Photo:Santa in Belmont for the second time this week.
Each year, Santa Claus makes his annual visit to the Belmont Lions Club’s Children Christmas Party via the MBTA commuter rail, always arriving at Belmont station on the 2:30 p.m. train.
Because he’s ageless, Santa only has to pay $2.75 from his trip from the North Pole.
Santa recruited Belmont’s Becca Pizzi as his special elf this year.
Photo: The only single family home to sell last week and, as always, at a premium.
A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”
• 136 White St., Condominum (1910). Sold: $360,000. Listed at $414,900. Living area: 1,244 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 66 days.
• 181 Claflin St., Colonial (1950). Sold: $1,150,000. Listed at $1,050,000. Living area: 2,493 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 53 days.
• 225 White St., Two-family (1908). Sold: $728,000. Listed at $799,000. Living area: 3,203 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 80 days.
• 210-214 Waverley, Two-family (1880). Sold: $720,000. Listed at $739,900. Living area: 2,925 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 75 days.
• 140 Trapelo Rd., First-floor condominum (1932). Sold: $390,000. Listed at $400,000. Living area: 830 sq.-ft. 4 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 78 days.
Photo: Cathy Cresta has her tree.
It didn’t take long for Cathy Cresta to find the right Christmas tree for her house.
Wandering through the rows of evergreens from a farm in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Cresta pointed one which turned out to be “just right” and soon it was being carried to her car.
Getting the tree was as easy as knowing where she would buy it: in front of the Lions Club on Royal Road at the entrance of Belmont Center.
“I’ve been coming here my entire life,” said the life-long resident who lives currently on Beech Street. “And I tell everyone at work at McLean Hospital they can not beat the quality of these trees. They’re beautiful.”
Cresta is just one of hundreds of residents and customers from neighboring towns who come to the 52nd annual Christmas tree sale held by the Belmont Lions Club.
And beginning this weekend, the crowds will be coming to find that particular tree for the holiday season.
Kevin Vona said that many of the 50 volunteers – who make up four different teams – will look at the schedule which will be pulling duty during the first two weekends of December “because we know that some shifts we’ll be busy for the entire time we’re here,” he said.
Dan MacAuley, a Lions past president, said the tree sale is the biggest fundraiser the Lions run each year.
The sale is open from noon to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, “until the last tree is gone” which happens about a week before Christmas.
The prices for each tree is according to the height indicated on board next to the wrapping area.
While it is a fundraiser, “every penny of this goes to charity. We don’t get a cent from this,” said MacAuley.
The tree sale help supports Mass Eye Research, Lions Club International Foundation, Diabetes Awareness, scholarships for students at Belmont High School, community activities, Lions Clubhouse Historic Preservation and more activities.
And the Lions went the extra mile when they came to the rescue of the truck driver who brought the first of two loads of trees to Belmont. As he was beginning his 14 hour trip up north, the truck’s steering power line broke, said MacAuley.
“Some good people in Belmont including Frankie French put together a repair to get him back to Canada,” he said.
Photo:
For the first time, Belmont’s Highway Department will accept uncut cardboard packaging for recycling.
Residents will be able to drop off cardboard – which will need to be folded at the Department of Public Works Town Yard – on Saturday, Dec. 3 between 9 a.m. and noon.
While Belmont’s trash and recycling contractor accept cardboard, it must be cut into pieces no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet and tied or taped together to make a stack no more than nine inches high.
The new pilot program will take place on three Saturdays – the other dates are Jan. 7 and Feb. 4 – during the holiday season. The DPW will evaluate the scheme in February to determine if it will become an annual service.
Photo: A giving tree at Belmont Savings.
To help brighten the season for local children, Belmont Savings Bank is supporting the “Big Wishes Gift Drive” in its Belmont, Watertown and Cambridge branches to benefit the Home for Little Wanderers.
From now until Dec. 15, those interested in participating can stop by Belmont Savings Bank branches in Belmont, Watertown or Cambridge and select an ornament from the giving trees on display. Each ornament indicates the gender and age of a child, as well as the type of gift needed.
All unwrapped gifts dropped off at Belmont Savings will be delivered to the Home for Little Wanderers, which serves children and youth from birth to 21, making a positive impact on more than 7,000 lives each year through a wide network of programs.
Located in Waltham, Dorchester, Roslindale, Plymouth, Walpole, Roxbury, Norwood, Brighton, Somerville and Bridgewater, The Home has an “open door structure that allows children, families, and young adults access services at any point in continuum of care, based on their needs.” Services include: adoption, foster care, clinical and family support, residential care, special education, youth aging out, case management, and program evaluation.
For additional information, please visit Belmont Savings Bank’s website.
Photo: Laura Panos
The Law Office of Laura A. Panos is proud to announce that its founder, Laura Panos, has been named one of Boston Magazine’s “Super Lawyers,” a designation given to outstanding attorneys.
“I am honored this year to be selected to join such a distinguished circle of peers,” said Panos who has been practicing law for more than 25 years and serving the Belmont community for more than a decade.
Her office is located at 50 Leonard St. in Belmont Center.
Panos was also named one of 50 Top Women of Law in Massachusetts for 2014 by Massachusetts Lawyers’ Weekly.
Panos provides employment counseling to businesses and individuals at every level, including representation of a large number of locally owned businesses. The spectrum of services includes terminations, severance, leaves of absence, policy drafting and presentations and trainings on a wide range of employment topics. Individualized counseling specific to industry and position are a unique strength.
“We strive to provide practical, creative, employment solutions specific to our client’s needs. We make it a priority to serve as both client advisor and strategic counselor to optimize opportunities and mitigate risk,” she said.
Photo: A representative of the MIAA with (not in order) Danielle Baiany, Reagan Haight and Jenna Magno and Natalie Peterson last week.
A quartet of Belmont High athletes was honored by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association for allowing a visually impaired Chenery Middle School runner to compete in her sport this fall.
Seniors Danielle Baiany, Reagan Haight and Jenna Magno and junior Natalie Peterson were recognized with the MIAA Educational Athletics Achievement Award for Community Service and Leadership at last week’s Pep Rally.
The four worked together to support a 7th-grade runner so she could not just participate in the races but to practice with her peers, making themselves available so she could be a member of the team. The high schoolers would talk to the runner and help her navigate courses that were more tactical and challenging for a runner with limited vision.
“They embraced the opportunity and had been a reliable support so that the athlete has been able to participate … without hindrances,” noted the MIAA.
“These four student-athletes are models of how their service not only impacts the individual they are supporting and their community but also benefits them as well.”
Photo: The Belmont School Committee
Long standing end-of-summer activities of Belmont families could be put on hold next year as a majority of the Belmont School Committee spoke favorably of opening the town’s six public schools the week before Labor Day next September.
The committee’s unofficial consensus came as the school administration presented a draft of next school year’s calendar to the group at its scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
Under the proposed timetable, the 2017-18 school year would begin on Wednesday, Sept. 6, one of the latest opening in many years as Labor Day will be celebrated on Monday, Sept. 4. The late start will also mean kindergarteners would not have a full day until Monday, Sept. 11.
“That’s a long way before classes start,” said Belmont Assistant Superintendent Janice Darias.
The final day of school without snow days included will be Wednesday, June 13. With the traditional five snow days added, the school year ends on Wednesday, June 20, the day before summer.
High School graduation would be on Sunday, June 3, 2018.
While praising the preliminary Almanac, the late start allowed Superintendent John P. Phelan to reiterate a long-standing personal preference that students and teachers benefit from a pre-Labor Day start to the school year.
Phelan said holding two full days of classes on the Wednesday and Thursday before Labor Day allows students “to get all the hot air” out of their systems before the long holiday weekend.
Psychologically, the “first-day worries” experienced by students and teachers are out of the way, and the students are “in school” during the first full week in September, said Phelan.
While traditionally the case against a pre-Labor Day start was predicated on families being on long vacations and in camp up until the holiday, many students, especially in the high school, are active with school events before the holiday. All the fall sports programs have begun training with many scheduling scrimmages and attending pre-season tournaments while the 100-plus member marching band is perfecting their routine during the same period.
And due to the lateness of Labor Day, many local and out-of-state camps will have shut down weeks before and sent the children home.
An earlier start “helps working parents” who have two to three weeks to fill before traditional school starts.
Phelan also noted teachers and staff “liked starting before Labor Day” as it allows them to finish perfunctory classroom matters during the short week and start original studies on the Tuesday after the holiday.
For the majority of school committee members, the change – which would go against district policy to start the school year after Labor Day – is well worth considering.
“I’m more than willing to explore” changing the start of the school year, said Committee member Tom Caputo. Susan Burgess-Cox noted in her family her daughter, entering first grade in September, “had a stomach ache” over the Labor Day weekend due to the anxiety attending a new school while her niece in Acton benefited from two days before the long holiday to explore her new school.
Darias said she would present at least one alternative calendar with students in classes on Wednesday, Aug. 30, (teachers and staff would begin Monday, Aug. 28) at the next school committee meeting on Dec. 13.
Photo: Location of the hit and run incident on Tuesday, Nov. 29. (Google map)
The Belmont Police Department is seeking the help of the public to identify the operator of a motor vehicle that struck a pedestrian on Belmont Street near the intersection of Belmont and Worcester streets.
The pedestrian was struck at 4:45 p.m. while crossing Belmont Street near Linda’s Donuts. After striking the individual, the suspect vehicle did not stop and continued heading eastbound towards Cambridge.
“The pedestrian was transported to the hospital and is expected to recover,” said Belmont Asst. Chief James MacIsaac.
If you have any information pertaining to the vehicle in question or its operator, please contact the Belmont Police at 617-993-2501 or leave a message on our tip line: 617-993-2569 or email: crimetip@belmontpd.org
Photo: Santa and a tentative fan.
Belmont Savings Bank and the Belmont Center Business Association are hosting the 26th annual ‘Turn on the Town” holiday tree lighting on Thursday evening, Dec. 1.
The night’s events – including the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus on a Belmont Fire truck at 6:20 p.m., food, singing and a petting zoo – will take place on Leonard Street between Channing Road and Alexander Avenue from 5:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
After turning on the lights on the holiday tree located next to the Bellmont Cafe, the Claus’ will head over to the Belmont Savings Bank – the event’s main sponsor – headquarters at 2 Leonard St. where children (and adults and a few pets) can have free photos taken with Jolly Ol’ St. Nick.
In this season of giving, RE/MAX Leading Edge is sponsoring the annual Belmont Food Pantry Drive where it will match any cash/check donations that they collect for the Belmont Food Pantry with a matching gift to the Foundation for Belmont Education. RE/MAX will be collecting donations in front of Il Casale at the former fire stationaa