Council Authorizes Letter to Save Post Office

Select Board · Meeting of September 8, 2026

Watertown's City Council voted unanimously to send a letter urging the U.S. Postal Service not to permanently close the Watertown Square post office branch, while also hearing a revised $111.2 million estimate for a new middle school. City Manager George Paracas detailed months of frustration with USPS, saying the agency's lone public meeting required advance registration and left key questions unanswered; he confirmed the public comment period runs through October 1.

Vertex project manager Christy Murphy told councilors the middle school design has been trimmed to about 113,000 square feet, down from 130,500, with potential incentive savings bringing the effective cost near $110 million. The council also approved amended loan orders raising electric vehicle charging borrowing to $439,580 and $1,026,078 respectively, after Councilor Caroline Bays raised concerns about vendor financial stability, saying "there's no reputable venture capital name behind them." A pedestrian-path easement tied to the 104 Main Street development passed 9-0.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,202 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of September 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.