League Of Women Voters’ Virtual Candidates’ Night 2022 Thursday, March 24 At 7 p.m.

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Photo: The good ol’ days: the parade of Town Meeting members candidates in 2019

The League of Women Voters of Belmont is holding its annual Candidates’ Night on Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m.

The event will take place virtually via Zoom, over the internet and live on Belmont Media Center.

The night will start with the popular Town Meeting Member “parade” to be followed with short speeches and questions and answer with each of the town-wide candidates.

Just a reminder: Town Election takes place on Tuesday, April 5.

Your viewing options include:
• Zoom meeting webinar: 827 7506 4862
https://uso2web.zoom.us/j/82775064862
• Live broadcast: Belmont Ch 8 (Comcast); Ch 28 (Verizon)
• Livestream or on-demand: belmontmedia.org/watch/govtv

Belmont World Film 20th International Film Series Begins Friday, March 25

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Photo: Scene from A Change of Heart (Ils Sont Vivants)with Seear Kohl and Marina Fois

Belmont World Film International Film Series begins its 20th season on Friday, March 25, with the US premier of A Change of Heart (Ils Sont Vivants) starts streaming at 7 p.m. The 2021 French production will also be shown on a CinemaScope screen in person on Sunday, March 27, at 7 p.m. at the Majestic 7 Cinema in Watertown.

Films will be shown in a hybrid of online and in-person screenings. All but the closing night film – Silent Land on Monday, May 16 – will be available for screening online. Three of the eight films will also be screened in person at either the Majestic or the West Newton Cinema.

The schedule of the films as well as tickets, passes and memberships can be found here.

Half of the eight films in the festival are directed by women and six of the directors are also making their feature film debuts, alongside two veteran directors: two-time Cannes Film Festival winner Tony Gatlif (Djam, BWF 2018) and Philippe Le Guay (Women on the Sixth Floor). Each film will accompanied by both online and in-person discussions with filmmakers or expert speakers via Zoom on Monday nights at 7 p.m.

Founded in 2001 by Naomi Ellenberg-Dukas, Belmont World Film began with the premise that foreign-language film is not only a vehicle for hearing another language in action, but it can also foster an emotional understanding of other cultures.

Despite Decline In Covid, First Segment Of Belmont Town Meeting Will Be Virtual

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Photo: Mike Widmer, Belmont Town Moderator

While many people are hailing a return to normalcy after two years of Covid-19 restrictions, one of Belmont’s annual traditions will for the third time be presented virtually due to health concerns.

“I am recommending to the Select Board that our upcoming Annual Town Meeting be held remotely,” said Belmont Town Moderator Mike Widmer in a memo emailed to Town Meeting members by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman on Friday, May 18.

Widmer said he will bring his recommendation before the board at its Monday, March 21 meeting.

Widmer noted the decision will only effect Segment A – the non-budget agenda on the warrant – that begins May 2. He did strike a hopeful note saying Town Meeting could meet in person in June for the the fiscal portion “if [Covid] cases continue to decline significantly.”

The long-time moderator said the decision was made “reluctantly” after meeting with town officials, health experts and moderators from other towns.

“Personally, I would much prefer to meet in person. While we have successfully conducted the Town’s business using remote access, we have missed the personal and social connections of meeting in person. The debates, the camaraderie, the faces, the laughter, the applause, even the groans are all part of our local democracy, and are largely missing in virtual meetings,” said Widmer.

But after consultation with Belmont’s public health officials, Widmer did not believe it is safe for 300-plus individuals to meet in a confined space for four or more hours over several sessions. While many members would be willing to take the risk, there are those who themselves or family members continue to be susceptible to the virus and its potentially deadly effect.

While some towns’ legislative bodies, such as Needham, Reading and Winchester, will meet in person in the spring, Belmont has two distinct disadvantages to do the same. First, Belmont’s 294 Town Meeting Member body is larger than all but a few towns, and, second, its available indoor spaces have more impediments than most other municipalities.

For example, if a recommendation by heath officials is followed to leave an empty seat and row between participants, only 178 people could meet in the Chenery auditorium and 215 in the new High School theater. And an attempt to convene in the Wenner Field House would be quite costly as the athletic floor will need to be covered and audio/visual equipment installed.

“Many of you will be pleased with this decision, many not. I do hope you will understand that it was made in good faith after many conversations and much reflection. I hope you will bring that same good will to Town Meeting where we will be discussing important and likely contentious issues,” said Widmer.

Summer Internship On Beacon Hill With State Rep. Rogers

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Photo: The Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill, Boston (Credit: Upstateherd – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62661950)

High school and college students with a keen interest in government has an opportunity to participate in a summer internship with Belmont’s legislative delegate in the State House on Beacon Hill.

State Rep. Dave Rogers will be welcoming interns to his team at the State House for the summer. The internships are available to college students, graduates, and high school students who have completed their junior year from the 24th Middlesex District.

Feedback through the past few years is that interns enjoy a richly rewarding experience and learn a great deal about our system of government generally, and the legislative process specifically. Particularly in times like these, it is rewarding to help young people begin to understand the importance of our democratic institutions.

The deadline for applications will be Friday, April 8 (with some flexibility). Interviews will take place over the ensuing weeks, and applicants will be notified of their status by early May at the latest. Those interested in applying should send both a cover letter and resume to Kira Arnott at Kira.Arnott@mahouse.gov

Registration Open For Covid Vaccine Clinics In Belmont; March 22 & 23

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Photo: A pair of vaccine clinics in Belmont this coming week.

You’ll have a pair of opportunities to receive for free a first, second or booster Covid-19 vaccine shot in Belmont this coming week.

Residents will need to resent insurance cards, photo ID, and vaccination cards at their appointment.

On Tuesday, March 22, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Belmont Town Hall, 455 Concord Ave., the Belmont Health Department will provide the Pfizer vaccine to one of two groups of residents:

  • Residents 5 to 11 years old can sign up to receive the 1st or 2nd dose* of the pediatric Pfizer vaccine.
  • Those 12 year old and older can register to receive the 1st, 2nd* or booster dose of the adult Pfizer vaccine.

Register for an appointment at Belmont Town Hall at: https://www.appointmentquest.com/scheduler/2180061935?schedule+belmontvaccineclinic

On Wednesday, March 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Belmont Council on Aging 266 Beech St., the Beech Street Center is offering Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to individuals 18+ to receive their 1st, 2nd or booster dose of the adult Moderna vaccine.

Register for an appointment at the Beech Street Center here: https://hipaa.jotform.com/220694271484157

*As long as it has been 5+ months since their second dose of Moderna or Pfizer, or 2+ months if they received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

If there is any difficulty with registering, call 617-993-2977 or email Dbickelman@belmont-ma.gov for assistance

Letter To The Editor: Support Checkoway’s Re-Election To The School Committee

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Photo: Amy Checkoway is running for re-election to the Belmont School Committee

To the editor:

I am thrilled to support Amy Checkoway in her re-election campaign for the Belmont School Committee this April.

Amy is committed to enabling every student to reach their full potential. She is doing so by staying committed to the goal of providing a normal school year for students in an environment that is safe for students and staff.

Amy works tirelessly to put the needs and well-being of all students first. This is evident from her support for funding programs and staff to support students’ educational, social, and emotional needs at all grade levels.
I have seen what a critically important role Amy has played as the School Committe Chair in the last year. Amy is thoughtful and empathetic when members of the community express concerns. She tackles challenging situations with professionalism. She bases decisions on data and reinstated a more robust evaluation process for holding the Superintendent and School Committee accountable.

Amy’s experience will be invaluable for the students of Belmont Public Schools in the years ahead. I hope you join me in voting for Amy Checkoway for Belmont School Committee.

Meg Moriarty

Garfield Road

No Injuries From Monday Afternoon House Fire On Winslow Road

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Photo: Belmont Fire puts out Winslow Road fire Monday afternoon

A smoky fire at a Winslow Road multi-family house late Monday afternoon left the structure heavily damaged but did not result in any injuries to occupants or fire fighters.

According to a Tuesday email press release from the Belmont Fire Department, at approximately 6 p.m., March 14, the Belmont Fire responded to a call for a house fire. When they arrived firefighters found heavy smoke pouring from the top floor and a female occupant who had escaped the fire with the assistance of a neighbor who raised a ladder to her window.

“Firefighters immediately searched the building for any additional occupants and quickly worked to extinguish the fire. The fire was contained to an area of the top floor of the house and brought under control in about 20 minutes,” said the email. There were no injuries to residents or firefighters.

Mutual aid from the Arlington, Watertown and Waltham fire departments covered for Belmont while Cambridge firefighters assisted at the fire scene. The fire remains under investigation by Belmont Police and Fire.

New York City Is Her Stage: Ellie Shea Captures Indoor 5K National Title During Record-Setting Weekend

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Photo: Belmont’s Ellie Shea set the second fastest indoor 5,000 meters by a high school student in history at the New Balance National Indoor Championships on Saturday, March 12.(Credit: John Nepolian, New Balance National Indoor)

One of the popular activities out-of-towners do in New York City is to head down to Broadway to take in a show.

This past weekend in NYC, Belmont’s Ellie Shea WAS the show. And the stage she starred on was The Armory’s New Balance Track & Field Center in upper Manhattan.

“Recognize this face?,” shouted the overexcited announcer introducing the Belmont High School sophomore before her third race in as many days at the New Balance National Indoor High School Championships held from March 11 to 13. “She’s back!”

Credit: John Nepolian

The Sunday afternoon race was the third time Ellie was racing at the premier high school competition, the only one of the top five runners in the race who ran more than just the mile. And despite running five miles on the boards over the first two days, all in world-class times for a 16-year-old, Shea did not disappoint when the gun went off.

In a dominating series of performances, Shea put her stamp on the national showcase indoor track meet:

  • On Saturday, Ellie destroyed a top-ranked field to win the 5,000 meters indoor title in 15 minutes, 49.47 seconds, a personal best by 20 seconds. She didn’t just break the previous 5K record ever run by a high schooler in the Amory, she took an baseball bat to it, lowering the existing mark by six seconds. She now holds the second best time by a high schooler in history. Shea is the current national 5,000 meter high school title-holder both indoors and outdoors. The race can be seen here: https://www.nbnationalsin.com/eprofile.php?event_id=1164&do=videos&video_id=323920
  • Friday, Shea finished second to Texas senior Natalie Cook – who won the Eastbay National Cross Country Championship in December – in the two mile. Her time of 9:49.2 broke Olympic bronze medalist Lynn Jennings’ Massachusetts record from 1978 by 18 seconds and Katelyn Touhy’s sophomore national record by 6 seconds. Her “enroute” 3,000 meter time – runners are clocked passing that distance during the two mile – of 9:13.4 was just above her PR of 9:08.54 set at Boston University in February. Shea is currently the world’s second fastest female under 18 years old in the indoors 3,000 and fourth in the 1,500, according to the iaaf.
  • In her final race, Shea finished fourth in the mile in 4:41 flat nearly catching senior Riley Steward of Colorado who out leaned the on rushing 16 year old. Her enroute mark for the classic 1,500 meter distance was 4:22.9. She ran her PR of 4:21.42 in the Boston University race where she set her mile best of 4:40.01.

In an interview after her record-breaking 5,000, Shea said her personal goal coming to the meet was “to get as many learning experiences as possible, to race a bunch of different events from 800 [meters] all the way to 5K. And I’m happy that I’ve now pretty much done all the events.”

Belmont Boys’ Hockey Falls To Xaverian, 2-1, As Season, Playoff Run Ends

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Photo: Belmont High sophomore Michael Pomer on the attack against Xaverian in the quarterfinals of the 2022 MIAA Division 1 ice hockey tournament.

The playoff run for Belmont High’s boys’ ice hockey squad ended on a dreary Saturday afternoon in far off Attleboro.

The defense and goaltending that gave up just 25 goals in 22 games was keeping Belmont High in its Division 1 boys’ hockey quarterfinals with Xaverian Brothers High. The Hawks relentless offense and clear shots should have given the opponent more than a single goal deep in the third period but for senior standout goaltender Ryan Griffin who stopped 43 of 44 shots late in the stanza.

Yet in the end, the consistent pressure the Hawks applied in Belmont’s end of the ice foretold the playoff game’s outcome as the Hawks’ senior forward Max Lockwood steered in an in-close rebound on his team’s 45th shot on net with just under four minutes remaining to seal a 2-1 victory over Belmont, sending the Xaverian (19-3-1) into the state semifinals where they meet Arlington on Tuesday, March 15.

Belmont ends the season at 19-2-3 with the program’s second deep playoff run in as many tournaments.

“Great season, great game. We played our usual game, we weren’t going to deviate from that,” said Belmont’s first year head coach Tim Foley postgame. “We have to strike when the opportunity presents itself. We had a couple of chances but didn’t really capitalize on them.”

Belmont High’s senior Matty Rowen and Xaverian’s Max Lockwood face off in the first period of the quarterfinal of the 2022 MIAA Division 1 Boys’ Ice Hockey championships in Attleboro.

“We had nothing left on the bench when this game was over which is all you can ask for,” he said.

Belmont fans and student supporters – bused to the game thanks to a donated bus paid for by Lynn Findlay Homes – hoofed the 80-mile round trip to Attleboro to provide a true playoff experience for the Marauders who were very much the away team.

As they had done all year, Belmont “wanted to jump on them right from the start” said Foley to grab an early lead. With the drop of the puck, Belmont skated by the Xaverian defense and just missed going up in the first 10 seconds as a shot deflected just beyond junior Cam Fici’s reach at the doorstep.

On the other end, the Hawks’ came out banging, looking to sit any Marauder with the puck onto the ice. The Hawks’ game plan was to spread out its forwards and breakout with long “stretch” passes or solo carry the puck deep into Belmont’s defensive zone, somewhat negating the Marauders defensive set up on blocking passing lanes and winning the stick-on-stick battles.

“We knew that was coming and and think we were successful most of the game. But they really dug in and played their game,” said Foley.

Xaverian broke through midway into the first on a text book passing play had the Marauder defense somewhat static leaving junior first liner Joe DiMartino wide-open in front to beat Griffin.

The Marauders spent most of the second watching Xaverian control the puck deep in the Belmont end as Griffin made a series of one-on-one saves. As the clock ticked down to the end of the period, that one opportunity the Marauders were hoping for opened and they took advantage.

Belmont High before the game vs Xaverian in the 2022 MIAA Div. 1 boy’s hockey tournament.

While on the penalty kill, junior defender Joe Gaziano sent junior Shay Donahue and Fici away on a two-on-two break. With both Xaverian defenders preoccupied by Fici – who scored 35 goals in the season – Donahue shot from the left slot was blocked but landing back down on his stick. The junior would not miss from six feet away knotting up match at one with two minutes remaining.

While reminiscent of Marco Santagati’s shorthand goal in Belmont’s 2020 Division 1 semi-final classic vs St. John’s (Shrewsbury) tying that game late, the Marauders could not capitalize on the change of momentum that included a power play that stretched into the third.

Soon Griffin was under assault as the Hawks would station a player at the top of the crease to bang away at every advantage. The stubborn Belmont defense led by Gaziano and junior Peter Grace finally cracked when Lockwood scored from right of the goal with just under three minutes to play. With Griffin pulled, Belmont could only send a few long distance testers at senior goaltender Brendan Flanagan as the horn sounded.

Speaking to his team after the game, Foley told the senior class they “have a lot to be proud of … and had nothing to be ashamed of the way they played and competed in every single game of this season.”

“I know going forward in life, I have no worries that’s any of them rate going to be anything but a success because of the way they performed on the ice and conducted themselves with class everywhere they went,” he said.

Day after the quarterfinals, Belmont High team mates surround Cam Fici after he was recognized by Belmont Youth Hockey for his dedication to learn to skate instruction.

Rink Design Committee Found Its Architect And Maybe A New Plan To Think Over

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Photo: Ted Galante of Galante Architects has been selected to present a design for a new skating rink

They found their designer and now the Preliminary Rink Design Committee is ready to introduce a familiar face to the Select Board at a joint meeting on Monday, March 14 to advance the project to replace the dilapidated facility affectionately known as “The Skip.”

After interviewing three candidates, the committee gave the nod to Cambridge-based Galante Architects and its principal, Ted Galante. If that name rings a bell, it should as Galante won universal praise for his renovation design of the nearly century old Belmont Police Headquarters and the temporary improvements to the Department of Public Works’ building which both opened last year.

His innovative work at the police station included adding an addition to the existing structure while gut its interior resulting saving the town millions of dollars and a decade if it had elected to build a new headquarters. If selected, Galante will join the owner’s project manager Tom Gatzunis from CHA Corp., reuniting the “Tom and Ted” team responsible for the police and DPW projects.

Galante told Committee member Mark Haley earlier in the week that a “very preliminary” design concept could be presented to the Select Board and School Committee “in the first couple of weeks in April.”

“We’ll have some meat on the bone to talk about,” said Haley, who is heading the committee, at its Thursday, March 10 meeting.

The committee agreed that the preliminary design needs to come as a report to Town Meeting in May so the Select Board can place a debt exclusion for the project on November’s ballot. An 2021 feasibility study of a new rink located by the commuter rail tracks adjacent to Harris Field came in the $20-million price range.

Haley also indicated that he will suggest on Monday the committee sees at least three alternatives plans for the rink:

  • Construct a new rink.
  • Renovate the existing structure.
  • A new alternative in which the rink is either renovated or a new rink is located at the current site, with both plans incorporating the White Field House.

The inclusion of the White Field House in any new design recently became a possibility when the Belmont Middle and High School Building Committee pulled funds for the demolition of the 70-year-old structure (along with money for the renovation of the fields west of Harris) to replenish the middle and high school projects contingency funds after they were depleted by a shock of Covid-related expenses.

Haley confessed there is no long term study for a White Field House addition to the rink, “it’s just what are the possibilities and what are the opportunities for the time.”

At the March 14 meeting, the committee will approach the Select Board to broaden its scope by incorporating the fields west of Harris Field in its design work.

Several members said to come up with the most economical overall design would require expanding the committee’s scope to link the fields and rink “in combination” allowing for a more holistic approach to the project.

And while the committee wants to add the playing grounds to its purview, it will specify to the Select Board that funding for the field will come from a separate source. In addition, members agreed that the total square footage of the field space must not be decreased in the new plan.

“I think people would not be happy with that,” said member Meg Moriarty, who represents the School Committee on the group.

”I think in order to get the best rink design … there are so many factors that we’re dealing with: parking, locker rooms, space for other sports,” said Frank French Jr. “Looking at how the fields will lay out in relation to the most efficient rink design … I think makes sense and is necessary in order to achieve our goal.”

While agreeing with the committee on creating an overall design overview that includes both the fields and rink is the way to go, Gatzunis informed the committee that the Middle and High School Building Committee found that the current site of the rink is “an absolute constraint” in accomplishing the goal of building the “most efficient and economical rink.”

Whether or not the rink stays at its present location as new construction or a renovation or is built where the 2021 feasibility study said is optimal, “[I]t will at least answer the question for the community at large: ‘Did you look at everything that you could? Is there a better way to build this mousetrap?'”