Schools

High School Demolition Going Slower Than Anticipated, Work Continues This Week

By |

The remaining part of the old Watertown High School Building. (Courtesy of Vertex)

The following information was provided by project management firm Vertex:

The Watertown High School project team continues to be hard at work progressing the demolition of the existing high school and installing new foundations in preparation for our first steel deliveries in January. 

As you can see from the picture above taken from across Common Street at the corner of Spring Street, there continues to be structure remaining at that corner. Between recent challenging weather conditions, and a decision to use more “handwork” for demolition of areas closest to the cemetery and the street, we are progressing a little slower than we had hoped.  With that said, we have agreed that the Contractor can continue with onsite demolition Saturday 12/30/23 within normal working hours allowed by the City, which is 8 a.m.-4 p.m. 

There will not be any loading out of materials so the Community will still have the holiday reprieve from trucking. All normal trucking and construction activities will resume on Tuesday 1/2/24 at 7 a.m.

We appreciate your continued patience and support as we work together to bring the new Watertown High School to fruition.  There will be a lot of exciting updates to share with you in 2024!

Around Town

Bricks from Old High School Available, Lane Closing for Project

By |

The old Watertown High School has been mostly demolished. This photo, courtesy of Watertown Cable, was taken in late November. The following announcement was provided by Vertex:

Exciting progress continues on the Watertown High School project as the existingbuilding is more than 50% demolished and foundation work has started. Please see below forupdates regarding specific project details. Upcoming Work Affecting Traffic Pattern of Common Street

On Wednesday December 20th contractors will be performing work on Common St.

Schools

Rates of Alcohol & Drug Use Down for Watertown Students, But Depression & Stress Has Risen

By |

The rate of alcohol and marijuana is dropping for Watertown students, according to a survey by the Watertown Youth Coalition, but school officials have concerns about use among certain groups, as well as the feeling of depression and not having trusted adults with whom they can speak. For the past three decades, the Watertown Youth Coalition has monitored the well-being of Watertown students by tracking the use of alcohol and drugs, and rates of depression and stress. In November, the WYC reported the results of the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which was taken by 424 Watertown Middle School students and 591 from Watertown High School. At the high school 18 percent of students reported they had consumed alcohol over the previous 30 days, down from 23 percent in 2021 and 32 percent in 2017. The middle school went from 4 percent in 2021 to 3 percent in 2023.

Schools

Groundbreaking Ceremony Celebrates Start of Construction of Watertown’s Net Zero Energy High School

By |

Groundbreaking for the new Watertown High School included the City, School, and State officials. From left, Deputy City Administrator Emily Monea, WHS Principal Joel Giacobozzi, Superintendent Dede Galdston, City Council President Mark Sideris, State Rep. John Lawn, State Sen. Will Brownsberger, State Rep. Steve Owens, MSBA CEO Jim MacDonald, and Assistant City Manager Steve Magoon. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

A celebration many years in the making took place in Watertown Thursday to mark the beginning of the creation of an asset that will last for generations: the new Watertown High School. Superintendent Dede Galdton said she recalls the wheels already being in motion when she arrived in the district in 2017 when she was told the goal was to build a new, state-of-the-art high school, along with three elementary schools. “We are just so excited to begin the work, not that the work hasn’t been going on for the last five or six years, but the actual demolition and rebuilding of this beautiful place,” Galdston said.

Schools

Ground Breaking for New High School, Demolition Will Have Impacts on Local Roads

By |

Watertown High School

Say good bye to the old, and welcome the new …. Watertown High School. This week the demolition of the old school at 50 Columbia St. will really get rolling, and on Thursday there will be a groundbreaking ceremony with local and state officials taking part. Groundbreaking

Work has already started around Watertown High School, but the official ceremony celebrating the start of the construction of the new school will take place on Thursday, Nov.

Around Town

Watertown Students Raise Money to Support the Armenian Relief Society

By |

The Armenian flag flies outside St. Stephens Armenian Apostolic Church located on Artsakh Street in East Watertown. (Courtesy of St. Stephen’s Church)

Watertown High School’s Armenian Club raised more than $1,100 to donate to the Armenian Relief Society in the wake of the ongoing conflict in Artsakh. The Armenian Weekly reported that the students held a bake sale recently to raise money to help people impact in the region, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, which has displaced over 100,000 Armenians from the region.

Schools

Roads Near Watertown High School to be Closed for Utility Work

By |

The following information was provided by the WHS construction project management firm, Vertex:

Dear Community Members,

Activities to complete the underground utility service improvements for the New High School Project are scheduled for Monday 10/23 and Tuesday 10/24. Please be aware that during work hours Columbia St. will be closed from Common St. to Barnard Ave. Resident access to driveways will be protected on Columbia St.