Early Warning: Storm Watch Already Issued For Tuesday’s Nor’easter

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Photo: Winter Storm Watch issued for Tuesday’s Nor’easter.

It is more than 24 hours away but the National Weather Service has already issued a Winter Storm Watch for Belmont and the region for a classic Nor’easter that will arrive late Monday night and remain in the area for 24 hours.

Issued at 9:58 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, the NWS statement warns of heavy snow with accumulations of greater than six inches of snow will occur between the night hours of Monday, March 13 and throughout Tuesday, March 14. 

“The heavy snow will make many roads impassable. In addition, strong winds may lead to blowing and drifting snow, reduced visibility, and power outages,” reads the report.  

Winds will come out of the northeast 20 to 30 mph with gusts 40 to 50 mph.

A Winter Storm Watch means there is a potential for significant snow, sleet, or ice accumulations that may impact travel. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts. Be prepared to modify travel plans should winter weather develop.

Spring Forward: Daylight Savings Time Returns Sunday

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Photo:

It’s literally time to spring ahead as Daylight Savings Time returns early Sunday morning, March 12.

At 2 a.m., time rushes ahead – springing forward – one hour as clocks change to 3 a.m. Sunrise and sunset will be about one hour later on Sunday than the day before. There will be more light in the evening.

Benjamin Franklin first proposed something like daylight savings time in 1784, but the one used today was first suggested in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand. Germany was the first country to use Daylight Savings Time 101 years ago on April 30, 1916.

Less than 40 percent of the countries in the world use Daylight Savings. 

Community Path Feasibility Study Winding Down, Recommendation in April

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Photo: Anne Archer of PARE Corporation leads residents in the latest round of the Community Path Feasibility Study on Wednesday, March 8.

Before approximately 50 residents in the Belmont Town Hall auditorium on Wednesday, March 8, the consultants conducting the feasibility study on a proposed multi-use community path running through Belmont said the review is “winding down” with a final recommendation from the team coming in about six weeks time.

PARE Corporation‘s Amy Archer and Kathleen Fasser, a ‎Principal at K3 Landscape Architecture,  unveiled several routes and their estimated costs associated with the third segment of the trail which runs from the commuter rail bridge in Belmont Center to Brighton Street adjacent to the Cambridge city line.

Information on the trail and costs have been placed in the Town of Belmont website. Questions and comments made up the remainder of the night. 

Archer said a final public meeting would be held in the next weeks to go over “hot topics” – issues such as privacy and public safety – which produced the most comments or raised matters in the previous three meetings.

Archer added the review team would include comments and suggestions into a recommendation report presented to the Board of Selectmen sometime in mid-to-late April, between town elections on April 4 and the first day of Town Meeting on May 1. 

“It will take about a month to incorporate what the community tells us is important to them into the final report,” she told the Belmontonian. 

Hired last year by the Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee, PARE will recommend to the town a single route that, according to the firm, will “best serve the Town’s residents AND function as a segment of the Mass Central Rail Trail.” 

The MCRT is a 104-mile former railroad line from Northampton to Boston that is being restored as a rail trail, a path to be used by bicyclists, walkers, runners, baby strollers and young cyclists with training wheels, wheel chair users, cross-country skiers, equestrians (in areas out west) and nature enthusiasts.

Belmont High Musical Talent Spotlighted to Help Homeless Friday

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Photo: Last year’s WTHH performers.

Belmont High School’s Working to Help the Homeless Club is hosting its annual benefit musical event, showcasing talented student performers on Friday, March 10 (snow date: Friday, March 17).

Tickets are $5 for students and $8 for adults at Champions Sporting Goods in Belmont Center, as well as at the door. The Coffeehouse begins at 7 p.m. in the high school’s cafeteria.

In its 4th year, the Coffeehouse for a Cause features varied music genres, from improvisation to pop, on instruments ranging from those of a string quartet to electric guitar, and from ukulele to percussion. In addition to the music, WTHH members will share their baking skills, as homemade desserts and hot chocolate are included in the ticket price.

“This incredible event brings together the most talented Belmont High School musicians and caring community members, united by their passion for music and for aiding those in need.” said Senior Co-President Sophia Windemuth.

“The performers absolutely blew me away at the rehearsal. With performers like these, I am convinced that not only are we helping those in need, but we are also uniting the community to appreciate our local talent,” she said.

This will be the third WTHH coffeehouse to benefit Y2Y (Youth to Youth) Harvard Square, a new shelter for homeless youth in Greater Boston. Noting that young adults often do not feel safe in shelters with older adults, former Harvard students Sarah Rosenkrantz and Sam Greenberg decided to open their own youth shelter, dedicated to those from ages 18-24.

Opened in December 2015, Y2Y is located in the basement of a Harvard Square church and is staffed by Harvard volunteers.  In January, the founders were named to Forbes list of 30 under 30 Social Entrepreneurs.

“I think Y2Y can best be described as inviting. I saw not a shelter, but a safe place to call home. It is this vision that pushes us as a club to make a difference in the lives of those around us. said Senior Co-President Michael Guyumdzhyan who visited the shelter last month.

Fundraiser For Grove Street Fire Victims This Sunday at Conley’s

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Photo: Bringing some comfort to Grove Street fire victims

On the evening of Sunday, Feb. 26, two residents fled from their burning home located in Grove Street with little to no possessions. While all are safe and healthy, they are in urgent need of financial help to put their lives back together. 

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Alyssa Morley and Erin Lubien invite the public to Conley’s Pub & Grille on Belmont Street in Watertown on Sunday, March 12 beginning at 4 p.m. onward for a fundraising event. Surprises are guaranteed throughout the evening, including a fabulous raffle. All proceeds will be split equally among the fire victims.

“All are welcome and encouraged to participate in this fundraiser. With good music, food and an amazing raffle, I hope Conley’s can be that gathering spot for our community to feel as one while supporting our neighbors in need,” said Stephen Conley, owner of his namesake restaurant.

“While we are all relieved to know that the tenants in the fire are OK,” Steve continued, “it is daunting to think of the amount of rebuilding each of these people has to accomplish. I hope this event helps raise enough to get them back on their feet.”  

Here is how you can help:

  • Monetary donations are most graciously accepted at GoFundMe.com/p/rvb6z.
  • Checks made out to Grove Street Fire Fund can be mailed to 38 Unity Ave, Belmont, MA 02478.
  • Join us for the fundraising event at Conley’s Pub & Restaurant on Sunday.
  • Donate to our raffle by contacting Morley via email at alyssa@thegrommet.com

 

Record Players To Perform Annual JKR Conservation Fund Concert Mar. 4

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Photo: The 2017 Record Players, (from left), Sarah Freiberg, cello; Anne Black, viola; Ray Jackendoff, clarinet; Andrea Mason Nolin, flute; Colin Davis, violin. (courtesy The Record Players)

The Record Players will celebrate their 17th year of tribute to the Judith K. Record Memorial Conservation Fund with a chamber music concert at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 4 at The First Church in Belmont, 404 Concord Ave.

The concert is free and open to all, with contributions accepted at the door. A reception for all attendees will follow the concert at this wheelchair accessible venue. 

The JKR Fund works to conserve and protect Belmont’s unique and historic property at Lone Tree Hill and other local open spaces enjoyed by the public.    

The program will include music for strings and wind instruments composed by Hovhaness, Quantz, Mozart, Wilson, and Reger. 

The JKR Fund was founded in 2001 to honor Judy Record’s dedicated efforts in support of Belmont’s conservation areas. The Fund’s principal work during the past year past has been continuing to oversee and underwrite the restoration of the century-old Pine Allee on Lone Tree Hill Conservation Land.

Tax-deductible gifts may be made to Mass Audubon/JKR Fund, P.O. Box 79138, Belmont, MA 02478. More information on the fund and open spaces in Belmont can be found at JKRFund.org.

Opinion: Time Is Now For Sleep To Be A Priority For High School Students

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Photo: Bedtime. 

(Editor: On Feb. 7, the Belmont School Committee heard a presentation from the chair of the Belmont Start School Later campaign, Jessica Olans Hausman, and from School Committee member Andrea Prestwich requesting a task force be formed to consider a later beginning of the school day for Belmont High School students. Hausman presented an opinion article [below] to the Belmontonian to inform the public of current and future activities of her group.) 

The science supporting later school start times for high school and middle school students is evident.  An adolescent’s optimal sleep cycle is at 11 p.m. and wake at 8 a.m. Just put a Fitbit on your teen and put them to bed at 9 p.m. They will toss and turn until 11 p.m. That means waking up at 6 a.m. rouses adolescents at the lowest point of alertness in their 24-hour sleep cycle. It is the equivalent of an adult waking up at 4 a.m. This is why the American Academy of Pediatrics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and American Medical Association recommend starting middle and high school no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Teens are physically and mentally healthier and higher performing with a school start time of 8:30 a.m. or later.  They perform better academically in school and experience 68 percent lower injury rate athletically after school. Incidences of mood and eating disorders, at-risk behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse, and car accidents all decrease with later start times.  

Schools around the country, including Massachusetts, are making a move to later middle and high school start times with positive results.  

  • In fall 2016, Hanover High School changed its opening bell from 7:25 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. The school’s Assistant Principal Hugh Galligan has already reported “a 32 percent decrease in Ds and Fs in period one classes, and a 10 percent increase in As in period one classes this school year.”    
  • In 2012, Nauset High School changed to start school at 8:35 a.m with an immediate result of a 50 percent decrease in Ds and Fs.  These statistics have continued steadily at the school to date.
  • A Newton Start School Later working group has collected nearly 2,000 responses to its survey of six scenarios for starting their high schools as late as 9 a.m. According to the Boston Globe, the Newton School Committee is expected to vote this spring to implement later start times as early as the fall of 2017.
  • South Portland Middle School will move its start from 7:55 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and the high school will move its start from 7:30 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. in the 2017/2018 school year.
  • Boxford, Middleton, Mascomet and Topsfield formed a Start Times Advisory Committee in Spring 2016 that has already completed evaluations studying options for later middle and high school start times.

Much more examples of towns in the region can be found on the Start School Later Massachusetts Facebook page with additional updates available from the Start School Later Massachusetts newsletter.

What is happening in Belmont?  

Belmont may not be far behind these schools in moving to a later school start time.  In 2015, Middlesex League superintendents committed that, if their towns are going to change to later high school start times between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., they will change by Fall 2018. This will help to coordinate after-school sports schedules.  

Belmont School Committee is discussing starting a task force to explore starting school later for the 2018/2019 school year. Their preliminary discussion took place at the Feb. 7 school committee meeting at Chenery Middle School. They may vote on the question at the upcoming meeting on Feb. 28

Belmont residents are highly encouraged to attend this voting meeting at Chenery Middle School at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28.  At the start of the meeting, members of the community are welcome to voice concerns for up to two minutes each. If you wish to sign a petition in support of later school start times for Belmont middle and high schools you can respond here until the school committee vote on Feb. 28. Town task forces often take one year to explore different plans and logistics for starting school later.   

If the Belmont school committee votes to create this task force and follow the year timeline, they could vote in the winter of 2017-2018 on whether and how to start school later in Belmont.

What’s The Buzz? Keeping Honeybees In Belmont, Wed Night 7 PM

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Photo: Honeybee in nature.

Honeybees are pretty active. You might say they are … as busy as a bee.

A honeybee – whose wings stroke about 200 beats per second, producing its famous, distinctive buzzing sound – flies for up to six miles to visit between 50 to 100 flowers during a collection trip, all the while helping to pollenate flowers and fruit and producing food in the honey made in the hives they occupy.

Some folks in Belmont have discovered this wonderful creature of nature and have allowed the bees to set up shop in all kinds of places in town. There are hives in open spaces such as Belmont Acres and adjacent to the busy intersection of Pine Street and Trapelo Road across from Moozy’s.

With interest in cultivating bees on the rise, the Belmont Board of Health is holding a Public Forum on “Keeping of Honeybees” on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. Learn things like where you can place a hive and the general practices of good beekeeping. 

Breaking: Parking Ban Begins 6 PM Thursday, Ends 6 AM Friday

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Photo: Snow Emergency declared for Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m.

The Belmont Police has issued a snow emergency parking ban on all streets, municipal and school parking lots in Belmont effective at 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 9, until 6 a.m., Friday, Feb. 10. 

ALL VEHICLES PARKED IN VIOLATION OF THE BAN WILL BE TOWED AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE.

If you have any questions please call the snow emergency hotline at 617-993-2698. 

Obituary: Jason Georgitis, Star Lawyer, Beloved Husband, Father, Dies at 42

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Photo: Jason Georgitis (Credit: Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.)

Jason Georgitis, a beloved husband, father, step-father, and neighborhood dad, died on Feb. 3, 2017, at the offices of the Boston law firm Mintz-Levin where he worked. He was 42.

The family said the cause appeared to be a sudden heart attack.

“We are all heartbroken at the passing of Jason. He was an excellent lawyer, a trusted advisor to his clients and a wonderful colleague and friend. He will be greatly missed,” said Dan Gaquin, a colleague at Mintz Levin.  

“This is extremely difficult for all of us,” added Stuart Offner, a Belmont resident who also worked closely with Georgitis at the law office.

Georgitis moved to Belmont 15 years ago when his step-daughter, Isabella Janosi began kindergarten at the Butler School. He and his wife, CC Maher, lived on Slade Street before their daughter, Chloe, was born. They moved to Bellevue Road where they developed deep roots while Chloe attended the Wellington Elementary School. 

“He would often lose the briefcase and appear with a tool belt ready to help any neighbor with any project anytime,” said Owen Carlson of Bellevue Road.

Known for his kindness and generosity, Georgitis would treat the neighborhood kids to ice cream and pick-up games of basketball. Georgitis was a neighborhood dad and co-organizer of the annual block party. He recently became a gifted woodworker and loved to share his craft with others in his basement workshop.

An athlete growing up, Jason took to long-distance cycling as his new sport and would go for long rides on weekends, sometimes finding himself in Maine. Jason took his dogs, Tonka and Tank, to the neighborhood playground and would often knock on neighbors’ doors to see if their dog wanted to join. 

He left a mark on the Chenery baseball field when his radio control plane flew into a tree on its maiden voyage. It can still be seen there today.

Originally from Kennebunk, Maine, Georgitis graduated from Tufts University summa cum laude, and received his J.D. from the Boston University School of Law. He was recognized as a Massachusetts Super Lawyers “Rising Star” practicing real estate law at Mintz Levin, where he became a partner in 2015.

In addition to his wife CC, his step-daughter Isabella, and his daughter Chloe, Georgitis is survived by his mother, Pamela Hogan, father and step-mother, Jim and Debbie Georgitis, and brother, Nathan Georgitis.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the First Church Belmont in Belmont Center. 

Donations can be sent to the Belmont Savings Bank to help the family through this very difficult time.  The account name is the Jason Georgitis Memorial Fund.