Cardboard Drop-off: DPW Yard, 37 C St., Saturday, Jan. 14 – 8AM to 1PM

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Photo: Last chance to get rid of all that cardboard at one fell swoop

The holidays are over and it’s time to get rid of all that cardboard your gifts came in.

The Belmont Department of Public Works will be holding a cardboard drop-off event at 37 C St., DPW Yard on Saturday, Jan. 14, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Instructions:

  • No early drop offs, cardboard drop-off will begin at 8 a.m. and not a minute sooner.
  • Must be a Belmont resident to register.
  • Please remain in your car at the Yard.
  • All cardboard must be in the trunk or rear of the car.
  • All cardboard should be flattened prior to drop-off.

Please Click Here To Register 

Belmont, Firefighters Agree To Five Year Contract

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Photo: Select Board OKs five year contract with Belmont Firefighters.

The Select Board voted Monday, Jan. 9 to approve two contracts that will cover approximately 50 firefighters, paramedics and EMTs until June 30, 2026.

“This is a reasonable agreement for the town and for the union as well,” said Select Board Chair Mark Paolillo.

The first of two Memorandum of Understanding with the members of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1637 runs from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022 includes a two percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) as well as annual stipends of 1.5 percent for paramedics and EMTs.

The second agreement between town and employees is a series of four annual contracts begin on July 1, ’22, ’23, ’24 and ’26 with a two percent COLA each year with a paramedics and EMT stipend of 1.5 percent in the first three contracts than falling to one percent in each of the remaining agreements.

Firefighters will also receive a $2,000 one-time payment funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The town was able to negotiate biweekly pay schedule which will add efficiencies with the payment department and adding the Juneteenth holiday to the package.

The Police Officers union is the final labor contract of town employees currently being negotiated. According to Belmont Town Administrator Patrice Garvin, who had helmed the contract negotiations for the town, a final contract for the police public safety should be presented before the Select Board “in the next couple of weeks.”

With Middlesex County Now At ‘High’ Level For Transmission, Belmont Health Holding Covid Vaccine/Flu Clinic Thurs., Nov. 12 At Beth El

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Photo:

With Middlesex County having recently been elevated to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)’s “High” Community Level for COVID-19 transmission risk due to increased hospitalization rates in this part of the state, Belmont Health Department is offering vaccinations and bivalent boosters for Covid-19 and a seasonal flu shot to all eligible residents, ages three and older, on Thursday, Jan. 12 from 10 a.m. to noon at Beth El Temple Center, 2 Concord Ave.

What to know about the clinic:

  • Primary vaccine series for anyone ages 3+
  • Bivalent booster of Pfizer (5+) or Moderna (6+) COVID vaccine for anyone who has completed a primary vaccine series of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 2 months after last dose or last booster dose
  • Flu shots will be available for ages 3 and up
  • Find full guidance on booster eligibility here.

For children under 18 years of age this form must be signed by a parent or guardian and presented at the time of vaccination (parent/guardian may not be present as long as signed consent is received). 

Look here for information and to register for a vaccine appointment.

Please bring your insurance (medical and prescription) and COVID-19 vaccination cards to the clinic.

  • COVID vaccines are free for all regardless of insurance coverage
  • Insurance is required for flu vaccines
  • For those covered by Medicare, please bring your red, white, and blue Medicare card in addition to any other insurance cards.

Please present insurance cards, photo ID, and vaccination cards at your appointment.

This clinic will be operated through a partnership between VaxinateRX and the Belmont Health Department. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available.

If you have difficulty with registration call  617-993-2720 or

Final Week For Christmas Tree Pickup

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Photo: This week is your final chance to place your holiday tree on the curbside for pickup

The Belmont Department of Public Works want residents to know they have one last chance to have their Tannenbaum go “auf wiedersehen.”

Christmas trees are being collected at curbside on the first two full weeks of January. The final week starts Jan 9. If you miss this pickup, you will have to schedule a bulk item pickup with the town.

Please plan accordingly, according to the DPW, or you will have to hold on to your tree for a year (!) or you’ll need to have it hauled away by a private contractor. Or you can recycle your tree yourself: They make a great covering for flower or vegetable gardens.

Since the trees are being chipped and composted, they must not have any ornaments, tinsel or lights on them.

Also, the trees can’t be in a bag.

Finally, per the DPW, make sure that your tree is not covered by snow and ice, to facilitate putting it in the truck.

Deadline For Cat And Dog License Registration Is March 15; It’s Easy To Do Online

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Photo: Get your dog or cat license renewed.

It’s time to do the annual renewal of your dog and cat pet license to comply with the Massachusetts General Laws and Belmont General Bylaws.

And it’s so easy to do! If your pet has an up-to-date rabies vaccination currently on file with the Town Clerk, renewal of the pet license can be accomplished online in fewer than two minutes. The online convenience fee for a $12 pet license is approximately $1.22. At the homepage for the Town, www.belmont-ma.gov, select “Online Payments”, then “License my Pet online”.

First time licenses for new pets must be by paper application with the veterinarian certificate of rabies vaccination. Send the vaccination certificate to townclerk@belmont-ma.gov or via fax to 617-993-2601. The Clerk’s office will update the record and you’ll be able to license online immediately thereafter.

Pet license applications (both online renewals and fillable pdf) are available on the Town Clerk’s webpage at http://www.belmont-ma.gov/town-clerk. A paper pet license application will also be included with every census mailing to Belmont households in January.

Fees applicable to March 15

  • Spayed or neutered cats and dogs: $12 or $9 if the owner is 60 years or older.
  • Unaltered cats and dogs: $37 or $34 if the owner is 60 years or older.

Make sure you license your pet dog or cat by the March 15 deadline to avoid the significant automatic increase in fees and $50 enforcement violations.

Police Chief, Department Honored For Supporting Officers Serving In National Guard

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Photo: Earl Bonett, Massachusetts Chair of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, presents Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac with an award recognizing the department’s support of members who serve in the armed forces. (Courtesy Photo: Belmont Police Department)

Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac and the Belmont Police Department were recently honored for their cooperation in support of the National Guard and Reserve.

MacIsaac was presented a certificate from the Massachusetts chapter of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) in recognition of the department’s longstanding commitment to supporting its members who serve in the National Guard or in the reserve corps of the nation’s military branches.

ESGR is a Department of Defense office founded in 1972 to carry out the mission of fostering a culture in which American employers support their employees who serve in the guard or reserve forces. Belmont Police have two active officers who are currently serving as members of the Massachusetts National Guard.

“This award is a reflection of our entire department’s collective pride in our members whose commitment to public service extends even beyond Belmont’s borders,” said MacIsaac. “We’re grateful for all who serve in the National Guard and Reserves, including Lt. Paul Cowing and Sgt. Ben Mailhot.”

The Belmont Police Department enables its members who wish to serve in the Guard or Reserves the opportunity to do so with the peace of mind in knowing that they will have their civilian positions waiting for them upon return from any activation.

29th MLK Jr (Virtual) Breakfast Celebration Set For Monday, Jan. 16 At 9AM

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Photo: 29th Martin Luther King Community Breakfast, Jan. 16

The Belmont Human Rights Commission invites the Belmont community to attend Belmont’s 29th Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community (virtual) Breakfast on Monday, Jan. 16 at 9 a.m.

The Keynote address is “Understanding and Resisting Hate in New England” by Calum Farley, Investigative Researcher, ADL Center on Extremism. A Q & A with Farley will follow.

The breakfast will include music by Belmont High students and an update on the METCO program and the METCO Support Fund.

Admission is free. Click here: bit.ly/BelmontMLK23 for the Zoom link

Watch in Belmont on Belmont Media Center InfoTV (Ch. 96 on Comcast or Ch. 30 on Verizon) or watch from anywhere on belmontmedia.org/infotv

Town Offices, Library, Post Offices Closed Monday, Jan. 2; Trash Collection Delayed A Day

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Photo: Trash and recycling has been pushed back a day

While nearly all retail and some firms are back to work on Monday, Jan. 2, town, state and federal government will be taking the New Years Day holiday on the second day of 2023.

In Belmont, town offices will be closed as will the Belmont Public Library. The two US postal service sites on Concord Avenue and Trapelo Road will be shut while the MBTA’s subway, bus, and The RIDE will run on a Sunday schedule and commuter rail will run on a weekend schedule.

Due to the holiday, trash and recycling pickup will be delayed by one day.

Belmont Treasurer Carman Will Not Seek Re-election, Opens Up Vote On Appointed Post

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Photo: A 2014 photo of Town Treasurer Floyd Carman

Floyd Carman, Belmont’s long time Treasurer, announced late Friday, Dec. 30, his decision not to seek re-election to the post in the April 2023 town election.

“I am retiring and not running for re-election on April 4, 2023, as your Elected Town Treasurer and Tax Collector after 18 years on the job,” said Carman in an email to residents. “It has been a privilege and honor to serve Belmont.”

The announcement makes official what was speculated in the fall when the Select Board’s Roy Epstein revealed that Carman would not seek a seventh three year term as the town’s leading financial official. Carman would later say in November that he would decide whether to run to keep the post “sometime in the new year.”

With Carman’s decision, the Select Board will move forward with its plan to seek Town Meeting approval to restructure the Treasurer’s position from an elected position to one which is appointed by the Town Administrator. The Board is seeking to implement one of the major recommendations proposed in a report by the Collins Center for Public Management released in August 2022. The report called Belmont “one of the most decentralized town structures of its size existing in the Commonwealth” resulting in a “significant diffusion of responsibilities and authority across the executive branch.” The Center made nearly 20 recommendations including the change to an appointed treasurer to allow a more cohesive approach to budgeting and financial management.

The Special Town Meeting will be held in February for member to vote on an article to establish an appointed treasurer post. If adopted, a ballot question will be presented to voters at the Town Election. During this time, any eligible voter can run for the open post to fill the three year term. If the voters approve the appointed treasurer post, the winner in the general election will serve until the legislature approves the voters initiative which will occur in a matter of weeks. If the voters rejects the proposal, the winner will serve the three year term.

The Select Board has come out in strong support for the appointed post as have many members of the influential Warrant Committee. Additionally, Elizabeth Dionne, the sole candidate seeking to fill the seat on the Select Board held by Adam Dash who is not running for re-election, has said she supports a appointed treasurer. Critics of the change have said there are highly qualified residents who can fill the post who will then be beholden to the voters rather than a non-elected Town Administrator.

With ‘Tripledemic’ Still Around, Belmont Health Offers Flu, Covid Clinic Thursday, Dec. 29

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Photo: The Dec. 29 clinic will be open from 10 a.m. to noon.

With the “tripledemic” – COVID, influenza, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) – remaining a threat to children and adults, Belmont Health Department is offering vaccinations and bivalent boosters for Covid-19 and a seasonal flu shot to all eligible residents, ages three and older, on Thursday, Dec. 29 from 10 a.m. to noon at Beth El Temple Center, 2 Concord Ave.

What to know about the clinic:

  • Primary vaccine series for anyone ages 3+
  • Bivalent booster of Pfizer (5+) or Moderna (6+) COVID vaccine for anyone who has completed a primary vaccine series of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 2 months after last dose or last booster dose
  • Flu shots will be available for ages 3 and up
  • Find full guidance on booster eligibility here.

For children under 18 years of age this form must be signed by a parent or guardian and presented at the time of vaccination (parent/guardian may not be present as long as signed consent is received). 

Look here for information and to register for a vaccine appointment.

Please bring your insurance (medical and prescription) and COVID-19 vaccination cards to the clinic.

  • COVID vaccines are free for all regardless of insurance coverage
  • Insurance is required for flu vaccines
  • For those covered by Medicare, please bring your red, white, and blue Medicare card in addition to any other insurance cards.

Please present insurance cards, photo ID, and vaccination cards at your appointment.

This clinic will be operated through a partnership between VaxinateRX and the Belmont Health Department. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available.

If you have difficulty with registration call  617-993-2720 or Email: dekman@belmont-ma.gov for assistance