Entertainment

Watertown Summer Concerts Open This Week with Folk Duo

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90-Mile Portage90-Mile Portage, made up of pianist/composer Ben Cosgrove and singer/songwriter Jamie Kallestad, will perform on Aug. 10 in Watertown’s free Saltonstall Park Concert. A concert by folk duo Jamie Kallestad and Ben Cosgrove, known as 90-Mile Portage, will kick off Watertown’s Summer Concert Series. The free concerts are held at Saltonstall Park (next to City Hall) on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Attendees can bring their own chairs and blankets to watch the concert from the grass in front of the stage. The concerts feature a variety of musical styles, and there will be a double-header on July 5, and a kids’ concert on Aug.

Government

Council President Mark Sideris to Receive Award from Solar Energy Group

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Mark Sideris, City Council President. Watertown City Council President Mark Sideris will receive an award from the Solar Energy Business Association of New England on June 21. Sideris will receive the 2023 Solar Leadership Award (Local) at the fourth annual Summer Solstice at the Rooftop@Revere. Details about why he was selected will be announced at the event. During Sideris’ time as Council President, Watertown has built the first two net-zero energy elementary schools in the state, and have designed and approved a net-zero energy high school — the second in the nation.

Business

New York-Based Cookie Store Opening Location in Watertown

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Watertown’s Arsenal Yards already boasts a bevy of restaurants and eateries, and will add something to satisfy people’s sweet tooth. Chip City Cookies will add Watertown to its list of stores, which currently includes 18 locations in New York City, Long Island, and New Jersey, according to an announcement on RestaurantNews.com. Childhood friends Peter Phillips and Theodore Gailas started Chip City Cookies in 2017 after the pair challenged each other to see which one could make the best cookie. The first store opened in Astoria, Queens. “We are thrilled to open our doors in Watertown,” Phillips said in the announcement.

Around Town

Farmers Market Season Officially Opened for the 10th Year This Week

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Photo by Charlie BreitroseCustomers browse vendor’s stands on the first day of the Watertown Farmers Market. From fish products to fresh strawberries to homemade honey, various vendors scattered across Saltonstall Park for Watertown’s 10th annual Farmers’ Market. The Watertown Farmers’ Market had its opening day on June 14. The market opened with a bell ringing performed by City Manager George Proakis, someone who looks forward to having the market every year. “It’s just become a real important part of our community and we love running it and it’s good to have it back.

Government

City Negotiating Trash & Recycling Contract in Topsy Turvy Solid Waste Market

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Photo by Watertown DPWCurbside composting toters, like the one on the left, have been added to the Watertown trash and recycling program. The economics of trash and recycling has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride in recent years, which means the City of Watertown’s new waste disposal contract will not be as immune to price changes, and will have to pay contractors to take the recycling, rather than being paid for the products. The City Council voted to allow City Manager George Proakis to negotiate a five year contract with Republic Services, which deals with trash and recycling for most homes in Watertown and runs the Recycling Center. Approval from the Council is needed for any contract longer than three years. The City is not in as favorable a position in negotiating the solid waste contract compared to prior years, Proakis said.

Government

Council Approves 2024 Budget, Including Amendment to Pay for Judgment in Sexual Discrimination Case

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

The Fiscal Year 2024 budget approved by the City Council Tuesday night includes an additional $3.6 million to cover the amount owed to a police officer who won a sexual discrimination suit by the City. Watertown’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget includes several new positions in the Planning Department, Health Department and to create a new Constituent Services program. It also includes funds for the Watertown High School project, and to make the City’s buildings and vehicles more energy efficient. The total FY 2024 operating budget will be $194,013,029 after the Council approved an amendment to put an additional $3,699,029 into the budget, moving it from the Free Cash fund into the Settlement Account, said City Manager George Proakis. In November 2022, a Middlesex Superior Court jury sided with Kathleen Donohue, the first female detective in the WPD, in her civil suit against the Watertown Police Department.

Schools

Watertown Schools Retirees Include Spanish, Social Studies & Music Teachers, a Special Educator & More

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The Watertown Public Schools will say farewell to nine educators and staff at the end of the school year, including some who have worked in the district for decades. At last week’s School Committee meeting, Superintendent Dede Galdston spoke about each of the nine retirees, who work in schools and departments around the district. Mark Boudreau

He worked as the woodshop and construction technology teacher at Watertown High School for 21 years. “Mark is the very epitome of a vocational educator, a consummate wood working and construction technology professional who takes pride in mentoring students in the safe operation of tools to achieve a desired hands-on result,” Galdston said. “Mark’s projects and classes introduced numerous students into the very real possibility of careers in Finish carpentry and the trades in general.”

Police/Fire

Police Log: Customer Threatens Employee Who Won’t Take Return, Several Unemployment Frauds

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

None

Incidents

May 29, 7:25 p.m.: A man discovered that someone used his Bank of America credit card at the Nike Store in Watertown. He reported that the card was stolen or lost on May 22, but he was not sure where. He looked at his statement and saw unauthorized purchases at the Nike Store for $57.98 on May 28. Other charges were made at the Nike store in Chestnut Hill for $192, at Finish Line in Cambridge for $201.56, at Footlocker in Cambridge for $140, and $269 at a CVS in Cambridge.