5th Pizzi 5K Set For April 26

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Photo: A new logo for the annual road race.

Becca Pizzi is preparing to make it five in a row as Belmont’s runner of renown is back with the fifth annual Becca Pizzi 5k and kids 1 mile Run set for Sunday, April 26.

Earlier in the month, the Select Board approved an application for the race that will start and finish at Belmont High School’s Harris Field track. The race begins at 9:30 a.m.

All proceeds benefit the Becca Pizzi Scholarship Foundation for the purpose of awarding scholarships to Belmont High School students.

FT Belmont is co-directing the race.

Dogs And Mini Horses – But Not Pets – OK’d As Support Animals In Belmont Schools

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Photo:

In Sarah Hale’s nursery rhyme, Mary’s lamb followed her to school one day and “[t]hat was against the rule.”

While that remains the case for lambs, snakes, rodents, llamas and most other mammals and reptiles, Belmont students can now bring dogs or miniature horses to class after the Belmont School Committee approved policy allowing “service animals” to assist pupils inside the town’s six school buildings.

According to School Superintendent John Phelan, the policy was driven by a request from a student and their parents, the first time anyone has sought to use a service animal in Belmont schools.

Following existing guidelines in use at nearby towns and state and federal law, the committee’s policy subcommittee created very specific wording on what constitutes a service animal, so the family pet is unlikely to make the grade. “A service animal performs some of the functions and tasks that individuals with disabilities cannot perform themselves,” reads the new policy. Under the new rules, these animals will need to certified and trained to handle their duties.

Examples include guiding the blind, alerting the deaf, pulling a wheelchair, assisting those who hav’e seizures and alerting a diabetics who experiencing the effects of low blood sugar.

If the animal’s task is not readily apparent, such as those that provide emotional and anxiety assistance, the parents of the student will be required to answer a pair of questions: 1). Is the animal required because of the student’s disability, and 2). What work and task has the animal been trained to do for the student with the disability.

The role of animals as emotional support services has come under fire this week as the US Department of Transportation is ready to permit airlines to stop accepting those animals on planes, only allowing service dogs. Airlines have argued that many passengers are using the currently loose rules to claim household pets are service animals which allows them to ride for free.

The school district is requiring that all animals comply with rules and standards:

  • the animal must be harnessed, leashed or tethered unless those interfere with do its job.
  • the district doesn’t assume or take custody of any part of the animal’s care – it won’t feed it on school grounds.
  • And it must be housebroken for obvious reasons.

The mini horses will have their own regulations including if the equine is too big or heavy for the building and if it ”compromises the legitimate safety requirements” necessary for the safe operation of certain schools. In addition, if the horse causes others to have an allergic reaction, the animal will be located in a specific area of the building.

As for other animals, future requests for an emotional support peacock (United refused the bird from flying in the cabin) or pot-belly pig (Websites exist to do just that), Phelan said each request would be handled individually and only if they are accepted, will the school’s policies be altered.

Cardboard Drop-Off On Saturday, Jan. 25, At Town Yard

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Photo: Cardboard drop-off on Saturday.

Do you have too much cardboard for your recycling cart? Then come to the DPW cardboard drop-off event on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Town Yard at the end of C Street off Waverley Street.

This drop-off is for Belmont residents only, so bring ID verifying your address.

It is important to flatten all cardboard to keep the line moving. The DPW will not take cardboard that has been wet or not flattened. Details below.

Bidding Opens For New Skating Rink, Decision On Winning Offer In May

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Photo: A new rink will replace the five decade old “Skip” Viglirolo Skating Rink.

In the same week the Belmont’s Skip Viglirolo Skating Rink was forced to shut down due to “unseasonably warm” temperatures – in January(!)– the town and schools OKed opening the bidding process to build a next-generation private/public partnership skating facility on school property west of Harris Field.

“This is actually a big moment in the development of this project,” said Jeffery Wheller, Belmont’s senior planner before a joint meeting of the Select Board and School Committee as each group voted unanimously to approve the release of the final version of the request for proposal on Jan. 15.

“Hopefully after tonight’s presentation we’ll get some exciting responses to the project,” he said.

The town’s Community Development Office also released a seven-month timeline of important milestones the RFP will undergo before a deal is struck.

  • Wednesday, Jan. 15: RFP is released to the public.
  • Wednesday, Jan. 29: Site visit and preliminary meeting with interested parties.
  • Tuesday, Feb. 25: Select Board/School Committee discuss review process.
  • Friday, March 20: Proposals are due.
  • Tuesday, April 7: School Committee/Select Board review top proposals.
  • Tuesday, April 28: School Committee/Select Board interview best proposals.
  • Tuesday, May 12: School Committee/Select Board selects the winning proposal.
  • Monday, June 1: On the second night of the 2020 annual Town Meeting, a Special Town Meeting will be convened to vote: 1). To lease school property to a private developer(s) and 2). amend the definition in the town’s zoning bylaw on municipal recreational uses.
  • Tuesday, June 9: School Committee awards a contract to the winning proposal.
  • Between June 10 to July 8: School Committee negotiates a long-term lease with the selected developer(s).

The town is predicting the design and site plan review process managed by the Planning Board will take between six to nine months. Only when that is completed can the developer seek a building permit.

The existing rink – known as “The Skip” – will remain in operation until the new facility is up and running and will be taken down by the town unless the area that the rink currently occupies will is needed to fulfill the town’s programmatic needs.

The RFP is fairly similar to earlier drafts, although a proposed tennis complex has been removed from the proposal.

The main features of the RFP include:

  • The facility – which may be expanded to be a year round operation – will need to share the land west of the existing rink and Harris Field with three athletic fields, a pair of throwing circles and 110 parking spaces (90 reserved for students on school days) that will be built at town expense.
  • The facility – with a maximum height of two-and-a-half stories – can contain a full-size and one half-size sheet of ice. The building will have at least 300 seats for spectators, public restrooms, a skate shop and food concessions.
  • The building will have a minimum of four locker rooms with two containing 35 lockers for boys’ and girls’ varsity and the other two with 45 lockers for the junior varsity teams. Each room will have a coaches room, showers and storage. The facility will also have a refs room, an athletic trainers room and wet area.
  • Two locker rooms will also be used by high school fall and spring sports, one each for the home and visiting teams. The restrooms will also have outdoor accessibility.
  • The town would “prefer” a zero-net energy facility i.e. avoiding fossil fuels to power the site.
  • The high school’s ice hockey teams will have four consecutive hours of ice time Monday to Saturday, during the 15-week season. Games will be played over two hours. Belmont Youth Hockey will have hours and times that meet its growing needs as will programs linked to the town’s Recreation Department.
  • The hours of operation will be negotiated with the winning bidder and the town.

Each candidate will be evaluated and ranked based on a matrix in which the town will grade the four comparative evaluation criteria the town has selected.

For example, those bidders that can show experience designing and building a significant number of similar rinks that have been successful and with similar goals as Belmont is seeking will receive a “very advantageous” ranking; those who have built only “some” facilities will be seen as being “advantageous” while those with no experience constructing rinks will be deemed “non-advantageous.”

BYBA, Marauder BBall Appreciation Night Tuesday; Girls Back To The Garden Saturday

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Photo: The girls at center court at the TD Boston Garden.

Belmont will celebrate its basketball community on Tuesday, Jan. 21 as the Belmont High vs. Lexington High Girls’ Hoops game will be Belmont Youth Basketball Association and Marauder Basketball Appreciation Night at the Wenner Field House. The varsity game starts at 6:30 p.m.

There will be FREE admission for all players wearing BYBA or Marauder Basketball gear. During halftime of the girls’ varsity game, a Team Spirit Showdown where teams and individuals will come on center court to show their basketball spirit.

On Saturday, Jan. 25, the Belmont High School Girls’ Basketball team returns to the Boston TD Garden to take on Pembroke High in the Andrew James Lawson Foundation Invitational. This is the third time the girls have played at the Garden in the past five years, defeating Chelmsford and Arlington in their past two visits.

Tip off is at 9:30 a.m.

BYBA and Marauders Basketball players who interested in playing at halftime of the Belmont High Girls Varsity game at the TD Boston Garden on Saturday should let their BYBA coaches know and/or sign up here:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0948afaa2da75-play

Tickets for the “Garden” party is $20 for general admission to games all day  (re-entry permitted). If you cannot attend but would like to support the girls basketball efforts, you can purchase tickets to donate.

You can support by buying tickets from Belmont Girls Basketball in the following ways and coming to cheer them on:

Checks should be made out to “Marauder Basketball Association” and sent to Attn: Girls Basketball, Coach Melissa Hart, Athletic Department, Belmont High School, 221 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA

Thank you for supporting our Belmont girls team! Hope to see you there!For further questions or help getting tickets please email:  4belmontkids@gmail.com

Marauders, SpyPonders Draw Blanks In Girls Hockey Showdown

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Photo: Belmont’s Bridget Gray makes the save early in the first period.

An anticipated barnburner between a pair of red hot teams never materialized as stone cold defense stole the show between Arlington and host Belmont as the Middlesex Liberty rivals skated to a joint shutout, 0-0, at the Skip Wednesday, Jan. 15.

The tie hampers both squads attempts to stay close to league leader Woburn (7-1-1) which beat Belmont, 5-2, but lost to Arlington, 5-1.

In a game which Arlington (5-1-2) held the upper hand for most of the 45 minutes, the highlights came from the top defensive pairings from both teams while each goaltender did what was required to come off the ice with a clean sheet.

The SpyPonders first D-line of junior Shea O’Day and first year Cailyn Murphy were especially solid tracking down Belmont’s top scorers – senior Katie Goden, junior Emma O’Donovan and first year Lilly Duffy – and limiting the offense to single shots on goal. Belmont’s seniors Meaghan Noone and Jenna Crowley produced more of an attacking punch for the Marauders (7-1-2).

The SpyPonders had the advantage of goal scoring chances including a pair of near breakaways (from first year players Molly Conneely and Madeline Krepelka) in the first six minutes of the game. But each one was stifled by Belmont’s goalie Bridget Gray, the first year standout in the league who earned her sixth overall and third consecutive shut out to lower her goal-against average to an eye popping 0.85.

Offensively, Arlington was happy to keep the puck on the boards before breaking out as it relied on its physical playing style. Belmont leaned on its quickness to attack on the counter and pounce on the odd SpyPonder miscue.

While Arlington’s sophomore tender Elise Rodd was troubled by a handful of shots – Belmont’s best chance came from senior Kara Rowan from the slot that flew by the left post in the second period – Gray faced 35 in which several required a quick glove hand including several sprawling pad saves early and late in the third.

Belmont welcomes Watertown on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 1 p.m.

Tennis Aced Out Of High School Campus, Moving To An Expanded Winn Brook Location

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Photo: Winn Brook tennis courts.

Belmont High Tennis tennis teams will be playing its matches at the courts at Winn Brook Elementary School after Superintendent John Phelan announced a decision by school officials that the sport will not be located on the campus of the new school.

Phelan told the Belmont Middle and High School Building Committee on Tuesday morning, Jan. 7 that building five tennis courts west of Harris Field was unfeasible with the current needs for the land including sub-varsity playing fields for softball, baseball, field hockey and soccer and the likely construction of a new public/private skating rink.

“The reason why we chose tennis was not our lack of respect for the program … but the best universal use of all the space not only on campus but around town,” said Phelan. While a fall and spring sport could be located at the Winn Brook, building a new baseball field at the Winn Brook would impact youth club teams such as soccer, recreational sports and educational programs that currently use the ground.

“It’s a real ripple effect across the town’s spaces which we have to be respectful of,” said Phelan.

The push to keep five courts on the new campus came from student-athletes, their supporters and residents who play tennis who said all varsity sports should take place at the high school. The campaigners also said taking away the court was done in a less than open process.

A reassessment was conducted over three meetings in December by Phelan, Assistant Town Manager Jon Marshall and Belmont High Athletic Director Jim Davis. In the end, the “biggest bang for our dollars” was to keep the existing plans “that will provide the most access to the limited space we have.”

The superintendent pointed out that nearly half of the team teams in the Middlesex League that Belmont is a member play outside of their campus’.

It was determined that travel to and from Winn Brook will be lessened once an underpass is completed at the commuter rail line between Alexander Avenue and the new school.

Phelan noted that including tennis courts to the site would likely delay the issuance of the request for proposal for the new skating rink which will be voted on Tuesday night by the school committee.

To lessen the blow of having to play offsite, Phelan will be working with the town to request funds from the Community Preservation Committee to build two new courts at Winn Brook to allow for regular season and post-season tournament play.

Cardboard Drop Off This Saturday; X-Mas Trees Pick Up Starts Monday

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Photo: O Tannenbaum, lying in the gutter.

The holiday season is not just a time for presents and festivities; it also a time when your house is filled with all those cardboard boxes in which those gifts were delivered.

To help homeowners free up space in their recycling bins, the Belmont Department of Public Works is holding its second and third Cardboard Drop-off events on:

  • Saturday, Jan. 4
  • Saturday, Jan. 25

from 9 a.m. to noon at the DPW Yard, 37 C St. (off Waverley Street), weather permitting. Bring along an ID indicating that you are a Belmont resident.

Christmas trees are a wonderful traditional centerpiece for so many. But once the New Year has come and gone, so will the tree.

Again this year, Christmas trees will be picked up by Waste Management, the town’s hauler, for two weeks from Monday, Jan. 6 to Friday, Jan. 17. The trees will be diverted from the Waste to Energy plant and composted.

There are some dos and don’ts on what Christmas-related items can and can’t be recycled:

  • No ribbon or bows
  • No plastic packaging or plastic toys
  • No plastic bags, wrap or film
  • No batteries
  • No Christmas lights
  • No clothes
  • No food

Wrapping paper and holiday cards are acceptable for recycling, although they can’t have foil or glitter.

They’re Off: Incumbents Dash To Secure Nomination Papers For Town-Wide Offices

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Photo: Mike Widmer would be seeking his 13th term as Town Moderator.

The 2020 Belmont Town Election is still 98 days away on April 7, 2020 but it appears this edition will be few if any open seats among the 11 town-wide positions up for grabs when Belmont voters go to the polls.

Incumbents in eight of the 11 possible races have quickly snagged nomination papers from the Town Clerk’s Office in preparation for re-election campaigns.

The current office holders who have taken the first steps for a return to town government are:

  • Town Moderator (1 year): Michael Widmer
  • Town Treasurer (3 years) : Floyd Carman
  • School Committee (Two 3-year terms): Catherine Bowen, Michael Crowley
  • Board of Assessors (3 years): Robert P. Reardon
  • Beard of Health (3 year term): Donna David
  • Board of Library Trustees (Two 3 year terms): Kathleen Keohane, Gail Mann

Of those who have yet to take out papers, the most notable absentee is the Select Board’s Adam Dash, who was first elected in 2017 winning 63 percent of the vote.

But speaking to the Belmontonian in the past week, Dash gave every indication of seeking a second term to the Board, saying he would “decide” on a possible run shortly after the holidays “when people are thinking about the election.”

Only Alexander E. Corbett III of the Cemetery Commission and Donna Brescia, the chair of the Housing Authority, are incumbents who have yet to obtain papers.

It remains to be seen if the lack of “open” seats will deter newcomers from seeking to throw “their hats into the ring.” Incumbents have built-in advantages when they run: name recognition, for many three years of accomplishments, and past supporters they can return to. As Guy Molyneux puts it in The American Prospect, “elections are fundamentally a referendum on the incumbent.”

“Only if [the electorate] decide to ‘fire’ the incumbent do they begin to evaluate whether each of the challengers is an acceptable alternative.”

For those who are determined to run for town-wide office, stop by the Town Clerk’s office at Town Hall to pick up nomination papers; then submit the signed forms to the Clerk’s by the deadline, Feb. 18, 2020, at 5 p.m.  

The Town Clerk’s web pages contain quite a bit of information to help make a decision to seek office at https://www.belmont-ma.gov/town-clerk then select Elections: Running for Elected Office and Town Meeting; feel free to call us at 617-993-2600, or email at townclerk@belmont-ma.gov

What’s Open/Closed On New Year’s Day 2020 In Belmont

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Photo: Image by Gerhard Gellinger from Pixabay

A Happy New Year, Belmont.

Unlike a week ago on Christmas, there a bit more options available for those seeking a strong cup of coffee, some aspirin or just resupplying the pantry.

Closed:

  • Town offices
  • Federal offices
  • Belmont Public Library
  • US Postal Service, Belmont and Waverley Square.

Dunkin’ Donuts

• The store at 353 Trapelo Rd. in Central Square (the one at the intersection of Beech Street) is running regular hours: 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Starbucks

• The operation in Belmont Center at 47 Leonard St. is open from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The location at 110 Trapelo Rd. in Cushing Square will open its doors from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Bruegger’s Bagels

• The store at 41 Leonard St. is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Star Market

The supermarket at 535 Trapelo Rd. will be operating slightly shorter hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Craft Beer Cellars

The best known Belmont business around the country, located at 51 Leonard St., will open at noon before closing at 6 p.m.

CVS Pharmacy

• The store at 264 Trapelo Rd. will be open regular hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Pharmacy will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• The Belmont Center location at 60 Leonard St. is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the pharmacy open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you are looking to get around on the MBTA:

• The Fitchburg/South Acton Commuter Line will operate a Sunday schedule while buses and trackless trolleys that operate in Belmont are likewise running on a Sunday schedule.