‘Lights’, ‘Camera’ … Belmont’s Studio Cinema Returning to ‘Action’

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Photo: The Studio Cinema in Belmont.

The interior lobby just got a recent coat of gray paint. The concession counter has a new top. There are LDC billboards hung on the wall displaying ticket prices and show times. And there are posters proclaiming coming attractions such as the 2015 Academy Awards winning film “Whiplash.”

Belmont’s 96-year-old movie palace, the venerable Studio Cinema, is ready for her latest close-up.

After closing just before the New Year and after months of speculation, owner Jim Bramante said the landmark on Trapelo Road will soon be back in business.

“I’m very close to being back in operation, in about a week or two,” Bramante told the Belmontonian on Wednesday, March 18.

For the past two-and-a-half months, the future of the building at 376 Trapelo Rd. was in doubt as Bramante and a handful of Belmont town departments including fire and inspectional services sought to resolve existing structural and safety issues at the century old building. In mid-January, the outlook for one of the few remaining single-screen movie houses in the country appeared bleak as the two sides came to an apparent impasse.

But Bramante said an agreement was reached in February and work has been progressing to allow the Studio to reopen.

“I’m waiting for another final inspection,” Bramante said, saying there had been a delay in getting the operation going “as there has not been a lot of coordinating within town departments.”

While the cinema is returning, the same can not be said for Cafe Burrito, Bramante’s Mexican-inspired storefront next door to the theater that opened in September 2012 serving “Mission-style” burritos and espresso drinks.

“After a great opening, business got slower and slower until the first of the year, I decided to just shut the door,” Bramante said, noting the business climate “has been one of the worst I’ve ever seen.”

Bramante has not yet decided what to do with the site.

Town Clerk: Know Where a Political Sign Can and Can’t Be Displayed

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Here is a reminder from Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman to all residents who have or are about to display a political sign:

“The Town Clerk reminds residents that all campaign and political signs MUST only be placed for display on private property.

Specifically, the “sidewalk strip” or “tree strip”  in front of your home, as well as the delta islands, playgrounds, school grounds and parks are all public property and no signs may be placed there. 

If a campaign or political sign is being held, the person holding the sign may stand or sit on the public property to display the sign, however the sign may not be left unattended or leaning against a wall or tree awaiting the next sign holder. At no time can a person holding the sign obstruct the public’s access to the public property.

If you are out and about in Belmont and notice a campaign or political sign located on public property, please email townclerk@belmont-ma.gov or phone the Town Clerk’s office at 617-993-2600. We will contact the campaign to have the sign moved immediately or have it removed.”

Citing Precedence, Selectmen Deny Jimmy’s Food Mart Beer/Wine License

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Photo: The owners of Jimmy’s Food Mart, Surinder Kaur Dhaliwal and Parmjit Singh with their attorney, Steve Rosales, before the Board of Selectmen.

Citing a precedence in opposing past applicants which failed a fluid set of criteria, the Belmont Board of Selectmen unanimously denied a license to Jimmy’s Food Mart to sell beer and wine from the store at the corner of Belmont and School streets.

“This is about fairness,” Selectman Sami Baghdady told the Belmontonian after the meeting held on Monday, March 16, referring to the board’s recent denials to a pair of Trapleo Road businesses which failed to meet a benchmark of requirements set when the board OK’ed a full liquor license for the Loading Dock on Brighton Street in May 2014.

“If we denied LC Variety and Trapelo Variety

for not meeting certain community standards, how do we approve Jimmy’s when they also failed to do so? That’s unfair to the others,” he explained.

The board’s decision now places the future of Jimmy’s Food Mart into question.

“I don’t know if we can stay open,” said co-owner Parmjit Singh told the Belmontonian after the meeting.

Singh said he heeded the board’s suggestions made by the board three weeks prior when he and his wife and co-owner Surinder Kaur Dhaliwal, first presented their application for a beer and wine license.

“We did all they asked. Why did they now reject us? The business is changed to what they wanted,” he asked Belmont attorney Steve Rosales, who represented the couple.

In their application, the owners informed the town the store would provide popular and affordable brands of beer and wine, products in demand as the four current beer and wine and full liquor license holders in Belmont are providing selections that are viewed as more selective.

“I don’t know about you, but I like,” said Rosales.

At the meeting in February, the board informed the couple it would view their license application more favorably if they fundamentally changed their business model from a corner store selling the staples and sundries into food preparation and a “market”-style operation. The meeting was continued until this Monday.

Singh and Dhaliwal bought the shuttered site of the former Shore Drug in 2013 and opened it as a convenience store in January 2014. The store is managed by their son and business partner, Jimmy Singh. Since opening, neighborhood reaction has been overwhelmingly favorable, with residents commending the owners for operating a clean and inviting business.

Hannah Haynes, who lives on Lewis Road, said Singh polices the area including keeping the sidewalk clear of snow beyond the business’ boundaries and conveniently staying open into the night.

“For someone who works late, I appreciate the light and activity the store brings to the street,” Haynes told the board.

Since the February meeting, the store has set aside a significant square footage of floor space to accommodate South Asian foods, products and fresh “to-go” foods, transforming the store into an “international” market. Singh said he has not yet created a spot to serve or consume food since he would need to obtain a common victualler license.

While praising the new business plan the board strongly suggested Singh and Dhaliwal adopt, and the owners’ decision to voluntarily end tobacco sales, Baghdady said the business, “still doesn’t feel right to me that you have lottery sales.”

“Honestly, [lottery sales] is inconsistent with your business plan,” said Baghdady, telling the owners they would “do better if you got off the lottery and focused on the ethnic food products.”

Singh told the board lottery sales allows the store to stay in operation, providing the business a small profit to soften the high cost of doing business at the site including a $4,000 a month rent in addition to other fees and taxes he must pay.

“I need the lottery. It’s very hard for me to make my money [from the store alone],” said Singh, noting that similar Indian stores in Somerville, Cambridge and surrounding areas all sell lottery tickets to customers who are from South Asia.

Baghdady would not budge from his and the board’s demand the store abandoned lottery sales, noting the “precedence” set in rejecting two previous applications.

Rosales told the board the precedence from the Loading Dock decision was if an establishment wanted a full liquor license, “then you give up [lottery and tobacco] sales.”

The pleas did not move the board.

“I clearly understand that the lottery is a revenue source, but I don’t think you have it tonight, unfortunately,” said Selectman Mark Paolillo.

In addition, the Board noted traffic issues existed on nearby Lewis Road – running perpendicular to Belmont on the same block as Jimmy’s – which could be exasperated with vehicle traffic from Jimmy’s customers.

While Lewis Road residents were critical of the parking and traffic on the roadway at the February meeting, they were nearly universal in commending the owners in their commitment to operating a neighborhood-friendly store.

“I encourage you to keep working on your business plan, expand your business and when you’re ready, then come back,” said Baghdady, suggesting a return is possible in “eight months.”

“I don’t know how they are not ready now?” queried Rosales.

The board voted to accept Baghdady’s “itemized reasons” for denying the application; “I don’t think the use is capable with that neighborhood, I think a lottery license is incapable with our previous decisions and until the Traffic Advisory Committee does take some action on Lewis Road, I think this affects traffic in the residential areas.”

When asked if the board has established a “criteria” for future beer and wine applicants must follow, Baghdady said the board’s new “guidelines” should be taken into consideration by any business seeking a beer and wine license.

“They should know what we expect from applicants,” said Baghdady.

The presence of an unwritten set of rules applying troubled Rosales, a past member of the Board of Selectmen.

“Let me just say personally, [unwritten guidelines] would have been unthinkable when I was a member of the [board of selectmen],” Rosales told the Belmontonian.

When asked to elaborate, Rosales declined with a shake of the head.

When asked if the board has established a criteria future beer and wine applicants must adhere to, Baghdady said the board’s new “guidelines” should be taken into consideration by any business seeking a license.

“They should know what we expect from applicants,” said Baghdady.

When told of the possible closure of the year old operation, Baghdady said the owners should not have based a business decision on the “hope” they would receive a beer and wine license.

“They should have made opening the business contingent on receiving a license, not the other way around,” he said.

Selectman Candidates’ Question of the Week: Mitigating the Impact of Belmont Uplands

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Photo: Jim Williams.

Every Wednesday leading up the Town Election on Tuesday, April 7, the Belmontonian will be asking a “Question of the Week” to the candidates running for a seat on the Board of Selectmen: incumbent Andy Rojas and Glenn Road resident Jim Williams.

This weekly feature will allow the candidates seeking a three-year term on the board to answer topical questions concerning Belmont and help demonstrate their ability to lead the town.

This week’s question: Over the three-year term beginning on April 8, what will you do to mitigate the expected effects of the 299-unit Belmont Uplands development on town resources and the local environment?

Jim Williams

The proposed development in the Uplands is a situation where we have to prepare for the worst, and collaborate to achieve the best outcome. While it is, of course, disheartening to see the Silver Maple Forest surrounding the Uplands disappearing, there is still much that I, as Belmont Selectman, can be done to ensure that the developer adheres to 40B affordable housing regulations. The environmental impact is also of utmost concern and traffic issues must be addressed. 

We must prepare now for the impact of an additional 299 housing units will have on town resources and our already over-crowded schools.  My plan is to work with the developer and the town with the goal of ensuring the best outcome for the Uplands and the Town of Belmont. 

First, we need to determine the net cost to the town based on the number of units, number of residents, and impact on our utilities. We do not have clear estimates for the number of additional children; nor do we know how traffic patterns and congestion will impact us. It is my understanding that, as of yet, the Board of Selectmen has not run a model nor have they asked the planning board to develop a model to estimate costs of services, and look at any benefits from tax or other revenue. How can we prepare for the strains on our system if we aren’t willing to make projections?

Second, major environmental concerns are two-fold: flooding and pollution. The developer is using storm water data from 1961; when in in actuality the 2011 rainfall statistics shows 150,000 gallons in excess storm water. Not only is there a risk of flooding, the excess storm water also impacts pollution at the site.

Third, the developer needs to proactively fund and put in place certain measures to mitigate traffic. The most practical change we can implement to help with traffic would be to build the tunnel under the railroad at Alexander Avenue. This has the potential to reduce traffic on Brighton Road, one of the roads which would be most severely affected by traffic from the Uplands development.

I believe the most alarming challenge we face with the Uplands development is the sheer increase in population; which means more cars on already less-than-acceptable roads and a further strain on our town services, such as police and fire, and utilities like sewer and water and electricity.  Furthermore, our school system is growing at an unprecedented rate, and an additional rapid in-flux of students into our already overcrowded schools may push us to a breaking point.  

All of this requires fiscal discipline and diplomatic solutions to ensure that we balance the outcome of the Uplands development with our current and future needs. I have a proven track record in ensuring that the best outcomes are achieved within the parameters of our financial constraints and available revenue. My plan shows promise and potentially and optimistic outlook for the Town. Facing our financial problems head-on is the only way we are going to preserve the town we love.

Andy Rojas

As required, because all necessary state permit conditions had been met, the Community Development Department recently issued a foundation permit for the Uplands residential development; project construction will now begin in earnest. The full impact of this project on Belmont will take a number of years to be felt. However, the town must prepare for the aftermath of this unfortunate occurrence and deal with any immediate effects.

  • This is an area where my extensive site development and mitigation experience will be extremely helpful to Belmont.

Since the project is comprised of five separate residential buildings, it is likely that the impact on Belmont’s services — schools, police, fire, etc. — will be felt in waves as each construction phase is completed. However, the primary environmental impacts on flooding and habitat destruction will likely be apparent as soon as the site has been cleared of vegetation in preparation for foundation construction.

Protecting the Belmont neighborhoods most directly affected by the environmental consequences of the Uplands development will be a central theme of ongoing reviews and approvals during construction. I am committed to using my site development and mitigation expertise in helping to protect these neighborhoods.

  1. I will work with the Community Development Department and our construction control team to make sure that all construction activity adheres to the law and to all applicable environmental regulations and best practices.
  2. All environmental impacts relating to water management, stormwater control/storage and natural habitat disturbance will be monitored to make sure that the project abides by approval conditions.
Andy & Smudge Rojas - IMG_0779

Andy Rojas and Smudge.

Accommodating the Uplands’ projected post-construction requirements for town services will be very challenging. Uplands property taxes will not cover costs.

As each project phase is completed, the school-age population will increase; students must be absorbed and placed appropriately. While projections of student numbers are an inexact science, Belmont will inevitably be faced with providing quality education, transportation and perhaps additional mandated services to this larger population. I will work closely with the Schools Superintendent and the School Committee to carefully gauge and accommodate this influx from start to finish.

The Uplands’ other projected demands on town services such as police, fire and emergency response will also require constant monitoring and adjustment; much of this will happen as each construction phase is completed. Given the Uplands’ geographic location, the town departments affected may require additional personnel and vehicles to properly service the completed project.

A police sub-station within one of the buildings is a possibility. While this will be a bigger burden for Belmont, as a community, we must support the life, safety and security of our new residents.

My experience with these departments as well as with my understanding of their capabilities, needs and budgets will allow me to work with them so we can address these challenges effectively.

I respectfully request your vote for Selectman on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. Thank you.

Belmont Fire Log: An Act of Kindness for a Belmont Senior

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Outside, looking in

March 8 – Just about half past noon, a fire crew headed to a residence on Simmons Avenue to help yet another resident who found themselves locked out of their home.

Search on a cold night

March 9 – A hair before 6 p.m., Engine 1 and the Rescue truck took off towards a house on Beech Street after someone reported seeing a person in a nearby snow bank. Crews took the call quite serious as the call came from a group house for people needing assistance in their daily lives. When the firefighters got there, they couldn’t find anyone in the area. In addition, everyone at the group home was accounted for. The person who made the call told the crews that the person who he spotted in the snow had left the location.

Boiler blowout

March 10 – A couple of minutes after 1 a.m., a fire squad responded to a report of gushing water in house on Greybirch Park. The team discovered that the boiler had cracked and water was leaking out. The heating system was shut down.

Time for spring cleaning

March 11 – Just before half past 11 a.m., firefighters arrived at a Centre Avenue house after they got a report the fire alarm had gone off. Turns out workers doing renovations had kicked up enough dust to accidentally activated the smoke detector.

Going above and beyond

March 13 – It was too early in the morning, just after 3 a.m. when the dispatcher received a call from a disabled resident needing help. The Engine 1 crew arrived a cold Slade Street two-family where they found a man in his 70s sitting in a chair in the living room, a walker close at hand. The resident told the firefighters he was unsure how to use the digital wall thermostat and could the crew turn up the heat in the apartment. The firefighters showed the resident how to adjust the thermostat and waited for the heat to return. While the elderly man denied that he needed any other assistance at the moment, the firefighters encouraged him to call back when the need arises.

Major Detour on Trapelo Road on Wednesday, March 18

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Photo: A map of the detour in effect on Wednesday, March 18.

If your daily commute runs through Cushing Square, give yourself extra time Wednesday, March 18 as road construction will reduce vehicle and bus traffic on Trapelo Road to a single, outbound lane – towards Waltham – between Common Street and the intersection of Belmont Street beginning at 7 a.m.

The detour will end at 3 p.m.

As a result, inbound traffic towards Cambridge will be sent on a detour at Cushing Square going onto Common Street to Belmont Street, and re-enter Trapelo Road at the intersection of Belmont Street.

The detour will impact a single #73 bus stop, located at 36 Trapelo Rd. near Moozy’s.

Final Day to Register to Vote in Belmont’s Town Election is Wednesday, March 18

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You have two days to register to have your voice heard in the coming town election.

Belmont residents who are 18 years or older and a citizen of the United States can register to vote, but they must be registered to do so.

In order to be eligible to vote in the April 7, 2015 annual Town Election, a voter registration form must be received or postmarked by Wednesday, March 18.  The Belmont Town Clerk’s office will be open until 8 p.m. on the 18th to receive voter registrations.

If you were a registered to vote in another town or state, you’ll need to register as a voter in Belmont in order to vote here.

If for some reason you can not make it to Town Hall to register, a Belmont resident can register to vote in Belmont at any Town or City clerks office in the Commonwealth. But it must be done by the March 18 deadline.

The deadline for registered Belmont voters who need to make changes to party affiliation, name or address (within Belmont) is also March 18.

It Must Be Spring: Limited Snow Parking Ban Lifted, Park Anywhere

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Spring has arrived.

Despite receiving two inches of snow on Sunday night, Saturday morning which resulted in the region breaking the most snowfall in a winter season with more than 108 inches, the Belmont Police Department and the town of Belmont  “are pleased to announce” the end of the limited parking ban “effective immediately.”

The ban, which has been in effect along with an emergency parking ban, for nearly seven weeks since Jan. 27 when the first in a series of blizzards/winter storms past through the metro-Boston area.

“Although the roads are significantly wider due to melting we do ask that you use care when parking to make sure there is enough room for emergency vehicles to pass,” according to police. 

Belmontonian/Belmont Media Hosting Selectmen Candidates Debate March 31

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Photo: Two debates between the candidates for Belmont Selectman will be broadcast live by the Belmont Media Center. 

A pair of candidate debates focusing on the contested election for Selectman have been scheduled and will be televised on Belmont’s media outlets.

• On the evening of Tuesday, March 31, the Belmont Media Center will cablecast a live debate with candidates Jim Williams and Andy Rojas for Board of Selectmen sponsored by The Belmontonian and moderated by its editor, Franklin B. Tucker. The one-hour debate will be seen live on BMC Ch. 8 (Comcast) and 28 (Verizon), online at belmontmedia.org/live and on the Belmontonian news website. Stay tuned for more details.

• One week earlier, on Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m., BMC will cover live the Belmont League of Women Voters “Candidates Night” which will include a question and answer panel with Williams and Rojas. This program will air on Ch 8 & 28, on online and will be replayed as part of the campaign programming block.

• On the BMC Community Bulletin Board (Ch. 96-Comcast and Ch. 30-Verizon and on the web @ belmontmedia.org/bulletin-board), BMC will provide town-wide office candidates the opportunity to host a “Candidate Page.” If interested, please submit a photo electronically, and the name and office for which you are running. Email all photos and information to julie@belmontmedia.org.

• BMC will cover the 2015 Town Election Live on Tuesday, April 7 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tune in to Channels 8 (Comcast) and 28 (Verizon) for results, analysis, and interviews.

Belmont Student Artists Set Gold Standard at Scholastic Art Awards

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 Image: “Olga,” by Olga Brevnova, Gold Key/American Visions nominee from Belmont High School. 

For the past week, seven Belmont High School and three Chenery Middle School artists had their works prominently displayed at Boston University’s 808 Gallery as part of the “Exhibition of Gold Key Work” part of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, run by the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA), in partnership with the Boston Globe.

The Scholastic Art Awards are the nation’s longest-running, largest, most prestigious recognition program for creative teenagers in the visual and literary arts. The works, from 17,000 entries, are judged on originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.

This year, a total of 28 Belmont students earned awards:

Belmont High School                                                                                                                                                                                           

  • Olga Brevnova      Gold Key/American Visions Nominee      Painting               “Olga”
  • Della Copes-Finke             Gold Key                                            Painting               “Mirror Mirror”
  • Darcy Feeley                       Gold Key                                            Painting               “Virus”
  • Chihiro Ichikawa               Gold Key                                            Painting               “Records of My Universe”
  • Austin Ickes                        Gold Key                                            Photography       “The Gang’s All Here”
  • Sabine Strauch                   Gold Key                                            Painting               “Nausea”
  • Vinutna Veeragandham   Gold Key                                            Painting               “Frame Of Green”
  • Suyeon Ji                             Silver Key                                          Painting               “paint my identity”
  • Kimberly Paquette             Silver Key                                          Painting               “Disintegration”
  • Hae Soo Park                      Silver Key                                          Painting               “Emptiness”
  • Cheng Qin                           Silver Key                                          Digital Art            “Origin”
  • Amy Wang                          Silver Key                                          Painting                “Cast From the Garden: Self and the Seven Deadlies”
  • Adam Alper                        Honorable Mention                        Painting               “Party Like Its 1899”
  • Hayoung Jo                        Honorable Mention                        Painting               “Hide and Seek”
  • Najin Kim                           Honorable Mention                        Painting               “The Show”
  • Yuzhe Li                              Honorable Mention                        Painting               “Peanut Butter”
  • Shreya Patel                       Honorable Mention                        Painting               “Incased”
  • Sierra Tseng                       Honorable Mention                        Painting               “Staring Contest”

Chenery Middle School                                                                                                                                                                                           

  • Zoe Armstrong                    Honorable Mention                        “Sophie”
  • Laurel Carpenter                Honorable Mention                        “Untitled”
  • Laurel Carpenter                Gold Key                                            “Good Things Come in Threes”
  • Samantha Dignan              Gold Key                                            “Red Apple Roosters”
  • Leon Fan                              Honorable Mention                        “A Tale of Two Souls”
  • Octavia Leeb                        Gold Key                                            “Queen Bee”
  • Hallie Liu                             Honorable Mention                        “A Man’s Burden”
  • Johanna Matulonis            Honorable Mention                        “Songbird”
  • Viola Monovich                  Honorable Mention                        “Try Everything”
  • Viola Monovich                  Honorable Mention                        “Purple Haze”
  • Victoria Shaw                      Silver Key                                           “Reading Alone”
  • Emily Zhang                        Silver Key                                           “Neptune”