Watertown Council Votes 8-0 to Spend $990,000 on Walker Pond Park Design

Select Board · Meeting of August 11, 2026

Watertown City Council unanimously approved $990,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to advance design and engineering for Walker Pond, the city's first new park since the 1980s. The 8-0 roll-call vote, taken at the August 11 council meeting in the Parker Building, releases $730,750 from the Open Space and Outdoor Recreation Reserve and $251,250 from the Undesignated Budget Reserve to cover construction drawings, wetland permitting, environmental engineering, and a construction bid process. CPC Chair Marissa Mayo told the council the budget is structured as 10 percent of a projected construction cost of $8 million to $10 million, plus contingency.

Project Manager Michelle Moon said a landscape architect RFP has already been issued at $650,000, closing the week of August 25, with construction not expected to begin before fall 2028 pending additional grant funding. One council member flagged the 10 percent contingency as "really generous" compared to the 4 to 5 percent used on the city's school building projects. The council also approved 4.5 percent and 5 percent salary increases for City Auditor Megan Lagan and Council Clerk Brendan, respectively, deferred a vote on a proposed police first-responder drone program pending forthcoming ACLU guidance, and confirmed Rachel Slater to the Conservation Commission.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 4,269 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of August 11, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.