What’s Open/Closed Veterans Day In Belmont: Town Offices, Schools, Post Office Shut For The Holiday; Trash/Recycling Delayed A Day

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Photo: Belmont’s World War I memorial, the town’s Cenotaph for residents who sacrificed their lives and who are buried overseas

Standing before the Belmont Lions Club, in the delta fronted by Common Street and Royal Road where in just a few weeks Christmas trees and wreathes will be sold, stands the staid and beautiful monolith bearing the names of the nine residents who gave their lives in the struggle known as the “War to end all wars.”

Cirino, Craigie, Finn, Lincoln, McAleer, Nimmo, Patrioun, Smith, and True.

Dedicated on this day in 1923 then known as “Armistice Day” and renovated in 2015, it stands as the town’s Cenotaph – an empty tomb – its monument to those Belmont sons who are buried elsewhere.

The World War I memorial during its rededication in 2015

Laid on the back of the Bethel white granite monument to those who died in World War I are the last lines to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Voluntaries,” written in 1863 to pay tribute to another company of young men prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the nation.

“So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When Duty whispers low, ‘Thou must,’
The youth whispers, ‘I can.”

Known since the mid-1950s as Veterans Day, today is a federal and state holiday.

What’s Closed:

  • Belmont Town offices, temporary library locations at the Beech Street Center and the Benton Library and Belmont Light are closed. They will reopen to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
  • US Postal Service offices and regular deliveries.
  • Banks; although branches will be open in some supermarkets.

MBTA: Buses and subways on a Sunday schedule, while the commuter rail is on a weekend schedule. Go to www.mbta.com for details.

Trash and recycling collection: There will be no collection Monday; trash and recycling will be delayed ONE DAY this holiday week.

What’s Opened:

  • Retail stores.
  • Coffee shops: Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are serving coffee all day.
  • Supermarkets.
  • Convenience and drug stores (CVS/Pharmacy) open regular hours.
  • Establishments that sell beer and wine are also allowed to be open.

Belmont Field Hockey Reach State Quarterfinals Shutting Out Natick, 2-0; Next Up Andover On Saturday

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Photo: Sophomore defender Elise Lakin-Schultz after scoring Belmont’s second goal against Natick to secure a 2-0 Sweet 16 win in the MIAA Division 1 Field Hockey tournament in Belmont on Nov. 6, 2024.

Relying on its record-setting defense and a pair of goals from the teams most reliable scorers in junior midfielder Mackenzie Clarke and sophomore defender Elise Lakin-Schultz, 5th-seed Belmont High School Field Hockey reached the Elite Eight of the state’s Division 1 field hockey tournament with a dominating 2-0 victory over Natick High School in a second-round matchup held at Harris Field on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Belmont (18-2-0) continues its tournament run into the quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 9, as they face Andover High at the Warriors home field. The game gets underway at 2:30 p.m. Fourth-ranked Andover (17-2-1) reached the quarterfinal defeating Beverly, 1-0. The upcoming game comes 10 years to the week when Belmont lost to Andover, 1-0, in overtime in the Division 1 North quarterfinals in 2014.

Belmont High junior midfielder and co-captain Mackenzie Clarke vs. Natick. Clarke scored the first goal and assisted on the second in Belmont’s 2-0 Sweet 16 match in the MIAA Division 1 tournament.

The win comes on the heels of Belmont’s playoff opening round game in which the Marauders rode roughshod over Barnstable High, 5-0, last Thursday.

“Natick played us tough … but we dominated the play despite all of what they did,” said Jessica Smith, Belmont’s long-tenured head coach after the game. She also praised the defense from the entire team and especially the three backs – senior Ana Hopkins, junior Niamh Lesnik, and Lakin-Schultz – “who played phenomenal, they worked extra, extra hard.”

Belmont High first year goalie Zoe Bruce makes a first quarter pad save against Natick in Belmont’s 2-0 Sweet 16 victory in the MIAA Division 1 Field Hockey tourament.

“I think that being super aggressive and going to every ball is something that worked well,” said co-captain Hopkins. In the third quarter, the Red Hawks crossed the midfield line just once and had its only penalty corner with three minutes remaining in the game. Final shot totals were seven for Belmont and one for Natick.

Since losing to Reading 2-1 on Sept. 13, Belmont (18-2) has compiled a 16 game undefeated/untied streak with 13 clean sheets. Over the regular and post season, Belmont has scored 93 goals while giving up 15, with first-year goaltender Zoe Bruce in the net who picked up the game in the spring.

In the Elite Eight match against Andover, “scoring on [penalty] corners with teams like in the top five is going to be key because it going to be tough to score on,” said Hopkins.

“The kids don’t remember what its like to loss, so they go out expecting to win every single game. I think with more energy, I’m expecting to win,” said Smith.

Harris WINS … In Belmont As 3/4 Of Registered Voters Cast Ballots In Presidential Election

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Photo: Felix Firenze announces the closing of the polls at Precinct 2 (Town Hall) on Nov. 5, 2024

If Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris was able to carry Belmont, Michigan (6 percent) and the rest of the Great Lakes State by the same margin she did Belmont, Massachusetts (55 percent) in the presidential election on Tuesday night, Nov. 5, media outlets would have had to rewrite their Wednesday morning headlines.

But while there was no “Blue Wall” in western Michigan where Belmont is located – or anywhere else – Harris can take a small amount of solace knowing she won the Town of Homes in a landslide. With exactly 75 percent of registered voters casting ballots, Belmont, as expected, came out in droves for the vice president casting 10,565 votes (75.6 percent) for Harris. Runner up was the GOP-backed candidate former president Donald Trump. The self-described Republican and recently convicted felon took home 2,828 votes (20.2 percent). Harris’s support in Belmont outpaced her tally statewide where she collected 62 percent of the electorate.

As Belmont voters endorsed the winners of the individual races for US Senate (Elizabeth Warren), US House (Kathleen Clark), State Senate (Will Brownsberger), and State Rep. (Dave Rogers), the same could be said with four of the five ballot questions.

Belmont joined voters state-wide supporting the audit of the state legislature (Question 1), allowing ride-share drivers to join unions (Question 3), rejecting raising the minumum wage for tipped workers, although the margin was tight in Belmont (53 to 47) as opposed to the state (64-36). Belmont also voted down the sale and taxing of psychedelic (mu)shrooms (Question 4).

Where Belmont voters buck their fellow Bay State voters was to retain the requirement high school seniors pass the state’s MCAS competency exam for graduation (Question 2). Local voters voted down the measure, 46 percent to 54 percent, while state-wide the question passed by a healthy margin, 59-41.

While there was a strong voter turnout with 13,971 casting ballots (out of 18,864 registered voters), Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman said she was expecting a participation rate on par with the last four presidential elections between 80 and 84 percent.

Voters continue to rely on advance voting options as Cushman said 7,621 ballots were cast via early in-person voting and mail-in ballots. Cushman told the Belmontonian she wanted to give a loud shoutout to the employees of the US Postal Service who “went above and beyond” to deliever ballots in an efficient manner over the past weeks.

Library, Rink Projects Receive Historic Donations From Belmont Savings Bank Foundation

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Photo: The members of the Belmont Public Library building committee, the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation and the Belmont Select Board during the presentation of a $2 million donation

As the first steel beams are reaching skyward at the building sites of the Belmont Public Library and Community Skating Rink, each were recipients of two of the largest dollar donations in the town’s history.

At its Monday night meeting, Nov. 4, the Belmont Select Board accepted checks from the non-profit Belmont Savings Bank Foundation for $1 million directed towards the construction of the community skating rink and recreation center, and $2 million for the building of the new town library. The $3 million in total grants is the largest philanthropic contributions ever given to the town, as well as the largest grants provided by the foundation.

“I want to … extend our deepest thanks to the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation,” said Select Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne as she and the other board members stood with the building committees of each project and the foundation’s leadership for celebratory photographs. Dionne identified the four members of the foundation’s board – Robert J. Morrissey, Patricia Brusch, Hal R. Tovin, and S. Warren Farrell – “for their dedication to Belmont, and the projects and organizations that so significantly improved our community.”

Speaking for the library building committee, Kathy Keohane noted the foundation is sponsoring two prominent spaces in the new building: the Commons which will serve as the building’s “hub” located at the center of the facility, and the events space which will be named the Robert J. Morrissey Hall, dedicated to the former Chair of the Belmont Savings Bank.

For the past 13 years, the BSBF has contributed $4 million in philanthropic giving solely focused on donations to Belmont organizations and projects. Some include the new Underwood Pool, the Veteran’s Memorial at Clay Pit Pond, the renovated Belmont Police Station, the construction of numerous playgrounds while supporting the Foundation for Belmont Education, Belmont Boosters, and the Belmont Farmers Market’s SNAP program and numerous additional groups and projects.

“These unprecedented donations for Belmont’s library and rink honor the history of the bank and serve as a lasting legacy of the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation’s commitment to the town of Belmont and its residents,” according to a BSBF press release.

The foundation was created when Belmont Savings Bank, founded in 1885 as a mutual savings bank, went public in 2011, raising $2 million in seed funding. When the bank was acquired in 2019 by People’s United Bank, the foundation remained independent, which is unusual in the aftermath of a bank merger.

Planning Board’s Chair Taylor Yates Forms Committee For Select Board Run [VIDEO]

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Photo: Taylor Yates (center) with Campaign Manager Adam Dash and Treasurer Cabell Eames

Planning Board Chair Taylor Yates has officially formed a campaign committee to seek election to the Belmont Select Board in the 2025 town election.

With his campaign Chair, former two-term Select Board member Adam Dash, and Treasurer Cabell Eames at his side, Yates submitted the required paperwork to Town Clerk Ellen Cushman on Halloween, Oct. 31, being the first candidate in the race for the seat currently occupied by incumbent Roy Epstein.

A relative newcomer to Belmont – he settled on Lawrence Lane in 2018 – Yates has been part of Belmont government almost from the start of his residency when he was appointed in early 2019 to the Vision21 Implementation Committee where he was appointed chair in 2022. He was elected to Town Meeting from Precinct 2 in 2021. He was appointed by the Select Board to the Planning Board in 2023. A real estate agent, Yates lives with his wife and two young children.

This year, he and Paul Joy of the Economic Development Committee spearheaded initiatives at the annual Town Meeting on restaurant reform including parking expansion. He has been a leader in special permit reform, chaired the Yes for Appointed Treasurer campaign, and led the Planning Board through the conclusion of the MBTA Communities Act.

“Belmont is going to make profoundly consequential decisions on our finances, our schools, and our zoning over the next three years. A new generation of leadership on the Select Board will be instrumental in ensuring that we evolve for a new era and nurture what makes Belmont special,” said Yates in a press release dated Oct. 31.

“I was impressed by Taylor’s qualifications and appointed him to the Vision 21 Implementation Committee to shepherd the town’s comprehensive planning process,” said Dash.

“His leadership will be crucial as we make important decisions on finances, education, and zoning,” said Eames. “Supporting a new generation of leaders is key to preserving Belmont’s uniqueness while seizing future opportunities.”

Belmont High Volleyball Knocks Off No. 8 Bishop Feehan In First Round Upset

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Photo: Belmont High School Volleyball’s Wenxi Wang (No. 11) in action earlier in the season.

Last year, Belmont High Volleyball entered the Div. 1 state championships as the ninth seed with an impressive 17-2 record (and a first-ever Middlesex Liberty title) with high hopes of a long run in the tournament. But the Marauders found themselves walking off the Wenner Field House court heartbroken after falling 3-2 to 24th ranked Lincoln/Sudbury Regional in the first round upset.

“There is that pressure as the higher seed,” said Belmont Head Coach Jen Colture at the time. “There’s an expectation you have, and the other team has no expectations. They had nothing to lose.”

Fast forward on Halloween in Fall River, it was the Marauders’ turn to play with nothing to loss. And on the night for tricks or treats, the 25th seed Belmont came back from a set down to sweep the next three to upset 8th ranked Bishop Feehan High, 14-25, 25-23, 25-14, 25-19.

While Belmont took time to find the right mix of players and positions, the Marauders entered the tournament registering an 8-2 record in the end of the season, showing its potential in the playoffs. It was less an upset than a solid win for the Marauders.

It was the team’s front line standout junior Wuyee Ke that led the way with double digit kills (11) with a kill percentage just over 25 percent. Ke was only second (4) to senior Gabrielle Hashioka (6) in serving aces as Belmont totaled a gaudy 16 aces in the four sets. Of 90 serves, Belmont only committed four errors, a 96 percent success rate.

Quarterbacking the Marauders was junior Sophia Qin who handled the ball 115 times and assisting in 26 winning shots.

Defensively, the pair of junior Sadie Boas and sophomore Yekaterina Polina prowled the net, making a total of three all important blocks against the Shamrocks while Ke (26) and Hashioka (20) put in the work digging the ball off the court.

Belmont (13-8) will make a second long trip south as they travel down Rt 495 to Franklin for a match against 9th seed Panthers (15-5) on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m.

Performing Arts Company’s Modern Production Of ‘Star-Cross’d Lovers’: Romeo & Juliet Wrapped In A Punk Shroud

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Photo: Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet is being presented by the Belmont High School Performing Arts Company.

The Belmont High School Performing Arts Company’s Fall Play is William Shakespeare’s ROMEO & JULIET.

The Bard’s great love story of “a pair of star-cross’d lovers” and the family feud that drives them to a tragic end gets a contemporary update by the PAC. Inspired by punk rock and grunge of the 1970s-1990s, the production produced and directed by Belmont High Theater Arts teacher Ezra Flam highlights the wild, violent, humorous and impulsive passions of youth.

CONTENT WARNING: The PAC Production contains depictions of violence, suicide and domestic abuse. It may not be appropriate for young children.

Performances are Thursday, Friday & Saturday. ​Nov. 7, 8 and 9
The curtain rises at 7 p.m. in the BHS Black Box Theater

TICKET INFO:
ADULTS: $12, CHILDREN: $7
​BHS STUDENTS/STAFF: $5 all performances

Tickets are on sale online. Advance purchase recommended.
BHS Students/Staff can get tickets in school during lunch the week of the show

Poster by Wynn Tenhor ’25

Belmont Votes: Presidential And State Election ’24; Schools, Town Offices Will Be Closed Nov. 5

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Photo: Belmont goes to the polls to vote for President on Tuesday, Nov. 5 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voting in the Presidential and State Election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Belmont public schools and town offices will be closed for the day.

Any questions about elections in Belmont can be found here, or contact the Town Clerk’s Office at (617) 993-2603. (although the clerks will be very busy Tuesday.)

Voters will cast their votes for President and Vice President of the United States, US Senator and member of the US House of Representatives, Massachusetts State Senate and State House seats, Governor’s Council, and Middlesex County Clerk of Courts and Register of Deeds. Here is a sample ballot.

There are five ballot questions which voters can support or reject.

Belmont’s eight polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters must go to their assigned voting precincts:

Precinct One: Beth El Temple, Zonis Auditorium, 2 Concord Ave.

Precinct Two: Belmont Town Hall, Select Board Room 455 Concord Ave.

Precinct Three: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.

Precinct Four: Daniel Butler School Gym, 90 White St.

Precinct Five: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.

Precinct Six: Belmont Fire Headquarters, 299 Trapelo Rd.

Precinct Seven: Burbank School Gym, 266 School St.

Precinct Eight: Winn Brook School Gym, 97 Waterhouse Rd., Enter from Cross Street.

Voters can also return their mail-in ballots by dropping it off in-person at Town Hall using the green drop-box located at the base of the stairs. It is available 24/7 until it closes at 8 p.m., Tuesday.

Voters who have been informed that their voting status has been changed to Inactive should be prepared to present identification before being permitted to vote.

Due to the number of offices up for grabs, five ballot questions and interest in the election, expect to wait in line to cast a ballot. So come early on Tuesday and avoid the last minute rush.

Senior Tax Relief One Step Closer As Working Group Gets Its Charge

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Photo: Beech Street Center, home of the Belmont Senior Center

Belmont took one giant step towards a promise linked to this year’s successful $8.4 million override when the Select Board voted unanimously at its meeting on Oct. 21 to formalize the Senior Tax Relief Working Group.

“It is something that has been talked about for years and we finally are moving towards a best case solution,” said Working Group member and Belmont Library Board of Trustees Chair Kathy Keohane. Mark Paolillo, formerly on the Select Board, Comprehensive Capital Budget Committee member Aaron Pikcilingis, and the team’s pro-tem Chair, Financial Director Jennifer Hewitt, made up the working group.

Created in July, “a good bit of what we’ve been doing is just understanding the current state and then outlining … what actions could we take short-term, medium-term, and long-term,” according to Keohane.

At last Monday’s meeting, the task force highlighted the need to formalize their responsibilities and membership. As of Monday, the committee was only a quasi-formal group acting in an advisory role to the Board. Having never been sworn in by the Town Clerk, their actions were limited.

“I think the charge [the specific set of responsibilities, goals, and objectives assigned to a group] is going to make them a whole committee,” said Town Administrator Patrice Garvin.

The committee’s first objective is to present an article at the upcoming Special Town Meeting next month asking the members to accept the provisions of MGL Chapter 60, Section 3d, which will allow the town to establish a fund to defray the real estate taxes of elderly people. The article also indicates that the fund will be administered by a new committee made up of the Chair of the Assessors, the town Treasurer, and three residents.

After successfully adopting Chapter 60, the major goal facing the Work Group will be reviewing the list of available options under the dozens of potential clauses in the general law and presenting a subset of those to the annual Town Meeting in May 2025. Under the law, the town is limited to a single exemption plan.

And one such clause in the law favored by the Task Force is what several towns have gravitated to: creating a donation fund.

“Residents would be able to donate to a fund [which] would be administered by the committee, and it would be allocated according to eligibility rules,” said Hewitt. Keohane said, “Many surrounding towns already have and implement such a fund… many years ago. So this would be a very positive step forward, and we can work through the mechanics.”

The Select Board’s Roy Epstein questioned who actually establishes the eligibility criteria: Does the new committee create them, or are they simply recommendations to the Select Board that can be approved, rejected, or enhanced? Hewitt believed that would need to be determined.

The task force discussed the importance of establishing guidelines and the committee’s role in determining which seniors are eligible to participate in the program. The group is also eager to receive community input, especially regarding establishing guidelines and the committee’s role in determining which seniors are eligible to participate in the program.

“Obviously, anytime you put something out there, more sets of eyes just provide more information and more feedback. So you just go and continue to refine and retool and update as we go,” said Hewitt.

Paolillo noted that while the group is leaning towards a donation model, all recommendations must undergo a financial analysis to determine their short—and long-term effects on the town’s budget.

“I think we are open-minded about all the different options. Clearly, the financial impact of that has to be considered.”

Hewitt also discussed the potential for a petition for a separate tax relief program and the impact of the new state-approved Hero Act on veterans’ exemptions.

The new task force will report in greater detail to the Select Board in February/March.

“We’ve been working on some updates to some existing programs, focusing on outreach and education, updating and enhancing policies and procedures,” said Hewitt. “We are definitely a work in progress.”

What To Do With Pumpkins After ‘alloween? Belmont Helps Will ‘Rescue’ Them At Town Hall Sunday, Nov. 3

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Photo: Bring your pumpkins to Town Hall … but only on Sunday, Nov. 3!

Halloween has come – along with a late fall “heat” wave – and gone. For many residents, the most pressing question facing them is what to do with all their pumpkins. The usual options are limited to letting them rot on your front stoop, toss them into the woods (the wildlife will thank you), or wait for some mischief youngster to smash them in the middle of the street.

But what is becoming a welcome tradition, Belmont Helps is holding a “Pumpkin Rescue and Charity Donation Drive Thru” on Sunday, Nov. 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Just load up those giant winter squash in the van or SUV to 455 Concord Ave. in Belmont Center and volunteers – or you can do it also – will fling the orange fruit into a truck waiting to drive the collection to a composting pile.

Belmont Help’s Amy Kirsch said the non-profit – founded in 2020 to alleviate food insecurity in Belmont and respond to the pressing needs of its neighbors – will also be collecting donations of cash, coins, and gift cards that will help the volunteer organization to provide assistance to those seeking help during the coming holiday season.