The 411 On The Town’s New Trash Collection System

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Photo: A 64-gallon bin being lifted into an automated trash collecting truck.

Note: Below is a letter from the Belmont Department of Public Works with details on the new automated trash collection system approved by the Board of Selectmen.

At their meeting this past Monday, Sept. 25, the Board of Selectmen voted in favor for the Department of Public Works to obtain competitive bids for automated trash collection. This change in service will require residents to place their trash in the provided 64-gallon wheeled cart and set in front of their residence. After the RFP is put out in October and a hauler is chosen there will be information on more specific details. However at this time here are the known details: 

This change in service will require residents to place their trash in the provided 64-gallon wheeled cart and set in front of their residence. After the Request For Proposal is put out in October and a hauler is chosen there will be information on more specific details.

However at this time here are the known details: 

  • Only trash will have automated collection 
  • The Town will provide wheeled 64-gallon containers. There will be a consideration for residents that have concerns maneuvering their carts to the curb. DPW will set up a home evaluation to determine the best method to accommodate the resident. 
  • The option to buy an overflow bag will be available. 

The selectman also voted for the following curbside services to be bid on the next contract. All of the services will remain the same except for bulky items. Residents will now only be allowed one bulky item per week and it must be scheduled through the DPW Office. Residents are now doing this for CRT’s and appliances. 

  • One bulky item per week 
  • Every other week dual stream recycling collection 
  • CRT’s (televisions, computer monitors and laptops) 
  • Appliances 
  • Yard waste collection 

The Belmont DPW feels that the automated collection with 64-gallon carts will balance Belmont residents’ expectations between services, costs and environmental impacts. This will put the Town in a better position now and in the future. 

There will be additional detail information with more specific details in the months after the RFP is awarded. Any questions or suggestions, please contact Mary Beth Calnan/Belmont Recycling Coordinator at mcalnan@belmont-ma.gov or 617-993-2689.

Town’s New 25 MPH Speed Limit Begins Sunday, Oct. 1

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Getting across town will take just a bit longer starting on Sunday, Oct. 1 as the speed limit throughout most of Belmont will be lowered to 25 mph which the Belmont Police will begin to enforce.

This past spring, Belmont Town Meeting voted to lower the speed limit in a thickly settled area from 30 mph. The roads that are exempted from the new limit are:

  • Concord Avenue from Robinwood Road to the Lexington town line.
  • Winter Street from Belmont Country Club to Route 2
  • Mill Street from Trapelo Road to Concord Avenue.

Belmont joins Arlington, Boston, Cambridge, Watertown, Lexington and Somerville which have switched to the lower speed limit.

The Office of Community Development and the Belmont DPW have removed the 30 mph speed signs and have replaced them with 25 mph speed signs. 

Any questions regarding the speed limit or enforcement plans should be directed to Assistant Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac at 617-993-2574.

Schools Asking $2.6 Million For Burbank Modulars At Special Town Meeting

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Photo: Modular classrooms.

The Belmont School Committee will seek $2.6 million from November’s Special Town meeting to purchase and install four modular classrooms and pay for long-anticipated repairs at the Burbank Elementary School.

The classrooms are expected to be up and running by the first day of the 2018-19 school year in September 2018, according to Belmont Schools Superintendent John Phelan who spoke before the Belmont School Committee Tuesday night, Sept. 26.

Phelan told the school committee his talk ‘is a preview of the presentation” he will be making to the 290 Town Meeting members on Nov. 13, which is an update of a report in June after the Burbank was selected to receive the modulars. 

The added short-term space is needed due to the rapid growth of student enrollment throughout the district. In the past year, 132 new students entered the system taking the school population to 4,540 as of September 2017. Additionally, there are more teachers in the elementary schools to help reduce class sizes that reach into the mid to high 20s.

The Burbank’s four modulars, which will cost $1,070,400, will be sited adjacent to the rear of the school building which will allow for a covered walkway between the two structures. A good chunk of the money – $1.1 million – will be dedicated to utility work including bringing electrical, water and gas from School Street to the rear of the school. 

The funds will also pay for the repair and expansion of the parking lot and the overhaul of the asphalt playground area, including possibly adding a turf playing surface at “Maeve’s Corner” a shaded area whose grass surface is turned muddy throughout the year.

“These upgrades at the Burbank were overdue. That back playground should have been replaced years ago. The parking has been insufficient,” said Phelan. 

As in June, the furniture, instructional materials and technology will be paid out of the department’s account rather than add to an already substantial request. 

‘We are asking a lot from the town by asking more money for the modulars, said Phelan. “We want to be mindful that we are advocating for the schools as part of the larger community.”                                    

Selectmen OK Automated Trash Collection, Pay As You Throw Set Aside For Now

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Photo: Kim Slack speaking before the Board of Selectmen, DPW Director Jay Marcotte looking on.

Belmont residents will soon have their curbside trash picked up by an automated trash collection truck requiring each household to use a 65-gallon wheeled barrel to place their garbage after the Belmont Board of Selectmen voted 2 to 1 to back the recommendation of the Department of Public Works Director Jay Marcotte to make a move towards mechanization.

The decision came after nearly four hours of presentations, discussion and debate before approximately 70 residents in the Town Hall auditorium on Monday, Sept. 25. Marcotte will now create a request for proposal (RFP) for a five-year contract by the end of October which will allow the winning bidder to purchase new equipment and acquire the nearly 10,000 bins that will go to each household in Belmont.

While “there is no panacea” when it comes to waste collection, Marcotte told the board the automated system – which is fast becoming the industry standard – strikes “a happy medium” regarding cost and the reduction of trash the town will collect.

He noted that using the barrels with the automated collection trucks – which has a mechanical arm that grabs the cans and flips them into a collection area – is the “right-sized for a majority of similar municipalities.” He pointed to the reduction in the trash in towns such as Burington (24 percent), Wilmington (26 percent), Dracut (19 percent) and  Dedham (35 percent) who have recently turned to automation.

According to Marcotte, Belmont’s new collection program – which will begin in 2018 – is similar to the one operated by the town of Wakefield which began its automated system in 2014.

Marcotte said data the department has gathered indicates the 65-gallon bins will meet the capacity needs of three of four Belmont households.

In a compromise to residents and board members, the DPW will accommodate residents who find using a 65-gallon barrel to be unwieldy, difficult to move, or more than they need by providing a 35-gallon barrel as an alternative.

Adam Dash voted against the motion because it did not have a provision to research the viability of using 35-gallon bins rather than the bulkier one.

While many of the current curbside services will remain in place in the next contract – the town will continue a separate recycling pickup and yard waste collection – large “bulky” items such as mattresses and furniture will now be limited to one free removal a week.                                                                                           

While selecting a traditional pickup and haul collection system, the selectmen said they had not abandoned the Pay-As-You-Throw method from future discussion. The PAYT approach was one of the most hotly debated of the items discussed. A presentation by Kim Slack of Sustainable Belmont focused on the dual benefits of reducing trash while cutting the town’s carbon footprint by undertaking this program. 

PAYT is just that, requiring households to purchase biodegradable bags for between $1 and $2 a bag for trash collection. Slack said that nearly 40 percent of Bay State communities have undertaken this system and have seen trash reduced from 25 percent to 50 percent. 

“Why not encourage more recycling,” quired Slack, noting that Belmont’s rate has not budged from the current 22 percent of total recycling, compared to Arlington’s 30 percent.

But several residents spoke against PAYT, calling it a hidden tax on residents, many who approved a 1990 override that paid for the current system of unlimited curbside collection. 

“I’m suggesting this is an underhanded way of an override,” said former Selectman Stephen Rosales who said recycling rates could be increased with more education, rather than a regressive “tax.” 

At the end of the meeting, the selectmen suggested discussing in the next two years whether to implement the PAYT method with the automated system.

Sold In Belmont: Ranch (House) On The Hill Sells For $1.14 Million

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Photo: A ranch house built on a slab of concrete with oil heat and with a town grade of C+; that’s worth a cool million in Belmont.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 49 Robin Wood Rd., Ranch (1957). Sold: $1,140,000. Listed at $1,129,000. Living area: 2,144 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 50 days. Last sold: June 1989, $325,000. 

• 100 Common St. Apt. 2, Condominium (1880/1980). Sold: $430,000. Listed at $420,000. Living area: 1,278 sq.-ft. 3 rooms, 1 bedroom, 1 bath. On the market: 47 days. Last sold: June 2004, $379,000.

• 483 Pleasant St., [George Varnum Fletcher House] Second Empire/Free standing condo (1868). Sold: $1,770,000. Listed at $2,000,000. Living area: 4,776 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 104 days. Last sold: Sept. 2009, $1,305,375.

• 18 Woodland St. Unit 1, Condo in two-family (1910). Sold: $552,000. Listed at $525,000. Living area: 1,100 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. On the market: 55 days. Last sold: New condo conversion.

• 39 Woods Rd., expanded Cape (1955). Sold: $910,000. Listed at $899,000. Living area: 1,546 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 54 days. Last sold: June 1991, $230,000.

Sports: Allard’s Wonder Goal Gives Unbeaten Belmont 3-2 Win Over Winchester

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Photo: Carey Allard celebrates the winning goal vs. Winchester.

When Winchester forward Anna Carazza’s centering “pass” dropped into Belmont’s net with 12 minutes remaining in Saturday’s exciting battle of the unbeaten between Belmont and Winchester, it appeared the game’s momentum was about to turn in the Sachems’ favor.

But as Winchester – ranked 7th in the Boston Globe’s top 20 poll – celebrated, 60 meters down the pitch Belmont’s Carey Allard was preparing to enter the match, a substitution no one had expected.

Six days earlier, the four-year varsity starter suffered a high ankle sprain against Lexington ending up wearing a medical boot and on crutches. By game day, Allard was able to warm up with her teammates but told Belmont Head Coach Paul Graham she wasn’t fit enough to start against Winchester.

For 70 minutes, Allard sat on the Marauders bench, watching with more than 800 fans on “Soccer Night in Belmont.’

Then with 10 minutes to go, Graham approached his All-Star captain with a question.

“[Graham] asked if I thought I could play the final 10 minutes and I said, ‘Why not?'” Allard told the Belmontonian after the game. 

A Division 1 commit heading to the University of North Carolina – Wilmington next fall, Allard has been the Sachem’s nemesis over the past four years including scoring a long-range stunner in last year’s first-round playoff game that ended in Belmont’s upset victory. With that in mind, Winchester junior Hannah Markham was assigned the task of playing Allard with a tight man-to-man coverage. After eight minutes, Allard had a few brief touches and nothing more.

Winchester’s focus on Allard opened the field to allow other Marauders the opportunity to attack the goal. Sophomore Marina Karalis came close to scoring twice 20 seconds apart; once striking the ball over the crossbar and barely missing the right post. 

As the field clock fast approached the final two minutes and Winchester moving up the pitch, freshman forward Grace Kane – who took Allard’s place in the starting lineup – stepped in front of a pass and fed the senior co-captain who was nearly 25 meters to the left of Winchester’s goal.

One touch, a half turn, and Allard looked at Winchester’s net.

“I honestly said, ‘This is my chance,'” said Allard

The ball flew heading for the right top corner then curving inside the far post by Winchester’s senior goalkeeper Silvia Dowdell. 3-2 Belmont.

Allard’s wonder goal in the final two minutes put the exclamation mark on what was an early season classic pitting two undefeated teams playing at their best before a packed Harris Field in the opener of Belmont’s annual soccer celebration.

“Allard is a threat anytime she’s in that range,” said Graham, who saw his team improve to 5-0-0, tied with undefeated Woburn at the top of the Middlesex League Liberty division. The only blemish to the game’s result; despite defeating a top ten team and recording a perfect record, the Marauders have yet to break the Globe’s Top 20 poll. 

It was a game that saw each team take control of the field, lead changes and physical plays with girls ending up on the turf throughout the contest. 

Winchester had the better of Belmont early on, with their collective speed and quickness putting a damp on Belmont’s plans to set a more controlled pace to the game.

Winchester opened the scoring on a deep cross from finding a streaking senior captain Shelley Blumsack beating Belmont’s defender to put the ball into the upper net.

Winchester’s lead could have been two or three times what they had but for decisive defensive work by the backline anchored by senior captain Natalie Marcus-Bauer who made two sliding tackles deep in the penalty box on solo runs by Winchester wingers.

“I was just focused on containing [any challenge] and forcing them out to the side,” she said, knowing she could rely on the other defenders including juniors Megan Tan and Emily Dexter, while 

Belmont tied the score 18 minutes into the first half on two consecutive free kicks, the second at the edge of the box after a Winchester push. Senior midfielder and co-captain Emma Sass curling shot hit the right post then came out for an onrushing senior forward Morgan Krauss – who was named the player of the match by members of the Soccer Night in Belmont – who headed the rebound inside the left frame.

After going into the half tied at one, Krauss doubled Belmont’s advantage midway through the second half, taking in a Kane pass and rifling it by Dowdell.

But ever so slightly, Winchester found a half step advantage and began pressing resulting in Carazza’s goal. 

For Graham, the victory was a culmunation of switching this alignment – starting with a 3-4-3 and ending with a 4-4-2 and the knowledge that he could put in most of the players on the bench without a drop off in performance. 

“I used 17 players including two freshmen and a number of seniors who don’t start and they all played well. That’s a luxury to have,’ said Graham.

Girls’, Boys’ Soccer Meet Top 10 Winchester Saturday After Scrappy Week

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Photo: Belmont against Leington.

It will an early test of just how good both Belmont High School soccer teams are in 2017 as the Girls’ and Boys’ soccer programs take on league-leading and top 10 Winchester sides on Saturday, Sept. 23  during the annual Soccer Night in Belmont festivities.

Both teams are coming off a week of scrappy games which concluded with the girls’ facing the challenge of possibly playing without its acknowledged leader and star player as it takes its undefeated record up against fellow unbeaten Winchester.

In the match at Lexington on Monday, Sept. 18, which Belmont won 3-1 to up its record to 4-0-0, senior captain Carey Allard suffered an ankle injury late in the game against the Minutemen. In a match which Lexington had tightly marked the Division 1 commit (UNC-Wilmington), the Marauder star came up lame after a collision. As of Friday, Allard’s availability to participate in the contest will be a game-time decision. 

At Lexington, Belmont led 2-0 at the half from a 20-yard blast from Ella Gagnon into the top right corner with an assist from Allard followed 15 minutes later by a left-footed volley into the side netting by Courtney Gray. Belmont added a late goal on an Emma Sass corner kick to the head of Marina Karalis. Natalie Marcus-Bauer anchored the defense and ran down several Lexington breakaways. 

For the Boys’ the previous games showed the teams continued defensive promise if not its scoring punch. In a shocker, the boys’ lost to host and then-winless Woburn, 1-0 on Friday, Sept. 2, before battling back against Lexington to take a 1-1 tie at home. After falling behind after 11 minutes, Belmont took control of the game both on offense and defense. With five minutes remaining in half, a long throw-in from Mich Pomer found Marauder’s Seamus Dullagham who fired a low shot into the net. 

The tie puts Belmont’s record at 3-1-1 as they prepare to take on 4-1-1 Sachems on Saturday.

Soccer Night In Belmont Kicks Off Saturday, Sept. 23 With Doubleheader

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It will be an afternoon and evening of top notch soccer the Belmont High School Boys and Girls varsity soccer teams  headline the second annual Soccer Night in Belmont on Saturday, Sept. 23, joined at the event by hundreds of younger players from Belmont 2nd Soccer and the Belmont Soccer Association, their coaches, and other members of the Belmont soccer community.

Soccer Night in Belmont will feature a doubleheader under the lights at Harris Field on Concord Avenue.

  • It is a game of the undefeated as Belmont High Girls at 4-0-0 take on 8th-ranked (by the Boston Globe) and 5-0-0 Winchester game at 4:30 p.m.
  • Two top 20 teams battle it out at 6:30 p.m. when 13th-ranked Belmont Boys (3-1-1) meet 7th-ranked Winchester (4-1-1). 

2nd Soccer and BSA players will participate by parading out with players during the pre-game ceremonies, acting as ball-boys and ball-girls, and competing in mini-games on Harris Field during halftime of both games.

“This event showcases our successful varsity teams and recognizes the role of Belmont 2nd Soccer and BSA in nurturing the talent that makes up these teams year in and year out,” said event organizer John Carson.  “We had a big crowd of 600+ in 2016 despite the rain, and we’re really hoping to exceed that this year.  It’s a really fun night that builds bonds between our “little kid” players and “big kid” high school players, virtually all of whom came up through the Belmont youth program.”

“We had a big crowd of 600-plus in 2016 despite the rain, and we’re really hoping to exceed that this year.  It’s a really fun night that builds bonds between our little kid players and big kid high school players, virtually all of whom came up through the Belmont youth program.”

Admission to Soccer Night in Belmont is free, and the first 100 kids wearing their team uniform will receive a commemorative soccer gift. Concessions including pizza, hot dogs, snacks and drinks will be available for purchase, provided by Parents of Music Students (POMS) so families can come for the games and feed the kids at the same time.  

Soccer Night in Belmont is sponsored by Belmont 2nd Soccer, Belmont Soccer Association, Belmont Savings Bank, Puma, The Rising, Phoenix Landing, with special thanks to Friends of Belmont Soccer  and Belmont High School Athletic Director Jim Davis.

Protect Your Financial Info From Cyber Attack At Library Talk Saturday

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Photo: Protect yourself from cyber attacks and data breaches. 
You may know Town Meeting Member Paul Roberts as a community gadfly, but he is also one of the leading voices in the world of cyber security as editor in chief of The Security Ledger. (If you run a business, manage an office or just worried that your personal financial information is being passed around internet cafes in the Ukraine, check out his website.)
 
After this month’s data breach of Equifax, which supplies credit information and other information services, could potentially affect 143 million consumers in the United States, what better person to talk about protecting yourself from online fraud and scams which Roberts will be doing on Saturday, Sept. 23 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Belmont Public Library.
 
In the two-hour workshop dubbed “Learn How to Protect Your Information Online,” Roberts, the chairman of the town’s Information Technology Advisory Committee, will discuss some common concerns of residents, including:
  • Are you concerned about online fraud such as identity theft or online banking scams?
  • Do you hear terms like “phishing attacks” but not know what people are talking about?
  • Are you interested in taking steps to protect yourself and your sensitive data online?
This class will give you the information and the tools you need to combat primary forms of cyber crime. Paul will then work with attendees on ways to improve their online security including the use of two-factor authentication and password managers.

Belmont Community Chorus Welcome All Singers For Fall Season

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Photo: The Belmont Community Chorus performing at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast in 2015. (Photo Jirair Hovsepian (c))

The Belmont Community Chorus welcomes all singers, ages 12 and up, who love to sing! 

The Fall session begins Monday, Oct. 2, and runs through mid-December. Rehearsals are Monday evenings, 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Belmont High School Chorus Room, 221 Concord Ave.

For beginner to experienced singers alike, it seeks to provide an opportunity to gather regularly to sing with an ensemble, to improve their vocal skills – no matter the starting point – and to perform at local venues. 

No auditions required. The chorus sings a variety of exciting vocal music from yesterday to today. For more information, contact belmontcommmunitychorus@gmail.com, or visit www.belmontcommunitychorus.org.