US Flag Retirement Ceremony at Clay Pit Pond Saturday at 10AM

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Photo: Retirement cermony Saturday

On Saturday, Oct. 14, at 10 a.m. the Belmont Veterans Service Office and Belmont Boy Scout Troop 66 will conduct a US Flag Retirement Ceremony at Clay Pit Pond, closest to the intersection of Underwood Street and Hittinger Street.  The public is invited to bring old, tired and or worn U.S. Flags to be properly disposed of by burning to this location beginning at

The public is invited to bring old, tired and or worn U.S. Flags to be properly disposed of by burning to this location beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday.  

In early September two U.S. Flag collection boxes were installed within Belmont; one at the Town Hall complex and another at the Grove Street Cemetery entrance to the right of the administrative office building. The boxes have been a great help to help us collect old, tattered and worn U.S. Flags so that they can properly be disposed of and retired.

Belmont Library’s Annual Fall Book Sale This Weekend, Oct. 14-15

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Photo: The sale runs this weekend.

If you love books but not looking to pay an arm and a leg, this is your weekend to stock up on fiction, non-fiction, children’s and every other sort of book as the Friends of the Belmont Public Library holds its annual Fall Book Sale this weekend.

The sale takes place on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 15 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Assembly and Flett rooms at the library, 336 Concord Ave.

A preview party for Friends members takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14. In addition, Belmont teachers will spend Friday picking out books for their classrooms, thanks to the Friends.

The sale’s proceeds allow the Friends to purchase museum memberships, bring authors and demonstrations to the library while adding to the technology available to all patrons.

 

Two Nights? Now Six Articles Before Special Town Meeting

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Photo: Moderator Mike Widmer at the February 2016 Special Town Meeting.

A citizens’ petition seeking to elect members of the Planning Board brings to six the number of articles in the warrant for the Special Town Meeting next month.

The warrant – which was open and closed on Tuesday, Oct. 10 – will likely take more than the traditional single night to vote on the measures before the 290-plus member legislative body.

“It looks like we’ll need to plan for two nights to complete the meeting,” said Town Clerk Ellen Cushman as she accepted the planning board petition on Tuesday. 

The articles are:

  • Reports from town departments and committees, residents.
  • Amendment to the General Bylaws: Revolving Funds,
  • Appropriation for modular classrooms at the Burbank School ($2.6 million),
  • Appropriation of funds ($370,000) for schematic design and authorization of a Building Committee for a Department of Public Works short-term option and a Police building short-term option,
  • Appropriation of schematic design ($150,000) and authorization of a Library Building Committee.
  • Citizens’ Petition to create an elected Planning Board. 

The first night of the Special Town Meeting will take place on Monday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School. If needed, an additional night will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 15. 

Broadway Night 2017 At Belmont High Friday, Saturday

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The Belmont High School Performing Arts Company presents its annual musical theater showcase Broadway Night 2017 at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14 in the Little Theater at Belmont High School.

Students will perform classic show tunes and contemporary works in an evening of song, dance, and storytelling. This year’s production features 23 solo, duet, and group songs, with a mix of humor, heart, romance and high-energy fun. The show will once again feature a dance number, choreographed by the PAC Musical Choreographer Jenny Lifson.

A highlight this year is the addition of a group number, directed by seniors Anelise Allen and Wonyoung Jang, featuring eight 9th-grade students. 

“Having these many freshmen make their PAC stage debut in the first show of the year is a real treat, and the song is going to be a highlight of the evening,” said Ezra Flam, the High School’s Theater Specialist.

Broadway Night represents the core mission of the PAC, with an emphasis on showcasing student work. The performers have selected, staged and rehearsed the songs almost entirely on their own, with just a small amount of guidance from Ms. Lifson. Also, the lighting design is done entirely by students, and the show ends with a student-directed number featuring the whole company, said Flam.

Tickets are $5 for students, $12 for adults and can be purchased online at bhs-pac.org or at Champions Sporting Goods on Leonard Street in Belmont Center.

First Coyotes, Then A Moose and Now Bears Could Be Visiting Belmont

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Photo: Black bear

So you thought that all the hares, geese, turkeys and coyotes was more than enough wildlife for Belmont to absorb?

Well, now you can add the possibility of bears to the mix after Waltham city officials announced Tuesday via Twitter the sighting of a pair of black bears in North Waltham, which includes the 59-acre Beaver Brook North Reservation.

ALERT! 2 black bears have been reported in North recently.

If you see them, please report them immediately:

While there has been no indication that the two bears have toured the “Town of Homes,” the pair are likely just a hop, skip and jump from Belmont. The North Reservation is adjacent to Belmont’s Rock Meadow Conservation Area and the Kendell Garden neighborhood and is across upper Concord Avenue at the Belmont Country Club. The reservation is also connected to Lone Tree Hill and Habitat via the Western Greenway Trail system.

What’s surprising is that American black bears – the species most likely seen in Waltham – are not more frequent visitors to these parts. Bears are located throughout western and central Massachusetts including northern sections of Middlesex County. The state’s Division of Fisheries & Wildlife estimates up to 4,500 bears wandering the Commonwealth, mostly in dense forests. Around urban areas, bears are primarily nocturnal, mainly foraging by night. 

Most likely the pair is looking for food. American black bears are omnivorous living off plants, fruits such as apples and pears, nuts, insects, honey, fish, small mammals, and carrion. They are also attracted to pet food, compost piles, garbage, and birdfeeders. They are also known to come into neighborhoods and steal the pumpkins decorating front doors in the autumn.

So what do you do when you come across a bear? Speaking from experience, a bear is likely to be more scared of you than you of him. According to the Division of Fisheries & Wildlife:

“Remain calm, talk to the bear in a calm voice (say ‘Hey bear, hey bear”) and slowly back away and leave the area.

If a bear approaches or follows you, make yourself look bigger by putting your arms above your head. Continue to repeat “Hey bear” in a calm voice and back away and leave the area while monitoring the bear.  

If it continues to follow you, stand your ground, make yourself look bigger, shout at the bear, threaten the bear with whatever is at hand (bang a stick on the ground, clap your hands), and prepare to use bear pepper spray if it is available. 

If the bear stops following you or turns around, back away and leave the area.

If the bear charges you, stand your ground, talk to the bear in a calm voice and use bear pepper spray when available. If the bear makes contact with you, fight back using anything you have (e.g., stick, binoculars, swinging a backpack, kicking, etc.)!”

Citizens’ Petition To Create Elected Planning Board Filed With Town Clerk [VIDEO]

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Photo: The residents behind the citizens’ petition to create an elected board (from left): Anne Mahon, Paul Roberts, and Wayne Mesard. Town Clerk Ellen Cushman is collecting the petitions.

Three residents filed a citizens’ petition with Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman to transform the appointed Planning Board into an elected body on Tuesday morning, Oct. 10. 

Town Meeting Members Paul Roberts (Pct. 8), Anne Mahon (Pct. 4) and Wayne Mesard (Pct. 3) are seeking to have the measure approved as an article by the Special Town Meeting when it meets on Monday, Nov. 13.

“The Planning Board is an incredibly important body of the town of Belmont,” said Roberts, who handed in the petition to Cushman with 162 signatures, much more than the 100 required by the town’s bylaws. 

“It has jurisdiction over the physical shape of our community,” Roberts said about the board which is charged under the town’s bylaws to “protect and preserve the character and the quality of life that defines Belmont.” 

But as it stands today, the appointed board is not accountable to the voters, but only to the selectmen, said Roberts. As an elected body, the petitioners believe the professionalism of the board will increase with a larger pool of interested people who will run. 

Mahon said too many times in the past outstanding candidates were passed over with little explanation. Under an elected form, those seeking a seat at the table will be able to demonstrate their skills and ideas to the town electorate rather than the three selectmen.

“This isn’t an advisory board. This is an administrative board, an operational part of the government,” said Mesard, which Roberts noted is similar to the selectmen, school committee and the library board of trustees. 

The five-member board – which includes an associate member – drafts zoning proposals, studies land-use patterns, reviews traffic concerns and evaluates specific development projects such as the Cushing Village project and recently the Belmont Day School’s classroom/gym development and roadway.

For more than a decade, the Planning Board and its members have come under fire by critics. Complaints of being unfriendly to business surfaced with the Cushing Village site and design review which took 18 months to conclude or in overstepping its jurisdiction with the proposal to move the town’s public library to Waverley Square as part of a redevelopment of the business center without reaching out to the Board of Library Trustees beforehand.

Roberts pointed out that Belmont’s board, whose members are appointed by the Board of Selectmen, is an anomaly when compared to neighboring towns. Communities such as Newton, Weston, Watertown, Lexington, and Winchester are just a few municipalities that elect their planning boards.

The petition will first be certified by the Town Clerk – due to technology issues Cushman was unable to make that call as of 3:45 p.m. Tuesday – before proceeding to the Bylaw Review Committee which reviews proposals for General Bylaw changes to make sure that they do not conflict with existing bylaws.

Girls’ Soccer: Merrily They Roll Along; Boys’ Find Its Scoring Touch

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Photo: Courtney Gray scoring for Belmont.

For Belmont High Girls’ Soccer, the past week saw the undefeated/untied Marauders secure a playoff spot with half the season still to come while the Boys’ regained its scoring punch after a mid-season stumble

Girls’ Achieve Playoffs, Await Home and Home vs. One Loss Woburn

The Broadway composer and lyrist Stephen Sondheim titled one of his lesser-known musicals “Merrily We Roll Along.” While that book is about three friends over the years, one could steal the title and use it to describe the Belmont High Girls soccer team this season as they happily run the table. After a 4-0 victory at Wakefield on a rainy Columbus Day, the team had secured a perfect record at 10-0-0 as well as a playoff place in the Division 2 North Sectionals. 

Just before he left for an annual trip to an employers conference in Chicago, longtime Belmont Head Coach Paul Graham said he would not discount making the tournament this early in the season.

“It was one of our goals, so it’s important to recognize it. Sometimes you don’t make it so you should celebrate it,” he said after defeating an undermanned Watertown team, 7-0, before capping the week at Wakefield where junior forward Ella Gagnon tucked in a brace, each goal assisted by senior forward and co-captain Carey Allard who scored three times against Watertown.

After three consecutive shutouts where Belmont dominated play, the Marauders will have its hands full at the end of the week as they meet one-loss Woburn High School in a rare home and home matchup. The opener will be played on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 5:30 p.m. in Woburn and the return fixture is on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 14, at 5 p.m. at Harris Field. 

After Stumble, Boys Re-establish Scoring Touch 

After scoring one of the program’s most significant victories in recent years by defeating Winchester 2-0 back in September, the Boys’ Soccer team suddenly couldn’t find its way to the back of its opponent’s net. 

A 2-1 shock home loss to then-winless Reading matched with a 1-0 heartbreaker to top-ranked Arlington coupled with an uninspiring 1-1 tie against Melrose left the Marauders dog paddling with a 4-3-2 record.

But “with a few adjustments to our lineup” by Belmont Head Coach Brian Bisceglia-Kane, the Marauders have reestablished its attacking. 

Senior captain Jake Carson, who is now playing as a true center forward, scored the lone goal in the final minutes to give the Marauders a much needed 1-0 victory over hosts Watertown on Friday, Oct. 6. Then braces by Carson and junior Seamus Dullaghan along with a solo goal from junior Jorge Mejia saw Belmont break out for a comfortable 5-0 victory over Wakefield to up its record to 6-3-2, putting it on the verge of a return to the postseason. 

“We are playing some of our stronger players for long stretches, and that has worked well. The last couple of games we have started to gain momentum, and we are about to play the teams we have already played before (in the Liberty division of the Middlesex League),” said Bisceglia-Kane.

After a home game against Woburn at the end of the week, Belmont will be on the road for the next three games against two teams above them in the league standings, leaders Arlington and Winchester. 

“We feel confident that we’ll be in every game that they play in. We have to score earlier, so the other team doesn’t feel that they are competitive despite us outplaying them,” he said. 

New High School Building Project Seeking Seniors Opinion Friday

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Photo: The Belmont High School Building Committee’s logo.

The Belmont High School Building Committee is holding its next community engagement meeting with the town’s senior community in mind at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. on Friday afternoon, Oct. 13 at 1:15 p.m.

The afternoon’s agenda includes:

  • High School Building Project updates
  • District enrollment update and grade configuration discussion,
  • Results of recent Education Visioning workshops,
  • Guiding principles of the project,
  • Conditions and space summary, and
  • Questions and comments,

Online Survey

The Belmont High School Building Committee wants to hear from the residents of Belmont. Our new online survey is available at www.belmonthighschoolproject.org. The committee invites residents to share your ideas, opinions, and thoughts on the Belmont High School Building Project.

Upcoming Community Meetings include:

  • Saturday, Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. at Belmont High School with optional facility tours starting at 9:30 a.m.
  • Tuesday, December 12 at 7 p.m. at Belmont High School with optional facility tours starting at 6:30 p.m.

To sign up for email updates and to learn more about the Belmont High School Building Project, including project timelines, videos, meeting schedules, presentations, and more, visit www.belmonthighschoolproject.org.

Questions on the project can be sent via email to: BHS-BC@belmont-ma.gov.

Volleyball: Belmont Puts A Scare Into Melrose In Five Set Thriller

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Photo: Action with Belmont High Volleyball.

On Monday, Columbus Day, Belmont High Volleyball traveled to Watertown and beat the Raiders three sets to zero (25-17, 25-9, 25-23) to up its record to 5-6, exceeding the number of victories last years campaign.

But Belmont Head Coach Jen Couture would instead talk about a lose from last week. In a thrilling home match held at Wenner Field House, Belmont was upended in a five-set marathon, 22-25, 25-11, 23-25, 25-18, 15-8, to perennial Middlesex League Freedom champs Melrose on Thursday, Oct. 5.

Melrose is once again cruising through its regular season, at 13-0, and had not been extended to five sets since the previous year. That was until they met the Marauders.

“It was an amazing match,” said Couture. “Melrose has just historically been so dominant that we usually go into the match with hopes of taking a set and when we took the first set it was little surreal.”
 
Sophia Estok broke the one-game record for digs with 43 (besting the 40 successful serves received she set vs. Lexington) having done a great job reading the Raiders hitters. “She’s a very smart player who learns from every kill and adjusts to prevent another.” Leah Babroudi and Mindee Lai were next in digs with 21 and 17 respectively.
 
Jane Mahon and Lai led the offense with 10 and 7 kills, and Jen Tan chipped in 7 service aces.
Couture pointed to Lai’s overall contribution to the team’s effort on the court.
 
“The match … highlighted Lai’s athleticism as she also recorded three blocks and a couple of pancake [saves],” said Couture. “Lai is on the court 100 percent of the time, through many four and five set matches, chasing down every shanked ball and making great plays. It’s no wonder her teammates refer to her as ‘the Machine’.”
After winning the fourth set by seven points, Belmont was entering into well-worn territory.
 
“This was our fourth five-set match [of the season]” – recently defeating Wayland and Lexington in five – “but it was the first one where you could really notice the fatigue, due to the many long rallies throughout the match.  Melrose setter came out serving strong, going on a nine-point run to push its lead to 0-9. 
“I was afraid that we had given up, assuming Melrose was going to win because we had never known anything else. The set continued 2-10, 4-12, and at 5-14 before Lai came back to serve. 
Despite match point, “Lai served aggressively and consistently making it difficult for Melrose to set up a kill bringing the team to 8-14 when ultimately during a long rally Melrose setter put the ball away,” said Couture. 
“The run came just a little too late. But for those four points, something changed, and we all started to believe anything was possible. The biggest take away from the game was if we play our smart and consistently aggressive game, we can compete with any team in our league,” she said.
With a playoff berth within reach, Couture suggests a change in her line up with an eye on the future.
“Some Junior Varsity hitters have been dressing and participating in varsity matches, and I think we will be seeing some of them in more matches, to give our starters little rest so they can continue to play at their highest level until the very last point,” she said.

Sold In Belmont: Two Family Breaks Bank Selling For $1.22 Million

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Photo: A two-family that sold for nearly one and a quarter million dollars? 

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

A pair of two-families on corner lots built in the same year, but way different sale prices. 

• 92-94 Creeley Rd., Two family (1922). Sold: $1,220,000. Listed at $1,220,000. Living area: 3,089 sq.-ft. 15 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 54 days. Last sold: Dec. 2008, $595,000.

• 717 Belmont St., Second-floor condo (1922). Sold: $445,000. Listed at $449,998. Living area: 1,380 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 90 days. Last sold: Condo master deed filed Aug. 2007.

They must have discovered gold in the basement of 92-94 Creeley Rd. Surely that would explain how a C+ rated, 95-year-old two family would sell for nearly one and a quarter million dollars. OK, I give you the opportunity of a first-floor rental, there’s some renovation – the last permitted work was completed in 2015 with the deck and renovated bathroom costing $27,400 – and it’s a corner lot at the intersection of Gilbert. But do those amenities require a $337,000 premium above the town assessed value (2017) of $883,000? It’s a good-sized house at more than 3,000 square-feet but that space fills 15 rooms, and the images of the interior don’t give you the sense of wide-open spaces. The seller did add a second floor – it’s the attic – to the owner’s unit, just don’t be too tall when standing due to the slant of the roof. All this and an unfinished basement – which will likely stay in its present state for storage now that the attic has become living space – and a road out front that must be high on Glenn Clancy’s pavement condition index of streets to be repaired.

So is 92-94 Creeley Rd. the harbinger of a new pricing reality in two family sales in Belmont or a Casandra of a real estate bubble?