2022 Belmont Town Meeting, Second/Third Nights Of Segment A: A New Capital Budget Committee Approved

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Photo: Belmont Town Meeting approved the work of a special commission to change the Massachusetts state flag and seal (above) (credit: Commonwealth of Massachusetts)

The final two nights of Segment A of Belmont’s 2022 annual Town Meeting saw the creation of a new committee to oversee town and school capital projects, allow a group of dispatchers to retire under the plan they started with, and gave a thumbs up to updating the state flag.

The new Comprehensive Capital Budget Committee

Here was the opportunity for Town Meeting to merge the two existing committees overseeing the town’s capital process – the well established Capital Budget Committee and the two-year-old Long Term Capital Planning Committee – into an all encompassing oversight group of capital projects to be dubbed the Comprehensive Capital Budget Committee.

According to the article’s sponsor Chris Doyle, chair of the Long Term Capital Planning Committee, the new group will revise and expand the town’s capital budgeting and planning process. It will continue the work of the Capital Budget Committee which comes to Town Meeting with an annual appropriations list of projects or items requested by town departments – from fire trucks to roof repairs and everything in-between – with a new requirement to present to Town Meeting detailed one, five and 30 year plans that will evaluate major projects and financing options. The one year plan would be the annual appropriations which is voted on by Town Meeting while the five and 30 year plans will be recommendations by the CCPC provided to the annual meeting.

While there was no real opposition to the creation of the new committee – it has been under discussion and presented to the public for the past several months without much criticism – the article still came before Town Meeting with three amendments which Town Moderator Mike Widmer said was the most he’s seen at any one article in all his time as moderator. Two amendments were clearly ”housekeeping” alterations which were happily accepted by Doyle.

The third amendment from Bob McGaw, Precinct 1, sought to include language on how the three plans would be structured, by “endeavor[ing] to utilize generally accepted financial analysis tools and models in its evaluation and comparison of capital projects.” While the amendment’s suggestion on using “generally accepted” analysis models appeared to be innocuous enough, it could also be open to interpretation that troubled many as demonstrated by every board and committee reporting on it recommending “unfavorable action.”

While opponents to the McGaw amendment were OK with deep dives on the finances of capital projects – Ann Marie Mahoney, Precinct 1 and chair of the CBC, said what McGaw is seeking “is already happening” with her committee including analyzing purchasing vs. leasing and calculating life expectancy of renovation or reconstruction projects – they believed the phrasing was far too vague.

“This sentence is completely unworkable,” said Claus Becker, Precinct 5, as ”there is no list of ‘generally accepted financial analysis’ tool in the context of local governance.” Becker said if a resident doesn’t accept the work a committee or board has produced, it is their “civic duty” to do their own analysis and present it to the public for comment.

The McGaw amendment was set aside by Town Meeting and the article was approved by a wide margin, 244-8-3.

Retirement Classification of Certain Employees

Precinct 7’s Michael McNamara put it succinctly when he renamed the measure on the Retirement Classification of Certain Employees brought before Town Meeting as the “keeping them from being stiffed” article.

Tom Gibson, chair of the Belmont Retirement Board and the sponsor of the article, reported that the article came as a result of the latest three year audit by the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission – which regulates, oversee and guides the operation state’s public pension systems – which determined that Belmont’s dispatchers are misclassified in terms of their pension benefits. While they are placed in group 2 – which includes employees whose major duties are the care and custodial duties involving prisoners – the auditors said they should be group 1, which are for clerical, administrative, management and technical employees. That change would have an impact on the calculation of an employee’s retirement allowance which will eventual the final benefit.

Gibson said the PERAC-directed change would impact just eight Belmont employees and all future employees. Under the new group designation, the eight would be required to work more years to receive the amount they were expecting under the existing plan. The article would grandfather those under the existing Group 2 classification with all new employees be slotted into Group 1.

As both Gibson and Select Board Chair Mark Paolillo noted, voting yes on the article was to a measure of fairness for the eight dispatchers. While the majority of speakers supported the article, some who said they were fine with the measure were miffed that the Retirement or Select Board didn’t have an analysis of the ”added” cost of keeping the dispatchers in Group 2 available to members.

After a bit back and forth with members, Gibson revealed that there would be a $159,423 increase to keep the dispatchers where they are.

Fairness passes: 247-6-5

Changing the State Flag and Seal (non-binding)

This article was fairly self explanatory: Citizen petition sponsor Joseph Barnard, Precinct 3, hoped that the town would approve a resolution to support a special commission as it goes about the mission of changing the Massachusetts state flag and seal. Barnard said this is not a new issue, that indigenous people have been saying for generations that the flag and seal were ”offensive and harmful” and a yes vote ”is to uplift and amplify an indigenous led campaign for change.” Go here for more information.

Not much in terms of debate as nearly all speakers were enthusiastic in backing the measure, although one member did ask for the data that would support the contention that ”a large majority of native Americans find the current state flag offensive.” Barnard admitted he didn’t have a poll or survey to call on but said he believed the indigenous leaders who backed the commission would know what their constituents thinking on the matter. It passed 222-12-19.

Town Meeting Returns In June

Segment B of Town Meeting which articles involving the town and school budgets will be voted, will commence on Wednesday, June 1 at 6:30 a.m., likely via Zoom and on local cable access.

Board Of Health Recommends June Town Meeting Segment Stays Virtual

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Photo: The new Belmont High School auditorium where Town Meeting will likely not take place in 2022

The Belmont Board of Health is recommending the second segment of the 2022 Town Meeting remain virtual, according to a discussion at the board’s monthly meeting on Monday, May 9.

The recommendation now goes before the Select Board for a final decision.

The Town’s Health Director Wesley Chin said he meet recently with Town Moderator Mike Widmer and Town Clerk Ellen Cushman to determine if is possible for the town’s legislative body to meet safely for the three scheduled nights in June when Town Meeting will review and vote on budget articles.

Chin noted to the board that Covid cases have surged in the past month with the CDC placing Middlesex County in its ”high” category for infection.

With the infection risk elevated and best practices for holding an indoor meeting includes people spaced six-foot apart from each other, Widmer and Cushman said the two locations large enough to hold approximately 300 Town Meeting members and staff – the new Belmont High School and the Chenery Middle School auditoriums – are unable to provide the needed separation.

Board member Donna David said she was informed that a possible hybrid option – on site participation with a virtual option or using both auditoriums – was not as an option as the town’s Information Technology department told her a tech solution doesn’t exist at this time to make such a plan work.

As Covid Cases Surge, Belmont Schools Asking Students To Consider Going Back To Masks

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Photo: Belmont schools are suggesting students consider wearing masks as Covid cases surge

The Belmont school district is suggesting students consider going back to wearing masks as the number of positive Covid-19 cases in the schools, town and county have spiked in the past two months.

“We are not mandating but simply recommending this added layer of protection,” said Belmont Superintendent John Phelan in an email to the school community dated Monday, May 9.

Phelan said that since the April break, the district has ”seen an increase in cases and this is most likely due to the contagiousness of the Omicron variant, as well as, increased social gatherings and travel.”

The surge of local cases has resulted in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to raise the Covid-19 Community Level for all of Middlesex County to the “high” level on May 5.

In Belmont, the number of new weekly positive cases in schools reached 93 as of May 4, a significant increase from previous weeks, shadowing the jump in the general population as the state reported 165 positive cases in the past two weeks. Using the Average Daily Incidence Per 100,000 people, 14 day period measurement, Belmont has gone from a low of 6.8 incidences on March 4 to 43 on May 4.

“We continue to work closely with the Belmont Health Department to monitor cases and keep our students and staff safer. We ask for your continued support in this effort, particularly at times like this when we experience increasing cases,” said Phelan.

Noting that many of the past mitigation measures Belmont and its schools had implemented since March 2020 have been lifted – the town’s mask requirement was ended in the first week of March 2022 – Phelan asked parents and students ”consider” mask wearing as an extra layers of protection and when symptoms are present and antigen tests remain negative.

Opinion: Belmont High Needs A More Comprehensive Approach To Teaching Sex-Ed

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Photo: Belmont High School

By Molly Hamilton

I attended Belmont Public Schools from Kindergarten until I graduated from Belmont High in 2019. Overall my experience within the Belmont school system was positive and effectively prepared me for college and many other aspects of post-graduation life.

However, there was one area where the curriculum fell short: sex education. In my four years at Belmont High, the only topics related to sex education that we covered were basic anatomy, STIs, pregnancy and abstinence. There was a brief discussion about contraception that centered around an oft-repeated phrase along the lines of, “abstinence is the only sure way to prevent pregnancy”.

While this statement may be true, a 2017 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report indicated that approximately 55 percent of teens have had sexual intercourse by age 18. Why, when over half of teens are sexually active by the time they graduate high school, are we not providing a more comprehensive, realistic, and applicable sex education curriculum?

There are three main arguments for a more comprehensive sex education curriculum: sex-ed curriculum would help reduce the stigma around STIs and encourage more teens to get tested, and, finally, most sex-ed curricula do not cover vaginal health and thus set young women up to be misinformed about their own bodies.

Massachusetts’ current laws require an abstinence-focused approach to sex education in public schools (SIECUS) which was entirely in line with what I experienced in high school. While it is true that abstaining from sex is the only completely effective way to prevent pregnancy, I believe that telling young people to avoid a natural human behavior in order to avoid the risks that come with it is foolish and ineffective. Teens are no strangers to risk, and counting on them to avoid risky behaviors entirely is doomed to fail. Your teens years are inherently one of the most emotionally tumultuous, mistake-prone periods of your life, and it’s dangerous to forget that.

Why, when over half of teens are sexually active by the time they graduate high school, are we not providing a more comprehensive, realistic, and applicable sex education curriculum?

Furthermore, a 2017 study found that abstinence-focused sex-ed curricula “have little demonstrated efficacy in helping adolescents to delay intercourse.” Similarly, a study at the University of Washington concluded that, compared to teens who received no sex education, those who were taught an abstinence-focused curriculum were 30 percent less likely to experience unwanted pregnancy while those were taught a more comprehensive curriculum were 60 percent less likely. That alone proves that abstinence-focused sex-ed is not only ineffective at preventing pregnancy, but that a revised curriculum that covers more contraceptive options and risk-reducing behaviors could be significantly more effective. If it’s the aim of Belmont High to reduce teen pregnancy rates, then a comprehensive curriculum is the best way to accomplish that.

However, pregnancy is not the only risk factor when it comes to sexual activity. STIs are just as, if not more, prevalent. While I was taught the signs and symptoms of the most common STIs in high school, there was little information about how those STIs are treated. In health classes, the education we received about STIs felt more like a fear-mongering tactic than an actual informational session. We were required to do extensive research on the physical effects of STIs, the only facet of the issue that was thoroughly discussed.

I believe that the way STIs are discussed in health classes is only adding to the stigma around seeking treatment and getting tested. Young people are at a higher risk for contracting STIs, and lessening the stigma around them could lead to more teens getting tested. Regular STI testing is an important part of all around physical health and should be treated with the same neutrality as visiting a general practitioner, dentist, or optometrist.

Sexual health should not be presented as a shameful, scary topic, but should be presented as a neutral collection of facts and information. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, “Young people ages 15 to 24 represent 25 percent of the sexually active population, but acquire half of all new STIs, or about 10 million new cases a year.” Such a startling statistic should be more than enough evidence to indicate that more comprehensive sex education curricula is not just an issue for teens and their parents, but a wide-reaching public health issue that we should all have a stake in.

While pregnancy and STIs are undoubtedly the main concerns surrounding adolescent sexual activity, there are many other topics under the umbrella of sexual health that should be covered. In school I was never taught about UTIs, yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, or any other vaginal health concerns. While they may not carry the same frightening connotation as STIs, all of those conditions can lead to severe complications if left untreated. For example, an untreated UTI can lead to a life-threatening kidney infection and untreated bacterial vaginosis can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, a condition which increases a woman’s infertility risk. Teen girls are not taught the early warning signs of these conditions, how to prevent them, or the urgency with which they need to be treated. Adding such topics to the curriculum would also help combat the strong cultural stigma around vaginal health, possibly helping female students feel more comfortable seeking treatment. Most women will experience one or more of these issues in their lifetime, and we’re doing them a disservice by completely omitting gynecological issues from sex education curricula.

While the Belmont Public school system does an excellent job preparing students for life after graduation, this issue represents a significant hole in its high school curriculum. Many young people, especially young women, do not receive educational information about sex, gender, and their own bodies outside of school.

As an educational institution meant to serve and uplift young adults, Belmont High School should revise their sex education curriculum to include a broader range of topics in a less abstinence-focused manner. The disadvantages of abstinence-focused sex-ed are backed by numerous studies, and the advantages of a more comprehensive curriculum are innumerable.

This is not just an issue on an individual level, but a serious public health concern that, if remedied, would benefit the entire community.

Hamilton is a 2019 graduate from Belmont High School and is currently attending college

Promotions and Pinnings: Belmont Fire Celebrates Those Moving Up And Joining The Department [Photos]

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Photo: Mila and Brooke Elefteriadis helps pin the badge on newly promoted Ace Elefteriadis at the Belmont Fire ceremony.

Just as Lt. Michael Dayton was being sworn in as a Lieutenant in the Belmont Fire Department by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, a very loud alarm sounded and many of his fellow firefighters scrambled to a Rescue vehicle and fire engine to rush off to a call.

”You knew this was going to happen,” said Belmont Fire Chief David DeStefano after the oath was given to Dayton during what the chief called a “very special day for the department.

Belmont firefighters (left, background) leaving the promotion and pinning celebration to answer a call.

The bay of the Belmont Fire Headquarters on Trapelo Road was filled with family, friends, colleagues, town officials and children galore as the department acknowledged the promotion of four officers and three new firefighters to Belmont Fire’s roll.

Cushman issued the oath for the promotions and had the new officers sign the town’s new “Big Book” for town officials to acknowledge their pledge to the town coming after children and parents helped place their new badges onto their uniforms.

For the newbies, their mothers had to honor of ”pinning” their badges on their sons.

”This opportunity to get together and acknowledge the achievements” of those being promoted “is a rare occasion for the department and to bring aboard these three brand new firefighters and to have them participate in one of their first events with us makes this occasion even more special,” said DeStefano at the ceremony.

Those promoted include:

  • Asst. Chief Andrew Tobio – appointed 2003
  • Capt. Robert Wollner – appointed 2005
  • Lt. Ace Elefteriadis – appointed 2003
  • Lt. Michael Dayton – appointed 2011

Tobio, Eleftriadis and Dayton are Belmont High School alumni while Wollner is a US Navy veteran.

The newly hired Belmont firefighters are:

  • FFOP Peter Donovan
  • FFOP John Conaty
  • FFOP Matthew McCabe

First Night Of 2022 Town Meeting Saw ‘Meat And Potatoes’ Articles Win Approval

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Photo: Mike Widmer at the start of the meeting.

Virtual presentations, virtual line of people at the microphone, virtual voting: Welcome to Belmont’s third annual ZOOM Town Meeting as members came together, once again, in front of laptops and smart phones to conducted the business of town governance on Monday, May 2.

And despite a few technical hiccups – unintended raised hands, unmuted background noise and one or two false starts in remarks and presentations – the night went smoothly taking a tidy three-and-a-half hours to wrap up by 10 p.m. in the first of an expected three nights under Segment A which covers the meeting’s non-budgetary articles.

While the meeting would have the feel of a video conference, it didn’t mean the members would miss out on the traditional moments that precedes each annual assembly: a video flag raising and the Pledge of Allegiance by the Boys and Girls Scouts, an invocation from Dane Helsing of Beacon Community Church along with the acknowledgement of those long-serving members who did not seek or was not reelected – Sue Pew served for 45 years!

And the Town Meeting oath given by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman – “the bestist and nicest Town Clerk” as one of the Boy Scouts attested to – to 50 new members (a record of sorts according to Moderator Mike Widmer) acknowledging their pledge via their wireless voting devices.

During his talk to members on procedure and process, Widmer reminded the first night attendees to not allow discussions to get the better of their emotions

“It’s critical to keep our discourse civil and respectful,” said Widmer. “It is a healthy thing to have a healthy debate. Passion is fine, but let’s keep it civil.”

There was a lot of meat and potato articles on the menu on the first night. After sweeping aside the routine housekeeping articles, the articles

Demolition Delay

The 2017 bylaw established the town’s demolition delay regulations to provide up to a one year reprieve in pulling down 181 significant buildings listed by the town, said Lisa Harrington, chair of the Historic District Commission, in her presentation to the meeting.

The original bylaw has a “sunset” provision that will take effect at the end of 2022. The article would make the bylaw permanent via some minor language changes. The bylaw change will also deleted the appeals provision as the new provision does not add properties to the list. Just how effective the law has been, said Harrington, is that none of the the 181 significant buildings have not been taken down in the past five years.

During the debate, Jason Katola, Precinct 3, opposed the article for some of the same reasons members did five years ago; there is no compensation to the homeowner due to any delay and that it prevents the most productive use (a new structure on the site) of the land. Steve Pinkerton, chair of the Planning Board and Precinct 7, kept his statement brief and to the point: the new bylaw language will not be an impediment to development in town. Vince Stanton, Precinct 3, said that if the bylaw had been on the books at the turn of the century, four historic and architecturally important buildings – the Waverley Square Congregational Church and the Thomas Clark House, as examples – that he described as “real treasures” would have had at least partial protection. Not all that controversial, the article passed easily, 221-31-1.

Membership of Town Committees

Town Clerk Cushman told the meeting that many Belmontians believe that serving on boards, commissions and committees is a vital part of government and that it’s currently reserved for residents with some limited exceptions. But, surprisingly, there is only one reason that a member can be removed from said bodies: missing three consecutive meetings.

The bylaw change proposed by Cushman would create three reasons to remove a member; missing three consecutive meetings, non-compliance with the mandatory on-line state ethics training and they are no longer a Belmont resident. And it was surprising to discover that 18 volunteers are currently out of sequence with the ethic education requirement and 2 are no longer residents.

During the debate, Town Counsel George Hall said that town has no way of running off a volunteer who breaks the state’s ethnic laws – that’s up to the state – but can remove them if they don’t take the biannual test.

Meeting members had no problem with the bylaw change, passing it by a 247-1 margin.

Stormwater management and erosion control

Article 6 amends the town’s storm water management and erosion control bylaw of 2013 so that it aligns with the MS4 permit, which is issued by the US Environment Protection Agency authorizing discharges from Belmont’s storm sewer system into ”the waters of the United States.”

“We have provisions that require sewer and stormwater service connections to comply with certain regulations,” Glen Clancy, the town’s engineer and director of the Office of management. ”There are requirements that have to be in the bylaw in order for us to be in compliance with the MS4 permit so the proposal is to add wording to clarify definitions” said Clancy such as what the total maximum daily load requirement.

The article received overwhelming support from the residents who count, those who promote clean water and best practices for storm water management.

“We are lucky to have someone line Glen Clancy who was willing to put in the time to try to figure out how to conform the … bylaw to all the inconsistent and conflicting requirements of EPA and state DEP,” said Bob McGaw, precinct 1. And Clancy pitched a rare shut out with the amendment with a 254-0-3 vote of Town Meeting.

Oakmont Lane

The town has a new public road when the once private Oakmont Lane was accepted by Town Meeting by a 165-61-17 margin. Unlike previous articles to accept a private way such as Carleton Circle, the cul-de-sac was built by the developer of the four residential homes which he purchased in 2015 from the town for a little over a million dollars. As part of the purchase and sale, the road would be brought before Town Meeting by the developer rather than the residents. The debate hinged on doing right by the new residents and accepting the road or let the developer continue to control the road and work it out between him and the homeowners on repairs and snow removal.

Retail Liquor Licenses

It may come as some surprise to newcomers that up until 2007, Belmont was strickly a teetotaling kind of town. For nearly 150 years, the Town of Homes was in the grip of our Victorian and Prohibition-era forefathers as liquor sales was strictly verboten. You’d have to hope the trolley to Cambridge to have wine with your dinner.

But by 2022, Belmont is more than willing to top off the number of alcohol and beer and wine licenses as high as they can. But only up to a point. The Select Board’s Adam Dash reported the article was a simple one: to go from two all-alcohol retail licenses to four and to increase the number of beer and wine licenses from four to six with an eye to increasing businesses and retail shopping. Why four and six licenses when an earlier version of the article called for seven beer and wine permits? Dash said it was pointed out that 4 and 7 total 11 and that additional license would have triggered a state law that requires the town to increase the number of marijuana retail sale licenses to three from the current two.

Dash noted that the fee for the licenses will remain steady: an annual all-alcohol license is $4,000 while beer and wine are $2,500 annually.

Town Meeting took no time in approving the article, 223-18-2, to bring in the booze.

Town meeting will return on Wednesday, May 4 with articles 10 and 3

Sushi, Japanese Eatery Planned For Cushing Square As Comella’s (Quietly) Seeks Similar Location

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Photo: The location of the former Ben Franklin in Cushing Square which will likely transform into a sushi/Japanese restaurant

The owner of a popular Belmont take out place has signed a lease for the former Ben Franklin 5 and 10 store with plans to bring top-notch sushi and traditional Japanese dishes to Cushing Square.

“We chose Belmont because of its proximety, the people and as a resident of Belmont we need more places where we can gather and meet up for a nice meal,” said Jack Sy, a former financial analyst turned restauranteur who owns a number of eateries including the popular Number 1 Taste Chinese Food takeout also located on Trapelo Road.

Sy’s move to the long time home of five and dime stores – operated as a Ben Franklin franchise since the 1930s before changing its name to Hollingsworth 5 and 10 in 2014, and finally as Belmont 5 and 10 before closing for good in August 2021 – will be a long-needed shot in the arm for the business center with a steady number of empty store fronts.

The menu which the Johnson and Wales graduate is still developing will include high-quality sushi and traditional Japanese dishes like Katsudon (pork cutlet rice bowl), Ramen noodles and Teppanyaki (sizzling hot plates) to your table. (Think Netflix’s ”Midnight Diner” food in Belmont.) There will also be many creative tapas-sized dishes for an option to a light meal. Sy will also seek an all-alcohol license to compliment the food.

Just beginning the permitting process with the town, Sy said he tentatively wants to do a complete buildout of the space replacing the site’s large existing windows with bistro-style windows that fold open during good weather while also taking advantge of the high ceiling and openness of the space “to create a mature, and fun atmosphere to come enjoy. A place where people can enjoy long conversations over dinner or a glass of wine.” He will also hire locally for all positions.

Sy’s move to open a restaurant near the busy intersection of Trapelo and Common comes as a regional Italian restaurant company currently on Leonard Street has its eyes on its own move to Cushing. Talk around Belmont Center and town offices since the fall of 2021 has Comella’s seeking a location near the popular public transportation bus line – the 73 bus is one of the most heavily used in the MBTA system – and the new Bradford apartment complex. No word from Comella’s to confirm this decision.

Whether or not Comella’s makes the move, it will not deter Sy’s plans.

“I think its a good idea for any restaurant or business to come and make the Trapelo area more vibrant,” said Sy.

Sy said a opening date is still a while in the future; he still hasn’t come up with a name for the place.

“Any suggestions?” he asked.

Pops Concerts Return This Friday, Saturday at Belmont High School – Get Tixs Now

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Photo: The poster for this year’s Belmont High Pops

The Belmont High School Pops concerts are back!

This year’s concerts – scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the new theater/concert hall – will feature an array of musical ensembles performing lively, memorable music in the new high school’s state-of-the-art theatre. A dessert reception featuring performances by smaller student groups concludes the evenings.

For everyone who loves live music, connecting with the community, supporting the arts in Belmont, and seeing performances in the new theatre, the family-friendly Pops concerts are the perfect opportunity.

Friday night’s concert on May 6 will feature the Concert Orchestra, Symphonic Band and Concert Chorale performing selections from Lord of the Rings, How to Train Your Dragon, Carmen and Pentatonix.

The music continues on Saturday night, May 7 with the Chamber Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Chamber Singers. Highlights include selections from West Side Story, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and songs made popular by Five for Fighting, the Boston Pops, and Simon and Garfunkel. For a grand finale, the Chamber Orchestra and Wind Ensemble will join forces to perform music from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Here’s a little teaser from three years ago. Yes, that is the cafeteria in the old high school

The Pops concerts are a fundraiser for Belmont’s POMS (Parents of Music Students), which serves Belmont band, orchestra and choral students from elementary through high schools.

“The funds raised by POMS provide our students with instruments, equipment and enrichment opportunities,” said Arto Asadoorian, director of the district’s visual and performing arts department.

“By attending a Pops concert, not only are you going to hear great music in a beautiful performance venue, you will also support an organization that is incredibly valuable to Belmont music students in every grade.”

Visit https://pomsbelmont.booktix.com/ to purchase tickets. Tickets for adults are $15 for one night ($25 for both nights). Tickets for students and seniors are $10 for one night ($15 for both). The admission price includes dessert. The Pops concerts are appropriate for children ages 5 and up. For more information about POMs, visit https://belmontpoms.weebly.com/

Arbor Day Returns As Girl Scouts Are First To Donate A Tree Under Belmont’s New Planting Program

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Photo: Girl Scout Troop 802027 hard at work planting its dogwood at PQ Park

The shovels were brought, soil and mulch was delivered, and a kousa dogwood tree was placed into the ground close to the playground at PQ Park. Everything was in place on Friday, April 29 for Belmont to celebrate Arbor Day for the first time in two years by adding a decorative tree to the town’s inventory.

For Lucia Gates, chair of Belmont’s Shade Tree Committee, the ceremony was extra special for two reasons: Girl Scouts from Troop 802027 – made up of girls from Belmont, Cambridge and Boston – would be doing the honors of planting the tree, which, itself, was memorable for being the first under the town’s new program for accepting gifts of trees.

“It’s great to see these scouts have this chance to provide the park with a living memory of this day,” said Gates who was a Girl Scout since age 7 in her hometown of Houston, Texas, and led her daughter’s troop at the Butler Elementary school.

The troop is the first to donate a tree under the town’s new streamlined commemorative shade tree planting program initiated by Jay Marcotte, Department of Public Works director and town Tree Warden and Gates’ committee. Approved by the Select Board on March 21, the program gives individuals, business and community groups the opportunity to donate funds to purchase and plant a public shade tree.

A donation of $500 will pay for a tree – which the Tree Warden will help each contributor select “the right tree planted at the right place” for the best chance of survival – to be placed and maintained by the Public Works. And the troop will be the first to be recognized on a new commemorative plaque which will be located in Town Hall and noted online.

At PQ, each scout recited a line from an Arbor Day poem, Marcotte read a proclamation from the Select Board, the soil and mulch was expertly put in their place and everyone in attendance was given Girl Scout cookies – Lemonades – for coming.

“So watch this tree your whole life,” said Gates. “And maybe when you grow up, you’ll bring friends and it will be part of you forever.”


Front Row, left to right: Julia Danahy, Mabel Fanning, Madeleine Palmer, Ruby Garver, Julia Spitznagel, Rosalind Oppenheim
Back Row, left to right: Penelope Fok, Fiona Zimkus, Julia Sen, Funmilayo Folorunso, Ellie Dubois, Elizabeth Tung
Lucia Gates and Michael Chesson of the Belmont Shade Tree Committee with Jay Marcotte (right), director, Belmont Department of Public Works

Given A Second Chance, Belmont’s Bridget Gray Comes Home A National Champion

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Photo: Belmont’s Bridget Gray whose semi-final heroics helped the East Coast Wizards capture the USA Hockey U19 Tier 2A Girls National Championship

Sometimes an athlete is at their best when they get a second chance. And for Belmont’s Bridget Gray, that opportunity came with just one second remaining in the semi-finals of USA Hockey U19 Tier 2A Girls National Championship were held in West Chester, outside of Philadelphia on April 3.

During the tournament, Gray and her team mate, Elizabeth Sullivan of Shrewsbury, shared time between the pipes – playing half of each game alternating between starting and finishing the game – as goalies for the Bedford-based East Coast Wizards, one of 12 U19 Tier II teams to make the national tournament.

Belmont’s Bridget Gray in action at USA Hockey U19 Tier 2A Girls National Championship were held in West Chester.

After the Wizards – coached by Mike Milofsky, who grew up in Belmont and played for Belmont High – won the three games in the initial group round, they defeated the Minnesota Premier Prep Royal, 6-4, in a morning quarterfinals on Sunday April 3, advancing to a Sunday night semi-final tussle with their Massachusetts rivals, the Boston Junior Eagles. 

Taking over in the second half of the game against the high-scoring Junior Eagles (they would tally 25 goals in five games), Gray was peppered with shots that included one ending up in her net with 49 seconds remaining in the third to give the Junior Eagles a 4-3 advantage. But the Belmont High all-star was handed a reprieve when the Wizards’ Jenna Lynch scored with a single second remaining in the contest to send the contest into overtime.

Given a (one) second chance, Gray delivered big time, stopping every chance in the 17 minute sudden death overtime, then during the climatic penalty shot shootout, made three consecutive saves on each of the Junior Eagles who scored on her in the game. With the Wizards having scored two in the first four opportunities, Gray caused the fourth Junior Eagle to miss and secured a miraculous trip to the finals.

In the final on Monday, April 3, the Wizards beat the Wisconsin Selects, 2-1, to win the championship title.

Gray’s 2021 and 2020 Wizard’s teams had also qualified for Nationals, but were unable to participate due to Covid; 2020 was cancelled and in 2021 travel restrictions prevented a trip to Colorado. 

Belmont’s Bridget Gray in action at 2022 USA Hockey U19 Tier 2A Girls National Championship