Moving Time: Parent Volunteers Needed To Pack Up HS Science Gear Wednesday, May 26

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Photo: Let’s pack them up ready for the big move

With the High School section of the new Belmont Middle and High School to open in about four months – yes, that’s right, open – it’s time to begin the big move. And you can help.

Belmont High School needs parent volunteers on Wednesday, May 26, to help pack science materials into boxes in preparation for the move. Please sign up to help at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050F4BADA82CA0F49-bhsparent if you can.

Volunteers are needed from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. You are more than welcome to sign up for both shifts. Volunteers will be split up into one parent per room. Please meet Tawnya in the main office when you arrive.

Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance Marks 20 years of Activism At June 10 BAR Meeting

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Photo: Belmont Pride Parade 2020

On Thursday, June 10 at 7:30 pm, Belmont Against Racism’s monthly meeting will focus on 20 years of Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance activism in Belmont by hosting a panel of speakers that includes Janson Wu, director of LGBTQ+ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD); Grace Stowell, director of The Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (BAGLY); and Debra Fowler, co-founder and executive director of History UnErased.

In the past 20 years, the Alliance has brought educational programs and events to Belmont, giving visibility to the LGBTQ+ community and their concerns. From plays to films to speakers’ panels and a performance by the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, the Alliance has highlighted issues of relevance to the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals, celebrated the arts, and held community social events. In 2004, when same-sex couples in Massachusetts won the right to marry, the Alliance held its first Freedom to Marry Ice Cream Social followed by a decade of this celebration. The Alliance holds an Annual Fall Potluck and marches in the Pride Parade in Boston annually. As the Boston Pride Parade was canceled last year, the Alliance held its own Belmont Pride Parade, attended by more than 100 marchers. 

This year the Alliance will hold its 2nd Belmont Pride Parade on Saturday, June 12 at 1 p.m., starting at the Wellington Station Town Green on Concord Avenue. All members of the community are invited to join this festive event.

To join the June 10 event, go to: https://bit.ly/33XSxcb

For more information about any of these events and future Alliance events, go to http://belmontagainstracism.org/ or email belmontagainstracism@gmail.com.

Forum This Thursday To Discuss How Belmont Can Reach Goals Of Equitable, Affordable Housing

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Photo: A road towards more equitable housing in Belmont

Belmont Against Racism, The Belmont Housing Trust, The Belmont Media Center, and the Belmont Human Rights Commission are hosting an informational public forum titled “Belmont’s Road to Housing Equity this Thursday, April 29 at 6:55 p.m. via Zoom or live on Belmont Media Center.

It will be an evening to explore historical and present day housing issues an how Belmont can reach its goals of equitable and affordable housing.

Zoom link at https://bit.ly/Belmonthousing

https://www.belmontmedia.org/watch/infotv or Channel 96 (Comcast) or Channel 30 (Verizon)

  • How can Belmont reach its goals of equitable and affordable housing? 
  • What’s the historical background and how does it relate to fair housing law?
  • Who shapes local housing and zoning decisions?
  • What does new zoning legislation mean for Belmont?
  • Where is Belmont today on meeting its housing goals?
  • How does Belmont fit into the wider transportation picture, with its new zoning rules and tools as well as its financial incentives for the Town?

Learn from a panel of experts as we explore these questions. There will be a Q & A opportunity.

  • State Rep. Dave Rogers(24th Middlesex District), 
  • Robert Terrell (Fair Housing, Equity and Inclusion Officer at the Boston Housing Authority and previously Executive Director of the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston); 
  • Katherine Einstein (Assistant Director of Policy at Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research); 
  • Jarred Johnson (Executive Director of TransitMatters); and
  • Judie Feins and Betsy Lipson of the Belmont Housing Trust.
  • Moderated by Rachel Heller (Co-Chair of the Belmont Housing Trust and Chief Executive Director of CHAPA.

As Yard Sale Season Begins, Know The Town’s Bylaw Before Putting Out The Signs

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Photo: Yard sales are just around the corner

Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman wants to remind all residents a permit is required for all yard sales according to the Belmont General Bylaw §60-910 setting the limit of three sales in a calendar year and articulates requirements for those holding private sales.

If you intend to hold a private sale – including garage sales, tag sales, moving sales, etc. – as defined in the Bylaw, you must first register and receive a free permit issued by the Town Clerk’s office.

Residents can file for the Private Sale permit by going to the Town Clerk’s webpage on the Town’s website http://www.belmont-ma.gov/town-clerk  and select “Yard Sale Permit.” Registering for the free permit takes less than two minutes as the resident fills in an online form with the date, time, address of the sale, and contact information about the sponsor; the free permit will be emailed automatically; residents who do not have access to email may call the Town Clerk’s office and the staff will be happy to help. The Town Clerk’s office is reached at 617-993-2603 or townclerk@belmont-ma.gov . 

Sellers also get a bit of free advertising; Yard Sale shoppers may use the web page to view a map of registered Belmont Yard Sales or to print a list or registered Yard Sales for the upcoming two weeks. 

Registration Underway For Underwood Pool Summer Season

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Photo:

Registration for Belmont residents to purchase membership to the Underwood Pool is now underway. Any remaining passes will be released to non-residents on June 1 at 8 a.m.

Opening day at the Underwood is currently scheduled for Wednesday, June 23. The closing day of the pool is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 1. 

Belmont Recreation Commission’s video on the new summer season at the Underwood Pool

Public swim block will take place from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. daily while the pool is opened. Each public swim block will last for 1 hour and 50 minutes and will include a 10 minute transition. 

  • 10 a.m. – Noon
  • Noon – 2 p.m.
  • 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
  • 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
  • 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. 

There will be two primary options for gaining access to the pool:

  • Memberships passes
  • Daily Drop-in passes

MEMBERSHIPS: Under the current COVID-19 state guidelines, the Underwood pool capacity is limited to 50 percent of the bather load or 165 people at the pool at a time. If the restrictions loosen, we will be able to register residents for more passes and guarantee more visits per week.

FAMILY ($305): We have 520 FAMILY passes available. These are family passes that admits everyone in your household account

INDIVIDUAL ($110): We have 82 of these available. These passes are singular passes for one person

SENIOR ($50): We  have 25 of these available. These are individual passes for people 65 years of age and older.

Passes will be available to resident to purchase though out the summer until we sell out. On June 1, if there are any membership passes remaining, Non-residents will be allowed to purchase the remaining passes. If a waitlist forms, residents will be given priority.  

NON-RESIDENT FEES:

FAMILY – ($610)INDIVIDUAL – ($220) There is no Senior option.

DAILY DROP-IN PASSES
There are 40 drop in spots available per time block
Child Resident: $10
Adult Resident: $15
Child Non-Resident: $20
Adult Non-Resident: $25

Pool members are guaranteed a minimum of two visits to the pool per week. Reservations for any given week will be open to members the Monday morning at 8 a.m. the week prior. They will remain open until they are sold out or until that morning.

On the morning of any given day, Belmont Recreation will release any un-claimed member slots back to all member. This will enable members to book additional time at the pool. It is possible for a member to attend the pool more than twice a week depending on the demand and availability. 

Drop in passes will open three days in advance of any given date to Belmont resident. They will open two day in advance for Non-residents.

Memorial Day Observance Set For Belmont Cemetery At 11 AM, May 31

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Photo: The 2019 Memorial Day observance at Belmont Cemetery

After being cancelled due in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the annual Memorial Day Observance returns in 2021 as Belmont honors those residents who fell defending the country.

The observance will take place at Belmont Cemetery adjacent Grove Street on Monday, May 31, at 11 a.m. Following the state’s guidelines on outside gatherings, the event will be limited to 150 participants, according to Belmont’s Veteran’s Services Officer Bob Upton who spoke to the Select Board on Monday, April 12.

Due to the continued coronavirus emergency in the state, the parade from Cushing Square to the cemetery that usually precedes the observance has been cancelled, said Upton.

“Although the parade is traditional event and we’d like to see it continue, I think at this point it may not be possible to do that,” said Upton.

Town Meeting Warrant Briefing Set For Thursday, April 15 at 7 p.m.

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Photo: Poster for the April 15 Warrant Briefing

The Warrant Committee and Belmont League of Women Voters will co-sponsor a Warrant Briefing for Town Meeting Segment A to introduce Town Meeting Members to the articles in the warrant for the first section of the annual 2021 Town Meeting on Thursday, April 15 at 7 p.m.  

For new Town Meeting Members, the warrant is the legal notice of the Town Meeting, showing the agenda that will be discussed and voted by the Town Meeting assembly beginning Monday, May 3. 

The Warrant Briefing is not an open debate or detailed discussion, nor is it a replacement for the full debate/airing that must take place at Town Meeting. It’s an opportunity for the Warrant Committee Chair Laurie Slap to briefly explain the goal of the article and Town Meeting Members can ask a question to help everyone better understand the intention of the sponsor of the article in putting it on the warrant. It’s a very valuable meeting to attend, this year exclusively by Zoom.

The Zoom viewing options are:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86589919600 Zoom meeting ID: 865 8991 9600

Live broadcast: Belmont Ch 8 (Comcast); Ch 28 (Verizon) Livestream or on-demand: belmontmedia.org/watch/govtv

The warrant and all associated documents will be emailed to Town Meeting Members either Tuesday or Wednesday. If you are newly elected and have not provided a contact sheet with your current email for Town Meeting please do so right away so you don’t miss the mailings.

Celebrating 25 Years, Join Team Belmont In Virtual Mother’s Day Walk For Peace

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Photo: Poster for this year’s Mother’s Day Walk For Peace

Belmont is preparing for a strong presence in the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s Annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace, a beloved Boston tradition and celebration of the potential to create more peaceful communities.  As the Institute’s largest fundraising event, the Walk for Peace helps to grow and sustain the organization’s services, advocacy, and training as it demands dignity and compassion for all families and children impacted by murder.  

Every year in the United States, approximately 15,000 people are murdered, leaving behind at least 10 immediate people directly impacted by that loss. This leaves tens of thousands of new survivors of homicide victims who must deal with the emotional, physical and financial stress of losing a loved one to a traumatic death.

The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute continues to be a center of healing, teaching, and learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief and loss, which can strike anywhere. Participating in this event is a powerful way to honor all of the loved ones lost to murder and support their families. Together, our community can help to heal and have an impact. 

This year, the Institute’s Mother’s Day Walk for Peace will be held online. Participants will be able to walk virtually to celebrate the organization’s 25 years of walking for peace. 

The First Church in Belmont Unitarian Universalist is heading up TEAM BELMONT and urges all Belmont residents to join in this important collective effort. Find the TEAM BELMONT DONATE page at: https://lbdpeace.z2systems.com/belmont2021.  

Join 25 Days of Walking, beginning in April, which will culminate in an online broadcast on May 9 at 9 a.m. on www.mothersdaywalk4peace.org. 

More about the Institute’s work can be found at: https://www.ldbpeaceinstitute.org

For more information, please contact Margaret Eklind at  socialaction@uubelmont.org.

Public Meeting On Federal COVID Funds And State Aid Set For Wednesday, March 31

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Photo: Poster to the meeting

The $8.6 million Belmont will receive from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan has been the topic of a heated debate ever since it was signed into law by President Biden on March 11.

In one corner are those who are attempting to defeat a $6.2 million Proposition 2 1/2 override who see the money filling town coffers with more than enough funds to render the override moot.

On the other side, proponents of the override contend that most of the cash is restricted to reimbursing town revenue lost due to COVID-19 and can’t be used to as a one-time stop gap for the town’s structural deficit.

And in the past three weeks, “I am seeing some things that are being misreported in regards to those numbers,” Town Administrator Patrice Garvin told the Select Board Monday, March 29.

In an attempt to provide a clearer picture of the funds and how they can be used for, the Financial Task Force II and Warrant Committee are inviting the public to a virtual presentation to share the latest information regarding the new Federal Aid Bill and also provide an update on projected state aid in the coming fiscal year 2022.

When: Wednesday, March 31
Time: 7 p.m.
Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87434286149

Questions will be taken at the conclusion of the presentation period
through the Q&A function. The meeting facilitator will inform those
attending when questions can be submitted.

COVID Casualty: Memorial Day Parade Cancelled Again

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Photo: The 2018 Memorial Day parade

While the number of Belmont and state residents vaccinated is growing by the day – nearing one-in-five in the next weeks – the coronavirus continues to play havoc with a return to normalcy.

The latest example of that trend is the long-standing tradition of the Memorial Day parade and ceremony at Belmont Cemetery which has been cancelled for the second year running.

“Bob Upton [Belmont’s Veterans’ Service Officer] made a decision which we support to not have an in-person parade this year,” said Belmont Health Department Director Wesley Chin at the Health Commission’s meeting on Monday, March 29.

The annual event has the town’s veterans, military personnel, police and fire units, elected officials, the combined High School and Chenery Middle School bands, scouts and youth groups marching from Cushing Square to Belmont Cemetery where the town comes to honor those who gave their lives to the defense of the country.

Upton is beginning to plan “for some small in person ceremonies that will involve the Select Board and those associated with the veterans in town.” said Chin.