Around Town

Water Customers Can Access City’s Water Meter Customer Portal

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Residents can now check on their water usage on the City’s Water Meter Customer Portal. See more details provided by the City of Watertown below. Watertown’s Water Meter Customer Portal is LIVE! Residents can now track their water usage every day on the customer portal, where you can set usage thresholds and receive alerts.All you need to sign-up is your email address, water meter account number (which can be found on your most recent water bill), and a cell phone number if you wish to receive alerts (optional)! Visit the Water Meters page to learn more and sign-up. This portal is accessible for those with the new smart water meters that were installed as part of the City’s water meter replacement project, which began in 2023.Sign up today with your water account info to easily stay on top of your water usage.For questions about the new portal, your water meter account number, or how to sign-up, please call 311 in Watertown, or 617-715-8660.

Entertainment

Mosesian Center Celebrates 2 Decades of Being Watertown’s Focal Point for the Arts

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Guests decorate a picture of the Mosesian Center for the Arts at the 20th Anniversary Celebration. (Photo by Danielle Drapeau)

It’s been two-decade a rollercoaster ride, but the Mosesian Center for the Arts made it to 20 years in large part to its current interim executive director. Hundreds filled the arts center on May 22 for the 20th Anniversary Celebration, enjoying theater, music, comedy, food, and each other’s company. The idea for an arts center began when the City of Watertown was reimagining what could be done at the former U.S. Army Arsenal. In 2001, the City signed a 99-year-lease for the front part of Building 312, and the Arsenal Center for the Arts opened in 2005.

Government

City Council to Get Raises in 2026, Councilors Approve Most of Blue Ribbon Committee’s Recommendations

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown’s City Hall. The City Council will receive a raise of nearly 70 percent next year after members approved three of four recommendations from a committee of residents that studied Council compensation. The Council considered the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Committee at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Linda Scott, one of seven residents who served on the Blue Ribbon Committee said that the group considered two basic questions: Is it time for a City Council salary adjustment? And, if yes, what is a fair number?

Government

Council Approves FY2026 Budget, Removes Finance Position & Moves Funds to Fire Department

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The City’s Assistant City Manager for Finance position has been removed from the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, and the money has been transferred to the Fire Department to help pay to staff a second City-run ambulance. Tuesday night, the City Council approved a change to FY26 budget during the annual Budget Hearing. The Council approved the $223.66 million budget, including a transfer of the $172,555 for the Assistant Manager for Finance’s salary from the City Manager’s Account to the Fire Department Account. City Council President announced his intention to propose the change to the City’s staffing at the June 3 meeting and it was discussed on Tuesday during the public hearing. Multiple residents spoke in favor of the change, noting that the City did not have a job description for the Assistant City Manager for Finance as well as other positions.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Bank Teller Helps Prevent Scam, Shoplifter Arrested, Passport Found

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. May 31: A woman went into Target and took multiple items, including four Lego sets, and went through the self-checkout but didn’t pay. The items had a total value of $210. May 31: A passport was found in Watertown Square on the afternoon of May 31. The Watertown Police can be contacted at 617-972-6500 to claim it.

Government

Council President to Call for Eliminating Position, Use Money for Ambulance Staffing

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Watertown City Hall

The adoption of the Watertown City Budget typically is an uneventful agenda item for the City Council, but this year a significant change will be proposed by City Council President Mark Siders. At the end of the third and final Fiscal Year 2026 Budget hearing on June 3, Sideris said he plans to ask the City Council to consider removing the Assistant City Manager for Finance position from the City administration and move the funds to the Fire Department. The proposal will take place at the June 10 City Council meeting

“I’m going to be … basically removing this position — the Manager (George Proakis) and I have been discussing this five times a day for the last two weeks — and moving the money into the Fire Department budget to accelerate the operation or the beginning staffing of the second ambulance, which was a major issue for the City Council, and we all approved moving forward,” Sideris said. Sideris said he does not believe the position, currently filled by Ari Sky, has been working out.

Sports

Boston Renegades Beep Baseball Team is Like a Family, Calls Watertown Home

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The Boston Renegades have been practicing beep baseball for years at Watertown’s Filippello Park. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown has become the home training spot for the Boston Renegades, a beep baseball team. The sport allows players with vision impairments to continue to play and be part of a team. The team marks its 25th anniversary in 2025, and for most of that time Watertown has been its home. Each Sunday, the Renegades take the field at Filippello Park to prepare for upcoming tournaments, including the NBBA Beep Baseball World Series.