Around Town

Nike Opening New Store in Historic Building at Arsenal Yards

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NikeInside the new Nike Unite store at Arsenal Yards. One of the most visible spaces at Arsenal Yards will be filled by one of the biggest names in athletic clothing and gear. The new Nike Unite Watertown store opens Saturday, Aug. 7, in one of the buildings that was part of the original Watertown Arsenal. “As part of the Nike Unite concept, which reimagines our factory store vision, Nike Unite Watertown is a 15,998-square-foot home court for local Nike members, serving as our most valuable destination for sport and product inspiration in the communities we serve,” said the announcement from Nike.

Around Town

Celebrity Chef Opens New Orleans Inspired Restaurant in Watertown

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Charlie BreitroseThe patio seating outside Buttermilk & Bourbon is part of Chef Jason Santos’ vision of bringing a taste of New Orleans to Watertown. One of Boston’s celebrity chefs brought his New Orleans inspired cuisine to Watertown, where he had his first opportunity to build a restaurant from scratch. Buttermilk & Bourbon officially opens on Monday, Aug. 9, but chef and owner Jason Santos hosted an opening night celebration on Aug. 5 at his newest location at Arsenal Yards.

Police/Fire

Rash of Smashed Car Windows Reported Around Watertown

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Watertown Police are investigating several recent reports of vehicles that had their rear windows smashed by large rocks or objects. From late on the night of July 28 to the morning of July 31, Watertown Police received six reports of back windows of vehicles that had been smashed in different locations around town. The first incident was reported on Edenfield Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. on July 28. The owner had seen the window intact at about 6 p.m.

On July 29, a Hillside Road resident found the rear window completely shattered shortly after 8 a.m. A piece of concrete was used in this incident. A Westminster Avenue resident parked on the street at about 2 p.m. on July 29 and at about four looked out and saw the back window of the vehicle had been smashed.

Around Town

Town Designing 311 System for One-Stop Place for Residents to Report Issues, Get Answers

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Watertown Town Hall

The Town of Watertown plans to create a one-stop place where people can get problems addressed and have their questions answered. In July, the Town Council approved a transfer of $30,000 to the IT Department to move forward with the creation of a 311 Customer Service System. Systems in other communities vary from a phone number to an online chat to texting or using social media messages to send in requests. Town Council President Mark Sideris said many residents have been calling for a 311 system. It was a popular idea at the Kitchen Table Conversations, the informal discussions held in 2019 when the Town Council looked for ways to improve communication with residents.

Schools

Watertown Planning for Opening of School; Looking at Masks, Testing & In-Person Classes

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The beginning of the 2021-22 school year is just over a month away in Watertown, but some significant details remains uncertain due to the increased number of cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, particularly the Delta Variant. Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee Monday night that she plans for in-person learning for all students, but there could be some virus-related requirements such as regular testing and wearing of masks. The final decision will come later this month. “I think it is too fluid, with what’s going on with the virus,” Galdston said. “As we get to mid- to later in August I will make a recommendation based on feedback — from the Health Department, from our teachers, from our families — to determine what is going to be the safest options for our students as we return to school on Sept.

Homepage Featured

Police Log: Suspect Seen on Video Going to Bathroom on Driveway, Fire Damages Home

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

None

Incidents

July 19, 12 p.m.: A woman wanted to cancel a flight she had booked on Priceline and contacted a number she found online. The person she thought was a customer service representative gave her a promotional offer to rebook the flight. She was told she would have to pay $300 in Target gift cards. The woman went to Target and bought the cards, and then contacted the number and gave the person the gift card numbers.

ARPA

Local Data Consultant Discovers Line in Federal Law that Cost Watertown Millions in Pandemic Relief

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CivilyticsWatertown’s Jared Knowles, president of Civilytics, discovered a line in the ARPA Pandemic relief act that cost Watertown millions in aid. A small data analysis firm discovered a five word section in the American Rescue Plan Act that cost communities such as Watertown millions in federal dollars compared to small towns in other states. Watertown-based Civilytics Consulting looks at a variety of data, including public financing, K-12 and higher education and public safety. While examining the ARPA funds found a surprising thing when they sent out their estimates for what states receive, said Jared Knowles, president of Civilytics. “One person called us and said ‘I’m getting told by our state we are getting a lot less than this,'” Knowles said.

23 Elm St.

Life Science Building in East Watertown Approved by Zoning Board

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Elm Street PartnersA rendering of the new life science lab building approved to be built at 23 Elm St. The building to the right is the Residence Inn by Marriott hotel. Months after it first appeared before the Zoning Board of Appeal, a three story life science lab building at 23 Elm Street got approval to be constructed on Wednesday night. The proposal first came before the ZBA in February, at a meeting where board members expressed their concerns about the amount of parking for the then 78,000 sq. ft.