Work To Start On Revamping Playing Fields West Of Harris Field, Softball Diamond

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Photo: The West of Harris Field play grounds and the former varsity softball diamond

Six years after ground breaking on the Belmont Middle and High School, the town has approved a plan to reconstruct the playing ground known as West of Harris Field, which is the final work required to complete the School’s campus.

On Monday, Sept. 30, the Select Board award the West of Harris Fields renovations contract to MJ Cataldo Inc. of Littleton for $765,000. The project will renovate the fields and softball diamond West of Harris Field, create a shot put circle and sector as well as putting up new fencing.

According to Belmont DPW Director Jay Marcotte, work on the project will begin in November.

The project started as a Community Preservation Committee request simply to redo the long-time softball field. In May, Belmont Town Administrator Patrice Garvin and Belmont Schools Superintendent Dr. Jill Geiser presented an CPC application seeking $429,000 to redevelop the former varsity softball field at the far end of the BMHS campus adjacent to the new Belmont Sports Complex and the MBTA commuter rail tracks.

While the softball renovation was being considered, the Municipal Skating Rink Building Committee in charge of building the rink was using the JV soccer field, located next to the softball field, as lay down area for steel and material for the rink’s construction. Using the lay down area was on condition that when the project was completed at the end of 2025, “the construction manager would put the field back as it found it,” Garvin told the board.

“So when we started looking at the softball field, we realized there was some economies of scale that we could potentially capitalize on in regards to taking two projects and making it one to be bid out,” said Garvin. “So we really wanted to take what was approved at Town Meeting and elevated to another level.”

Working with Mark Haley, the chair of the Building Committee, the DPW, and the landscaping firm Activitas Inc., the town created construction bid documents for a single project, “hoping for a better price.”

“So this is really an effort between what we were able to appropriate from CPC, the Rink Building project through the construction manager, and the DPW to make the best projects we can,” said Garvin.

The funding sources for the project are CPC and the Rink Building Committee, along with some Revolving Field Funds, said Marcotte.

Twelve construction firms bid on the project with Cataldo coming in a low bidder, said DPW’s Marcotte.

Belmont High Girls’ Swimmers/Divers Looking To ‘Deep Sweep’ To Middlesex League Title

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Photo: Belmont High’s Elizabeth Guevara heads towards victory in the 100 fly vs. Wakefield

After a recent meet, an official declared Belmont High Swimming Head Coach Lulu Emmons to be “the Queen of the Deep Sweep.” In swimming, a “deep sweep” is when a team’s athletes place in the top spots in each event. Even if they don’t win, for example, placing in the next three spots throughout a meet can be a back-breaker for an opponent. 

And Belmont has some bittersweat history involving “deep sweeps”: Ten years ago, despite winning five events to one, Belmont could not match the depth of Bishop Feehan High School which went on to win the 2015 Div. 2 state championship over the Marauders, 314 to 293.

So Emmons is happy to have the title bestowed on her.

“The depth that we have this year is absolutely amazing. I have not had this depth since my first couple years of coaching as an assistant,” said Emmons, who has been on the Marauders coaching staff for eight years, the past four in the top post.

That depth showed up in Belmont’s upset victory over defending Division 1 state champions Acton Boxoborough, beating the traditional powerhouse 98-88, at Higginbottom Pool on Sept. 19.

“That was exciting. That was a lot of fun. Girls did great. And that was unexpected, because we were coming right off of a tough loss against Lexington,” said Emmons, a four point nailbiter.

Belmont currently holds a 4-1 dual meet record.

That ability to have runs of high placements is due to size and commitment of Emmons’ squad, numbering more than 50 student athletes which allows Belmont to carry a full varsity squad including three divers and also a JV squad.

“But we try not to use those terms,” said Emmons of two seperate squads. Rather, she tries to have everyone see themselves as “being maroon and blue,” because she want everyone to feel like they’re contributing and being part of the team, she said.

The quality shows as more than 10 swimmers have qualified for the Division 2 sectional championship meet including eight who qualified in the first meet of the season.

“So right off the bat, we were locked in, plus all of our relays have qualified. Most girls have at least two events that they qualify. So we have at least 10 athletes that have qualified for one or more of their events. We’re still working on a couple of those state cut times, but we have got a squad going.”

The Brain Trust: Belmont High Swimming Head Coach Lulu Emmons (left)

Every good team requires at least one swimmer who can hit the wall first. This year’s highlight reel includes senior Elizabeth Guevara, who is swimming for Belmont for the first time this year. Coming from the club swimming system with Revolution Aquatic, Guevara has state qualified in all the free style events at 50, 100 and 200 yards. Her versibility shows in qualifying in the 100 butterfly, the 100 backstroke, and Emmons believes she might have a time for the 500 yard free.

“She has everything to be a great swimmer,” said Emmons, being very humble, a great athlete who takes good direction. “Even though she is one of the top swimmers, [Guevara] hasn’t been on this team for that long, so she understands that she’s still earning her spot on the team,” said Emmons.

On the other end of the grade level is first year diver Maggie Han, who qualified for states and leads a full contingency of 1-meter divers – including Grace Fagan and Cecilla Held – into contests.

And the heart of the team is its junior class “which is one of our strongest across the board,” said Emmons. “Summing Chan (back-stroke), Karen Tao (freestyle), Reina Yano (500 free), Sophia Bufano, Ahana Shama (breast-stroke) are all phenomenal swimmers. All have qualifying times.”

Belmont will be tested in two very tough league dual meets remaining in the league schedule: Winchester on Monday, Oct. 6 at Higgenbottom and away to Reading, Oct. 16 to finish the season.

Belmont’s Carolin Sweeney wins the 100 breast-stroke by 0.15 seconds vs Wakefield.

“I know that Reading and Winchester has a couple of good girls. But I’m feeling really confident that those are both going to be pretty winnable meets,” said Emmons. “My thought process is always put up a strong lineup, always making sure that even if I’m not going to get a first place finish, I’m going to work and get a second, third, fourth place, or some variation of that, because it’s those depth points that really count. They really add up.”

Following the duel meet season, Belmont heads to the Middlesex League Championships at Bentley with high expectations.

“My top goal is to win,” said Emmons, knowing she has the upper hand gooing into the meet as diving results will be included in the team totals. “because now that diving counts towards the meat, “That’s an automatic for a second, third place finish for us. So we’re going in with at least 100 points.” But Emmons will be there to prove that her team is not just relying on the meet’s first event. “My goal is to definitely get Lexington at League’s because I firmly believe that my girls have the ability to beat that team. So the goal is to beat Lexington and win by more than 100 points.”

The team will then head to the MIAA North Sectionals on Nov. 2, at MIT’s Zesiger Pool and the Division 2 State Championships on Nov. 9, at Boston University’s Competition Pool.

“We finished at States last year third. [Belmont, with 200 points, finished behind Wellesley (384 pts) and North Andover (225 points)] So I would love to get second at states. That would be amazing. I would love to finish really strong at North Sectionals (6th in 2024) as well. Anywhere above fifth would be great sectionals,” said Emmons.

Belmont League Of Women Voters Holding Warrant Briefing For Special Town Meeting Oct. 7

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Photo: The Belmont League of Women Voters will be holding a virtual warrant briefing on Oct. 7

The Belmont League of Women Voters and the town’s Warrant Committee will be holding a virtual Warrant Briefing to discusss the warrant articles in the Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.

Here is an opportunity to ask questions about the 15 articals that will come before Town Meeting Members prior to Special Town Meeting that will begin on Oct. 20. Town officials will be present to provide information.

Paul Rickter, chair of the Warrant Committee, will host the meeting.

Viewing Options:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82452007848

Zoom meeting ID: 824 5200 7848
Passcode: 086788

Live broadcast: Belmont Ch 9 (Comcast); Ch 29 (Verizon);
Ch 2130 (Verizon HD)

Livestream or on-demand: belmontmedia.org/watch/publictv

Belmont High Field Hockey Takes Top Ten Duel Vs Winchester, 3-1

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Photo: Kendall Regan (18) redirects a centering pass from Gigi Mastrangelo (8) for the game-winning goal as Belmont defeats Winchester, 3-1, in a top-ten match on Sept. 29 at Harris Field.

In its second meeting with a high-ranked opponent this month, Belmont High School Field Hockey came off Harris Field Monday, Sept. 29, with a scrappy 3-1 victory over one-loss Winchester to solidify its number 4 post in the Boston Globe poll.

Junior forward Gigi Mastrangelo – who earned one of the “Players of the Week” honors by the Boston Globe – scored the brace between sophomore Kendell Regan’s game-winning strike, her second in consecutive games. Sophomore goalie Zoe Bruce made a half-dozen important saves while the defensive wall of senior Niamh Lensky, junior Elsie Lakin-Schultz, and first-year Katie Townsend hampered Winchester’s quick forwards from taking clear shots at Bruce.

Belmont (7-1-0) is currently ranked 6th in the MIAA Division 1 power rankings.

With opponents focusing their attention on stopping senior midfield star MacKenzie Clarke [who set the Belmont career scoring record early this season], Smith has been relying on everyone on the field to contribute.

“[Goals] are coming off different sticks. Gigi had two, and Kendell got the other one, but [Lensky] got an assist and Mackenzie was involved in all three. In the scoring book, it’s not straight across just one person with all the points. Mackenzie didn’t need to score three goals for us to win, and that’s what we need. We needed other people to show up, and they did.”

Belmont had to play from behind for only the second time this year – the other being against Watertown – when Winchester’s senior forward Sloane McCarthy scored off a bouncing pass from sophomore Eliana Drake in the game’s first two and a half minutes. But that was a short-lived advantage for the Red and Black as five minutes later, Mastrangelo won a goal-line scramble that four teammates – the last being Lensky – passed around the scoring circle off a penalty corner to knot the game at one.

“I’d rather the first goal come two minutes into the game than the third quarter,” said Smith. “I knew we had a ton of time. I believe in the team. I know some of the older players can step up and make it happen.”

As one would expect from teams close in talent, the game was a contest to hold an advantage in the midfield to launch attacks. Belmont’s tactic to dull Winchester’s speed upfront was to challenge closely every time they held the ball, and do as much to disrupt passes or dribbling.

Belmont would take the lead with four minutes left in the third quarter off a penalty corner as Clarke returned the ball to the inserter Mastrangelo, who sent the ball through the goalie box to Regan’s waiting stick.

Belmont’s insurance goal came as the third quarter was winding down. Lakin-Schultz started play at midfield and found Clarke, who weaved past two Red and Black defenders and launched one of her patented reverse rockets from 15 meters out. This time, it was Mastrangelo at the far left post where, using her softball skills to great effect, deflected the rising shot into the top netting with 18 seconds remaining.

For the final 15 minutes, Belmont relied on the back three with senior Caroline French inserted as a sweeper to hold the fort. Belmont’s midfield of Mia Smith, seniors Nina Sheth-Voss and Avery Ranold, and Brooke Mahoney, were blocking passing lanes and helped clear out errant balls. Smith pointed out “the amazing job” Townsend did as she was assigned to shadow Drake. “I’m not sure that 14 got one strong shot on the net tonight.”

Bruce was “totally phenomenal,” said Smith, making several critical saves, including challenging Winchester’s Drake one-on-one as the midfielder attempted to get by the sophomore.

“You know, the three defenders are outstanding athletes. They’re multi-sport athletes who are strong and know where to be on the field. They understand space. They’re fighters. They’re just athletes through and through, and they make it happen,” said Smith.

Belmont begins an unprecedented number of road games, playing eight of their remaining 10 regular season matches away from Harris Field, including against Reading (which they defeated 2-1), Lexington (4-2), Winchester, and at non-league powerhouses Dover-Sherborne and Newburyport. They will be home on Thursday, Oct. 9, against Wilmington, and the final game of the season on Saturday, Oct. 25, for a Seniors Night contest vs Arlington.

Health Board, Pharmacies Holding Belmont Fall Vaccine Clinics

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Photo: COVID and flu shots will be avaliable

The Belmont Health Department is partnering with Osco and Union pharmacies to provide vaccines primarily for COVID-19 and the annual flu to Belmont residents. The vaccines will be given at the Beth El Temple Center and the Beech Street Center.

Talk to your doctor if you have questions about your vaccine eligibility and current recommendations. And bring your insurance card to the clinic.

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

To register, click on the link for the day and time that best works for you.

Beth El Temple Center (2 Concord Ave.) Vaccine Clinics:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 22 – 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Wednesday, Nov. 19 – 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Wednesday, Dec. 3 – 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Beech Street Center (266 Beech St.) Vaccine Clinics:

  • Thursday Oct. 9 – 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Monday Nov. 3 – 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM
  • Monday Dec. 8 – 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Belmont Seeks Members For Police Chief Screening Committee As Search Begins In Earnest

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Photo: Belmont Police patches and shield.

With the Select Board preparing to choose a consulting firm to conduct the search for Belmont’s next police chief, the town has begun seeking applicants for the 2025 Police Chief Screening Committee.

To be considered, select the “Police Chief Screening Committee – 2025” on the town’s Volunteer Opportunities web page to express interest in serving on this committee.

Patrice Garvin, Belmont Town Administrator, told the Select Board at its Monday, Sept. 29 meeting, that two firms – John Parow, Consulting & Assoc. and Municipal Resources, Incorp. – responded to the town’s Request for Proposal for consulting services to recruit the replacement for recently retired Police Chief Jamie MacIssac.

Garvin believes the growing complexity of the position requires the town to seek the assistance of an outside firm to lead the process.

“Policing has changed in 30 years,” said Garvin. No longer simply an administrative position, “a chief encompasses a lot more skill set than of the past, including budgetary issues, personnel issues, union issues, ranking. It runs across the board, and you’re looking to encompass all of those skill sets.”

“The consultant really helps us guide through the process, to not only to do assessments [of potential candidates] but to help with the screening committee, but also with the recruitment. Sometimes these firms have people in mind,” said Garvin, noting MacIssac was hired using a consultant.

“None of us were on the Select Board the last time we did a police chief search,” said Select Board Chair Matt Taylor. “And these firms often specialize in these kinds of positions, they go through it a lot, and have a much more updated, fresh vision of what this process is like, what the market is like, and what kinds of things to look for.”

The two firm candidates will be interviewed by the board at its Oct. 6 meeting, after which a winning bid will be selected hopefully that evening, said Garvin.

The screening committee, will be appointed sometime around Oct. 20. which Garvin said was “good timing, as it will come after the close of Special Town Meeting when the town can “really focusing on the police chief.”

State Rep. Dave Rogers Comes Out With Local Office Hours For October

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Photo: Dave Rogers

Belmont’s State Rep. Dave Rogers has announced his October office hours.

  • Tuesday, Oct. 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Friday, Oct. 17, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Bellmont Caffe, 80 Leonard St.
  • Thursday, Oct. 23, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Tilde Coffee, 2376 Massachusetts Ave., North Cambridge.
  • Monday, Oct. 27, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Robbins Library, Arlington, 700 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington.

Feel free to contact Rogers’ office with questions by phone 617-722-2263 or by email at dave.rogers@mahouse.gov.

Broadway Night Opens Belmont High’s Performing Arts Company Season

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Photo: (Artwork by Ella Ferrari ’26)

The Belmont High School’s Performing Arts Company opens its 2025-26 season with Broadway Night: the annual musical theater cabaret on October 10 and 11, at 7 p.m. in the Belmont Middle and High School Main Theater

Featuring songs from contemporary and classic musicals and showcasing the talent of dozens of performers, the show is a fun evening of singing, acting and dance for all ages.

Each year the show features more than 20 solo, duet and group songs, with a mix of humor, heart, romance, and high-energy fun. The performance includes a dance number choreographed by the PAC Musical Choreographer Jenny Lifson and student-directed group numbers.

Broadway Night represents the core mission of the PAC, with an emphasis on showcasing student work. The performers have selected, staged and rehearsed the songs almost entirely on their own, with just a small amount of guidance from Lifson. In addition, the lighting design is done entirely by students, and the show ends with a finale song featuring the whole company

​TICKETS: $5 Students, $12 Adults

Get your tickets here

Advance Ticket Purchase online recommended as performances traditionally sell-out.
Some tickets will be available at the theater 30 minutes before each performance.
For students, tickets will be on sale at school near the cafeteria during lunch the week of the show.

Artwork by Ella Ferrari ’26

It’s A Blast: Touch-A-Truck Returns To Belmont Center On Oct. 11

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Photo: Living the dream at Belmont Touch-A-Truck

For the fourth year running, Belmont Youth Activities and D.A.R.E. Inc., in partnership with Belmont Center Business Association, will present Belmont Touch-A-Truck on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cavalcade of vehicles will be located at the Claflin Street Municipal Parking Lot in the Center. 

Take a tour for an up-close view of tractors, trucks, diggers, police cars, and fire engines from Belmont DPW, Light, Fire, and Police, along with several local businesses. Sit in the driver’s seat, honk the horn, and take a photo in the front end shovel of the construction vehicles.

The rain date is Saturday, Oct. 18.

Belmont Center Overlay Vote Pushed To 2026, Planning Board Cites Data Delay For Set Back

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Photo: Map of the zoning overlay district for Belmont Center

A Town Meeting vote on the proposed Belmont Center Zoning Overlay Plan will likely be pushed back into the new year, as the Belmont Planning Board indicated it will miss a self-imposed drop-dead date to approve or reject the plan that aims to ramp up residential and commercial activity in Belmont’s main business center.

“I feel we are not going to meet [the Planning Board’s] required deadline for the fall Town Meeting,” said Planning Board Chair Thayer Donham, who ran the Thursday, Sept. 18 morning meeting virtually from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

This delay marks the second time the proposal has been postponed, having been tentatively scheduled from the annual Town Meeting in May to the Special Town Meeting in October.

The proposed overlay acts as a second set of rules added to the underlying zoning along Leonard Street and Concord Avenue along and Concord Avenue from the commuter rail tunnel and the land west of Harris Field. The town’s Select Board is advancing the overlay with several goals in mind, including improving municipal finances, revitalizing the business center, and creating more and a greater variety of housing options.

Saying she was eager to wrap up the zoning process, Donham indicated the board was anxious to have an all-important parking study conducted before a final vote on the zoning overlay in the coming week.

Belmont’s Town Planner Chris Ryan told the Board he was still waiting for the draft parking report to be delivered by the Boston office of Desman, which missed the initial due date of Sept. 8. In fact, “there were several milestones missed this week,” said Ryan. A traffic analysis by the town’s consultant, The BSC Group, is not expected until the end of the month.

“I feel we are not going to be able to meet the required deadline,” said Donham. “We want to continue our thoughtful process of hearing from people, and parking is a concern we’ve been hearing about for months. We don’t think we can make a parking decision without the report.”

After a short roundtable discussion, Planning Board members each agreed with Donham that the board could not make a recommendation without the critical data on hand and without a legal reading of the results by Town Counsel.

“I don’t see how we can vote on the zoning overlay [on Sept. 25] without this data,” said Donham. “We’re trying to get all the information needed and vetted, and here we are, a week before we’re required to get to take a vote, and we don’t have a major piece of information.”

“We’re essentially running out of time, and given the delays in getting this information and the request we’ve gotten from everybody to look at this specifically,” said the Planning Board’s Alisa Garner-Todreas. “It feels like we need more time, possibly a February special Town Meeting, and that would be a better deadline for us to cross the t’s and dot the i’s.”

The Zoning Overlay proposal has had a rough row to hoe from the very first public meeting in March, when nearby residents and business owners opposed what they believed was an invitation for large development that would overtax the existing infrastructure. By a June public meeting, resistance to the plan had remained, and there was some talk, even by some board members, that data gathering, anticipated changes to the plan, and a needed public relations effort could not be completed to allow the plan to be presented to the Special Town Meeting. Yet at its latest meeting, the Select Board appeared confident the overlay measure would be before the Special Town Meeting and would receive a favorable vote.

It now appears the Select Board has little option but to remove the Zoning Override from the Special Town Meeting Warrant that is required to be voted on at its Sept. 29 meeting.

Parking in Belmont Center will be front and center the next day. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, when the Select Board, the Planning Board, and the Traffic Advisory Committee hold a joint meeting on parking and transportation in Belmont Center. “I think that is just the big public discussion that is necessary to finalize any zoning,” said Donham.