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

By Leave a Comment

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.

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

By Leave a Comment

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.

Immigration Highlights Keynote Address At Belmont’s Annual MLK Breakfast, Jan. 20

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Ragini Shah, founder and director of Suffolk University’s Immigration Clinic will be the keynote speaker at the annual MLK Community Breakfast.

The bond linking civil rights leader Martin Luther King and the struggle immigrants experience in today’s adverse environment will be the focus of this year’s keynote address at the 26th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast.

The event sponsored by the town’s Human Rights Commission and Belmont Against Racism will be held Jan. 20, 2020 from 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Belmont High School cafeteria.

Ragini Shah, clinical professor of law at Suffolk Law School and founder of Suffolk’s Immigration Clinic will talk on “Uplifting the Human Personality: Martin Luther King and Immigrants’ Rights Today.”

Music will fill out the program

There will be pastries, fruit, juice and coffee as well as supervised activity for children under 12.

Tickets: $5 for individuals; $10 per family. Pay at door or with eventbrite (tinyurl.com/BelmontMLK2020)

All proceeds and donations will be go to support the Belmont School’s METCO Support Fund which funds late transportation for METCO high school students who participate in after-school activities at Belmont High School and across all Belmont schools for programs that bring our Boston and Belmont students together.

Donations to the METCO Support Fund can be made by cash or check to: Belmont Against Racism, P.O. Box 649, Belmont, MA 02478

For info on the community breakfast, contact the Human Rights Commission at 617-993-2795 or belmont.hrc@gmail.com.

A Room Of Stars Came To Send Belmont Police Chief McLaughlin Into Retirement

By Leave a Comment

Photo: A galaxy of police chiefs came to honor Belmont Chief Richard McLaughlin on his retirement after 39 years in public safety.

Former Belmont Town Administrator David Kale said after looking around the Select Board Room in Town Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 17, “this is the safest place to be in America.”

Inside the space were more than a dozen chiefs of police – each with stars blazing from their collars and shoulders – from across Middlesex county along with many officers, current and past, of the Belmont Police Department.

It was a mighty impressive group of leaders from across the region who came out on a wintery morning to fete one of their own.

For the past dozen years, Richard McLaughlin has led the Belmont Police Department and is just a few weeks from retiring after nearly five decades of service to the country and the towns of Arlington and Belmont.

“When I saw the weather forecast yesterday I told (his wife) Sharon ‘you know, we may be here by ourselves’,” said McLaughlin to the crowd that filled the room.

“I can’t believe how many people came. Thank you again. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it,” said an emotional McLaughlin.

Town officials – many of who are his friends – a slew of former Selectmen, town employees, residents (including Middlesex DA Marion Ryan) and past members of the Belmont Police force joined McLaughlin and his law enforcement brethren for a final celebration of his long tenure.

Will Brownsberger and Dave Rodgers, Belmont’s elected officials on Beacon Hill, presented a joint proclamation from the Massachusetts House and Senate, the Select Board’s Adam Dash delivered the town’s own decree and Kale returned to Town Hall to present a plaque to the chief for his years on the beat.

A Navy veteran and graduate of both Northeastern and Anna Maria College, McLaughlin joined the Arlington police in 1980, raising to the rank of captain before being named in 2007 Chief of Police in Belmont.

McLaughlin also took leadership roles in several police organizations such as the president of the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, treasurer of the Middlesex County Chiefs of Police Association and member of the Northeast Homeland Security Regional Advisory Council.

“You used public safety to reflect who you are and that was to help people,” said Kale. “You leave a legacy of touching many lives over your career in a very positive way.”

“I truly believe that we have a great department with a lot of good people doing a lot of good things including a lot of stuff that’s not seen by the public every day. But they’re out there doing it. And that makes me so proud.

“It’s an honor for me to have been your police chief and I thank you for that,” he said.

Belmont Light’s Winter Celebration/Blanket Drive Set For Thursday

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Part of the poster for Belmont Light’s Winter Celebration and Blanket Drive.

The town’s electrical utility, Belmont Light, will be celebrating the Winter season with its customers at the 40 Prince St. office on Thursday, Dec. 19 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.   

The event is open to all Belmont Light customers. Those attending are encouraged to bring a new or very gently used blanket, bedspread, comforter, or quilt with them to the event to help share the warmth with others in need.

Customers will have an opportunity to enjoy a mug of hot cider or hot chocolate and say “hello” to special guest Frosty the Snowman.

Belmont Light customers will be able to pick up a free LED light bulb and an LED nightlight.

For more information, visit the website www.belmontlight.com or call 617-993-2800.

Dust Off That Dream Gown For Belmont High’s ‘Prom Dress Drive’ On Saturday

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The poster of the Prom Dress Drive being held this Saturday, Dec. 14 at Belmont High.

For most prom dresses, it’s a one and done deal. After than special night with your friends, that dream dress is likely to languish in the back of a closet until a younger sibling wants to play dress up.

But you now have an opportunity to take out that dress one more time to allow someone to have their own “special” day as the Belmont High Leadership Team in partnership with Dresses to Dreams Foundation is holding a “Prom Dress Drive” on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Belmont High School Parking Lot from 9 a.m. to noon.

New or gently used prom and dresses will be donated to girls who can use a helping hand to make their prom experience a great one, according to Manisha Tirunagaru and Sara Manganelli from the Student Leadership Team.

“My mom and I thought of the drive idea around prom-day last year,”said Manganelli. “We feel as if prom is a right of passage for a high school girl, and the idea that someone may not be able to participate because of the inability to afford a dress unsettles me.”

“I thought we could hold a prom dress drive at [Belmont High] because almost everybody attends prom here, and a lot of us are very lucky to have gorgeous dresses to contribute to the cause,” she said.

The donated items will be given to Dresses to Dreams, an organization that gathers new and lightly used prom dresses specifically. In February, it holds an event for girls around New England to come and pick out a beautiful dress, said Manganelli.

If you can’t drop off your dress on Saturday, email Manganelli at ssmanganelli24@gmail.com and she will pick up your donation.

First Winter Storm Brings Snow, Rain Through Tuesday; Schools Still Open Monday

By Leave a Comment

Photo: A snowy return from the Thanksgiving break.

Monday and Tuesday’s morning commutes will be trying for commuters and students as Belmont prepares for the first winter storm of the season which begins late Sunday evening, Dec. 1.

Belmont is under a Winter Storm Warning which will last until 7 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3. Belmont currently lies on the line of 6 to 8 inches and 8 to 12 inches of snow according to the latest map from the National Weather Service Boston.

As of 6 p.m. Sunday, Belmont schools will open on Monday.

In a 4 p.m. Sunday update from the NWS, heavy accumulating snow will come in two parts:

  • First part beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday through just after midnight Monday, Dec. 2, with the heaviest snow north of the Mass Pike;
  • The second part will begin Monday night into Tuesday morning, with greater snowfall in eastern Massachusetts.

A mix of freezing rain and sleet along with light snow will fall during the day Monday.

Garden Club’s Holiday Sale – Greens, Bake and Sparkle – Set For Dec. 7

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The poster for this year’s holiday/winter sale.

The Belmont Garden Club announces its Winter Sparkle, Holiday Greens and Bake Sale will be held Saturday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Chenery Middle School cafeteria. The entrance for the sale is adjacent to the parking lot at the rear of the building off Oakley Road.

Talented club members have started to create a vast array of natural fresh greens-based and dried arrangements to give your home or office a little lift this season. The items, created for inside your home or office and your front door and entry are reasonably priced and artfully arranged. 

This year’s sale promises to offer a variety of sizes and prices to peak the interest of all Belmont residents, whether living in small apartments or in large homes. The Club’s member workshops will continue until just prior to the sale to ensure the freshest possible plant materials.

In addition, attendees will be surprised at the tasty delights created by Garden Club members for its delectable Bake Sale, that includes single serving and party-size items. Cookies, pies, brownies, fruit tarts, coffee cakes, and international items will be featured; the possibilities are endless and never disappoint.

The Belmont Garden Club is a non-profit organization; proceeds from Winter Sparkle, Holiday Greens and Bake Sale will help fund both the Club’s annual Scholarships for Belmont students of the natural sciences and its community beautification projects which have included the Club’s Woodland Garden at the Belmont Public Library, flower planters in the business/shopping districts and plantings at various traffic deltas around town.

Questions? Please email the club at BGCGreensSale@gmail.com  or visit the Belmont Garden Club Facebook page. 

Public Forum On New Library’s Design Set For Tuesday, 7 PM

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Image of the new library (Oudens Ello Architecture)

See the future of the new Belmont Public Library as the Library Building Committee along with representatives from Oudens Ello Architecture will hold a Schematic Design Reveal on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in the library’s Assembly Room.

View the architectural plans and sketches, hear how community feedback has been incorporated in the building’s design, and learn how the new building will accommodate a 21st-century library.

Residents will get to see the interior and exterior building designs, hear about the energy efficiency of the new building, and learn about the exciting features of a library that will be the start of a new chapter for Belmont.

“The Building Committee is extremely excited to share the schematic design of the new library,” said Clair Colburn, Chair of the Library Building Committee.

“Belmont residents and organizations were integral to the development of the building design. We are confident that the new library will meet Belmont’s needs and reflects the Library’s mission of providing a center for information and discovery through innovative programming, robust collections, and responsive services,” said Colburn.

Teachers Holding Public Forum Wednesday On What Belmont Wants From Schools

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The Belmont Education Association

Educators to Belmont: What do you want?

The Belmont Education Association – which represents the educators and staff in the Belmont School District – is seeking input from residents on what is important about education in the public schools at a public forum on Wednesday, Nov. 6 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. at the Belmont High School library.

What will be discussed is:

  • What does the community value about Belmont public schools, and
  • What would it like to see changed.

This input will help inform the BEA’s upcoming negotiations for a new three year contract.

To sign up for the meeting, or to respond to the questions online if you cannot attend, go to: https://masstea.ch/belmontforum