Belmont Holding Training Sessions On High School Ballot Question, Open Meeting Update

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Photo: Questions on the ballot this November.

It will be the largest “ask” of voters in Belmont’s history when a debt exclusion question authorizing approximately $220 million to build a new Belmont High and Upper Middle schools will likely be presented on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Because of its historic nature of the question, between now and November, members of Belmont’s boards, committees, and commissions will likely be questions on basic information, data, opinions, and “fact sheets” related to the project from voters, ballot campaign question committees, the media, or just interested residents.

According to Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, answers related to the ballot question are governed by several Massachusetts General Laws.

To aid volunteers and employees in making choices related to this ballot question, Cushman has arranged a pair of training sessions by the State Office of Campaign & Political Finance (OCPF) personnel on Tuesday, July 17 at Chenery Middle School auditorium.

The session for boards, committees and commissions members will be held at 7 p.m. in the early evening, while town employees will attend a session at 3 p.m.

At the same training session, Belmont Town Counsel George Hall of the firm Anderson & Kreiger, will hold a question and answer session on his recent advisory to Belmont on the Open Meeting Law determination and Supreme Judicial Court decision. 

“It’s about getting everyone on the same page of the law,” said Cushman. 

Cushman anticipates the OCPF training to last approximately one hour, the Open Meeting Law portion to last about 45 minutes.

“Even if you don’t believe that you will be asked to comment or provide any information on this ballot question, I ask you to consider attending this scheduled one-hour training, for your knowledge and protection. You need to know the laws that apply to you as a member of our boards, committees, and commissions,” said Cushman

Between now and the training session, you may want to take a quick view of some brief educational videos provided by OCPF, each one about five minutes, to get you started thinking about the topic:

  • Click here for the ballot question committee tutorial.
  • Click here for the tutorial on equal access.
  • Click here for the tutorial on the use of public resources for political purposes.

If you have a specific question or clarification related to his advisory opinion, please email it to me in by Friday, July 12.  

“I’ll gather all of the submissions ahead of the session and forward them to George to help focus the presentation. Of course, questions from the floor will be welcomed as well,” said Cushman. 

‘Frankenstein’ Selected This Year’s One Book One Belmont Read

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Photo: Frankenstein (detail, Bernie Wrightson, “Frankenstein”)

Is it the first great science fiction tale, or an allegory of the horror of maternity?

This October, you can decide as the Belmont Public Library presents Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” as the featured title for One Book One Belmont 2018, the library’s seventh community reading program.

The library and 13 community organizations invite town residents to read the book and participate in book discussions and other exciting activities. Charlotte Gordon, author of the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award-winning book “Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley,” will cap the month-long celebration on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 1 (the day after Halloween) at the Beech Street Center with a talk focused on the life of Shelley, her mother, the early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (who died giving birth to Shelley), and the lasting impact of her novel.

The selection of Frankenstein is particularly timely: as the library commemorates its 150th anniversary, communities around the world are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the publication of “Frankenstein,” first released in 1818 by the 19-year-old Shelley. The groundbreaking novel gave birth to two literary genres, science fiction, and horror. Over the course of the 75 years that followed it would inspire such classic works in the horror realm as Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and Bram Stokers “Dracula,” and in science fiction, Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine.”

Jill Lepore of the New Yorker writes “Frankenstein, the story of a creature who has no name, has for two hundred years been made to mean just about anything … It’s four stories in one: an allegory, a fable, an epistolary novel, and an autobiography, a chaos of literary fertility.”

Belmont Library Director Peter Struzziero is especially excited for this year’s selection and suggests that, while a different direction from past programs, it’s one that can be a really special effort in 2018.

“Frankenstein is a book being celebrated all over the world this year, and in truth, it’s my favorite book, one that I’ve connected with deeply all of my life,” he says. “While I’m sure Mary Shelley would like to join us, she’s been ‘unable’ since 1851, so in her stead, we are so thrilled to have Charlotte Gordon coming to join us in celebration of Frankenstein, and Mary Shelley specifically.”

An associate professor of English at Endicott College, Gordon has written the first dual biography of Mary Shelley and her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, a leading advocate of equal rights for women known also for her unconventional lifestyle. Moira Macdonald, art critic for the Seattle Times, wrote, “’Romantic Outlaws’ tells the tale of the two remarkable Mary’s whose lives only overlapped by 10 days. Gordon chooses to let their stories unfold not chronologically, but side by side in alternating chapters; an audacious choice that lets us see how the daughter’s life mirrored that of her unconventional mother.”

New York Times writer Cristina Nehring explains that Gordon’s goal in this biography, her third work of history, is to tack back and forth between the literary love lives of both women in order to show that Mary Shelley was “steeped . . . in her mother’s ideas” and that the two were temperamental twins, even if their existences hardly overlapped.

One Book One Belmont 2018 is supported by the Friends of the Belmont Public Library and the following co-sponsors: Belmont Against Racism, Belmont Books, The Belmont Chinese American Association, The Belmont Citizen-Herald, Belmont Gallery of Art, The Belmont Garden Club, The Belmont Historical Society, The Belmont Library Foundation, Belmont Media Center, The Council on Aging, The Department of Public Works, and The Human Rights Commission. Residents may borrow Frankenstein from the library in many different formats: hardcover, paperback, large print, books on CD, ebook or audiobook from the Overdrive catalog and on some of the library’s circulating Kindles.

To place a request, visit the library website at belmontpubliclibrary.net or call the reference desk, 617-993-2870.

US Sen. Markey Holding Climate Crisis Summit At Belmont High, June 28

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Photo: Massachusetts US Sen. Ed Markey

Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Ed Markey is inviting residents and the general public to a Climate Crisis Action Summit at Belmont High School’s auditorium on Thursday, June 28 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Markey and three leading climate change experts will discuss what they believe is the greatest crises of our time. Following a discussion of the current state of affairs of climate policy and possible solutions, questions will be taken from the audience.

The expert panelists are:

  • Gina McCarthy, former EPA Administrator and current Director of C-CHANGE (Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
  • Dr. John Holdren, former Chief Science and Technology Advisor to President Barack Obama and current Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
  • Todd Stern, former U.S. Chief Negotiator for the Paris Climate Accord and current Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Distinguished Fellow at the World Resources Institute.

The summit is asking interested attendees to RSVP in order to gather an estimated headcount. Please note that registration here does not guarantee a seat, as attendees will be seated on a first come, first serve basis. Though we do hope to accommodate each and every individual who attends.

Underwood Pool Opens Saturday, June 23, Blasting Off The Summer Swim Season

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Photo: Underwood Pool

Summer rockets Saturday, June 23, as the Underwood Pool’s season begins with the Belmont Recreation Department’s  9th annual Summer Blast Off at the pool at the corner of Concord Avenue and Cottage Street.

Sponsored by Belmont Youth Activities and D.A.R.E. Inc., there will be games and music, a dunk tank, music, free hot dogs and chips, and swimming and splash about from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. A membership or day pass is required for entry.

The Underwood Pool is open from June 23 to Sept. 3.

The pool is open during the peak season to Aug. 17 from Monday to Thursday, noon to 8 p.m.; Friday, Saturday, Sunday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The late-season runs from Aug. 18 to Sept. 3 with the pool open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Information on fees and schedules can be found at the Belmont Recreation Department web page.

Belmont Rugby Teams Meet Familiar Rivals In Saturday’s State Finals [VIDEO]

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Photo: Senior Scrumhalf Joe Viale racing down the pitch vs. St. John’s Prep

With a pair of dominating performances in the state championship semifinals last week, Belmont High School’s boys’ and girls’ Rugby squads now prepare to meet familiar foes in the state finals in a rare doubleheader where girls and boys high school teams will be seeking championships on the same day this Saturday, June 23.

The number one-ranked boys’ (6-0) in Division 1 will meet defending championships and second seed Boston College High School (5-1) in the late match of the three championship finals taking place at Newton South High School at 4 p.m. 

In the middle match at 2 p.m., the first seed and defending champs Belmont (7-0) is match up against second-ranked Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School (5-2) in the Division 1 Girls’ finals. 

The Belmont teams earned their place in the championship match with convincing victories in the semifinals that took place at Harris Field. On Tuesday, June 12, Belmont’s girls’ defeated the Needham High squad, 54-7, in a game that was more competitive than the earlier encounter between the teams.

Saturday’s opponent Lincoln Sudbury has been the one team which has placed the most pressure on the Marauders. It took Gabby Viale‘s ten-meter “tap and go” dash up the middle for a try on the last play of the game to give Belmont a 17-12 away victory on April 25. In the reverse fixture on June 12, Belmont’s defense and tackling kept a surging Warriors’ at bay for the 14-12 win, the margin of victory provided by junior Johanna Matulonis‘ converting both two-point conversion kicks after trys. 

Belmont will be relying on Senior Scrumhalf Jessica Rosenstein – who will be playing collegiately at national champs Lindenwood next year – to deliver the ball to the backline and direct the offense. Expect the team to rely on Number 8 Grace Christensen to take inside runs while Viale will be relied on to continue her season-long game-breaking runs while the back row wingers – highlighting juniors Hannah Hlotyak, Clare Martin, and Kiera Booth – will play a central role advancing the ball. 

The Marauders will need to protect the ruck – when a runner is stopped, their teammates attempt to push back the opponents so the scrumhalf can release the ball to the back row – and win the scrum when Belmont’s front eight players battle Lincoln-Sudbury’s front eight for the ball. 

On defense, watch for Belmont tackling attempt to counter the speed and physical nature of the Warriors.

If there is one advantage Belmont will carry into the game will be its experience – Saturday will be consecutive championship matches for nearly all the players on the field – and knowledge of the game which will 

Belmont Boys’ completed the season undefeated and rarely challenged in the late going of matches. And they showed its superiority in the semifinals as they dispatched St. John’s Prep High, 33-3, on Wednesday.

Boston College High squeaked into the championship game with a 12-10 semifinal victory over Lincoln Sudbury. Belmont defeated the Eagles on a rainy April 25, 26-14, with BC High scoring a late try. 

The Marauders will look to its senior front-runners, captain and flanker Will Lozano and scrumhalf Joe Viale, who will provide leadership by example on both sides of the ball, leading the attack into the heart of the BC High squad while being the first line of defense with an emphasis on stealing the ball from the ruck or during the run of play. 

And it will be in the ruck, side out and especially the scrum where Belmont will attempt to continue its season-long dominance. Despite being outweighed by BC High and St. John’s Prep by a significant amount, the forwards – front row Jake Parsons, Ryuichi Ohhata, and Mark Morash; locks Andra Duda and Maxwell Baskerville; flankers Connor Shea and Lozano; and 8-man Sam Sagherian – have controlled the majority of scrum restarts by working in concert as a single unit, resulting in the Marauders dictating how the game is played.

Look for Belmont to control the line-outs with Baskerville as the jumper who is lifted to capture the ball. Center back Sam Harris and wings Joe Altomare will give Belmont a great amount of pace in the open field. 

And the Marauders is expected to have an advantage in the kicking game as senior flyhalf Laurent Brabo has been hitting conversions and penalty kicks from well past 30 meters.

Opening Reception For Belmont Gallery Of Arts Summer Show June 21

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Photo: The summer show at the Belmont Art Gallery will have its opening reception on June 21.

Celebrate the Summer Solstice at the opening reception for “Take 5 Plus 2” this year’s summer art show at the Belmont Gallery of Art. The reception will be held Thursday night, June 21 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the gallery located on the third floor of the Homer Building located in the Town Hall complex off Moore Street in Belmont Center.

The exhibit features works by five members of the BGA’s board of directors:  Chris Arthur, Kimberly Becker, Helen Canetta, Richard Hill and Adine Storer, together with two guest artists; Trey Klein and Carol Wintle.

The show will run until Aug. 15. Summer gallery hours are Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Fridays in August from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

New HS Construction Schedule, Exterior Design Update At Tuesday’s Meeting

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Photo: Belmont High School design

The Belmont High School Building Committee,
 the School Committee, and the Board of Selectmen is holding a joint meeting to present to the public construction phasing and exterior design update on Tuesday, June 19 at 7 p.m. 
Chenery Middle School Community Room
, 95 Washington St.

The night’s agenda includes:

  • Construction phasing schedule, and site logistics update

  • Exterior design update

  • Questions and comments


The next Community Meeting is Thursday, June 28 at 7 p.m
. at the Chenery Middle School where the agenda will be a project costs update and a schematic design presentation.

Belmont’s Battle Of The Bands Opens Payson Park Music Festival June 20

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Photo: 

The fifth annual Battle of the Bands sponsored by Belmont Savings Bank opens the 28th season of the Payson Park Music Festival on Wednesday, June 20 at Payson Park. Middle school and high school bands from local communities will compete to be Battle of the Bands Champions. The concert begins at 6:45 p.m.

The band competing this year are:

  • Moonkite Buzzards
  • Fourshadow
  • Sweet Relief
  • Flip the Page

The Payson Park Music Festival runs every Wednesday evening until Aug. 29. June and July concerts start at 6:45 p.m. Beginning mid-August, start time is 6:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. due to the earlier sunset. In addition to the evening program, four children’s programs will be offered on consecutive Fridays at 10:30 a.m., beginning July 6 and ending July 27.

All the participating bands will receive a $25 AMEX gift card. The winning band will get a $250 grand prize, courtesy of Belmont Saving. The bank will be giving away a Sony XB30 speaker.

The bank will also post a video of each band in advance of the concert on its Facebook page. The band with the most votes (“Likes”) will receive a “Favorite on Facebook” award: a $50 AMEX gift card.

Celebrate Father’s Day On The Course Of The Brendan’s Home Run

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Photo: And they’re off.

Father’s Day usually starts with a hearty breakfast before a day of relaxation. But Father’s Day in Belmont begins on the starting line of the five-kilometer race through town as the 17th Annual Brendan’s Home Run takes place on Sunday, June 17.

The certified 5K (3.1 miles) race and walk starts and finishes at Belmont High School Harris Field track (adjacent the Skating Rink on Concord Avenue) at 10 a.m. The walk will start at 9:30 a.m.

With its collection of really fast runners at the head of the race and a flat, easy course for the less-than-fast folks, the race has become a must-do “beginning of summer” event in eastern Massachusetts. Race participants will also get the opportunity to take part in a standout raffle. There is also prize money for the fastest three male and female finishers, age-group and team awards including fastest parent/child tandems.

Cost: Register on the day of race: $30. Download the entry form at www.brendanshomerun.org

The first 300 entrants receive a commemorative T-shirt.

Proceeds from the race go to benefit The Brendan Grant Foundation and Memorial Scholarships. The foundation noted the race’s presenting sponsor Belmont Savings Bank is instrumental to the success of this great event and it’s deeply grateful for the support and generosity of the DerKazarian family.

Contact The Brendan Grant Foundation at 617-489-1514 or at www.brendangrant.org for more information.