read my previous letter, “City Government – Trust, but Verify,” this letter might seem superfluous. What I’ve tried to do here is reason through what happened to the numbers in the Watertown Square Plan. Then I tie it into plans for a parking garage. Follow along, if you’re interested.

Letters

LETTER: Prioritize Affordable Housing Over Parking

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(UPDATED April 20, 2026, 9:20 a.m.: The authors corrected the percent of renters and homeowners “burdened by unsustainable and rising home costs.”)

Last Monday night, City Manager George Proakis presented a draft proposal to redevelop the parking lot behind CVS in Watertown Square. There was a lot to like. 

Redevelopment of the parking lot, along with several adjacent private parcels of land, would add 200-300 new units of market rate housing, including 30-45 new deed-restricted affordable units through our inclusionary zoning ordinance. And it will add a new public space to the Square in the form of a park or plaza. But this proposal also spends one of our city’s most precious resources — public land — on a construction project that doesn’t make residents’ lives more affordable, doesn’t make financial sense for the city, and that the city’s own reporting says we don’t really need. Housing for Cars Watertown? 

The centerpiece of the Manager’s proposal is a parking garage on city-owned land that contains roughly two hundred metered spaces over first-floor retail.

Government

LETTER: City Government —Trust, but Verify

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(Updated April 13: the number of units allowed in the Watertown Square Zoning was corrected to 4,423 (from 3,701) after confirming in the approved Watertown Square Area Plan)

By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

After attending the April 6th meeting on potential changes to Watertown Square and reviewing comments to my Watertown News Letter entitled “How Honest is our Development Process?”, I decided to tackle the issue of government honesty and transparency head on, with real life, current examples. First, I’d like to thank commenters for your thoughtful takes. And for. those who’ve served on City committees like the Watertown Charter Review Committee, I give a special thanks! The few months that I spent on the Watertown Blue Ribbon Commission were enough to convince me that this is a lot of work!!

Letters

LETTER: How Honest is our Development Process?

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Dear Watertown Residents:

Have I written enough about the April 6th meeting at the library? Perhaps, but when has that ever stopped me before?? I received a comment to my last Op-Ed entitled “Calling All Everyday Citizen Heroes for the Watertown Square Meeting.”

See:

OP-ED: Calling All Everyday Citizen Heroes for the Watertown Square Meeting

A reader responded:

“Of all the components of the MBTA Act/Watertown rezoning issue, the urge of some to protect a parking lot and to view construction of a garage as a threat to our way of life makes no sense to me. Building housing and parking in a central spot — and in a currently unattractive downtown area — is a good path forward. (I like Tresca’s by the way; hopefully, they can re-locateto somewhere nearby — the ground floor of the new building going up where the post office was?)”

And here’s my response:

Hi,

I was prepared to write one of my signature long responses to your comment, but then I thought, you’ve cut to the heart of the matter.