Booo-reaucrats! Halloween At Town Hall; Monday, Oct. 28

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Flying monkeys and a scarecrow in the Town Clerk’s Office.

It’s scarier than your next property tax bill and more deadly than a night debating bylaw amendments at Town Meeting.

What could be this frightening? It’s the second annual Halloween Trick or Treat at Town Hall on Monday, Oct. 28 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Town Hall and the Homer Building will host children and their parents for a bit of pre-Halloween joviality. Employees are once again encouraged to dress up in the spirit of the day.

As with last year, we will have tables and space available in Town Hall for Belmont Light, the Belmont Public Library, Belmont Police and Fire, and Council on Aging so those employees can participate in the fun as well.

Fire Hits Trapelo Location Known As Home To Diners [Video]

By 1 Comment

Photo: Belmont Fire fighting a smoky blaze at 628 Trapelo Rd.

A late night fire on Sunday, Oct. 27 left heavily damaged a location known as the home to several diners over the past decade, according to Belmont Fire Department.

The blaze in the basement of Tropical Diner at 628 Trapelo Rd. near the intersection of Mill Street caused “extensive smoke … water and heat damage” to the establishment which opened in March of this year, said Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell at the scene of the fire.

The 6,000 sq.-ft. restaurant and a two-family apartment occupy the site near Waverley Square and adjacent to the Beaver Brook Reservation.

A resident living in the apartment called 911 dispatch at 9:48 p.m. to report smoke coming from the diner’s roof, said Frizzell. Belmont Engines 1 and 3, Ladder 1 and Rescue 1 responded to the site within a few minutes of the initial call where firefighters discovered a fire in the basement of the diner. The blaze was extinguished within an hour.

Frizzell said an investigation has begun to determine how the fire started. Equipment from Watertown and Cambridge assisted at the scene. Frizzell noted that as of 11 p.m. no civilians or firefighters were injured.

The location has been home to diners since the mid-1970s when Andros Diner occupied the spot. Run by the Manetas family, the business was foreclosed by its lender in March 2011 owning the town $75,000 in back taxes.

A year later, in July 2011, Sweet Peach Diner opened, only to close in May 2015. The next occupant was the Phinix Grill that started in November 2015 before the owners turned their attention to operating a food truck and shut its doors late in 2018 followed by the Tropical Diner.

The long standing complaint among potential customers of all the diners has been the lack of parking, with patrons relying on a few off street space along busy Trapelo Road.

Booster’s Annual “B” Drive Is Happening This Sunday Afternoon, Oct. 27

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The “B” drive is here.

The Belmont Boosters Annual “B” Drive will held on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 27, during which Belmont High School student/athletes will engage in a door-to-door fundraising campaign encompassing the entire town of Belmont. 

This is a major fundraiser for the Boosters, which provides financial support to the school’s athletic teams and programs individually as well as to broader capital initiatives in support of all teams and programs.

Proceeds support the Belmont Boosters LLC, a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to promote and support the athletic programs and related educational programs of Belmont High School. 

Parent-volunteers (especially parent-drivers) are critical to the success of this fundraising event. You can sign up to drive as a parent/guardian at the Boosters website or sign up to drive as a parent/guardian here.

Boost In Free Cash Likely To See Belmont Avoid A Spring Override Vote

By 1 Comment

Photo: The money is rolling into town’s free cash coffers (Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository)

Belmont Treasurer Floyd Carmen is fond of repeating a cautionary catchphrase when speaking about the town’s unrestricted fund account.

“Free cash isn’t free,” says Carmen.

While it may not be free, by bringing in a robust $8.1 million in its unrestricted account, Carmen’s work will likely help the town balance the fiscal year’s budget without the need of a Prop. 2 1/2 override vote that appeared all but a certainty just six months ago.

The $8.1 million is just short of the $8.4 million in free cash the town held in fiscal ’18, an amount that Carmen warned the Board last year would not likely be matched. While the state advises municipalities to have a free cash amount equal to three to five percent of its annual budget, Belmont’s account is slightly more than 6.25 percent on a fiscal year budget of $129 million.

Free cash is made up of receipts – taxes and fees – in excess of revenue estimates along with unspent amounts in departmental budget line items known as “turn backs” for the previous fiscal year, plus any unspent free cash from the previous year. Before it can be used, free cash must be certified by the state.

The Select Board applauded Carmen’s accomplishment on the haul of free cash.

“I have to say I’m delighted and also astonished that free cash came in so high,” said Select Board Vice Chair Roy Epstein.

Carmen attributed the results to the town’s “fairly conservative” budgeting, department heads who work hard to return monies not spent and a tax and fee collection rate that caused one Board member to explain “wow.”

“Our tax collection rate is 99.6 percent,” said Carmen, who praised his staff for reducing uncollected receivables from $1.7 million on May 15 to just under $200,000 today.

While good government advocates suggest a portion of free cash be restricted to paying one-time expenditures and funding capital projects, Belmont will use a major chunk of the monies to fill in an expected gap in this year’s budget.

Carmen told the Select Board that he suggested to town officials transferring $2.5 million of the $8.1 million and place it into the town’s General Stabilization Fund, a special revenue account where monies are appropriated and reserved for balancing the town budget.

Added with the current balance of approximately $332,000, the Fund will end up with around $2.8 million in the Fund, about the same amount the account held last year at this time.

This amount will make up the bulk of the funding needed to fill a $2.3 million deficit in fiscal year 2021 that was predicted in August 2018 by consultants for UMass Boston’s Edward J. Collins Center.

“Just about three weeks ago, I finally could say we will have this covered,” said Carmen about the revenue hole.

While the Prop 2 1/2 override is all but certain off the April 2020 Town Election ballot, it is increasingly likely the override will be before residents in November 2020 to find a longer term solution for the town financial structural deficit.

Get A Head(less) Start To Halloween With Horror House, Masquerade Concert Wed. Night At BHS

By Leave a Comment

Photo: A couple prepares for a night at Belmont High

Boo! Looking for a little pre-Halloween festivities? There will be two spooky events taking place at Belmont High School to get you ready for All Hallow’s Eve!

The 6th annual Belmont High School House of Horror will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 23 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the high school’s cafeteria.

This year there will be a kids section with Halloween oriented crafts and games. There’s a $5 entrance fee for the actual Haunted House but we’d greatly appreciate it if you’d like to donate more than that as the proceeds will go to Samaritians.

Along with the Horror House, the Belmont High School Bands will hold its yearly Masquerade Benefit Concert. You’ll hear the haunting themes of ghosts and goblins mixed in with the music of your favorite superheroes and Disney characters. The band will be dressed in their Halloween-best, and we encourage audience members (young and old) to wear their costumes and help set the mood for the evening.

Admission to the concert is FREE. The concert program will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. – a half hour earlier than usual – to accommodate families with younger children.

Meet and Greet Belmont High’s New Principal On Tuesday, Oct. 22

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Principal Issac Taylor

The Belmont High School Parents, Teachers Students Organization (PTSO) is hosting a Meet and Greet with Belmont High School’s new principal, Issac Taylor, on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the school’s library. Bring your questions, comments, concerns for Taylor. Hear from the PTSO about our plans for this school year. The monthly BPTSO meeting will be held after the event.

DPW Recycling Day Oct. 19; Cardboard, Paper Shredding on Oct. 26

By Leave a Comment

Photo: DPW recycling is here!

The Belmont Department of Public Works will be holding it’s next Recycling Day on Oct. 19, from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. at the DPW Yard at 37 C St.

Cardboard drop off and paper shredding will take place on Oct. 26 from 9 to noon at the same location.

The material that will be recycled on Oct. 19 include (click on each item for more information)

BOSTON BUILDING RESOURCES –

ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE – Separate towels and sheets from your textiles to donate to this organization. 

CIRCLE OF HOPE – Donate new and gently used clothing of all ages especially shoes and Mens Clothing, towels, sheets and blankets

RIGID PLASTICS – Will Not Be Collected

STYROFOAM – Will Not Be Collected (Company out of Business)

Friends’ Annual Fall Book Sale At The Library This Weekend, Oct. 19, 20

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The annual book sale is this weekend.

If you love books but not looking to pay an arm and a leg, this is your weekend to stock up on fiction, non-fiction, children’s and every other sort of book as the Friends of the Belmont Public Library holds its annual Fall Book Sale on Saturday and Sunday.

The sale takes place on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 20 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Assembly and Flett rooms at the library, 336 Concord Ave. And Sunday is the Bag o’ Books sale. 

A preview party for Friends members takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17. In addition, Belmont teachers will spend Friday picking out books for their classrooms, thanks to the Friends.

The sale’s proceeds allow the Friends to purchase museum memberships, bring authors and demonstrations to the library while adding to the technology available to all patrons.

Proposed Traffic Changes In Wellington Area Under Discussion at Public Meeting

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Map of changes being proposed in the Wellington neighborhood.

With the building of the Belmont Middle and High School well underway, the impact of the new building on a number of neighborhood streets will be significant. One area that have identified were traffic and transportation challenges will occur are those streets adjacent to the Wellington Elementary School including School, Orchard, Goden.

The High School Traffic Working Group is hosting a public meeting on Thursday night, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall to discuss a proposed trial period of recommended changes to traffic patterns. The recommendations by the group are:

  • Create a one-way section of Goden Street between School and Orchard, allowing the intersection of Goden and School to be squared up instead of offset.
  • Create a four-way stop at Orchard and School streets.
  • Create a four-way stop at Orchard and Goden streets.
  • The pair of four-way stops are dependent on acceptance of the one-way on Goden.

The group’s consultant, BSC Group Consulting, will be at the meeting to explain the recommendations and answer questions.

High On The Hogs: Linemen Propel Marauders To First Win With Victory Over Lex

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont High’s Senior RB Chad Francis romps for 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns including this from 34 yards.

All hail the hogs! Will Shelley, Reid Carlson, Ryan Hoffman, Brett Westgate, Isaiah Gullage, Andrew Kwon, Matt Crisafi and Derrick Brown.

As a nor’easter swept over Harris Field, the Belmont High Marauders’ relied on its big experienced linemen on both sides of the ball to secure the program’s first victory of the season, 28-12, against the Lexington High Minutemen in front of a small, but dedicated group of fans under the wet and windy Friday night lights, Oct. 11.

“I’m just so proud of these guys and the coaches. We’ve never quit believing in what we have here,” said Belmont Head Coach Yann Kumin whose team stands at 1-3. “We kept saying that there’s a lot of football left to play.”

The offensive line created lanes along the edge for senior RB Chad Francis to romp for 233 yards on 28 carries and a pair of long (34 and 53 yards) second quarter touchdowns. The dominance of the “O” line was evident in the third quarter as Belmont held the ball for nine minutes on the first drive of the second half.

“We took a long look at what they were doing defensively and all of a sudden we said the Lexington defense looks a lot like Medford defense from [2016]” against which Belmont’s Ben Jones set a school record of 334 yards in the ’16 season opener.

The coaching staff installed a two-back formation and “simplified the blocking for the Hoggies and we got them going,” said Kumin as the team rushed for 311 yards.

But it was on defense that Belmont showed its class, shutting out for three quarters a Lexington offense which scored 56 against Arlington the week previous. Belmont defense would register eight sacks (led by Brown who was a terror in the first half) a fumble recovery (after a strip of Minuteman QB Nick Perez by junior Brennen Westgate) and an interception in the end zone at the end of the first half by senior Justin Rocha.

“We have been in games against tough opponents for the last two weeks,” said “Q.” “We knew that if we played physical defense that we were going to be able to put a stop to the Minuteman offense.”

“The entire defense did a great job from the line to the [defensive backs],” said Kumin, noting the play of senior linebacker Ryan Santoro who got into the Minuteman backfield to disrupt several plays.

Belmont started the scoring with senior RB Cedrick Toussaint sprinting over the left end for a 24 yard touchdown with 1:35 left in the first quarter.

Up 21-0 at the half, Belmont’s final scoring drive was highlighted by a 49 yard run by sophomore Tyler Arno who took the handoff from QB (and older brother) Avery Arno and raced down the left side to the Lexington 1 yard line.

“We call him “Baby Arno” so when he went on the run, I just couldn’t look because it made me so nervous,” said Kumin.

Santoro would finish the drive with a one yard plunge.

While Lexington would reach the end zone twice – including an 85-yard kickoff return by Mason Hatfield immediately after Belmont’s final score – but the game wasn’t much in doubt after Hoffman and Kwon sacked as the Marauder offense would run out the clock in the final four minutes.

Belmont is on the road on Friday, Oct. 18 to play a one-win Arlington team.

But “Q” is not looking past the SpyPonders.

“Any opponent on any given week, we have to do our job to beat them. I don’t care what the record says.”