Celebrate Belmont Public Library’s Sesquicentennial With ‘Books in Bloom’

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Photo: Poster of the “Books in Bloom” event.

The Belmont Public Library marks its 150th anniversary this weekend with “Books in Bloom,” a celebration of the floral interpretation of books.

Friday Night, March 2, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: First Look Opening Reception

Floral exhibit, music, light refreshments, door prizes and a cash bar.

Tickets are $20/$25 at door.

Tickets available at Belmont Public Library, Beech Street Center, Belmont Books and online. Snow date: March 3.

Saturday, March 3:

  • Flower Arranging Demonstration, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Our Town, Our Library: History Intertwined, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Drop-in multi-media exhibit in the Belmont Historical Society’s Caflin Room.

Sunday, March 4: Family Birthday Party

Celebrate the library’s Sesquicentennial Birthday! Visit and decorate cookies, check out the Friends of the Belmont Public Library used book sale, design your own library, create some fun craft projects, and more!

“Books in Bloom” is brought by the Belmont Library Foundation, the Belmont Public Library, the Belmont Historical Society and the Friends of the Belmont Public Library. All events will be at the library, 336 Concord Ave. 

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Breaking: Joey’s Park Closed For Month Due To Returning Rodents

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Photo: A snapshot of a social media site concerning trash at Joey’s Park.

They’re back!

After a failed attempt to eradicate vermin from their home at Joey’s Park, the Belmont Board of Health and the Highway Division of the Department of Public Works have today, Monday, Feb. 26, closed the popular Winn Brook neighborhood playground for a second time as it attempts to send the rats packing.

The town has hired Assurance Pest Solutions to treat the reemergence of large rat burrows with a deterrent solution dubbed Rat-Out Gel, made of garlic oil and white pepper. The plan is for the irritant to force the rodents into traps at baiting stations in the park. 

While it’s being treated and monitored for the next three to four weeks, the playground will be closed to the public.

This is the second attempt by the town to root out the rats at the park located adjacent to the Winn Brook School. 

The town is urging the public to assist it in keeping the play area clean of food scraps and trash which attract the rodents. In recent weeks, a social media site geared toward parents in Belmont focused on the general level of uncleanliness at the park, including photos of food containers, general garbage, and a soiled diaper.

For more information, contact the Belmont DPW at 617-993-2680 or the Belmont Health Department at 617-993-2720.

Garbage Giant Named Belmont’s New Trash/Recycling Hauler

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Photo: A WM side loading collection truck.

A giant in the waste removal industry was officially named Belmont’s trash and recycling hauler on Monday, Feb. 26 after winning a five-year contract with the town.

Waste Management of Houston was selected by Department of Public Works Director Jay Marcotte and approved unanimously by the Board of Selectmen at the board’s Monday morning meeting. Waste Management’s winning bid of $12.2 million over five years was $2.3 million less than the only other accepted bid from Casella Waste Systems of Rutland, Vermont.

Waste Management services approximately 21 million residential, industrial, municipal and commercial customers in US, Canada, and Puerto Rico with the largest trucking fleet in the waste removal industry with 26,000 collection and transfer vehicles.

The contract includes fully automated trash and recycling collection using 65-gallon (for trash) and 96-gallon (recycling) wheeled barrels, yard waste removal, the collection of Christmas trees and other bulky items as well as a fee for recycling processing. The contract begins on July 1. 

While Waste Management takes over trash and recycling in four months, it will continue collecting curbside waste and recycling manually until the firm has purchased the new trucks that will service Belmont.

“The start date will be when they meet their comfort level,” said Marcotte, which could happen in the early fall. Before then, the DPW and town will reach out to homeowners and residents to educate the town on the new automated system. 

The breakdown of the payments over the five years are:

  • Fiscal ’19: $2,224,296
  • Fiscal ’20: $2,355,554
  • Fiscal ’21: $2,442,192
  • Fiscal ’22: $2,531,867
  • Fiscal ’23: $2,624,685

The first year of the new contract is approximately $350,000 more than the fiscal ’18 fee paid to Somerville-based Russell Disposal. 

Marcotte told the board if there are any changes in the current market for recyclables beneficial to the town, “[Waste Management] promised to renegotiate the contract.” 

Oh, Rats! Community Meeting On Rodent Problem March 15

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Photo: Rat eating – what else? – cheese.

Whether at Joey’s Park in the Winn Brook neighborhood, at Town Field near Waverley Square and from the area nearby Fresh Pond, rats have become an increased nuisance for homeowners and the public using town resources throughout Belmont.

With sightings on the upswing and residents reporting a growing number of rat complaints, the Belmont Health Department, the Department of Public Works and the Buono Pest Control Co. is holding a public meeting “Controlling the Rat – A Community Effort” on Thursday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium, 455 Concord Ave.

ALL-STATE CHAMPS! Perkins, Krafian Take Track Titles, Girls 400 Relay Breaks School Record

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Photo: Belmont’s All-State Champions; Calvin Perkins (left) and Anoush Krafian.

A pair of Belmont senior track athletes raced to the top of the winner’s podium at the 33rd annual MIAA Indoor Track & Field All-State Championship held at Boston’s Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center on Saturday, Feb. 24. 

Calvin Perkins broke the 80-second barrier in the 600 meters, taking first in 1 minute, 19.97 seconds, defeating Newton North junior Theo Burba (1:20.42) by nearly half a second in the two-lapper. 

It was deja vu for Anoush Krafian as the Dartmouth-bound multi-talent won her second all-state hurdle title – she took the 2017 outdoor 100-meter hurdle crown – by the same thinnest of margins, out diving Medway junior Ava Vasile by one-hundredth of a second, 8.26 seconds to 8.27 seconds. Krafian time lowered the school record in the event that she set a week previous winning the Division 2 state championship.

Krafian nearly took two titles, finishing second in the high jump, scaling a season-best 5 feet, 6 inches, only bested by Hingham senior Zoe Dainton who cleared 5’9″. Krafian also took 16th in the long jump, 16′ 6.25″, an event that took place immediately after the hurdles.

Belmont’s quartet in the 4×400 meter relay – seniors Emily Duffy and Carey Allard, sophomore Soleil Tseng and freshman Rachel November – finished in 7th in 4 minutes, 5.06 seconds, breaking the school record of 4:05.33 the team set last week. The Boys 4×400 squad made up of seniors Max-Serrano-Wu, Mel Nagashima, Bryan Huang and Perkins had a rough race with a dropped baton and finished in 3:33.81 for 15th.

The Belmont Girls finished in 6th place with 20 points while the Boys placed 15th with 10 points.



Shooting Four A Title: Belmont Boys Hoops Host Charlestown Tuesday, Girls At Home Saturday
 

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Photo: Belmont 


After successful regular seasons in the books, Belmont High basketball teams will now look forward to the postseason as the MIAA released the sectional playoff tournament brackets on Friday.


Both Belmont hoop teams received the fourth seed in their sectionals which awards the boys two and the girls a single home game. 


The Belmont Boys’ (15-5) will start the postseason against number 13 seed Charlestown High (10-9) in the first round of the Division 2 North sectional at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at the Wenner Field House. The Townies bring a tall front line featuring three starters 6’4″ or taller, including 6’6″ center Franklin Udeh.


If they win Tuesday, Belmont is set to play the winner of Masconomet Regional (15-5) and Melrose (11-9) likely on Friday in the quarterfinals.


In the Division 1 North tourney, the Belmont Girls (17-3) will host the winner of the Revere (16-4), Andover (10-10) matchup in a rare Saturday night game, March 3 at 7 p.m. If Revere comes to town, the Marauders will face Boston Globe and Herald All-Scholastic player Valentina Pepic. The 6’2″ senior center, who has committed to play at Division 1 Niagara next year, led her league in points and rebounds for the second year, scoring her 1,000 career point earlier in the year. 


If Belmont wins, they will meet the winner of the Woburn vs Everett/Beverly contest in the sectional semifinals and the possibility of an epic grudge match against the one-seed Tanners, who with the Marauders share the Middlesex Liberty title. 


International Economics, Cooperation On A High School Scale Comes To Belmont
 

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Photo: Belmont students (from left) Zachery Tseng, Julia Logan, Camilla Carere and Sofia Schlozman took home first place overall and first place for low-income county in the 2018 International Economic Summit. 


Fifty-two students from Beijing joined students from Belmont, Andover and Bedford high schools to compete in the 2018 Chinese-American International Economic Summit, held earlier this month at Belmont High School.


The summit is a day-long interactive simulation that asks students to compete in a wide range of events including quizzes (in personal finance, current events, economics and geography), a debate, and a trade simulation in which students have to negotiate amongst trade barriers, tariffs and financial limitations to execute a predetermined  list of imports. 


The International Economic Summit, which is run out of Boise State University, takes place 30 times a year all over the US. The summit featured 125 students making up 32 teams of 4 students.  Awards were given for best costume, best table display table display, and top performing countries in each of the following categories (low income, middle income, high income, and overall). 


		
		


The one that took place at Belmont High School is unique because it is the only one that features mixed teams of students from two different countries. Students from Belmont and Bedford were on teams that featured two Americans and two Chinese students. The summit involves a significant amount of pre-summit prep so students from Bedford and Belmont have been communicating with the Chinese students for the better part of two months. Prior to the summit, the students took two quizzes, create a global proposal and make a one-minute video of that proposal involving all members of the group. 


Belmont students Julia Logan and Sofia Scholzman, along with their Chinese partners, Jing Jing and Hongguang Paio, took home top performing low-income country, Vietnam, in addition to having the top table display. Belmont students Zachery Tseng and Camilla Carere, along with their Chinese teammates, Tantong Huang and Zicheng Zhao, won the entire summit.


The summit was put on in conjunction with Boise State and the LEAF Network, which is a teacher run and led professional development group in the fields of economics and finance. More information regarding LEAF can be found at http://www.theleafnet.org/


		
		




Belmont Board Of Health To Hold Marijuana Talk, Q&A March 14
 

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Photo: Marijuana will be discussed on March 14.




The Belmont Board of Health and Health Department invites the public to attend a talk by as one of the world’s experts in marijuana on the risks and benefits of this controversial plant titled “The Unbiased Truth; a One Hour Presentation and Q&A” on Wednesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. at Beth El Temple Center auditorium, 2 Concord Ave.


 








With the likelihood a store selling marijuana in or close to Belmont will be up and running by the summer of 2018, a great deal of what’s been discussed concerning marijuana is either incomplete or untrue. To learn the truth about the subject, the Board of Health invited Dr. Kevin Hill, director of Addiction Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and assistant professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, to Belmont.




Hill treats patients with substance use disorders in a variety of settings. His research interests include the development of medications to treat cannabis use disorder as well as cannabis policy, and he has published widely on these topics in such journals as JAMA and Lancet Psychiatry. He provides a balanced factual approach to cannabis and his book “Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed” is a valuable resource for many. He consults on cannabis-related issues to policymakers and prominent sports organizations nationwide.


 


The meeting is free and open to the public through a grant from Mount Auburn Hospital. For more information, call 617-993-2720.








Hoops: Boys’ Behind MVP Yardemian Takes Comcast Title; Girls’ Fade In Championship Match
 

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Photo: Belmont’s Danny Yardemian leads the Marauders to the Comcast Tourament title.


Belmont High Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball did themselves proud at last weekend’s Comcast Tournament taking on some of the best hoop teams in the state at Woburn High School. 


The boys’ defeated Brighton, 72-69, and handled 17th-ranked St. Mary’s of Lynn, 72-61, to win its division as junior Danny Yardemian was named Division MVP. The Belmont Girls’ defeated 2015 state champions Bishop Feehan, 60-57, in overtime and was leading the number 1-ranked Westford Academy by nine points at the half before fading down the stretch and losing in the finals, 54-47. 


Belmont Boys’ came into the tournament on a roll, defeating highly-talented rivals Winchester, Woburn and Arlington to end the regular season on a six-game winning run. In the tourney opener, Belmont faced Brighton, the team which unceremonially knocked off a strong Marauders team in the first round of the 2016 Division 2 North sectionals. It was close early with Belmont up 12-10 after the first quarter with junior guard Ben Sseruwagi leading the way with 6 points. The Marauders upped the lead to five at the half (35-30) as senior forward Will Ellet (16 points) knock down three threes in the quarter. Belmont would keep a margin of between 6 to 10 points through most of the second half when Yardemian scored 13 of his 17 points. A late comeback by Brighton cut the lead to two with 12 seconds to go when sophomore Mac Annus hit one of two and the Panthers missed a pair of treys.


Against St. Mary’s, Belmont followed the same script as before, close in the first while stretching the lead in the second. With Yardemian lead the offense both pointwise and dishing the ball, the Marauders went on a tear, scoring 29 points in the second, hitting four threes to go with a good number of drives to the basket as Annus and Yardemian had six while Ellet threw in a pair of threes scoring nine in the quarter. Up 43-27 at the half, Belmont would stay in the lead by double digits into the fourth when St. Mary’s Stephen Fama (23 points) got the Spartans within nine, 68-59, with a little more than two minutes to play. But Yaremian would seal the victory at the line, hitting 8 for 10 from the charity stripe to end the game with 31 points and the MVP trophy. Sseruwagi joined Yaremian on the all-tournament team and senior Tomas Donoyan was the recipient of the team/scholarship.


The Belmont Boys sits at 15-8 overall and 15-5 in regards to its placement in the tournament.


The Belmont Girls’ used a tenacious defense and clutch play by senior Carly Christofori to take down the top-10 Shamrocks from Bishop Feehan in extra time. Both teams held their own in the first quarter with the Marauders up 12-10 which could have been a larger lead if not for a few missed shots in close. Senior Jenny Call’s two threes and fellow co-captain Greta Propp work inside kept the game tight in the second and when Jane Mahon made a mid-range bucket with seconds left in the quarter, Belmont took a slim one-point lead, 28-27, into the break. 


Bishop Feehan took its largest lead of the game at 5, 42-37, late in the third on threes from seniors Nicole Smith and Anna Shaughnessy only to see a trey from Christofori with five seconds left tied the game at 42 entering the final eight minutes. Down by four midway through the fourth quarter, a pair of threes from Call and Christofori (a game-high 21 points) swung the lead back to Belmont, 50-48. A steal and layup by Smith with 80 seconds left knotted the score at 52. The Shamrocks had the better chances to win the game in regulation – including a missed one and one – but Belmont hung on to send the game into extra time. 


Tan’s three and yet another Mahon mid-range jumper gave Belmont a 57-54. A Tan free throw with 24 seconds left upped the lead by one, 58-54, only for junior Sarah John make a line-drive three to cut the lead to one with 8.3 seconds remaining. On the inb0unds, the Shamrocks fouled Giorgio who had gone 0-6 from the charity stripe. But the junior center nailed the two shots to give the game to the Marauders.


Sunday’s championship game was a tale of two halves as Belmont’s suffocating defense and opportunistic offense took the Gray Ghosts by surprise as Tan came out smoking, scoring 6 points and grabbing three offensive rebounds to lead the Marauders to a 15-2 lead after the first quarter. After Belmont built its biggest lead at 15, 17-2, Westford would finally score its first basket at 5:30 in the second quarter. The rest of the quarter saw each team rely on defense as Westford paid close attention on Christofori at times triple teaming the four-year starter. After Giorgio made two free throws with less than a minute in the half, Belmont stretched its lead to 23-11. But a last-second three-pointer from senior Brooke Pillsbury cut the advantage to 23-14 and was a harbinger of things to come.


Belmont’s third quarter was a polar opposite to its stellar play in the first half, with tentative and questionable shooting and being outrebounded better than two-to-one, the Marauders saw their lead melt away quickly. Westford’s senior guard Emily Bramanti’s trio of threes in the quarter (11 points in the third) led the way for the Gray Ghosts as they outscored the Marauders 18-4 to take a 32-27 point lead into the fourth. Belmont did marshal a comeback behind Giorgio’s eight points in the final quarter (the center led the Marauders with 15 points), cutting the lead to two, 42-40, with 2:19 left. But a three by junior guard Carolyn Graham (her only points of the game) put Belmont down by 7 with a minute to play. 


Christofori and Tan were selected to the all-tourney team and Propp was the recipient of the scholarship.


Belmont finishes the season at 17-3 and awaits the seeding for the MIAA Division 1 North sectionals on Friday, Feb. 23. 


Town Election 2018: Town Meeting Needs Diversity At The Table
 

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Photo: Belmont Town Meeting 2017


[Editor’s note: The Belmontonian encourages all candidates for Town Meeting and Town-wide office to submit a letter on their platform or motivation for running.]


My name is Dovie Yoana King and I’m a candidate for Belmont Town Meeting in Precinct 7. I live on Oxford Avenue with my son, Noah, who is a fourth-grade student at Roger Wellington School. I’m a parent volunteer and PTA member. I’m also a progressive woman of color and survivor of domestic violence who brings a unique perspective to local government. I believe Town Meeting needs diversity at the table, and I hope to be that voice.


A bit about my background. I was born in San Diego and grew up in a low-income neighborhood comprised mainly of Latinos. My mother was a domestic worker and my father was a fisherman and restaurant worker. Neither had much of a formal education, but both taught me the value of hard work. In 1994, I obtained my BA at Brown University and my JD at Northeastern University School of Law in 1999. I am a first-generation college and law school graduate. After several years of representing low-income workers and Spanish-speaking immigrants in New York and California, I was admitted to practice law in Massachusetts. I accepted a job at Harvard Law School and drove cross-country with my son and puppy in tow to make Belmont our home. 


Belmont is a sanctuary to me. I’m a survivor of domestic violence and I relocated 3,000 miles in search of a safe place to raise Noah and rebuild my life after ending an abusive marriage. Belmont has provided exactly that. By speaking openly about my personal story, despite all the costs associated with it, my goal is to advance the discussion about systemic sexism and violence against women. As a Town Meeting member, I will work to ensure that Belmont is a sanctuary for others and that eradicating gender inequality is a top priority. 


These are the issues that matter most to me for Town Meeting:


    

  • Gender Inequality. #MeToo is not a passing fad, but a lasting movement spearheaded by courageous women and truth seekers. I firmly believe that victims deserve to be believed and now’s the time to eradicate gender inequality at all levels of society. As an award-winning victim’s rights attorney and the founder of the organization, Survivors of Abuse Rising for Justice (“SOAR for Justice”), I will continue to advocate for policies that combat sexual harassment, discrimination and gender-based violence.
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  • Diversity. Belmont is a diverse community with a significant population of people of color, immigrants, renters and non-English speakers, but this is not reflected in local government. I will add diversity to our Town Meeting with an approach of building coalitions to get things done, together. 
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  • Schools. Our schools are the cornerstone of the community and should be adequately funded. As a former public school educator and faculty union member, I’m committed to improving Belmont schools. Further, as a mother of a child who suffers from an “invisible” disability (as a result of domestic violence), I understand the importance of offering special education and after-school programs— all students deserve an equal opportunity to learn and thrive.
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  • Affordable Housing. Belmont’s home-ownership rate is solid, but many residents are renters, like me. Others are veterans, seniors and low-income families at the brink of being priced out of the neighborhood. I’m sensitive to the needs of community members facing economic uncertainty and displacement. We need more affordable housing opportunities to keep Belmont’s families safe and intact.
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  • Small Businesses. I support small businesses because they are an important part of the fabric of our town and represent an untapped source for increased tax revenue. As a former small business owner of a law firm, I will push for incentives to attract businesses and stimulate economic growth. 
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In conclusion, I’m honored for the opportunity to represent Precinct 7 as a Town Meeting member. I’m a life-long Democrat and was recently elected delegate to the Massachusetts Democratic Convention where I will proudly represent Belmont and add a diverse voice. 


I invite you to contact me at dovieking@hotmail.com or on Facebook at @Dovie4TownMtg with your concerns or ideas for improving the quality of life in Belmont. 


Thanks in advance for your vote on April 3, 2018. As a reminder, Precinct 7 voters should go to Mary Lee Burbank School to vote, 266 School Street, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.


Dovie Yoana King


Oxford Avenue