Financial Watchdog Committee OK With Funding for New HS Design, Modulars

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont Superintendent John Phelan at the Warrant Committee.

The Warrant Committee unanimously supported proposed funding sources for two outstanding school capital needs: the purchase of six modular classrooms to be located at the Chenery Middle School and the hiring of a project manager and funding for a feasibility study and schematic designs for the renovated/new high school.

The vote by the committee, which is the financial “watchdog” for the Belmont Town Meeting, came after short presentations by school and town officials at the Chenery Middle School Wednesday night, April 13.

What makes the funding approach different from the traditional method of issuing bonds to raise the funds, the town is arranging to pay for these needs via in-town financing.

The $1.4 million proposed by the School District for six modular classrooms to be located on the Chenery Middle School tennis courts will come from the town’s “free cash” account; the $1.75 million to pay for creating plans and hiring a property manager for the new Belmont High School project will come from the proceeds of the sale of town-owned property off Woodfall Road to a luxury residential developer.

The new classrooms – which will be ready for the start of the upcoming school year in September – are needed as the district grapples with continued overcrowding as enrollment levels continue to skyrocket, with a projected 400 additional students entering the system from Oct. 2015 to Oct. 2019.

“And we have a very real need at the Middle School” when it comes to finding space to use for teaching, said Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan, pointing out that classes are being taught in areas previously used as offices and storage rooms.

The modular classroom will be purchased rather than leased after an analysis conducted by the town’s Facilities Department found it is cost beneficial to own the pre-hab structures if held for more than three years, according to Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan.

According to the superintendent, “we will be in need of this space for some time,” upwards to a decade, said Phelan.

“If I could find the money and the space, I would ask for six more classrooms,” he said.

The direct transfer of the $1.75 million from the sale of the Woodfall Road property to the newly created Belmont High School Building Committee “just made sense” as the sale was a “one-time funds from the sale of a capital asset,” said Sami Baghdady, chair of the Board of Selectmen and the board’s representative on the committee

These funds will pay for the initial stages of the renovation/new construction of the high school including feasibility and design studies that are required to be financed within 220 days after the project is approved by the Massachusetts School Building Authority in January.

While there are other financial avenues the town could have traveled to pay for the project – free cash and a special account known as the Kendell Fund which has more than $3.3 million – a discussion among town leaders and the Treasurer’s office that the Kendell fund should preserve to finance studies of future capital projects including a Police Station, DPW Yard, and town library.

While there will be a need for additional funds down the road, the Woodfall Road money should be “enough funds to get the Belmont High Building Committee through the initial feasibility phase.”

Authors Springs Into The Chenery for Summer Reading/Book Fest

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Young Adult authors and Belmont residents Diana Renn (left) and Ammi-Joan Paquette who will participate in the “Spring Into Summer Reading” Author Festival & Book Fair.

The Chenery Middle School is where the action will be this afternoon, Thursday, April 14, as seven Young Adult book authors will meet readers and answer questions at the “Spring Into Summer Reading” Author Festival & Book Fair from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Chenery Middle School cafeteria.

The fair is open to all students, especially those from the town’s four elementary schools.

The authors attending the fair include: 

  • David Yoo, 
  • Erin Dionne, 
  • Josh Funk, 
  • Julie Berry, 
  • Kekla Magoon, 

And a pair of Belmont resident authors 

  • Diana Renn
  • Ammi-Joan Paquette

In addition to meeting the authors and asking them questions, participants can attend workshops and presentations – Dionne will speak about writing a catchy beginning to stories to “hook” the reader – and buy books that the authors will sign. Each book sold will help support the Chenery library!

Town Meeting Preview: Warrant Briefing Thursday Night at the Beech

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The warrant briefing from October 2014.

Think of today’s Warrant Briefing as a movie trailer; attending will give the public the “coming attractions” of Belmont’s annual Town Meeting in three weeks time.

Tonight, Thursday, April 14 at 7 p.m., the Belmont League of Women Voters and the Warrant Committee is co-sponsoring this briefing at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.

This is an opportunity for Town Meeting member and the general public to ask questions of town officials and department heads each of the warrant articles prior to the annual Town Meeting beginning on May 2. 

Michael Libenson, Warrant Committee chair, will preside. 

Unfinished Business: Caucus Set In Precinct 7 To Fill Still Empty Town Meeting Seats

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Caucus to be held to fill remaining Town Meeting seats.

There is some unfinished business to complete in Precinct 7 as voting in the Town Election failed to select a pair of one-year Town Meeting seats in the district located in the southeastern section of Belmont which will result in a caucus being called to fill them, according to Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman.

First the good news. Despite only nine residents electing to run for 12 three-year slots to represent the neighborhood at Town Meeting, three residents received write-in votes that secured their places in the town’s legislative body.

They are: 

Kathleen Lowrey Bonnin, Sarah Jackson and Paul Nelson who received 26,25 and 22 votes. 

But only one of the three single-year seats was filled as write-in candidate Claire Crawford received four votes to win. (Crawford was not the Town Meeting member with the least number of votes to be elected; Elaine Alligood was elected to a one-year term in Precinct 5 with just three write-in votes cast.)

Since the two seats are known as “failure to elect,” a caucus for Town Meeting Members will be held on Tuesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, Room 2.

Any voter of precinct 7 is eligible to run.

Sports: Bartels’ Arm, Bat Lead Marauders Over Concord Carlisle in Opener

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Cole “Stone” Bartels

You knew that senior pitching sensation Cole Bartels can win a game with his right arm. Yesterday, Monday, April 11, the senior captain showed that he could win a few with his bat.

In Belmont High’s season opener (move over, Red Sox) at Grant Field, the Division 1 commit showed mid-season form as he mowed down the Concord-Carlisle Regional nine, striking out 13 over five innings – five of final six victims caught looking – while going 4-4 at the plate including a first-inning homer as Bartels led the Marauders to an 11-2 drubbing of the Patriots.

“I’ll take a Cole Bartels the way he was pitching today,” said Belmont’s long-time head coach James Brown, who is looking to improve from finishing the past three seasons with a 11-9 record. 

After punching out two of the first three batters to start the game, Bartels came to the plate with center fielder Bryan Goodwin (who reached base on an error) on second when he took a non-breaking ball over the fence in left to give Belmont a quick 2-0 lead. DH Ryan Noone brought home catcher Cal Christofori (single) and first bagger Dennis Crowley (double) on an sharp hit ball that was kicked around by the third baseman to give the Marauders a big four run lead. 

The early advantage – a rare occasion last year – gave Bartels the upperhand over the Patriots, which went to the Division 2 North semifinals last season, and he took advantage by mixing up his fast and breaking balls which left the batters guessing what was coming next. 

Bartels helped his own cause in the second as he drove home left fielder Trevor Kelly (who singled and took second on a wild pitch) on a single to center. 

While he did experience some wildness in the third – going to full counts on four of the five batters and allowing a walk and an unearned run – Bartels was in control for his five innings on the mound, registering the six final outs by strikeout while giving up two walks and a hit over that stretch.

Second base Noah Riley nearly joined Bartels with an opening day dinger as his fourth inning blast hit the bottom of the fence in dead center for a double. He came home (Riley reached third on an error) in a cloud of dust as he slid/flopped on home plate beating the throw on Kelly’s fielder’s choice.

Other Marauders doing things in the box was David Bailey who went 2-2 with a run after coming in in the fifth.

Belmont is on the road Tuesday, April 12 against the Big Red Machine of Melrose which went 13-7 last season. 

IMG_2778 IMG_2782 IMG_2784 IMG_2801 IMG_2802 IMG_2809 IMG_2827 IMG_2843 IMG_2856 IMG_2863 IMG_2873 IMG_2877 IMG_2880 IMG_2887 IMG_2893 IMG_2897 IMG_2912 IMG_2924 IMG_2939 IMG_2946 IMG_2954 IMG_2960 IMG_2976 IMG_3000 IMG_3014

Obituary: Dan Pergamo, Retired Acting Belmont Police Chief

By Leave a Comment

Photo: 

Daniel Patrick Pergamo, who served in the Belmont Police Department for more than four decades retiring as its acting Police Chief, died Saturday morning, April 9, 2016.

He was 80 years old.

Pergamo was born in the Kerry Corner neighborhood of Cambridge which once stretched along the Charles River and Putnam Avenue. After serving in the Navy on a submarine, he joined the Belmont Police Department where he spent 33 years on the force, moving up the ranks to end his career as the acting police chief. He attended school nights to earn his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University and then his master’s degree in Criminal Science from Anna Maria College in Paxton.

When asked what he did before he retired, he would say “I worked for municipal government.”

Daniel and his wife, Helen – with whom he raised four children – loved to dance and would spend Saturday nights either at the Canadian American Club in Watertown, the Irish American Club in Arlington, or Hibernian Club in Watertown with their many friends dancing the nights away.

Daniel leaves his wife of 57 years, Helen (Poirier), and his children; Carole Sceppa and her husband Joseph of Burlington, Patti Naylor and her husband Michael of Billerica, James and his wife Susan of Belmont and Joanne Shortell and her husband John of Burlington. He is the grandfather of Michelle Proehl, Daniel Naylor, Kristen and Nicole Sceppa, Michael and David  Pergamo, and Brendan and Erin Shortell and great-grandfather of Matthew Proehl.  He was predeceased by his siblings; Joseph Pergamo, Mary Mercer, and John Pergamo.

Visitation will be held at the Edward V Sullivan Funeral Home (which supplied the information for the obituary) in Burlington (Exit 34 off Rt. 128/95, Woburn side) this morning, Tuesday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at noon Tuesday. Burial will be private.

Instead of flowers, memorials in Daniel’s name may be made to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org

Belmont High Sheltered in Place During Bomb Hoax That Struck The Region

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont High School.

In a more innocent time, pulling the fire alarm on the day the Red Sox opened the season in Boston – so they could sneak out in the confusion – was considered par for the course in student stupidity.

That is no longer the case in the world today.

When Belmont High School officials received a robocall this morning just before 9 a.m., Monday, April along with more than a dozen high schools in greater Boston, the school’s students were sheltered in place for 50 minutes until the threat was declared over. 

“We just remained in classes,” a student text to the Belmontonian. “No one could leave the class but there was no learning disruption,” the student added.

While the school was in place, Belmont Police officers along with Belmont Fire conducted a sweep of the school, searching trash cans and closet spaces. Belmont’s K9 Grim also was used. The students were not evacuated during the threat assessment. 

Coincidentally, Grim along with several other K-9 teams from area police and public safety agencies conducting a routine sweep of Belmont High School on Friday morning, April 8.

“We knew that other schools were being called so we knew it was some kind of hoax,” said another BHS student who contacted the Belmontonian.

Belmont High Principal Dan Richards sent an e-mail blast to parents advising them of the situation.

“[Public Safety officials] have deemed the threat to not be credible. At this time I am lifting the “Hold in Place” and students should report to their … class,” said Richards.

7 News’ Sports Director Amorosino At Belmont Woman’s Club Wednesday

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Joe Amorosino of 7 News.
Belmont youth and adults are invited to meet Emmy recipient 7 News WHDH-TV’s Sports Director Joe Amorosino, who will speak at the Belmont Woman’s Club/the 1853 Homer House at 661 Pleasant St. on Wednesday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m.

Amorosino covered all four Patriots Super Bowl wins (2002, 2004, 2005, 2014), all three of the Red Sox recent World Series wins (2004, 2007, 2013), the Celtics’ most recent NBA Championship win (2008) and the Boston Bruins most recent Stanley Cup Championship (2011).

The talk and a reception with Amorosino will last one hour.  

 
Th public is cordially invited with free admission.

Letter To The Editor: Ruban Thanks ‘All Who Supported Me’

By Leave a Comment

Photo:

To the editor:

Thank you to everyone I had the pleasure of meeting along the campaign trail, and a special thank you to those who supported, voted and volunteered for me. I knew that Belmont was full of intelligent, talented, educated, dedicated people, but you surpassed my expectations. We could not have come as far as we did in such a short amount of time without that.

I embarked on this journey because I wanted to begin a dialogue about how Belmont government does business.  I am proud to say we have had that conversation, in particular, about building the new high school and Community Path; creating greater transparency for citizens to participate in town government; implementing rezoning and other vision plan recommendations, and streamlining business processes. I know that talking about these projects and bringing them to fruition are two very different things and understand Mark has a challenging job ahead of him. I want you to know that I support him in these endeavors on behalf of the town as he begins his next term as our selectman.

Thank you again to all who supported me. It was a tremendous honor to have your faith. I hope that now you will join me in helping our town government work to achieve the best Belmont for all of us.

Alexandra Ruban

Letter to the Editor: Tomi Thanks Voters, Residents’ Interests ‘Paramount’

By Leave a Comment

To the editor:

I wish to thank all of my supporters for their support during my campaign for Housing Authority.  Your conviction evidenced by your hosting a sign, delivering and mailing cards, speaking to friends, getting friends out to vote,  and voting for me,  all added up to a victory.

I promise to represent our collective interests in housing and sheltering those less fortunate.  Our residents’ interests and our community’s interest will always be paramount in my decision-making.

I thank you for your confidence in me and I look forward to representing you and our community.

Tommasina (Tomi) Olson

Member Housing Authority