Belmont Requires Yard Sale Permits – Which Are Free and Online

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Photo: Get your permit now.

With summer underway and the weekends filled with signs pointing to the nearest garage sale, the Belmont Town Clerk’s office wants to remind all residents that via town bylaw a permit is required for all “yard sales,” with a limit of three in a calendar year.

“If you intend to hold a private sale as defined in the bylaw, you must first register and receive a free permit issued by the Town Clerk’s office,” says Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman. Private sales include yard and garage sales, tag sales, moving sales and estate sales.

But fear not: obtaining a permit is so easy, you don’t have to go to Town Hall to get yours. 

Residents can file for the Private Sale permit by going to the Town Clerk’s web page on the Town’s website select ‘Yard Sale Permit.’ Registering for the free permit takes less than two minutes as the resident fills in an online form with the date, time, address of the sale and contact information about the sponsor. Once submitted, the free permit will be emailed automatically to you.

Residents who are unable to access email may call or visit the Town Clerk’s office and the staff will be happy to help. The Town Clerk’s office can be reached at 617-993-2600 or townclerk@belmont-ma.gov 

Sellers will also get a bit of free advertising. Yard Sale shoppers may use the web page to view a map of registered Belmont Yard Sales or print a list of registered Yard Sales for the upcoming two weeks.  

Market Day: Early Harvests Coming In; Donations Needed To Help Assistance Program

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Photo:
From the fresh greens of June to the colorful produce of July, the harvests are rushing into each other on Market Day in Belmont today.
Come to the Belmont Farmers Market to enjoy the early summer bounty. Strawberries and raspberries are coming in as are eggplant, broccoli and peppers.
The market – open from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – is located in the Claflin Street municipal parking lot at the corner of Cross and Channing behind Belmont Center. 
 
Learn about the markets’ vendors on its website.
Weekly Vendors:
Red’s Best, Stillman Quality Meats, Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery, Dick’s Market Garden, Del Sur Empanadas, Goodies Homemade, Bread Obsession, Hutchins Farm, Freedom Food Farm, Foxboro Cheese Co., Brookford Farm
 
Monthly and Occasional Vendors:
Minuteman Kettle Corn, Bittersweet Herb Farm, Valicenti Pasta Farm, Garbage to Garden, swissbäkers, Tewksbury Honey.

The Belmont Food Collaborative which runs the weekly Farmers Market is also making an

appeal for food assistance donations. The Market helps shoppers on limited budgets purchase fresh, local food. It matchs up to $25 of SNAP benefits (formerly called food stamps) and match WIC and Senior FMNP coupons as well. 
This market season, demand for SNAP matches has nearly tripled. Please make a tax-deductible donation to fund the Market match so we can continue to help our neighbors in need. You can do so at the market or online.
Also at the market today: 
Community Table
4 p.m.: Selectman Adam Dash will be holding office hours from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
 
Schedule of Events
2 p.m.: Music by traditional folk singer, guitarist, and Irish bouzouki player Lindsay Straw
4 p.m.: Storytime with the librarians from the Belmont Public Library’s Childrens’ room.
4:30 p.m.: Music by jazz guitarist and vocalist Sarah Fard.

Winter Street Closed for Road Work Thursday, Friday

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Photo: Stay away from this stretch of road.

Starting Thursday, July 6 and continuing on Friday, July 7, Hudson-based General Contractor, E.H. Perkins will begin milling work on Winter Street between Robin Wood Road and the Lexington town line. 

Road closures and delays are expected during construction hours between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

For any questions or concerns about this project please contact Arthur O’Brien, Resident Engineer in the Office of Community Development at 617-993-2665.

4th of July Celebrations/Fireworks Close To Belmont (But Arlington’s Not One)

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Photo: Over the Charles River.

While Belmont does not hold a community 4th of July celebration, many neighboring and close-by cities and towns do. Here are just a few events and fireworks in adjacent communities and in Boston. 

• Lexington: The annual Lexington Lions Fourth of July Carnival takes place at Hastings Park (continue on Massachusetts Avenue past Lexington center) from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Youth Games take place on July 4 at 10 a.m. Sorry, but the fireworks were shot off on July 3.       

• Boston: Fireworks will fill the sky over the Charles River adjacent to the Esplanade after the Boston Pops concert a little after 10 p.m. 

• Newton: Newton Community Pride’s July 4th Celebration is an all day affair with an open air market, food vendors and children’s activities beginning at 1 p.m. at Albermarle/Halloran Field, located on Watertown Street, Route 16. The music starts at 6 p.m. and the fireworks get underway at 9 p.m.

Today, from 10 a.m. to noon, is Kids Morning (for children from 3 to 12) at the Newton Centre Playground at Tyler Terrace. There will be a Grande Pet Parade, a Teddy Bear Parade, Decorated Doll Carriage Promenade and Foot Races. There will also be free ice cream provided by Cabot’s Ice Cream.

• Waltham: The City of Waltham 4th of July Events begins with a kids celebration at Prospect Hill Park (off Totten Pond Road) include family activities like mini gulf, animal adventures, music, food and trolley rides.

Then it is over to Leary Field, 19 Athletic Field Rd., (a block from Lexington Street and close to Waltham City Hall) at 5:30 p.m. for a concert by “Back in Time” with fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

• Arlington: A favorite of many Belmont residents for its panaramic view of Boston’s firework celebration, this year’s events at Robbins Farm Park, just over Route 2 in Arlington, have been cancelled due to large-scale construction in the park that is part of a Community Preservation Act project. 

Dancing With The Stars: Belmont High’s ‘Chicago’ Bring Homes Musical Gold

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Photo: The “Chicago” cast in one final pose.

They can tango, do the bunny hop, the shimmy shake, razzle dazzle, and, when need be, perform a reverse standing somersault.

And for all that jazz, the dancers in the Belmont High School Performing Arts Company’s Spring musical production of “Chicago” walked away with serious bling at the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild’s annual Musical Theater Award Ceremony – think the Tony’s for Bay State high schools – recognizing excellent work by Middle and High Schools on Saturday, June 24.

Nominated in seven categories including the prestigious “Best Overall Production,” BHS PAC took home four awards:

  • Lighting Design and Execution
  • Specialty Ensemble: Featured Dancers
  • Dance: Choreography and Execution
  • Student Orchestra

See a video preview of the show here.

“Congratulations go to all of the cast, crew, and staff who worked on the show. Being nominated for ‘Best Overall Production’ is an honor that is shared by the whole production team for strong work across the board,” said Ezra Flam, “Chicago”s producer/director.

The individual winners are:

  • Lighting Design and Execution: Lighting Designer Chris Fournier, and Lighting Crew Chiefs Addie Leabman (BHS ’17) and Daphne Kaxiras (BHS ’17).
  • Student Orchestra: Band Director Paul Ketchen.
  • Dance Choreography and Execution: Choreographer Jenny Lifson
  • Specialty Ensemble: Featured Dancers: Aidan Hamell, Alex Aleksandrov, Alyssa Bodmer, Alyssa Allen, Amelia Ickes, Andre Ramos, Becca Schwartz, Cheyenne Isaac, Edward Stafford, Elana Chen-Jones, Grace Curtis, Izzy Lazenby, Julia Cunningham, Julia Giatrelis, Kseniya Dzhala, Lennart Nielsen, Liz Biondo, Megan Bodmer, Molly Thomas, Nicole Thoma, Noam Bar-Gill, Raffi Manjikian, Wonyoung Jang and Zoe Armstrong.

“I want to thank to all of the students in the PAC, the parents and community members who support our work and the Belmont faculty and administration,” said Flam.

‘While the recognition for ‘Chicago’ is nice, I am most grateful that I have the wonderful opportunity to run a theater program where the focus is on giving students a strong education in theater and building a community where all students feel welcome and supported,” he said.

At the ceremony, Lea Grace Swinson (BHS ’17) performed “When You’re Good to Mama” to represent the production in the “Best Overall Production” category.

It’s Good to be Green: State Provides $250K in Energy Saving Grants

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Photo: The Burbank school.

Kermit The Frog famously lamented “It’s not easy being green.”

But recently for the town of Belmont, being green is not just easy but pretty darn profitable.

Last month, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Green Communities Division approved an award of $250,000 for four projects the town proposed in a “Green Communities Competitive Grant” application it submitted to the state last year.

List of projects being funded include;

• $92,499 for a boiler replacement at the Burbank Elementary School.

• $16,508 for retro-commissioning controls also at the Burbank Elementary.

• $92,481 for a boiler replacement at the Butler Elementary. 

• $48,512 for the weatherization of the Belmont Public Library.

The DOER reviewed Belmont’s grant application and determined these capital projects met the eligibility requirements of its “Competitive Grant” program, taking them off the rolls of the town’s Captial Budget Committee.

Belmont was named a Green Community at a State House ceremony in December 2014.

The Green Communities Division helps each of Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns find clean energy solutions that reduce long-term energy costs through technical assistance and financial support to improve energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy in public buildings, facilities and schools.

Belmont High Athletes Selected All-Scholastic, All-Stars; Duffy Honored

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Photo: Belmont Girls’ Rugby.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone who attended or followed Belmont High 2017 spring sports that a fair share of athletes would be recognized with season-ending All-Scholastic Awards by Boston’s two daily newspapers.

Junior Anoush Krafian was honored in the Boston Globe and Boston Herald for her All-State victories in the pentathlon and 100-meter hurdles setting a personal record (14.64 seconds) in the hurdles and a new state record (3,243 points) in the multi-event. Krafian ended the season finishing fifth in the seven-event heptathlon at the New Balance Nationals.

Joining Krafian as a Globe and Herald All-Scholastic was her teammate junior Calvin Perkins who stood out in the 400 meters finishing second in a big PR (48.65 seconds) in the All-States while repeating as Eastern Mass 400 meter Division 3 champion.

Senior Julia Cella, freshman Soleil Tseng, and Krafian were named Herald Track All-Stars as were Aidan Carey, Perkins, Max-Serrano-Wu, Brian Huang and Jason Berger.

Speaking of state champions, junior outside center Rachel Iler-Keniston of Belmont girls’ rugby – the winners of the inaugural state rugby championship – and senior Brendan Walsh of the Boys’ Division 1 semi-finalists (and top public school) were named Boston Globe Rugby All-Scholastics. 

The Globe also named Molly Goldberg, Iler-Keniston, Sara Nelson, Georgia Parsons, Jessica Rosenstein and Gabriella Viale as 2017 Girl All-Stars. Laurent Brabo, Ben Jones, Joe Viale and Walsh were named Boy All-Stars.

Over at the diamond, junior southpaw Nate Espelin was honored as a Boston Globe All-Scholastic for his “dominant in his junior campaign, racking up 92 strikeouts over 63 innings with a 1.33 ERA.” Over at the Herald, senior catcher Cal Christofori was selected for its All-Scholastic team for leading Belmont to its first Middlesex League championship in 26 years and a berth in the Super Eight tournament. The four-year starter finished the season with a .414 batting average and a career hitting average of .417 with 42 RBI.

Christofori, Espelin, and Bryan Goodwin were named Middlesex League Liberty Division All-Stars.

Belmont High baseball ended the season 5th – and the top-ranked Division 2 program – in the Herald’s top 25 Eastern Massachusetts poll and 8th in the final Globe poll. 

Hard-hitting sophomore Drew Bates and standout junior pitcher Christine MacLeod were named Middlesex League Liberty Division Softball All–Stars.

The Bay State Games honored Belmont High junior Emily Duffy as one of six statewide scholarship recipients for the 2017 Future Leaders Scholarship Program.

These future leaders were selected based on their achievements and involvement in academics, community service, athletics and leadership roles. Each of the six rising high school seniors will receive a $2,000 scholarship.

Duffy is vice president of her class and has received many academic awards including the Stonehill Book Award. Duffy served an internship at Mass General Hospital and in a Young Marine Biologist Program at New England Aquarium. She is a talented singer as well as a two-sport varsity athlete (soccer and track) and a team captain in track.

Belmont Yard Sales: July 1-2

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Photo: Garage sales in Belmont

Here are this weekend’s yard/moving/garage sales happening in the 02478 zip code:

• 55 Becket Rd., Saturday, July 1, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

• 27 George St., Saturday, July 1, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• 59 Trowbridge St., Saturday, July 2, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

 

• Belmont at Marlboro streets, Saturday, July 1, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 

After Nearly Two Decades, Harris Field About To Be Media Savvy

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Photo: The pre-hoisted press box at Harris Field in Belmont.

The red single-room structure on a trailer placed hard by the entrance of the Skip Viglirolo Skating Rink looks like one of the popular “tiny” houses that have become all the rage across the country.

But the corrugated steel box with a door and a row of sliding windows wasn’t built with homeowners in mind. Rather, its occupants will be coaches, announcers, and the visiting media during fall and spring sports.

After nearly two decades of waiting, Belmont High’s Harris Field will finally have a press box.

In the next few weeks, the prefab unit will be hoisted to the top of the stands – work has been completed cutting space for the structure to fit into place by contractor Elizabeth Contracting of Westwood – with a completion date of September, coinciding with the start of the football, soccer, and field hockey seasons.

The press box has had a long history, first proposed in 2001 as part of the first renovation of Harris Field. But issues with cost and the need for the structure to include an elevator to comply with the Americans with Disability Act standards place the plans on the back burner. 

Those issues again delayed the press box in 2013 when Harris Field underwent its second renovation. 

Finally, through the efforts of Bill Webster – a long-time member of the Belmont Permanent Building Advisory Committee who has championed the press box since 2001 – the town and community groups and businesses including the Belmont Savings Bank, the Brendan Grant Foundation, the Belmont Boosters and individual contributors came together to raise in 2016 the $240,000 to complete the job. 

Obituary: David Senatus, BHS ’13, Known For His Athleticism, Kindness

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Photo: David Senatus (Facebook)

David Senatus, a well-loved member of Belmont High School’s Class of 2013 who played an integral part in the 2013 club rugby state championship team before traveling out west to start a new life died Wednesday, June 21 in what has been called an accidental drowning.

Senatus was 23.

“He was an incredible teammate, friend, and person and I’m going to miss him forever,” said Barrett Lyons, who was a good friend and teammate of Senatus on the Belmont High School football and club rugby teams. 

Greg Bruce, Senatus’ teacher and rugby coach, said the news of his death was “heart-wrenching” to those who knew “this unique young man with the big personality and great smile.”

Press reports from the Davis County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday said Senatus jumped from a popular rope swing attached to a tree branch into a pond in Farmington, Utah just after sunset just past 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21. After surfacing, Senatus was heading for shore when he began struggling before sinking below the surface.

After his friends could not locate him in the water, Emergency crews were called at 9:50 p.m. Senatus – who was visiting friends in the Salt Lake City area – was found shortly after 11:35 p.m. but could not be saved.

Law enforcement said cold temperatures of the water – the pond’s source is snow runoff – and “inefficiency while swimming” may have led to the drowning, which remains under investigation. Police said drugs or alcohol were not a factor.

With family in Boston and Belmont, Senatus transferred from East Boston High School to Belmont in his sophomore year.

“I remember the day I met David,” said Lyons. “His personality took over whatever room it was he walked into. Despite being the ‘new kid.’ Everybody who knew him loved and respected David immensely.”

“David’s sense of humor is what a lot of people will remember about him; one of the funniest kids I’ve ever met. He would have a group of guys legitimately rolling on the ground, uncontrollably laughing,” said his friend.

Bruce, who worked closely with Senatus during his time as a student in Belmont, said “David could have been negative about school but he never allowed himself to be that way. He was always upbeat, someone who worked extremely hard towards a better life.”

Senatus made an immediate impact on Belmont’s athletic fields.

“He worked extremely hard in athletics and was one of the most naturally gifted athletes I’ve ever competed with. That includes my brief stint playing Division 1 football… he was more athletic than everyone on that team,” said Lyons.

In his final Thanksgiving Day varsity football game, Senatus was matched up Watertown star receiver TJ Hairston. Despite losing, Senatus’ performance was remembered by the way he man-handled a tall (six-foot, five-inch) All-Scholastic receiver. 

“Hairston messaged me after David’s death, saying ‘that’s the one kid in high school who could shut me down.’ David didn’t even have experience playing corner, he was just a more gifted athlete than everyone else on the field. He was fast, strong, and vicious in contact,” said Lyons.

David played an integral part in Belmont’s Rugby Club’s 2013 State Championship campaign.

“I’ve never played with somebody who could just impose their will on others the way he did. We would never have broken St. Johns Prep six-year winning streak if it wasn’t for [him]. He broke an amazing 40 yard try with the clock running down. No way we win that game or the state championship without David,” said Lyons.

Bruce, who is Belmont’s long-time rugby head coach, used Senatus as the team’s “impact substitute,” inserting him in the second half of matches when the other team was exhausted.

“David would come in and be so physical, so fast, the opponent would struggle to stop him,” said Bruce, who recalled Senatus’ raw emotion not only on the pitch, but also from the sideline encouraging his teammates.

But it was Senatus great sense of humanity that is being remembered.

“David was also the type of kid who would say hi to everyone, especially those who looked like they needed it. In high school, we all know those quiet reserved kids who look uncomfortable socially. David would sit with these kids and treat them just like he would the varsity athletes,” Lyons said.

“Despite being one of the most intimidating kids to ever walk the halls of Belmont High School, David made sure everyone knew the kindness in his heart. He had that ‘treat the janitor the same way you’d treat the CEO’ attitude. And he was beloved for it. It’s just the way he was,” said Lyons.

After graduation, Senatus returned to Boston, for a time working at Abercrombie & Fitch.

Later, Senatus moved to the West Coast taking classes and playing football at a junior college in California before he was injured. He then moved to Utah with his brother and was working and taking classes at LDS Business College in Salt Lake City when he died.

A wake for Senatus will be held Friday, June 30 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Waitt Funeral Home, 850 North Main St., Brockton. A funeral service will take on Saturday, July 1 at 9 a.m. in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 79 Mt. Hope St., Roslindale. Burial to follow at Melrose Cemetery, on North Pearl Street in Brockton.