Early Voting For Primary Election Underway In Belmont, Ends Sept. 6

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Photo: Belmont Town Hall is open for voting business

Early election balloting is currently underway in Belmont for the state primary election taking place on Tuesday, Sept. 6. There is no advanced application required to beat the rush on Sept. 6.

Early voting began on Saturday, Aug. 27 at Town Hall (the only location being used for early voting) and will continue until Noon, Friday, Sept. 2.

The hours for early voting are:

  • Monday, Aug. 29, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Aug. 30, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Aug. 31, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Thursday, Sept. 1, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Friday, Sept. 2, 8 a.m. to Noon.

Mail-in ballots are also being received at Town Hall. According to Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, 3,600 of Belmont’s nearly 18,000 registered voters sought to vote via mail. They also can place their mail-in ballots into the secure dropbox at the Town Hall entrance. Cushman asks that mail-in voters to send their ballots in asap to avoid missing the Tuesday, Sept. 6 deadline.

Residents who will be out-of-town on Sept. 6, gave a religious or medical reason why they can’t come to their polling station can ask for an absentee ballot.

And voters who prefer the traditional method can show up at their local precinct between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Bring your ID to the polling station; you may be asked for it if you didn’t fill out the annual town census.

•Are you already registered to vote in Massachusetts? Check the website below to confirm whether you are registered and where you are registered. www.sec.state.ma.us/voterregistrationsearch/

•If you are not already registered or you need to change your address and you have a valid Massachusetts Driver’s License or ID Card, you can register to vote online. You must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old on Sept. 6. Go to www.RegistertoVoteMA.com. Paper forms are available in the Town Clerk’s office.

Rats Are Back! What To Do When You Spot A Rodent, Also Advice To Rat Proof Your Property

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Photo: Rats are back in Belmont; what to do when you see a rodent?

Rats! They’re back – well, never really left. But residents around town including in Precinct 7’s Harvard Garden neighborhood have reported an uptick in the the rodents scurrying around houses and in yards in the past months.

Geoff Lubien of Unity Avenue told the Select Board at its Aug. 15 meeting his Harvard Lawn neighborhood is experiencing ”a significant rat issue” and heard that ”other pockets” of town have similar problems.

“If they are active in the day, it means they feel safe and comfy” being in the environs they are occupying, said Lubien, who said the visitors had cleaned out his left over grass seed in his garage which has never happened in 15 years.

The Warrant Committee Chair asked if the town could issue a public service announcement to provide information on mitigating what brings rats to an area of town.

In the past week, the town and the Health Department has issued a pamphlet with a pair of messages for residents: a list of sources that provide a comfy home for your rodent co-inhabitants as well as a process mapping diagram on what to do when the rats show up (see the diagram below).

First thing to do is inspect the exterior of your house; be on the look out for:

  • Rat burrows (holes in the ground 2-4 inches wide),
  • pathways,
  • droppings,
  • oily smudge mark on walls, and
  • hearing them scurry in your walls or attics.

There are three sources that rats need to live in your neighborhood: food, water and shelter.

  • Food: Household garbage (secure it), pet food (bring it indoors), bird seed, and your vegetable garden and shrubs with fruit or berries (remove what’s close to the ground.
  • Water: Remove standing water including bird baths, pet water bowls. Repair leaks from hoses, faucets and gutters.
  • Shelter: Get rid of clutter and rubbish, cut overgrown grass, remove building material.

The pamphlet also advised that trying to poison rats is extremely harmful to wildlife that are the rodents’ predators such as hawks, raccoons, coyotes and foxes.

Or just get a cat.

Street, Intersection Closures Along Common Street As Paving Takes Place Friday

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Photo: A map of where street reconstruction will take place Friday

The reconstruction of streets and intersections along Common Street enters the paving phase on Friday, Aug. 26, weather permitting.

According to a press release from the Belmont Department of Public Works, beginning at 6 a.m., Mass DOT’s general contractor J. Tropeano will begin paving of the sections of the following roads:

  • School Street between Common and Cottage streets
  • Common Street at the intersection with School and Waverley streets
  • Waverley Street at the intersection with Common Street

Road closures and delays are expected during construction hours between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Residents and commuters are advised to seek alternate routes.

“Vehicular access to properties in this section of the road will be limited during work hours. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience,” read the release.

For any questions or concerns about the project, contact Arthur O’Brien, Street Opening Permit Coordinator for Belmont Department of Public Works at 617-993-2684.

Town Of Gardenias? Belmont Takes First Step To Rebrand Its Image

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Photo: A Gardenia jasminoides Belmont in full bloom (Credit: https://www.gardenia.net)

Will Belmont turn from the the Town of Homes to the Home of Gardenias? The white flower evergreen, which harkens back to the major role agriculture played in Belmont’s past, is looking like it become the town’s new symbol like New York City’s Big Apple and Florence’s lilies as the town proceeds with a rebranding effort.

“I just love this idea,” said Mark Paolillo, select board chair after the board voted unanimously to approve the image of a Belmont gardenia that will be central to the reimagine effort led by the Economic Development Committee.

The design approved by the Belmont Select Board for wayfinding/branding image along Trapelo Road and Waverley Square

Known as the Town of Homes, there has been suggestions in past reviews that Belmont could update its outward image with a new ”look” that isn’t as focused on its stock of residential property.

Belmont applied and received a highly competitive grant from the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative which offers a range of services and assistance to communities seeking help on how to revitalize their downtowns or commercial centers. The Belmont grant focuses on wayfinding and branding along the Trapelo Road corridor into Waverley Square to bring forward a consistent image for the community and business centers.

“Community branding allows for enhancing the urban fabric by adding visual quality and elegant function,” said Mark Favermann of Favermann Design, the MDI consultant working with the Belmont EDC.

At the initial Select Board meeting in June, Favermann said besides Belmont’s ”beautiful homes, it has wonderful lush trees and flowers.” With nature in mind, Favermann presented two draft designs to the board: a silhouette of a tree in full foliage as the town is a designated a USA Tree City for more than 40 years and Japanese cheery blossoms associated with the Empress of Japan who lived in Belmont and graduated from Belmont High.

While ecstatically pleasing, “they doesn’t say ‘Belmont’ to me,” Select Board’s Adam Dash relied. “I just don’t know what direction we want to project ourselves to the world” with the designs that were presented, said Dash.

It’s here where serendipity stepped into the picture.

Allison Lenk (right) and Paul Joy, co-chair of the Economic Development Committee.

Viewing the June meeting via Zoom was Allison Lenk, a third-generation Belmontian who believed she had a Belmont specific image that could make the cut. Her grandfather, Walter, owned and operated Belmont Gardens, the wholesale greenhouse nursery specializing in flowers located on Sherman Street from 1921 to 1952.

In an attempt to find a less expensive ornamental flower to use in corsages for weddings and proms, the elder Lenk used ultraviolet light to create a hardy gardenia [Gardenia jasminoides] that would go by the Belmont name.

The plant can be found at Logee’s Nursery in Danielson, Ct.

“I thought, ’wouldn’t this be an interesting one to bring to the designer?’ so I found out [Favermann’s] contact information and shared it with him and he said he really liked the idea,” said the Sherman Street resident.

At the Aug. 15 Select Board Meeting, Favermann introduced mock ups of the gardenia design of what line the Trapelo and Belmont corridor. The most popular of the three draft designs is a branch with white flowers against a dark blue background and BELMONT in white capital letters below the design.

”I’ve worked with 40 communities dealing with branding and wayfinding … and this is one of the best examples that really connects to the community and the history of the town in a very natural and authentic way,” Favermann told the board.

Hearing the flower’s backstory and viewing the design, the Select Board gave Favermann’s latest image an enthusiastic thumbs up.

”This is exactly what we are looking for,” said Dash.

Next up on the project’s agenda is for the EDC and town to find funding to install signage and displays in the Waverley Square area and along Trapelo Road. And while the completed project could be done in stages, it looks like Belmont can expect to see the town’s new image on display soon.

Turkey Day In Boston! Fenway Park To Host Centennial Belmont/Watertown Thanksgiving Rivalry Game

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Photo: Action between Belmont and Watertown on Thanksgiving Day.

The 2022 Belmont/Watertown Thanksgiving Day football game is always going to be extra special as it will be the centennial match between the school from the bordering towns. And the game just got that much more special as it was revealed Friday, Aug. 19, the rivalry game will take place in one of the great shires of sports, Fenway Park.

The word got out on the game during an interview on Twitter between Belmont Head Coach Brian McCray and New England Football Journal. Asked about his goals for the 2022 season, McCray said “obviously one of our big goals is we play Watertown at Fenway [Park] for our Thanksgiving Day game.” The game was mentioned on a second Journal interview with a Belmont player.

On the field where the Babe, Teddy Baseball, Yaz, and Big Papi stood, the Marauders and the Raiders will play in the shadow of the Green Monster likely on Wednesday, Nov. 23 as part of a high school doubleheader. There will be another set of games on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Last year, tickets were $20 for both games of the with luxury seats available for $40.

Last year, Winchester and Woburn of the Middlesex League played at Fenway with Woburn taking home a late 26-22 victory.

Concord Avenue’s New Traffic/Bike Lane Configuration Up And Running

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Photo: Drivers parking their vehicles in the new parking lane in front of the Post Office on Concord Avenue.

If you were startled recently seeing cars and SUVs seemingly abandoned in the middle of Concord Avenue, no, it’s not evidence of the beginning of a zombie apocalypse or the Rapture. What you have come across is the new traffic and parking scheme for one of Belmont’s busiest thoroughfares to promote safe cycling for bike commuters and students traveling to the new Belmont High School.

As part of the Concord Avenue restriping project, the Transportation Advisory Committee, in conjunction with designer Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates and Belmont’s Office of Community Development and the Department of Public Works, has reorient the road lines so the bike lane is closest to the curb, separated by a three-foot buffer, then the parking lane and then the travel lane, according to the TAC.

“The Department of Public Works expects to finish the painting [Thursday, Aug. 18],” said Glenn Clancy, director of Community Development. ”There will be green colored crossings added at side streets but likely not until September given DPW workload and constraints.”

Belmont Police graphic on new traffic/parking pattern for Concord Avenue

This new configuration is eastbound from the Unitarian Church to the Cambridge border at Blanchard Road and westbound from Underwood Street to just past the US Post Office.

The project came about when in 2021 the High School Traffic Working Group expressed a desire to explore the possibility of reconfiguring the bike lane and parking lane on Concord Avenue.

A deep dive into the year-long TAC process and the decisions made by the designers can be found here: Concord Avenue Striping Plan Briefing

With the striping complete, Belmont Police’s Traffic Division will now step in to help with the transition.

“In regards to enforcement, we have started educating drivers about the new pattern,” said Sgt. Paul Garabedian, supervisor of the department’s Traffic Divison.

“We will be giving out warnings and talking with people when we see a violation in hopes of people getting a better understanding. We will have officers on foot and bicycles to be able to talk with drivers over the new few weeks while people adjust to the new design,” said Garabedian.

So far, town officials have not heard much from the public on the new striping design.

“Other than occasional complaints that ‘Belmont is trying to look like Somerville and Cambridge’, I have not received any complaints about the new configuration,” said Clancy. In regards to inquires about the design, Garabedian directed those questions to the TAC Chair David Coleman “as they worked with the design team hired by the town on this project.” 

Where the discussion has been lively is on-line with comments to Police updates or Facebook pages running about 50/50 whether they love the new setup or hate it. One resident made a short video outside the Concord Avenue Post Office reportedly showing the danger in exiting adjacent the travel lane. Some residents were annoyed no notice was provided by the town of the change while others believe the new standards are confusing and unworkable.

Supporters, on the other hand, welcome what they consider provides a safer way along Concord Avenue.

Welcome: Belmont Fire’s Newest Jake Pinned At Board Ceremony

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Photo: Mark Thompson (right) pinning his son Alex’s firefighter’s badge during a Town Hall ceremony Aug. 15

With fellow firefighters, family and friends and town officials in attendance, Alex Thompson joined the Belmont Fire Department at the Select Board’s meeting on Monday, Aug. 15 at Town Hall.

A former Marine who completed his certificate at the Massachusetts Firefighters Academy, Thompson recently completed several weeks of evaluation, orientation, and training in Belmont and was recently added to the operation division and was assigned to Unit 2.

Fire Chief David DeStefano presented Thompson with his probationary helmet shield which will donate him as a probationary firefighter – or ”probie” – for the next 12 months and his father, Mark, affixed his badge on his son.

“As I’ve said before, a firefighter’s badge should be earned and pinned by a person is important to that firefighter’s life,” said DeStefano.

Welcome Firefighter Thompson: (from left) Asst. Chief Andrew Tobio, Fire Chief David DeStefano, Beth Thompson, Mark Thompson, Firefighter Alex Thompson, Caroline O’Leary, Select Board’s Roy Epstein, Adam Dash and Chair Mark Paolillo.

Town Field Playground Renovation Begins In September After Construction Bid Accepted

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Photo:The proposed project at Town Field

After being pushed aside for other projects and delayed by a worldwide pandemic, Monday night, Aug. 15, was Town Field’s time in the spotlight as the Belmont Select Board voted unanimously to approve a bid to begin construction on the renovation of the Field’s playground and courts at the intersection of Beech and Waverley streets.

“We are anxious and excited to say goodbye to our current Town Field Playground, and hello to the new one in the spring,” said Cortney Eldridge, co-chair of the Friends of Town Field.

And the project – which was first proposed by neighbors in 2016 and brought before the Community Preservation Committee in the fall of 2019 – is coming in at a bargain. Approved for $1,049,033 by Town Meeting vote in May, the town selected the low bid of $870,000 from M.J. Cataldo of Littleton, a potential $179,000 savings which will be returned to the CPC coffers.

Cataldo submitted the low bid of eight submitted with half exceeding the town’s price tag. Waterfield Design Group, the project’s design and landscape team, gave a thumbs up to Cataldo’s past work with the Winchester firm.

According to Jay Marcotte, director of the town’s Department of Public Works, the schedule calls for a start date in September with a completion of the job in June of next year. The project will begin with the demolition of the existing playground and court and the removal of the old and outdated playground equipment and relacing with modern and more accessible equipment. There will be four pickleball courts and a renovated basketball court.

It’s been a long and winding journey for what has been a popular proposal that joins several CPC-funded projects at the town’s playing fields. After receiving an initial $680,624 in 2020, competing CPC and town priorities and Covid-19 delays forced the proposal to the sidelines for two years. In that time, construction costs skyrocketed forcing the proposal to return to Town Meeting in 2022 for an additional request of $343,409.

Eldridge said she and the Friends group hopes Monday’s vote will be final big challenge before the opening of the new playground and courts.

“This was one of the last hurdles we needed to pass, and I am really hoping it’s smooth sailing from here on out,” she said.

Bob Reups: After Retiring, Upton Returns As Belmont’s Veterans Agent

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Photo: Bob Upton, Belmont’s former/new Veterans Service Officer

You can’t keep a good person from doing what they love.

For Bob Upton, serving the veterans of Belmont was just that cause as the Veterans Service Officer who retired from his position just after Memorial Day is returning to his former post.

“I’m happy to say that Bob Upton has reconsiered retirement and is coming back,” Town Administrator Patrice Garvin told the Select Board on Aug. 8.

For Upton, being asked by the town to coordinate Belmont’s National Purple Heart Day activities held on Aug. 7 “gave me a chance to reflect upon the importance of service and sacrifice made by so many,” he told the Belmontonian via e-mail.

“It’s a great fit and a worthy effort. It made sense to me after reflecting upon my time serving as the Belmont VSO,” said Upton.

Mark Paolillo, chair of the Select Board, said the Health Department Director Wesley Chin reached out to Upton as he was coordinating the event and “he really missed what he was doing and he has such a passion for veterans and I’m thrilled to have him come back and serve with us.”

A Peabody resident, Upton – who was initially hired in Belmont in January 2015 – has been involved in supporting veterans for well over a quarter century.

“The decision to return to the position was one of personal values and appreciation of the gratitude I feel when serving our veteran community,” said Upton.

Talk On How Supreme Court Ruling Effects Gun Ownership in Belmont Friday At The Beech Street Center

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Photo: The talk will take place at the Beech Street Center, Friday, Aug. 12 from 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 pm.

The decision in June by the US Supreme Court to loosen handgun restrictions in New York City will have an effect on Belmont residents seeking to purchase a weapon that they wished to carry on them in public.

Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac will host a conversation and discussion about the court’s gun reform ruling, gun reform laws in general and how it impacts Massachusetts at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., Friday, Aug. 12 from 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 pm. Cost is free.

“I was approached by the senior center about … the court decision and what effect it would have in Massachusetts,” MacIsaac told the Select Board at its Monday, Aug. 8 meeting.

The June 23 decision struck down a New York law requiring people to show a specific need to carry a firearm in public. Gun safety advocates, however, emphasize that the court’s ruling was limited in scope and still allows states to regulate types of firearms, where people can carry firearms and the permitting process, including requirements for background checks and training. 

MacIsaac said the commonwealth had “pretty good gun laws” prior to the ruling: an applicant would need to present three letters of recommendation and then questioned on their need to carry a weapon in public. In Belmont, the police chief who was the issuing authority could then either reject the application or grant either a Class A license – which allowed for a person to carry a concealed at any time – or a Class B which allowed them to carry to and from a shooting range.

The Supreme Court’s ruling did away with the classification systems and the need for letters of recommendation, said MacIsaac. “It’s still up to the police chief in the community if there’s a reason that they find someone’s not suitable and we still have the statutory exemptions that prevent people from obtaining a firearm.”