Local Celebs Will Walk the Fashion Runway Sunday for the Homer House

October 21, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

If you missed going to New York Fashion Week last month, no need to fret. This Sunday, Oct. 26, Belmont will be home to a unique jour de haute couture.

The Belmont Woman’s Club is holding its own fashion show with some of the most sought after local celebrities modeling the latest from CAbi (women) and UNIQLO at 3 p.m. at the historic Oakley Country Club off Belmont Street in Watertown.

And look who will be strutting the catwalk this Sunday:

Selectman’s Andy Rojas (known for his taste in ties),
School Committee’s Laurie Slap,
Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell,
TV legal analyst Wendy Murphy,
Belmont Savings CEO Bob Mahoney,
Henry Frost Children’s Program’s Iris Ponte,
Town Treasurer Floyd Carman,
Belmont Police’s Jamie MacIssac,
and all the way from the French Department at Belmont High, Jacqueline Kaiser, to name just a few.

This afternoon of fashion and fun will raise funds for the Preservation of the historic Homer House, the long-time headquarters of the Woman’s Club located across Pleasant Street from Belmont Town Hall.

Tickets are $65 per person and checks can be made payable to the Belmont Woman’s Club.

Sports: Field Hockey’s Senior Dozen Honored at Final ‘Dry’ Home Game

October 21, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

It was an extraordinary sight at Harris Field Monday night, Oct. 20.

Each of the 11 starters for the Belmont High School Field Hockey squad in its match against Woburn High was a senior, an extremely rare event ever to happen, according to Belmont Head Coach Jessica Smith, now in her 11th year coaching the Marauders.

“I had to suspend Olivia [Castagno] to do it,” said Smith of her co-captain, one of a dozen 12th graders on the field Monday.

“Hey, don’t say that!” said Castagno, who is actually injured and forced to the sidelines.

It has become a tradition for Smith to start the final home game with her seniors as part of the “Senior Night” celebration. While technically the Marauders’ actual last regular season match is Wednesday, Oct. 22 against Lexington, the weather Monday was expected to be far more accommodating then midweek when a rain front will stall over Belmont.

Running through a tunnel of sticks held up by the few remaining underclassmen before receiving a bouquet of yellow flowers from Smith and greetings from their family, are:

Bridget Treanor, Hillary Fay, Lauren Noonan, Emma Peiko, Haley Sawyer, Cara Bumcrot, Katheryn Kennedy, Beth Young, Jacqueline Hill, Kate Saylor and co-captains Suzanne Noone and Casagno.

As for the game, Noone provided three assists to lead Belmont to a 5-0 victory to give the Marauders a 10-4-1 record with two games remaining in the regular season. With a pair of wins, Belmont’s final home game could likely be a home playoff match in November.

: Da seniors with their folks.

: Suzanne Noone

: Olivia Castagno

: Kate Saylor

: Jacqueline Hill

: Beth Young

: Katheryn Kennedy

: Cara Bumcrot

: Haley Sawyer

: Emma Peiko

: Lauren Noonan

: Hillary Fay

: Ready for the gauntlet.

: Head coach Jessica Smith (right) in charge.

Judge’s Injunction Halts Uplands Tree Clearing After Morning of Arrests

October 21, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Someone was listening to the Lorax … for now.

Hours after four protesters were arrested Monday morning, Oct. 20, at the proposed site of a 299-unit residential complex on the Cambridge line, a Middlesex Superior Court judge filed an emergency restraining order to halt pre-construction clearing of a portion of the Silver Maple Forest in Belmont until she can rule on a complaint from 14 Belmont residents who are members of the Coalition to Preserve Belmont Uplands.

Justice Rosalind Miller’s single-page injunction temporarily halts trees being cut and removed from the 15 acre forest located off Acorn Park Road, which is connected to Belmont via Frontage Road adjacent to Route 2. The judgement is directed at O’Neill Properties, the Philadelphia-based real estate firm behind the development dubbed the Residences at Acorn Park.

The complaint contends the site developer, Cambridge Partners II, is pushing aside regulations required by the Clean Water Act and the Belmont Stormwater Bylaw.

The ruling, while temporary, is a victory for environmental groups and Chilton Street resident Anne-Marie Lambert who has advocated that the residential development will increase the likelihood of serious flooding in surrounding communities such as northeastern Belmont, Cambridge’s Alewife and east Arlington due to the developer’s use of outdated climate reports in addition to destroying a nature sanctuary.

(Lambert will give a talk this Sunday on the history of the Uplands hosted by the Belmont Historical Society.)

Miller’s ruling came after a third round of arrests took place at the site as a quartet of protesters, including Lesley University Biology Professor Amy Mertl, who made a presentation to the Belmont Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Oct. 14, on the economic impact on Belmont town finances if the development is constructed.

Belmont Police report that 13 people have been taken into custody since the first arrests on Monday, Oct. 13. They were charged with trespassing.

Monday’s protest occurred along Acorn Park Road adjacent to crews using chain saws and large earth-moving equipment to clear vegetation and remove trees.

“Oh!” several of the 60 protesters loudly moaned when a 50-foot Silver Maple fell to the ground as a young man read passages from Dr. Suess’ “The Lorax” – which several people repeated – and a graduate student argued loudly with the private security guards.

Quinton Zondervan, president of Green Cambridge, said the week-long direct action by various groups was occurring “since the developer doesn’t have a building permit, but they have already started cutting trees.”

Ellen Mass, founder of Friends of the Alewife Reservation who was arrested last week, said “this awful crime we are witnessing is quite beyond the pale because they did most of their cutting of these trees just as the Coalition [to Preserve Belmont Uplands] filed the injunction. They did this on purpose during the weekend before the judge had an opportunity to rule.”

For others, the protest was an opportunity to show solidarity to what they view is an important piece of the local environment.

“We want to save the forest,” said Leyli Lopez, who came with her mother, Nicole Weber, who works at Leslie University.

“I’ve gotten to know about this issue through my colleagues Amy [Mertl]. I use this area, and I didn’t even know this was happening,” said Weber.

While the possible environmental repercussions on surrounding communities has been well noted by development opponents, the impact of 300 units of housing on both Belmont’s general government and school budgets “is significant and worrying,” said Belmont Selectman Mark Paolillo at Tuesday’s meeting.

Included in the Coalition’s complaint is the Belmont Office of Community Development, which would issue the critical building permit to O’Neill which will be located on eight acres of the site.

Last week, Community Development Director Glenn Clancy said he could not comment on the complaint filed last Monday.

Three Night Run of ‘Twelfth Night’ by BHS Performing Arts Company

October 20, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

It’s a story about Viola, a shipwrecked noble-woman who is disgusted as a boy to become the page of Count Orsino, who loves Lady Olivia but she, Olivia, falls for Viola (who is going by the name Cesario) who is madly in love with Orsino.

So Viola loves Orsino, Orsino loves Olivia, and Olivia loves Cesario which makes everyone miserable.

And I haven’t gotten to Olivia’s relatives, a right lot who are about to foul things up to the ‘n’th degree. Oh, did I tell you about Viola’s presumedly drowned twin brother, Sebastian? Olivia marries him, thinking he’s Cesario. Or Viola.

If this sounds like a comedy by Shakespeare, you’d be right. And “Twelfth Night,” will be performed over three nights by the Belmont High School Performing Arts Company: Thursday, Nov. 6 to Saturday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. at the high school auditorium.

Tickets are adults: $12 in advance/$15 at the door; students: $10.

Tickets are now available online.

Tickets will be on sale soon at Champions Sports in Belmont Center later this month.

Chenery 8th Grade Students: reserve a free ticket when you order online using coupon code: CMS8. Belmont Schools Staff: reserve a free ticket online with coupon code BPSSTAFF or by e-mailing tickets@bhs-pac.org

Town Clerk: Get a Heads Up on the Coming State General Election

October 20, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

With the Massachusetts General Election just 15 days away, Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman wants registered voters prepared what to expect on the ballot and where to go to cast one.

The polls will be open in Belmont for the Nov. 4 State Election from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. There are many candidate races on the ballot this year as well as five questions on the Belmont ballot. The Town Clerk’s office offers the following non-partisan sources for Belmont voters to be informed voters prior to getting your ballot on Election Day :

The Secretary of the Commonwealth mailed a red booklet to every household in Massachusetts, titled “Massachusetts Information for Voters, 2014 Ballot Questions.” This booklet covers the four state ballot questions, however Belmont has a fifth question voters should examine.
Visit the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website, enter your Belmont address and find out your voting location and precinct number and view a copy of the Sample Ballot for Belmont, which includes Question 5, a non-binding question from Belmont state Rep. David Rogers.
Visit the Belmont Town Clerk’s website to see the precinct maps, and answers to frequently asked questions about voting.

Massachusetts Information for Voters, 2014 Ballot Questions, published by the the Secretary of the Commonwealth:

Question 1: Law Proposed by Initiative Petition – Eliminating Gas Tax Indexing

Question 2: Law Proposed by Initiative Petition – Expanding the Beverage Container Deposit Law

Question 3: Law Proposed by Initiative Petition – Expanding Prohibitions on Gaming

Question 4: Law Proposed by Initiative Petition – Earned Sick Time for Employees

Question 5: Shall the state representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would allow the state to regulate and tax marijuana in the same manner as alcohol?

Precinct Locations:

Precinct 1: Belmont Memorial Library, Assembly Room, 336 Concord Ave.
Precinct 2: Belmont Town Hall, Selectmen’s Meeting Room, 455 Concord Ave.
Precinct 3: Beech Street Center, (Senior Center), 266 Beech St.
Precinct 4: Daniel Butler School, Gymnasium, 90 White St.
Precinct 5: Beech Street Center, (Senior Center), 266 Beech St.
Precinct 6: Belmont Fire Headquarters, 299 Trapelo Rd.
Precinct 7: Burbank School, Gymnasium, 266 School St.
Precinct 8: Winn Brook School, Gymnasium, 97 Waterhouse Rd. (Enter from Cross Street)

Questions? Contact Belmont Town Clerk’s office at 617-993-2600 or townclerk@belmont-ma.gov

Books for All People, Purposes at Yearly Friend’s Library Sale

October 20, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Ninety-one year old Rosemary Cancian headed straight from the front of the line to where the non-fiction books were on sale.

“I’m always the first one at the door,” she said as she with two dozen other patrons came into the Belmont Public Library exactly at 9 a.m. for the first day of the annual Friends Book Sale on Saturday, Oct. 18.

“I’m here looking for books that I shouldn’t buy because I have so many unread at home,” said Cancian, viewing a few biographies.

For most of the participants in the annual event, the aim was finding a book – all donated to the library throughout the year – they would be interested in reading.

“There is always something here that you can put on your bookshelf. It will take you years to get around reading them, but it’s there when every you want it,” said Cancian.

Artist Hai Nguyen stacked a large column of coffee table art books outside the main sales room as he continued to browse.

“I will take some of the pages out [of the books] for some inspiration,” he said.

The sale’s proceeds allows the Friends to purchase museum memberships, bring authors and demonstrations to the library while adding to the technology available to patrons, according to Gail Gorman, a Friend who helped managed the sale Saturday.

“This is the biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Gorman, noting the books were priced to be sold with hardcover and upscale paperbacks sold for $1.50 and art and coffee table books at $3.

As with every year, the children’s section was the place to be as parents and children saw their opportunity to store up on books that can be read during the holidays, snow days and when it’s just too cold to go outside.

Maggie and her dad, Josh Loewenstein, where sitting outside the children’s room to read a little bit of the books they just purchased.

“We’re here to get books,” said Maggie, who is seven years old and from Belmont.

The day before, 32 Belmont school teachers from all grades were able to take 900 books for free back to their classrooms.

“A lot of first-year teachers come every year to build up their personal libraries,” said School Committee’s Laurie Graham who volunteers at the sale.

The real bargain came Sunday when anyone could haul away a bag full of books for $5, which lends itself to helping groups that can use the reading material.

“We have people who run shelters for women who come for the bag sale to stock their shelves. That’s nice to hear,” said Gorman.

After the sale, the remaining books were being packaged up by high school volunteers to be taken away by a book wholesaler.

“On Monday, we start the process all over again for next year,” said Gorman.

Arlington-Belmont Boys’ Eights Just Miss Top 20, Girls’ Battle at Head of the Charles

October 20, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

The Arlington-Belmont Crew Club Boys’ Eights spent Sunday morning in the passing lane, far exceeding their 59th seed to finish a place out of the top 20 in the club’s best performance at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta, Oct. 19.

It was a good day for both ABC squads – made up of students from Arlington and Belmont high schools – as they bettered their expected placement in the world’s largest and most popular rowing event held on the Charles River between Cambridge and Boston.

In the men’s youth eights event – in which each of the rowers has one oar – Arlington-Belmont came out quickly from the start located just before the BU Bridge to reach the first timing mark on the 4.8 kilometer course at the Riverside bridge just 12 seconds behind the leaders. By the next checkmark at the Weld Bridge at Harvard University, the team, coached by Mark Grinberg, blistered a 5 minute 15 second split from the Riverside Bridge which was the 7th fastest time for that portion of the race.

But the effort to pass numerous boats and the pace got the better of the team as it slipped to 21st at the finish at Brighton’s Christian Herter Park completing the course in 16 minutes, 30.15 seconds, just 2.5 seconds from a top 20 finish. The crew – cox Brenna Sorkin; stroke Max Halliday; seat 7, Louis Pratt; seat 6, Adrian Tanner, seat 5, Liam Lanigan; seat 4, Nicholas Osborn; seat 3, Eryk Dobrushkin; seat 2, Brendan Mooney and bow Alexander Gharibian – finished less than a minute behind winners, Oakland Strokes based in Oakland, California, which finished in 15:38.65.

ABC’s girls entry in the women’s youth eights rowed its best in the early portions of the race with a strong leg between the Riverside and Weld bridges but found the going a bit tough into a steady breeze heading home. The squad – coxwin Ellen Cayer, Catherine Tiffany, bow; seat 7, Sara Hamilton; seat 6, Jessica Keniston; seat 5, Sophia Fenn; seat 4, Bridget Kiejna; seat 3, Alena Jaeger; seat 2, Catherine Jacob-Dolan and Julia Blass as stroke – made it through the difficult course including navigating the narrow bridge openings which victimized the Montclair High School girls’ crew just before ABC swung under.

Next Sunday, Oct. 26, the varsity and novice squads will finish the season with a trip to the Massachusetts Public Schools Rowing Association’s Fall State Championships in Worcester where the Boys’ varsity eights will defend its goal medal.

The Week Ahead: Know More About Your Civil War Relative, Health Fair at the Beech

October 20, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

On the government side of this week, the Board of Selectmen will meet an hour earlier than usual, at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20, and at a new location, the Beech Street Center, as the board will lead a major discussion on pension and OPEB costs to town residents and Town Meeting members. The School Committee will hold its annual Boston meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Central Boston Elder Services at 2315 Washington St. to discuss the METCO program with Boston parents and students. The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on changes to three residential properties at 7 p.m., Oct. 21 in Town Hall.

The American Red Cross is holding a Belmont Community Blood Drive at All Saints Church on Monday, Oct. 20 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the church located at the corner of Common and Clark streets.

Librarian and genealogist Connie Reik will share her knowledge of Civil War-era documents in an illustrated talk, “Beyond Pension Files: Discover Your Civil War Veteran in Federal Publications and Documents,” being held at the Belmont Public Library, Tuesday, Oct. 21, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the library’s Assembly Room. Those documents include histories of the individual battles, private laws, and petitions, claims, and pension record information found in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set.

The Council on Aging is holding its Health Program and Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 21 starting at 1:30 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. Spend an afternoon learning interesting information designed to improve your health. Presenters such as dentists, a physical therapist, an optometrist, a dermatologist, an audiologist, as well as representatives from the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Drive Safe Program, Belmont Health Department and the Belmont Food Collaborative will speak briefly about their topics. Before the fair, at 11:45 a.m., there will be a presentation about “Mindful Eating,”

Staff from US Rep. Katherine Clark‘s office will be holding office hours to meet with Belmont residents on Tuesday, Oct. 21 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St..

The Belmont Art Association is holding a general meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library.

The Belmont Public Library is hosting a baby signing workshop on Thursday, Oct. 23 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Flett Room. Please register by stopping by the Children’s Room or by calling 617-993-2880.

Belmont Home of the Week: Single Family Affordability in SoTra

October 19, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

In Lower Manhattan, there is SoHo (South of West Houston Street).

In Boston’s South End, there is SoWa (South of Washington Street – which, of course, is an impossibility as the throughway runs north to south).

And in Belmont, there is SoTra, as in South of Trapelo Road, where you are more likely than not find housing that can be called affordable for Belmont. The housing stock “below” Trapelo – from the intersection of Belmont Street to Beaver Brook Reservation – was built to meet the rising number of middle-class home seekers who were coming to Belmont with the laying of the trolley line in 1898 and the growth of Waverley and Central (at the intersection of Beech Street and Trapelo) squares. And that trend continues today as SoTra remains one location a double income-earning family can sneak into Belmont.

Much of the housing inventory includes two-families but there remains classic single family homes, such as the one on sale at 10 Cutter St. This 109-year-old Colonial “box” – located equal distance from Central and Waverley squares – is just north of 1,600 sq.-ft. with four bedrooms and one and a half baths.

A previous owner decided to knock down a few walls on the first floor to give the interior that 70’s “open layout.” So you wander from entry way into the living room, look around a partial wall to see the dining table which is next to a wide-open wood cabinet kitchen. The lower floor has high ceilings, hardwood floors and newer windows. The full bath has a deep, oversized Jacuzzi with a shower. There is a walk-up attic and a expansive basement with high ceilings.

A nice surprise to this century old home is a large wood deck off the dining room that overlooks the backyard, is perfect for entertaining overflow and overlooks an ample level backyard.

All this for $689,000, about a hundred grand less than the medium home value for Belmont homes. There will be an open house on Cutter Street today, Sunday, Oct. 19, from noon to 2 p.m. Or call Century 21/Adams KC for more information, 781-648-6900.