What’s Opened, Closed In Belmont On A Wet Thanksgiving 2024

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Photo: Thanksgiving (c. 1935) by Doris Lee (1905–1983), Art Institute of Chicago

It’s going to be one wet and cold Thanksgiving.

From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Belmont and eastern Massachusetts will be drenched with nearly an inch of cold rain with the expected high temperature reaching only the mid-40s. While snow could coat the ground in the Worcester hills and out west in Franklin county and there is some possibility of brief freezing rain statewide, the National Weather Service said as of 4 a.m. on Thanksgiving that it doesn’t have enough confidence in widespread icing occurring in eastern Mass. to issue a Winter Weather Advisory.

Despite the forecast, football is on the early morning menu as the 102nd edition of the Thanksgiving Day rivalry between neighbors Belmont and Watertown high schools will take place on Harris Field at (around) 10:15 a.m.

One of only ten recognized by the federal government, Thanksgiving is both a national and state holiday, so most businesses along with federal, state and town offices are closed shut.

In Belmont, town offices, the Senior Center at the Beech Street Center (which currently houses the Belmont Public Library) and the Benton Library will also be closed on the holiday and Black Friday, Nov 29.

But there are a few places where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen to pick up a coffee or hot chocolate or hit at least one drug store to pickup your prescription you forgot about.

What’s open:

  • Starbucks in Cushing Square (Trapelo and Common) is open from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving and 5 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Black Friday.
  • Dunkin’ at Trapelo Road and Beech Street will be operating from 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The location on Church Street in Waverley Square will be open from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. (go see the newly-remodeled interior that was renovated overnight!) The store at 350 Pleasant St. will be open from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • CVS at 264 Trapelo Rd. is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the pharmacy is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • CVS in Belmont Center on Leonard Street is operating from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The pharmacy is closed.
  • Star Market in Waverley Square is closed.

Epstein Nixes Select Board Re-election Run; Backing Planning Board’s Yates To Fill Vacancy

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Photo: Roy Epstein

Roy Epstein, a two-term member of the Belmont Select Board, has decided not to seek re-election for the seat he’s held since April 2019.

“I wanted to tell you that after months of thinking about it, I’ve decided not to seek a third term on the Select Board this spring,” said Epstein.  “This has honestly been one of the greatest privileges and one of the most interesting jobs I’ve ever had.  As those of you know who have been there, it’s hard to give it up.  I thank everyone who asked me to run again.  It’s very rewarding to have served and to feel that people believe I’ve done a good job,” he said.

“Thank you … for being part of the community in Belmont that is vitally concerned with how our little democracy can continue to thrive,” Epstein noted. “I said in 2019 that good government doesn’t just happen. It takes constant work. And you are key partners in helping to make it happen.

Epstein was first elected to the board in one of the closest races in town election history, defeating Jessica Bennett by 128 votes out of roughly 5,150 ballots cast. He was re-elected in 2022 by a comfortable two-third margin.

In an email sent on Monday night, Nov. 25, Epstein said he will be backing the candidacy of Taylor Yates, the Planning Board chair who has taken out nomination papers for Select Board.

As for his support of Yates, Epstein said he had been impressed with Yates in his support of the leaf blower bylaw in 2022 and his leadership of the Yes for Appointed Treasurer Committee and championing the MBTA Communities Act that came before this month’s Special Town Meeting.

“I know that [appointed treasurer] was controversial and not all of you agreed with the decision.  But Taylor organized a fair, fact-based campaign and events have proved that an appointed treasurer has worked out well,” said Epstein.

Epstein pointed to his experience leading the Planning Board as “an excellent training ground” to fill the seat on the board. “[Yates] showed the intelligence, maturity, and demeanor we need on the Select Board,” he said.

“By the end of the Special Town Meeting, I felt strongly that we had just seen the next member of the Select Board.”

Belmont High Football Thanksgiving Day Game vs Watertown (v.102) At Home

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Photo: Belmont will host Watertown for the 102nd time on Thanksgiving.

Belmont High continues its century-long Thanksgiving Day rivalry with neighboring Watertown as the two sides meet at Belmont’s Harris Field, Thursday, Nov. 28 at 10 a.m.

It’s a game Watertown has circled on the calendar after suffering the most lopsided result in the 101 games played when the Marauders beat up the Raiders, 47-0, at Watertown’s Victory Field. Watertown leads the series, 50-46-5.

It’s been a rebuilding year for both teams as the Raiders come into the match at 3-7 while the Marauders – who lost their two varsity quarterback within the first 15 minutes of the opening game against Shawsheen Tech – come in at 2-8.

Tickets for the game will be online only – in fact, your phone will be used to enter the stands. Go to https://gofan.co/event/2331689 to purchase your tickets. Prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

Town Sets Holiday Hours Through New Year’s

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Photo: Town Hall in Belmont

Belmont Town Administrator Patrice Garvin has released the holiday schedule for town employees and offices.

Thanksgiving holiday hours

  • Wednesday, Nov. 27: 1 p.m. Town Hall and town offices Early Closure.
  • Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving), and Friday, Nov. 29: Town Hall and town offices are closed.

Winter holiday hours

  • Tuesday, Dec. 24: Noon Early Closure
  • Wednesday, Dec. 25 (Christmas): Town Hall Closed
  • Tuesday, Dec. 31: 2 p.m. Early Closure
  • Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 (New Year’s Day): Town Hall Closed

Due to the holidays, no building, plumber or electrical inspection will be performed on Wed., Nov. 27, Thursday, Nov. 28, and Friday, Nov. 29. All inspection requests for these dates will be performed on Monday, Dec. 2.

In a meeting with the Select Board before the first night of Special Town Meeting, Garvin said while she doesn’t want to set precedent of providing early release before an official holiday, she did note that it is just “a few hours” that the staff will appreciate the gesture,

New Belmont Library ‘Topping Off’ Set For Thanksgiving Tuesday, Nov. 26

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Photo: The steel frame of the new Belmont Public Library on Nov. 24

The Library Building Committee is welcoming the community to a “topping off” ceremony for the new Belmont Public Library at 336 Concord Ave. The event will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 26 starting at 11:30 a.m.

The ceremony comes as the steel frame of the two story, 41,500 sq.-ft. structure has been erected in the past month by contractor G&R Construction. Speaking before the Special Town Meeting last week, Library Building Committee member Kathy Keohane said the building is on schedule with the completion of construction by late summer 2005 with an opening day set for sometime in the fall.

The practice of “topping out” a new building began with a Scandinavian tradition of placing a small tree on the top of a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits that had been displaced by the new building.

The last topping off occurred in Belmont was the Middle School section of the High and Middle School in March 2022.

Battle Of The MBTA Communities Maps On First Night Of Special Town Meeting Monday

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Photo: Map 1 will be debated along with a second map by Belmont Town Meeting

A vote of which of two maps Belmont will present to the state on promoting new future housing will highlight the first of three nights of the Fall Special Town Meeting taking place on Nov. 18-20 at the Belmont High School auditorium.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m.

As the Town Meeting attempts to finish its work in three nights – “We will not meet for a fourth night under any circumstances” said Town Moderator Mike Widmer, – each night could go as late as 11 p.m. to accomplish the ambitious goal.

Monday’s agenda will see Town Meeting debate the MBTA Communities Act [ Section 3A of MGL c. 40A] requires towns such as Belmont to create at least one zoning district in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right and meets other criteria set forth in the statute. While there has been , the new zoning is “aspirational” as no new housing is required to be built under the law.

The maps – Map 1 was created over the past year by a citizen’s group and the Planning Board – have two large and one smaller subdistrict falling under the law.

The maps differ in one significant area: Map 1 – which will be presented by Planning Board Chair Taylor Yates – carves out three zoning districts; in the Waverley neighborhood, Belmont Center and a small subdistrict along Belmont Street at the Cambridge town line. Map 2, which will be an amendment to Map 1, retains the two larger zoning district but swopes the Belmont Street subdistrict with the property on Hittinger and Brighton where the Purecoat Plating facility and a dog daycare business is located and the Frank French business adjacent to the MBTA commuter rail line and Brighton.

Town officials and residents who have supported greater commercial development to provide additional tax revenue to the town are backing Map 1 while those advocating for more housing are supporting Map 2.

Before the map vote, there are three additional amendments – one will be a fix to an appendix item concerning the Belmont Housing Authority (known as Epstein Amendment 2), another on lowering building heights in the zones, and finally an amendment removing building footprint maximums and building separation requirements.

After what is expected to be a lively discussion on the amendments, Town Meeting will vote on Epstein’s Map 2 amendment first. If it fails to garner a majority of member votes, discussion will continue on Map 1 as the main motion. But if the Epstein amendment passes, Map 2 will replace Map 1 and will ultimately be voted on.

After votes on the three amendments, the main motion will be discussed and voted on. If the final map article fails, then Belmont will be out of compliance with Section 3A which could result in state sanctions.

Ring In The Season At 34th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting In Belmont Center, Thursday, Dec. 5

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Photo: People celebrating the holiday season in Belmont Center at the annual tree lighting.

Santa Claus continues to find his way back to Belmont. And this year, ol’ St. Nick will visit Belmont Center on Thursday, Dec. 5, for the 34th annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony from 5:45 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The night’s highlight will be Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving on Leonard Street around 6:15 p.m., on top of one of Belmont Fire Department’s engines. Santa will flip on the Center’s holiday lights on a tree adjacent to Bellmont Cafe which is donated by the Belmont Lions Club.

Team Santa will travel down Leonard Street to the M&T Bank branch – the former Belmont Savings Bank – where he and the Mrs. will greet their most significant constituency: children. Parents will get the opportunity to take photos with the jolly old man. Santa will be giving out candy canes and a promise to bring that special present on Dec. 24. 

Leonard Street will be closed, and family and friends are invited to gather and enjoy the holiday lights, meet with Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, listen to Belmont High School’s amazing Madrigal Singers, and enjoy some fried treats. Local business members of the Belmont Center Business Association organize the night’s events.

Seventeen Educators Receive Professional Teaching Status

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Photo: Theresa Burke, a School Social Worker, being congratulated by Superintendent Dr. Jill Geiser for obtaining professional teaching status

Seventeen educators and staff members in the Belmont Public Schools can add “professional status” to their resume.

“Tonight we will recognize educators who have worked diligently over the last three years to earn this distinction,” said Mike McAllister, director of Human Capital who hosted the ceremony during a recent School Committee meeting.

Professional status is bestowed on teachers and other professional employees – including social workers, school librarians, nurses, counselors, and school psychologists – who have served in the School District for three consecutive years and have successfully completed the teacher induction and mentor-mentee programs, and pass the evaluation under a Developing Educator Plan. It provides added job security, allow them to pursue specialized training, and a path to move into school or district administration.

“It required not only that these educators teach successfully and work with their students, but also meet the high expectations of the community and the leadership of the Belmont schools,” said McAllister, who noted that this group faced challenges post-COVID – they were hired in 2021 – and excelled in their roles, often taking on tasks their predecessors didn’t expect.

“As we know, the journey from year one to three is an important time in a career,” said School Committee Chair Meg Moriarty. “Our work is to ensure that our early career teachers develop those skills that are needed to really meet our high standards.”

“The teachers who have earned these professional status have proven that they can consistently deliver on the district’s expectations around these practices,” Moriarty said.

Rebecca Burger Nurse
Nicole Budreau Grade 5 ELA/SS
Theresa Burke School Social Worker
Erin Collins Math Specialist
Jacqueline Duane Reading Specialist
Megan Gallo School Psychologist
Kathleen Harris School Nurse
Devon Kelleher Grade 4
Colleen Leary School Psychologist
Jeffrey Molk Chemisty & Biology
Meghan Newcombe English Language Arts
Ashley Peterson School Social Worker
Samantha Resnick School Social Worker/Adjustment Counselor
Sydney Skiba, Grade 4
Krista Urquhart Guidance Counselor
Oliver Ward Grade 5 (Math/Science)
Jason Zomick School Psychologist

Historic Run Ends As Belmont Field Hockey Fell To Andover In State Quarters Match

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Photo: Belmont coming off the pitch at halftime at the quarterfinals of the MIAA state championship

A brilliant sun was just setting on a crisp fall day as the final horn sounded over Lovely Stadium in Andover as the players of Belmont High School Field Hockey slowly made their way to the sideline. Many just wanted to hold on to their teammates while others stared down at the field. They wanted more time together, to continue the season, win just once more.

But the cold reality was the season had just ended, as Andover came away with a solid 3-0 victory over the Marauders in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Division 1 state championship.

Belmont Head Coach Jess Smith only regret was that for the first time in 21 games, the Marauders didn’t bring their A game to a contest which they needed to be their opponents equal.

“It was not our day,” said Smith “Things didn’t fall the way they needed to. It’s like a basketball; we were hitting the rim and the ball just keeps coming out.”

“Some of those players that could elevate their intensity a little bit, it just didn’t happen,” she said.

Not that 5th-seed Belmont didn’t have its chances. In the first quarter, the Marauders were banging on the 4th-ranked Golden Warriors door. Five times they drove the ball within seven meters of goal. The first opportunity came just a minute-and-a-half into the game when a ball squeezed through Andover’s goalie Lucy Baker’s pads only to be stopped on the goal line.

While Belmont had a 10-6 shot advantage and 10 penalty corners in the 60 minutes, each chance would go wanting. And Andover would prove ruthless, scoring on its first two shots all within 90 seconds in the first quarter. The initial goal at 8:28 by Ella Sewall was one of the rare times this season the defense were out-of-position and missed a critical opportunity to clear the ball from in front of first-year goalie Zoe Bruce. The Warriors second tally from Avery Pitts at 6:51 came from some top-notch passing on a penalty corner.

Senior co-captain Ana Hopkins – who centered “The Wall”, Belmont’s outstanding back line along with junior Neamh Lesnik and sophomore Elise Lakin-Schultz – felt that going behind so early on the road put the team on the back foot.

“We were confident coming into it but no one was expecting [Andover] to so quickly bang those two goals. Once our team gets down, we were kind of like … ,” said Hopkins shrugging. “I don’t think we had it in us today to come back.”

While Belmont saw solid performances from center back Hopkins. first year mid Mia Smith and junior captain Mackenzie Clarke, who attracted double and triple teams, the Marauders couldn’t capture the same momentum which they could find during its 16 game winning streak which included wins against top 10 opponents Reading and Winchester.

While Belmont did push forward in the third quarter, coming close on a shot that barely skipped by the far right post, Andover packed the middle of the field with players stifling the Marauders centering passes from the wings. A late goal in the fourth quarter – a well-placed shot from Caroline Samaras that snuck inside the left nearside post – was the coup de grâce for any Belmont comeback.

Smith said the disheartening ending to the season doesn’t take away from a historic year for the program: a Middlesex Liberty Division title – capturing the crown for first in nine years – and records for wins (18) and shutouts (13) – lead by Bruce who didn’t pick up the game until this year – along with scoring 93 goals while surrendering just 18.

“We did a really good job this year,” said Hopkin, who is one of five seniors on the team. “I’ll miss it forever.”

“In all honestly, it’s a great year. We made it further than we ever thought back in August when we worried we were a .500 team,” said Smith. “The nice thing is it’s a young team and now they’re going to expect this from themselves coming into next season. I think they’ll be really motivated for it.”

Belmont Native Gets Pinned As Newest Member Of The Belmont Fire Department

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Photo: Brendan Shea and his wife, Jess, during the pinning ceremony held at Belmont Town Hall

One of Belmont’s own is joining his hometown public safety family as Brendan Shea was welcomed to the Belmont Fire Department.

At a ceremony held during the Select Board meeting last month, Shea – who grew up in town – received his helmet shield from Belmont Fire Chief David DeStefano while his wife, Jess, pinned his badge to his uniform.

A graduate of UMass-Lowell, Shea was appointed to the department in March and attended the Massachusetts Fire Academy, graduating in August. Currently a probationary firefighter, Shea is assigned to Group One.

DeStefano told the Board that two of the next three people that will be hired are Belmont residents.