Underwood Pool Patrons: It’ll Be Crowded This Weekend, So Here’s Some Rules To Know

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Open for the crowds

With the expected weather forecast for this weekend calling for record heat, the Belmont Recreation Department is anticipating a high volume of users at the Underwood Pool at the corner of Cottage and Concord.

Following state code, the pool may not exceed 275 swimmers in the water at any given time. In the event that maximum capacity is reached, the lifeguards will need to rotate groups in and out of the water in 15-minute intervals to ensure compliance with the law. 

In addition, if the pool reaches capacity, the pool staff may need to limit the sale of single entry day passes.  

The department also wants to remind patrons of some key rules to know so to enjoy this town resource: 

  • Showers: A cleansing shower is required before entering the pool. Please apply sunscreen 30 minutes before entering the pool.  Sunscreen applied right before entry will wash off and impact water quality.  
  • Storm Related Closing: Upon hearing thunder or observing lightning, the pool will be closed immediately.  The pool will remain closed for one hour after the last sighting of lightning or last sounds of thunder.  
  • Membership Tags: As a reminder, membership tags are required for entry to the pool. If you do not have tags, you must show ID to the front desk staff to gain entry.  

With Weekend Extreme Temps, Town Opens Beech Street Center, Library Sat., Sun As Cooling Center

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Beech Street Center. (Town of Belmont)

With the heat index anticipated to top 100 degrees this weekend, the town of Belmont is opening the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., as a community cooling station.

The center will be open Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In addition, the Belmont Public Library at 336 Concord Ave. will be open Friday, July 19 until 5 p.m.; Saturday, July 20 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.; and Sunday, July 21 between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.  

The National Weather Service is forecasting excessive heat starting today, Friday, July 19 through Sunday, July 2. Hot temperatures combined with high humidity are expected to create dangerous heat conditions, with the most oppressive conditions expected on Saturday.

High temperatures Friday through Sunday are forecast to be in the 90s to lower 100s, and dew points in the low to mid 70s. Heat index values are expected to reach the mid to upper 90s Friday, 100 to 110 Saturday, and 97 to 105 Sunday, with the highest values occurring on Saturday in eastern Massachusetts.

Below are tips for preventing Heat Related illnesses:

  • Drink Plenty of Fluids

During hot weather you will need to increase your fluid intake. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. Popsicles, watermelon, cantaloupe and fruit salads all contain water. Avoid caffeine and alcohol whenever possible.

  • Wear Appropriate Clothing and Sunscreen

Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. Use a sunscreen product rated at least SPF (Sun Protection Factor) 15 and apply it to all exposed skin at least 30 minutes before going out into the sun.

  • Stay Cool Indoors

Stay indoors and, if at all possible, stay in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to a shopping mall, public library or community center – even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat.

  • Monitor Those at High Risk

Although any one at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others.

  • Infants and children up to four years of age are sensitive to the effects of high temperatures and rely on others to regulate their environments and provide adequate liquids.
  • People 65 years of age or older may not compensate for heat stress efficiently and are less likely to sense and respond to change in temperature.
  • People who are overweight or obese may be prone to heat sickness because of their tendency to retain more body heat.

Remember, to prevent a heat illness:

  • Avoid direct sun from late morning until 5 p.m.
  • Limit vigorous exercise or chores to early morning or late afternoon
  • Dress in light-colored, loose-fitting clothes
  • Continually drink plenty of water or juice
  • Avoid caffeine or alcohol
  • Eat light meals
  • NEVER, leave children, adults alone in a closed, parked vehicle.
  • For More Information:For more information visit https://www.cdc.gov/features/extremeheat/index.html orhttps://www.mass.gov/service-details/extreme-heat-safety-tips

After Two Decades Of Wind and Weather, Boston Temple Replaces Its Angel

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Workmen securing the angel Moroni at the Boston Mass. Temple in Belmont.

Something was amiss on a recent Tuesday morning in Belmont. For commuters along Route 2 and residents on Belmont Hill, a familiar local landmark was not waiting for them. The golden angel Moroni that stood atop the Boston Massachusetts Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was missing.

While many mistakes the statue’s identity for Gabriel, another heavenly trumpeter, Moroni is the guardian of the golden plates which is the source of the Book of Mormon. And it wasn’t there.

Had it fallen off? Was it stolen? Did it take off and leave?

Turns out, it was being replaced by its doppelgänger.

Lloyd Baird, president of the Boston Massachusetts Temple, said Moroni which was was atop the steeple for nearly 18 years was showing its age. 

“The gold coating was wearing off and there was some wind damage to the steeple. So we took it down and replaced it with a new exact replica of the Moroni statue that was there,” he said in an email. The job was done using two cranes with workmen bolting the statue in place and securing it with caulk.

Some trivia about the statue: The angel Moroni is a casting of the statue created by Torlief Knaphus for the Washington D.C. Ward chapel, which he made as a replica of Cyrus E. Dallin’s statue atop the Salt Lake Temple. 

“It looks the same but the way it was originally before the New England weather took its toll.”

And in the process, the temple underwent repairs, replacing a couple of tiles in the steeple that were beginning to cause some damage. 

The Boston Temple’s broke ground on June 1997 and was dedicated on Oct. 1, 2000, by Gordon B. Hinckley, the 15th President of The Church. The steeple and the original angel was dedicated on Sept. 21, 2001.

Nineteen Years Later, Wait’s Over As Town Breaks Ground On Belmont Police HQ’s Renovation

By Leave a Comment

Photo: At the groundbreaking of the (from left); Anne Marie Mahoney, Anthony Ferrante, Stephen Rosales, Michael Smith, Roy Epstein, Police Chief Richard McLaughlin, architect Ted Galante.

According to Anne Marie Mahoney, it was early in 2000 when town officials and committee heads created a “wish list” of capital and infrastructure projects around Belmont that “needed to get done” which included a new high school, a revisioned skating rink and a revamped DPW yard.

And near the top of the list was replacing the then 69-year-old police headquarters, a structure at the end of its useful life, with outdated facilities that housed an overcrowded department.

“We knew then we needed to do something with this building,” she said.

Fast forward to a sunny and warm July morning in 2019 as a large group of elected and town officials, architects, police officers came to celebrate the groundbreaking of the renovation and new construction at the now 88-year-old police headquarters.

Anne Marie Mahoney

“Here we are 19 years later and this is the last of the projects on that list,” said Mahoney, the chair of the building committee overseeing the work at both the Police headquarters and the Department of Public Works.

The renovation and new construction of the police station will top just north of $11 million which was approved at the Spring Town Meeting. The interior of the existing building will be renovated with the construction of additional square footage that will include space for an elevator, locker rooms, new holding cells, a secure sally port for the transportation of suspects and a new booking room.

Belmont Police Chief McLaughlin, who is retiring at the end of the year, thanked “a very fun and energetic and innovative committee” for addressing all the issues related to the building.

“I’m just very grateful because it’s something that is very needed in the community. And I truly believe once it’s all done and completed, it’s going to be a project that we all can be very proud of,” said McLaughlin.

  • Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin speaking at the ceremony.

Select Board Chair Tom Caputo also noted the committee had to contend with “a very challenging project” with its historical, time and budget constraints.

“And yet everybody came together to figure out a way to deliver a great design be a great building,” he said.

Ted Galante, the principal of the Galante Architecture Studio in Cambridge. said he came to the project with an initial goal of adding 10 years to the building’s life so the town could plan for a new station with a projected cost of $30 million.

Ted Galante, the principal of the Galante Architecture Studio.

“But we started to think a little creativity and the committee started to push and we started to push back,” said Galante. “Here we’re building a new building while preserving the existing historic structure.”

“The best years are not behind us; the best years are ahead of us. It’s a historic building and we respent the past but you build looking forward. And that’s really our intention, to build looking forward, save the town money and give the police what they need for the next 50 years,” said Galante.

After the ceremonial groundbreaking, Mahoney said everyone was welcomed back in the fall of 2020 for the ribbon cutting “showing that we have preserved the historic exteriors of the 1931 building, created some additions and renovated the entire interior, which is pretty exciting,” said Mahoney.

With Heat Wave Coming, Belmont Light Asks Customers To Cut Energy Use

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont Light is requesting customers to lower energy usage as temperatures climb.

With a significant heatwave set to blanket Belmont over the coming weekend, the town’s electrical utility is requesting consumers to save energy and money by reducing usage during peak times.

With temperatures rising to the 90s on Friday, July 19 to Sunday, July 21 and possibly breaking the century mark on Saturday, July 20, Belmont Light is asking customers to curtail electricity consumption between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Electricity cut during peak times helps Belmont mitigate energy supply costs and lowers strain on the regional electricity grid.

Here are some tips to reduce Belmont peak electricity consumption:

  • Adjust air conditioners and turn off the AC in rooms that are not used. Adjusting the thermostat even by 2-3 degrees helps.
  • Use a microwave oven or an outdoor grill instead of a stove or a regular oven.
  • Shift laundry and dishwashing activities until after 8 p.m.
  • Unplug DVRs or gaming consoles when not in use
  • Hold off charging electric vehicles until later in the evening

For more advice on reducing peak energy consumption, call Belmont Light at 617-993-2800.

Woman Stabbed On Partridge​ Lane; Suspect Caught After Chase Into Cambridge

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The location of the assault in Belmont.

A woman was assaulted and stabbed at a home on Partridge Lane this morning, Wednesday, July 17 and a male suspect arrested in Cambridge after a high-speed chase through three communities, according to a press release from the Belmont Police Department.

Belmont Assistant Police Chief James MacIsaac said at 9:38 a.m. officers responding to a reported altercation between a man and a woman on Partridge Lane – a sleepy neighborhood of 1950s-era ranch houses on the back side of Belmont Hill – found the woman suffering from apparent stab wounds due to an assault. The victim was given medical aid by the officers and transported to a local hospital where she continues to be treated.

The man, who the woman knows, attempted to flee by car but was located by Belmont Police. The suspect then led Belmont officers on a high-speed chase from Belmont into Arlington before crashing his vehicle in Cambridge where he was placed into custody. He was also taken to a local hospital for injuries related to the impact.

“This an open and ongoing investigation, additional information will be released as it becomes available,” said MacIsaac.

Road Work Week: Belmont Side Streets Under Repair

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Paving starts this week.

The first of the streets on the 2019 Pavement Management “hit” list are about to go under the shovel beginning this week.

Starting Tuesday, July 16, and continuing to Friday, July 19 – if the weather holds out – the Town of Belmont’s General Contractor, EH Perkins, will begin asphalt paving on the following streets:

  • Channing Road from Farm Road to Sherman Street
  • Flanders Road
  • Hastings Road
  • Homer Road 
  • Livermore Road
  • Sandrick Road
  • Winn Street from Cross Street to Pleasant Street

They will also pave Brighton Street from the railroad crossing to the Cambridge line

The streets will be closed to traffic for several hours, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., while the pavement cures. Residents and Commuters are advised to seek alternate routes. No on street parking will be available during work hours. 

Vehicular access to driveways will not be available during work hours. On-street overnight parking on side streets will be available for residents affected by the construction.

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

Two Years In the Making: Starbucks’ Cushing Square Store Reopens Friday

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Starbucks is open for business in Cushing Square.

Twenty-five months after its past location shut down, Starbucks has officially returned to Cushing Square as its spacious new store opens for business this morning, Friday, July 12.

The store will be open daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The international coffeehouse chain opening marks the first retail operation to take place in the Bradford, the three building housing/retail/parking development in the heart of Cushing Square, bordered by Trapelo and Williston roads and Common and Belmont streets.

The 42 seat store will have 25 to 35 employees working on the site. Currently, the new store does not have access to approximately 20 off-street parking spaces adjacent to the location as construction continues at the site.

Proposed Ice Rink Gets Guideposts Along With A ‘Fast And Furious’ Timeline

By 1 Comment

Photo: Town officials speaking on guidelines/time frame for a new ice skating rink in Belmont; (from left) Jon Marshall, Jeffrey Wheeler, Patrice Garvin, Tom Caputo.

During its final meeting until September, the Belmont School Committee voted on Tuesday, June 18 to approve a list of “guiding principles” for a Request for Proposal for a new ice skating rink that will ensure the school district and town will have a significant say in future of the public/private venture.

The list of suggestions that includes size, uses and oversight of the new rink, will provide “potential applicant the freedom to explore a variety of different [design] options,” said Tom Caputo, chair of the Board of Selectmen.

In addition to the guideline, the town presented a very tight timeline going from the release of a draft RFP in early September to finalizing a public/private lease with a selected development team in late November.

“The calendar is critical and that everybody buys into it,” insisted Jeffrey Wheeler, the town’s senior planner who will be working over the next two months with the Town Administrator’s Office and a working group of school committee members creating the RFP.

An anticipated vote on a location of the rink was delayed until after a traffic study is conducted with the aim of determining the best place for the “curb cut” from Concord Avenue.

“We felt that until that was determined, we really couldn’t figure out the place to site the rink,” said Patrice Garvin, Belmont Town Administrator who was joined by Jon Marshall. the assistant town manager who will lead the effort in writing the RFP.

The school committee guidelines include:

• A rink with one and a half sheets of ice is “acceptable” but developers can submit a plan for a single ice sheet.

• developer should minimize the building’s footprint to accomodate three playing fields for high school sports.

• The rink will include between 70 to 90 parking spaces within the site design; the spaces will be available for student parking at the new Middle and High School.

• The need for locker rooms to accommodate the high school teams and can be used for fall and spring sports.

• Ice time will be allocated to the high school teams and reduced rates for Recreation Department programs.

• The developer must submit a financial model to demonstrate financial viability.

• The creation of an oversight committee to secure the terms of the lease are being fulfilled.

While the town will be performing the heavy lifting of creating the proposal with many moving parts, the real challenge is a fast and furious timeline imposed by the town that calls for the approve the RFP, selecting a developer, OKing a lease and then signing a comprehensive public/private agreement all within a tiddy three months.

According to Wheeler, the accelerated timeline starts the day after Labor Day (Sept. 3) with a draft RFP sent to school committee members and the Select Board for edits and review.

It will be followed over the next two weeks by a pair of public meetings (Sept. 10 and 17) for residents input before a final RFP is approved on Sept. 24. A day later, the RFP is out before potential developers who will have a shortened five-week interval to submit a bid to the community development office by Oct. 30.

Just six days later on Nov. 5, the Select Board and the School Committee will select the best proposal followed eight days later on Nov. 13 with Special Town Meeting voting to approve leasing town/school land to a private developer.

Finally, two days before Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), the Select Board and School Committee will award a contract to the winning proposal on Nov. 26.

Construction Underway At New Middle and High School

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The first heavy equipment on site at Belmont High School.

A friend of Belmont Middle and High School Building Committee member Pat Brusch called shortly after 7 a.m. on Tuesday, June 18 to tell her that she could hear from her home the cacophony of beeping warning sounds from trailers bringing bulldozers and other equipment to the field adjacent Belmont High School.

For Building Committee Chair Bill Lovallo, who relayed the story to the committee on Wednesday, June 19, it was nice to hear that the $295 million school building project was getting underway “right on time.”

The first day of the summer recess for Belmont Schools on Tuesday morning coincides with the start of four-plus years of construction to build the new Belmont Middle and High School.

While the demolition of the brick gateway and sidewalk leading to the now decommissioned Brendan Grant Field along Concord Avenue is the most visible demonstration of work being done on the site, the most significant workout is occurring inside the Wenner Field House where the second floor – the location of the small gym – is being ripped out and reconfigured to include temporary locker rooms. Major work related to the Higginbottom Pool has also started.

Lovallo thanked Belmont Superintendent John Phelan along with interim High School Principal John Brow, Steve Dorrance, director of facilities, Athletic Director Jim Davis and the town’s Department of Public Works for “prepping” the field house and the former playing fields so construction could take place on day one, “all while students were still in the building.”

In other news

The committee approved W. L. French Excavating Corp. of North Billerica to perform all the pile foundation work with the first piles driven in the ground outside the field house in August with an ending date in late October.

The building committee also approved hiring a contractor to record precondition of the exterior of approximately 70 homes within 500 feet of the construction site. Those residents will begin receiving notifications in the next few weeks.

“We just want to make sure we have it documented, not that we are expecting any issues,” said Lovallo.