COVID Ends Belmont Boys Hockey’s Chance To Be Solo Champions For A Second Time In A Year

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For the second time in less than a year, the Belmont High Boys’ Ice Hockey team saw its chances of playing in a championship game cancelled as the Marauders’ Saturday, Jan. 20, match with Winchester in the first-ever Middlesex League tournament was scraped Friday night due to COVID-19 protocols.

The Middlesex League has declared the teams co-titlists.

In March 2020, the finals of the MIAA Division 1 state tournament between Belmont and Walpole was postponed when the first surge of the coronavirus spread across the country and the teams were declared state co-champions.

The abrupt end of the season, and also the careers of one of the most winningest senior classes, came after Belmont earned a place in the finals with a pair of nail biting tournament games in which the Marauders won both matches in extra time.

After dispatching Wakefield with 3.2 seconds left in a 3-on-3 overtime session Wednesday, the Marauders came back the next day to prevail, 2-1, in a shootout over league powerhouse Arlington.

Belmont came into the game having twice been shut out by the SpyPonders in the previous week, giving up nine goals in the two matches. Despite Arlington’s advantage on offense in setting the tempo and scoring chances, the Marauders had an answer in the guise of sophomore goaltender Ryan Griffin and senior captain Tom Grace who lead the defense.

When the Belmont coaching staff selected the three players to take the sudden death penalty shots, they needed to only look to the Fici brothers – senior captain Ben Fici and sophomore standout Cam – to seal the deal.

After Arlington’s Jack Sadowski scored first in the second round of shots, Ben Fici threw off Arlington goalie Jack Davies with a quick move to his right and roofed a backhand by the sophomore netminder to tie the shootout at one.

It was now Griffins time to shine as he blocked Reid Malatesta’s attempted to go between the pads. With the game on the line, Cam Fici took it in close and shoved a shot through Davies’ pads to hit the side netting for the winning goal.

Belmont finished the shortened season with a record of 7-3-1.

Three Belmont Teams In Middlesex League Tournaments Starting Wednesday

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Photo: Belmont teams are participating in a first-ever Middlesex League championship tournament.

The regular season might be over but three Belmont teams will be playing on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of a first ever Middlesex League championship tournament.

Boys’ Hockey and Girls’ Hockey and Basketball are playing in this impromptu playoff as the Middlesex League is following the examples of other athletic conferences by adding a tournament in place of the MIAA interscholastic championships which have been suspended for the school year.

Wednesday’s schedule includes:

  • Third seed Boy’s Hockey will play host to Wakefield at noon, Wednesday at John A. Ryan Area in Watertown. You can catch the game on cable – Ch. 96 Comcast or Ch. 30 Verizon – or on the web at belmontmedia.org/infotv
  • Girls’ Basketball, the fourth ranked team will play long time rivals Watertown at 2:30 p.m. While Belmont is the home team, the game will be played at Watertown High School. Watch the game on Ch. 96 Comcast or Ch. 30 Verizon or at belmontmedia.org/infotv
  • Finally, fourth seed Girls’ Hockey takes on Winchester at 7 p.m. at the Burlington Ice Palace. You can see the game on Ch. 96 Comcast or Ch. 30 Verizon and on the web at belmontmedia.org/infotv

Let The Races Begin: Here Is The 2021 Belmont Town Election Ballot

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Photo: The ballot has been set for the Belmont Town Election, 2021

Races for School Committee, Board of Health and Housing Board highlight the 2021 Belmont Town Election as Town Clerk Ellen Cushman closed the nomination process at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16.

Five candidates, including the two incumbents – Tara Donner and Evelyn Gomez – will be seeking the pair of seats on the school committee. The race will pit the current committee’s “safety first” approach to introducing students back to school during the COVID-19 pandemic against a pair of candidates – Meghan Moriarty and Jamal Saeh – who believe children can safely be placed back in classrooms now.

One town-wide office that will not be contested is the Select Board as three-term board member Mark Paolillo will return to the three-person council since retiring in 2019. Also, Mike Widmer will be seeking his 13th one-year term as Town Moderator.

Over on the Town Meeting side of the ledger, both precincts 5 and 6 will have a donnybrook on Election Day, April 6, as 15 candidates will be seeking 12 seats. The number of open seats that will require write-ins this year is limited to Precinct 7 with three 3 year openings and a partial 2 year opening in Precinct 4.

The Town-wide offices up for grabs on April 6 include:

* = incumbent

Moderator (1 year)

Mike Widmer *

Select Board (one for 3 years)

Mark Paolillo

Board of Assessors (one for 3 years)

Charles Clark

Cemetery Commissioners (one for 3 years)

Ellen O’Brien Cushman *

Board of Health (one for 3 years)

Stephen Fiore *

Adienne Allen

Housing Board (one for 5 years)

Anne Mahon *

Tommasina Olson

Housing Board (one for 4 years)

Sarah Bilodeau

Library Trustee (two for 3 years)

Elaine Allgood *

Corinne McCue Olmsted *

School Committee (two for 3 years)

Tara Donner *

Timothy Flood

Evelyn Gomez *

Meghan Moriarty

Jamal Saeh

Absentee Ballot Applications Coming With Your Light Bill

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Photo: Look in your Light bill for the application.

Due to the latest pandemic surge, the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office and Board of Registrars of Voters has collaborated with Belmont Light to include an application to receive an absentee ballot in customer’s February bill.

If you feel you qualify, please forward your application to the Belmont Town Clerk as soon as possible. The application can be copied for additional voters. Once the ballots have been printed, they will be mailed to voters in the order applications are received.

For more information, head over to the Town Clerk’s web page under Elections: Vote By Mail.

What’s Open, Closed On Presidents Day/Washington’s Birthday

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Photo: Washington and Lincoln birthday

Two for the price of one. Living in Massachusetts allows residents to have your choice of holidays to celebrate on the third Monday of February.

Presidents Day is a commemoration of the Feb. 22 birthday of George Washington. And since it falls near the Feb. 12 birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the federal government in 1971 included the two birthdays under the one holiday.

But the Bay State officially celebrates “Washington’s Birthday” on the same day as the federal holiday. So take your pick.

Trash and recycling curbside pick up is delayed by a day.

Closed:

Belmont Town offices and Belmont Light are closed.

• US Postal Service offices: Closed. No deliveries.

• Banks; although some branches will be open in supermarkets.

• MBTA: Operating on a Saturday schedule. See www.mbta.com for details.

What’s Opened:

• Retail stores

• Coffee shops; Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are open

• Supermarkets

• Convenience stores and,

• Establishments that sell beer and wine are also allowed to be open.

Here’s Your Chance: Precincts Have Open Town Meeting Seats To Be Filled

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Unless a crowd of masked residents waving nomination papers show up outside Town Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 16, it’s likely only two of Belmont’s eight precincts will have competitive races to fill Town Meeting seats up for grabs at the Town Election on April 6.

A draft ballot produced by Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman’s office on Thursday, Feb. 12 – four days before the nomination deadline on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 5 p.m. – indicated that residents in Precinct 3 and Precinct 6 will have competitive races for Town Meeting. Three precincts (2, 5 and 8) have the required 12 candidates running.

  • Precinct 1: 11 of 12 including one one-year term still wanting a candidate.
  • Precinct 2: 12 of 12 including one candidate for a two-year seat and no one for the single-year term.
  • Precinct 3: 13 for 12
  • Precinct 4: 10 for 12 including no takers for a two-year term
  • Precinct 5: 12 for 12
  • Precinct 6: 14 for 12
  • Precinct 7: 9 for 12 and no one seeking the one-year term.
  • Precinct 8: 12 for 12 with a candidate for the lone two-year seat.

In four of the precincts, partial term seats – for either one or two years to fill the terms of Town Meeting Members who relinquished their posts – have not attracted a candidate.

If you have taken nomination papers out but have not yet turned them in, there’s still time. The deadline to turn in nomination papers is Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 5 p.m. DO NOT put them into the Town Clerk’s drop box; make sure you call the Clerk’s Office at 617-993-2603 when you arrive at Town Hall. We prefer papers turned in at 9 p.m. and 3 p.m. but on Tuesday, we will take them anytime.

Belmont COVID Numbers, Rates Move Lower; Town Starts Vaccine Helpline

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Photo: Belmont has begun a vaccine helpline for those needing help to schedule a shot.

The number and rate of infection from COVID-19 in Belmont has take a pronounced drop in the past month, shadowing the national trends, according to data from the Massachusetts Department of Health.

As of Friday, Feb. 12, there were 23 new COVID-19 cases from the past week, a marked reduction from the peak a month earlier.

Date reportingNew cases in the week Change from the previous week
Feb. 1296723
Feb. 594440
Jan. 2991452
Jan. 2286263
Jan. 1579962
Data: Belmont Health Center

Belmont also saw daily rate of infection per 100,000 residents over two weeks fall from a high of 41.2 on Jan. 15 to 16.2 on Feb. 12, the lowest rate since Dec. 4 when it stood at 14.6.

Currently Belmont remains in the state’s designated “yellow” zone which indicates the town is not at as much risk as red communities, but are still being monitored for their higher than ideal infection rates. 

Belmont’s confirmed cases has reached 967. Deaths have stayed steady at 77.

Belmont Starts Helpline

The Town of Belmont has activated a COVID-19 Vaccine Helpline call center to assist any residents who either do not have a computer or who may not feel comfortable using one to schedule appointments for vaccines. Currently residents 75 years old and older

To reach the center located at Town Hall, call 617-993-2606 or 617-993-2626, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

The individuals staffing the line can assist with registering those currently eligible for available clinics, whether that is a Belmont-Arlington clinic or a larger state run clinic or pharmacy. They can also answer questions about vaccine registration, and add names to the town’s vaccine interest list for those who would like to be contacted for our small local vaccine clinics.  

Meeting/Vote On Winn Brook Tennis Court Expansion, Wednesday, Feb. 10

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Photo: Design of the two proposals for courts at Winn Brook

The Belmont Recreation Commission will host a second public ZOOM meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m., via Zoom, to discuss and solicit feedback on the Community Preservation Act (CPA) request to add additional tennis court/courts at Winn Brook Playground.

The court/courts would be added in the area between Joey’s Park playground and the existing tennis courts, to add one to two additional courts. See designs below.

There is a need for additional court/courts to meet the requirements of the Belmont High School tennis program that will utilize the Winn Brook courts for practices and matches. The additional court/courts will also add to the available courts for the public when not being utilized by the High School program.

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87474795595?pwd=M1Z1TXVmS2ZCT1ZzQml6TDI0YVUyQT09
Passcode: 481165
iPhone one-tap:
US: +19292056099, 87474795595#,,,,481165# or +13017158592,,87474795595#,,,,481165#
Or Telephone:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 929 205 6099 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215
8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Webinar ID: 874 7479 5595
Passcode: 481165

Select Board Approves Contract With New Fire Chief DeStefano

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Photo: David DeStefano, Belmont Fire’s new chief.

It’s official. Belmont has a new fire chief as the Select Board agreed to a contract with David DeStefano at this Feb. 8 meeting.

DeStefano, a battalion chief with the North Providence (RI) Fire Department, was selected by the board at its Jan. 21 meeting, replacing long-time chief David Frizzell.

DeStefano’s contract will be for three years starting March 15, 2021. His starting salary is $152,000. As part of his employment, he must establish primary residency within 15 miles of Belmont’s border in the next six months.

The town will provide DeStefano with an unmarked fire vehicle.

On July 1, 2021, DeStefano will be eligible for a minimum cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 2 percent or a general COLA pay increase for department heads, whichever is greater. On July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023, he will be eligible for his current base salary plus a COLA minimum of 2 percent or the general COLA pay increase for department heads whichever is greater. There is also a merit increase based on his performance review.

DeStefano will accrue four weeks of vacation and three weeks of sick leave annually along with 12 holidays. He will be offered the normal health, dental and life insurance benefits of all employees of the town.

DeStefano must submit his application for Massachusetts Fire Chief credentials within the first three months of being hired.

Town Meeting Warrant Is Open Until Feb. 23

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Photo: The Town Meeting warrant is open for business

The chance to have your say before this year’s Town Meeting is underway as the Select Board voted Monday, Feb. 8, to open the meeting’s Warrant for the next two weeks.

“We’re doing is allowing resident to … submit warrant articles through citizens’ petitions or soliciting the Select Board to act,” said Roy Epstein, the Board’s chair.

The warrant was opened at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and will close on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m.

There is already a long list of articles that have been submitted by the town and its departments, 23 in total as of Monday. The articles will be debated and voted during the first session of Town Meeting which will convene in late April or early May.

Just a few of the non-standing articles include:

  • Establishing Indigenous Peoples’ Day
  • The acceptance of Oakmont Lane as a public way
  • A resolution to the legislature to revise the state’s gas law to allow communities to approve fossil fuel free new residential construction
  • A sanitary sewage easement for 100 Common St.
  • Disposition of property at 92 Trapelo Rd.
  • Lease of a cell tower at 780 Concord Ave.
  • A bylaw to limit/restrict leaf blower use
  • Changes to the Belmont Light Board governance

Patrice Garvin, Belmont’s town administrator, said it’s likely that more articles will be forwarded from elected and standing committees and boards seeking the Select Board’s help in placing articles in the warrant.

“It’s not just time for citizens’ petitions,” said Garvin.