Sports: Belmont Girls Hoops Upsets Marblehead, Heads to Newburyport Saturday [VIDEO]

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Photo: Belmont Girls’ Basketball team celebrates its victory at Marblehead.

The great American philosopher and pugilist Mike Tyson says that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

And for most of the opening quarter of its playoff game at 7th-seed Marblehead Thursday, March 3, Belmont High Girls’ Basketball took a good one on the chin as it was looking at a double-digit deficit and having yet to score a single point.

But a critical change in its game plan and contributions from nearly every player on the Marauders’ long bench – 18 players ready to play – turned the game on its head in Belmont’s favor as the visitors’ suffocating defense totally shut down the number  host Magicians for a convincing 43-28 victory in the MIAA Division 2 North sectional playoffs.

“Everyone stepped up tonight, they really did. If they were on the floor, they contributed something good for us,” said a happy Belmont Head Coach Melissa Hart told the Belmontonian.

“We made mistakes, it wasn’t a perfect game. But the players came back from their mistakes which was a good step for us. We didn’t just get down and let it spiral down,” she said. 

And the game could have gotten out of hand as there could not have had an uglier start to a basketball game then Belmont’s first four minutes. From the tipoff, the Magicians were off and running, winning rebounds, forcing Belmont to take long range shots and finding lots of room against Belmont’s zone defense to make baskets seemingly at will.

By the time Hart called a timeout, Belmont was looking up at a 10-0 scoreboard. But there was no panic from the players or Hart on the sideline. 

“We have lots of time left in this game,” said Hart, as she told her starters to abandoned the zone they started the game in and revert to its time-tested man-to-man defense that has been the team’s bread and butter for the past two years.

“They came out and stunned us. We were a little nervous but Marblehead was ready to go and they took it to us,” said Hart. 

While the Magicians would score on a quick break to take a 12 point lead at the five-minute mark, Belmont’s “in your face” defense appeared to unnerve the Magicians as it committed a pair of turnovers including a 30-second violation.

Belmont found the scoreboard from sophomore guard Jenny Call (7 points) who bagged a couple of threes to help cut Marblehead’s lead to six, 14-8, entering the second quarter.

The second eight minutes was one of the best of the season from the Marauders as it outscored the Magicians 17-4 as a pair of freshmen made their mark in the game.

Guard Megan Tan had her statement game of the season, making life a misery for her counterpart, Nicole Freedo (8 points, all in the first quarter) while complementing All-Star sophomore point guard Carly Christofori on offense. Tan (a team-high 8 points) also brought her shooting game with her, scoring on the break before hitting a three at the five-minute mark to give the Marauders’ its first lead of the game, 15-14.

After Marblehead had retaken the lead, Christofori (7 points) drained her own trey to provide the Marauders a lead (18-16) they would not surrender until the final buzzer.

Coming in for senior starter Sarah Stewart who picked up two quick fouls, ninth grader center Jess Giorgio held her own against Marblehead’s big girl duo of juniors Lindsay Walker (3 points) and Abby Settlemeyer (4 points) , grabbing 9 rebounds, hitting 2 of 4 free throws and unofficially blocking five shots in a standout performance. 

Senior forward and co-captain Samri Winklaar (7 points) took advantage of the open space by hitting a pair of runners in the paint, the final hoop finishing off a 17-4 quarter to leave the court up 25-18 at the half.

Both teams came out of the break with an eye on playing defense with Belmont holding the edge with the return of Stewart. The senior would dominate under the glass, picking up phenomenal 14 rebounds, nearly all in the second half, to go with 6 points, most of those put backs from critical offensive rebounds.

The rebounding by [Giorgio] and Sarah Stewart was phenomenal. That was probably the biggest difference was the rebounding changed a lot and we were able to shot and miss and get something which wasn’t happening [early in the game],” said Hart. 

Marblehead would come within six points, 29-23, when Tan wrestled the ball away from the point guard and stuck the easy layup. A turnaround jumper from sophomore Greta Propp and a free throw from Call put Belmont up by nine, 34-25, with eight minutes to play,

By the final quarter, Marblehead had no answer for the relentless Marauder defense, scoring just a three-point basket for their only points in the quarter. By the final minute, Belmont’s reserve players were on the court, with seniors Sophia Cellucci draining a buzzer-beating three pointer and Meghan Ferraro putting in a driving shot and draining the free throw after being fouled. 

Next up for Belmont, 12-9, is a trip to Newburyport (which many of the players had no idea where it is located) on Saturday, March 5 to play the second-seed Newburyport High Clippers (17-3), with tipoff at 4 p.m. 

The Clippers, which has not played a regular game in two weeks, is led by its only senior player, Emily Pettigrew, who is supported by younger players such as sophomore Krysta Padellaro, freshmen Katie Hadden and Anna Hickman and junior Olivia Olson.

But on Thursday, the underdogs took their time leaving the court, wishing to celebrate the upset before making the one hour drive home. 

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Primary: Trump, Clinton Top Belmont as Voters Came Out in Force

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Photo: Dana Harrington of Holt Street feeling the “Bern.”

Twenty-two Belmont voters were waiting to vote at the door leading into the gym to cast their ballot in the Massachusetts Presidential Primary on Tuesday, March 1. 

What was unusual was the voters were in line at the Burbank Elementary, at Precinct 7 whose citizens are known for their leisurely voting practices. 

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The line at Precinct 7 at the Burbank School.

Whether it was the slew of candidates, a national focus on the vote or the beautiful weather, Belmont’s residents came out to vote Monday.

And on a day where nearly three out of five eligible voters went to the polls, Belmont followed the state’s preference for giving its collective nod to Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton in the big races of the day.

Officially, 57 percent of registered voters came out to vote, compared to 23 percent in 2012. Tuesday’s vote was more than the 9,616 votes cast in 2008 when Pres. Obama topped Clinton by 400 votes.

Full results can be found at the Town Clerk’s web page.

Trump was the clear victor among Belmont’s voters who took Republican ballots receiving 1,080 votes, nearly 400 votes better than Ohio Gov. John Kasich (689) and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (655). Texas Sen. Ted Cruz received 211 followed by Dr. Ben Carson (43) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (25). 

As a percentage, Trump took two of every five Belmont voters (39  percent) compared to a quarter of the electorate who selected Kasich and Rubio. 

Statewide, Trump garnered a much wider margin, 49 percent of Massachusetts voters chose the Republican frontrunner. Kasich took in 18 percent and Rubio 17 percent. 

“We need a complete overhaul of Washington, and it can’t be done with people who have anything to do with that place,” said a Belmont resident holding a sign for Steven Aylward, the Watertown residents who won the Republican State Committee district position that includes Belmont.

The resident did not want to give his name “since I have to live [in Belmont]” which he called “deciding left of center.”

His opinion of wishing to keep his conservative leanings from his fellow residents was somewhat justified by two voters who were exiting the Burbank school after voting at Precinct 7.

“She’s a Republican?” asked one about a neighbor of theirs. “But she seems so normal!”

Over on the Democrat side, the enthusiasm surrounding the candidacy of socialist populist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders could not overcome the establishment’s choice as former senator and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton clearly won Belmont by nearly 1,000 votes, 4,031 to 3,029, or 57 percent to 43 percent.

Clinton’s margin was much closer to the state, as she defeated Sanders with 51 percent of the ballot, as opposed to 48 percent,

“Personal problems aside, Hilary will make a good president,” said Lynne Wright of Cedar Road, a “lifelong Democrat” whose 12-year-old daughter is “a huge Hilary fan.” 

“She wants to see a woman President,” said Wright outside Precinct 1 at the Belmont Public Library. 

Standing at the traditional “sign holding” site across from the commuter rail tunnel at the intersection of Common and Concord, Dana Harrington was holding a homemade “flaming” sign to go with Bernie Sanders placards.  

“I’ve never done this before,” said the Holt Street resident concerning holding a political sign.

“But we have to take back our government from the corporate special interests and [Sanders] is the only one who is saying what needs to be said.”

Over at the Beech Street Center, 22-year-old Isaiah Berson of Harding Avenue said it probably didn’t come as any surprise that someone his age was voting for Sanders.

“I really admire that he’s not a standard politician who is beholden to the corporate infrastructure,” he said. “I have a problem with other candidates who are untrustworthy and whose judgment has been poor.” 

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Newcomer Ruban To Challenge Incumbent Paolillo for Selectman

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Photo: Alexandra Ruban submitting nomination papers on Tuesday, Feb. 16.

A relative newcomer will be challenging a lifelong resident for the open selectman seat at the Belmont Town Election in April.

Claflin Street’s Alexandra Ruban submitted more than 100 signatures with Town Clerk Ellen Cushman on Tuesday, Feb. 16, setting up a race with two-term incumbent Mark Paolillo from Pilgrim Road. 

In a press release submitted by her campaign team, Ruban said there is a lack of transparency and consistency on important decisions made by town government and the current board made up of Paolillo, Jim Williams and Chairman Sami Baghdady.

“After observing the decisions made by our Board of Selectmen in recent years, I am concerned that there is a lack of transparency and accountability in the office that is challenging the Town’s goals and financial viability,” said Ruban, who moved with her husband and two children to Belmont from Somerville in 2013. 

“Rather than just complain, I want to use my experience to do something about it, namely: run for Town Selectman,” Ruban said in the press release.

Leading Ruban’s team is campaign chair and communications manager Erin Lubien, who was communications director for Selectman Jim Williams’ election campaign last year. Ruban’s campaign treasurer is Vera Iskandarian of Waverley Street.

“I look forward to meeting with my constituents and representing the concerns of many in the upcoming election season,” Ruban said, noting that elected, she would be only the fourth woman to serve as a Selectman since the town was incorporated in 1859.

The owner of a consulting firm that helps small businesses grow and optimize their performance, Ruban will be holding a community “meet and greet” on Feb. 28.

Residents Seek to Halt Cell Tower In Church Steeple; Town: ‘We Are On Solid Ground’

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Photo: Attorney Ted Hess-Mahan (standing) addressing the Historic District Commission with Pleasant Street resident Glenn Herosian (seating, right) listening.

“Simple fairness.”

For Glenn Herosian, that is the primary reason he and many of his neighbors are aggressively averse to a cellular network’s antenna in the steeple of the Plymouth Congregational Church on Pleasant Street.

The lack of fairness Herosian refers to is the perception the town is allowing the church to skirt the rigid design and material guidelines enforced on every structure within the historic district for a second time in three years.

“[The church] thinks they can bowl everyone over, and they’re not going to do it this time,” the Pleasant Street resident told the Belmontonian who, along with two dozen supporters, came before the Historic District Commission on Tuesday, Feb. 9 to preview their opposition to the church’s anticipated request to the commission at its March meeting where it and the telecommunication giant Verizon “hopes to continue the historic degradation of the church.”

The protestors complaints come the same week contractors hired by telecommunication firm Verizon were performing non-specific construction on the steeple to prepare it for the installation of a cellular antenna system, which the complainants contend is being done without a proper building permit.

While Herosian and his supporters believe the current work is in violation of the state building code, the town department says the church can move forward with the work.

“As of now the work is related solely to Verizon and does not require a building permit,” Glenn Clancy, director of the Office of Community Development, told the Belmontonian Wednesday, Feb. 10.,

“The Verizon work is allowed as it would be for any private property owner” with the owner taking the “risk onto themselves” if the permit is ultimately not issued, said Clancy. 

For Hersoian and the 95 residents who have signed a petition supporting his efforts – he said he will have more than 150 by next month – the Historic District Commission is seen by the church’s abutters and neighbors as their final bulwark against the proposed alterations.

Last month, the Belmont Planning Board approved the design and site plan review to place the antenna inside the structure which Rev. Joseph Zarro, Plymouth’s spiritual leader, in 2014 said would be a “win-win” for the church and community.

The Planning Board did include a condition to its opinion in which the Historic Commission is to review the proposal before a building permit is issued. 

With that caveat in hand, Herosian and his supporters are seeking to sway the Commission to invalidate the Planning Board’s approval by agreeing that the building’s aesthetics will be further compromised if the work the church outlined to the Planning Board is allowed to proceed. 

“They are taking an incredibly important landmark that the town has in the Historic District and are degrading it,” said Herosian. 

For the cellular equipment to function properly will require the existing louvers (wooden shutters with horizontal slats) to be replaced with fiberglass replicas, compounding what Herosian called the “degradation” of the building when the commission approved – against evidence from preservation experts – replacement columns and railings in August 2013  he said was made with composite material and “cheap” plastic covering that has not weathered well over the past three years. 

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Herosian, who lives with his wife, Karen, in a 60-year-old renovated custom ranch across Pleasant Street from the church, said he looks at the church out his sweeping front window every day wondering how a landmark was allowed to make major renovations outside the strict regulations imposed on all property owners.

“We went through the same historic district review, and it saved us from ourselves,” said Herosian as suggestions and rules resulted in a better design and project on his house.

“If this is allowed to stand this will likely have a devastating adverse impact on the fabric of our community, the entire Pleasant Street Historic District and the Belmont Historic Commission itself,” said Ted Hess-Mahan, the Herosian’s attorney who presented their case to the commission.

While the protestors are seeking the reversal of the 2013 Commission decision on the columns and railings as well as a denial of the current changes, Commission Chair Joseph Cornish said overturning an existing ruling “has never happened in our history.”

Herosian said he hoped to work with the church in securing Community Preservation Commission funds to repair and return the building “to its original beauty.” 

The church’s governing board said in a 2014 article in the Belmontonian that a long-term lease – typically lasting more than 20 years and can bring in up to $2,000 to $4,000 a month in rent – will allow the church to renovate the building and expand social service activities. It is not known the contents of the contract signed between Verizon and the church. 

Also, Clancy believes the church and town have done their due diligence on all possible objections, referring to the approvals by the Planning Board in January and three years ago from the Historic District Commission. 

“We are aware of the allegations. I think the Town is on solid ground,” said Clancy.

But Herosian is adamant that supporters will not be pushed aside and ignored as, he claims, opponents were during the Planning Board decision. He has filed a formal complaint against the town stating that required mailed notification of the hearing to abutters was not delivered to several neighbors, reportedly due to errors in the addresses on mailers.

Herosian is seeking the reopening of the Planning Board hearing to allow additional information to be submitted and voicing opinions from the neighborhood. 

But for now, Herosian focus is square on the Historic District Commission.

“This is far from over,” he said.

Snow Emergency Parking Ban in Belmont from 6PM to 6AM Tuesday

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Photo: You could be towed.

The Belmont Police has announced a snow emergency parking ban on all roads and municipal and school parking lots beginning at 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 8. 

The ban will last until 6 a.m., Tuesday morning, Feb. 9. 

Vehicles parked on the side of the road or in the lots are in violation of the ban and will be ticketed and possibly towed at the owner’s expense. 

For additional updates and storm resources, visit www.belmont-ma.gov/snow

Special Town Meeting Postponed to Feb. 22

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Photo: Mike Widmer, Town Moderator.
Due to the pending snow storm that is anticipated to leave up to 10-12 inches of snow on Belmont, tonight’s Special Town Meeting, Feb. 8. and has been recessed by Town Moderator Michael Widmer and will be continued to Monday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. in the Chenery Middle School, according to Belmont Town Clerk  Ellen Cushman.
The warrant and motions that were distributed to Town Meeting Members for the Special Town Meeting are unchanged.

Postponing Belmont’s Special Town Meeting Could Be A ‘Snow’-Day Decision

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Photo: It will Town Moderator Mike Widmer’s (left) decision to postpone Monday’s Special Town Meeting.

The possibility of difficult traveling conditions and limited parking at the Chenery Middle School could put on hold Belmont’s Special Town Meeting scheduled to convene Monday night, Feb. 8. at 7 p.m.

With a Winter Storm Warning in effect for Eastern Massachusetts for all-day Monday and into Tuesday morning, Town Clerk Ellen Cushman has been in contact with Town Moderator Michael Widmer to advise him of state law regarding postponing Town Meeting due to inclement weather.

A new Massachusetts General Law from 2015 now allows the town moderator to declare “a continuation” of town meeting to a later date – within 14 days – after consultation with local public safety officials and members of the board of selectmen. 

“Mike is the one who will make the choice tomorrow [Monday],” said Cushman. “We will be in touch with Town Meeting Members and media tomorrow” after a decision is made, she said.

Even if the meeting is “postpone,” Widmer and Cushman must physically make their way to the Chenery Middle School – the site of the special Town Meeting – for the 7 p.m. “call the meeting,” so they can then vote to “recess” to a date certain.

Monday’s meeting is to discuss and vote on a new regional agreement with Minuteman Tech and vote to create a building committee for the high school renovation and new construction. 

BREAKING: Selectmen To Review Cushing Village Developer’s Financing, Viability

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Photo: Chris Starr before the Planning Board.

A day after the developer of the troubled Cushing Village project came before a skeptical and non-committal Belmont Planning Board requesting yet another multi-month extension to close on an important town-owned parking lot, the chair of the Belmont Board of Selectmen said a sudden change in the developer’s financial team will now “certainly necessitate a new review by the Board of Selectmen of how viable his financing and financial arrangement is.”

Speaking before the Warrant Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 3, Selectmen Chair Sami Baghdady said developer Chris Starr’s acknowledgment that industry leader Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers is no longer involved with the project to provide a significant portion of financing “is troubling that it happened so late in process,” Baghdady told the Belmontonian after the meeting.

The board will next meet on Monday, Feb. 22 when they will convene with Liz Allison, chair of the Planning Board, to discuss the on-going issues concerning Cushing Village. 

Despite Starr initial attempt to purchase the municipal parking lot six months ago, “the selectmen have take the position that we will not tender the deed (to the lot) selling him the parking lot unless the closing takes place at the same time contemporaneously with his loan financing is approved,” said Baghdady, referring to construction financing from its lead lender, Wells Fargo. 

Only when Starr has the approximately $50 million construction loan in his hands, “that is when we will feel secure … and then we will record a land development agreement,” said Baghdady, who was Planning Board Chair when it approved the special permit allowing Starr to begin construction and purchase the parking lot adjacent to Trapelo Road.

In addition to a possible new round of financial reviews from the selectmen, the project faces a looming selectmen-imposed expiration date of March 27 for the option on the purchase and sale of the parking lot. 

“Remember, they were given two years to complete the P&S and that deadline is less than two months from now,” said Baghdady of Smith Legacy, which was selected 32 months ago to create a 164,000 sq.-ft. three building multi-use development in the heart of Cushing Square.

Baghdady’s comments came after Starr, the head of Smith Legacy Partners, requested a four-month extension from the Planning Board to purchase a municipal parking lot that he in the past said is the project’s lynchpin. 

Telling the Planning Board he believes he now has a clearer path to obtaining construction financing, Starr said his firm should be signing an agreement within 60 days, four months at the latest. 

Starr’s request was set aside on Tuesday, Feb. 2 by Allison who noted that her board could not grant the extension – which would move the deadline to the first week of June – until the Selectmen approved extending the purchase and sale agreement in which the developer would purchase the lot for $850,000.

For the past year, the developer has been paying the town a monthly penalty of $30,000 fine to allow him to keep his option on the P&S. Baghdady said Smith Legacy has turned more than $600,000 in penalties. Once a P&S is signed, the town will return half of the penalty to Smith Legacy.

The concern emulating from the two town boards was when they learned that a major source of mid-level financing left the development.

When asked by the Planning Board member Raffi Manjikian the status of Cornerstone, Starr said the project’s “mezzanine” lender had left the team since it was “not playing nicely in the sandbox” with lead lender Well Fargo. Cornerstone – an industry leader in secondary commercial financing – was prepared to provide $14 million in financing to the project.  

In real estate finance, developers use mezzanine loans to secure secondary financing for their projects where the primary mortgage or construction loan equity requirements are larger than 10 percent.

In its place, Starr said the Marlton, NJ-based Micheals Development Company will bring eight percent equity financing to the project. Starr said the company will “drop in a considerable investment into Cushing Village” as well as bringing strong banking relationships that will allow the project to move “towards a closing.” 

Starr also admitted that Micheals will offer its “executional [sic] capabilities on the financial front, construction management, and lease” operations that the current team and he don’t have.

We want someone who has been there, done that and has done it around the country very successfully,” said Starr.

Micheals is well-known in real estate circles as one of the nation’s top developers and owners of affordable housing. It has developed more than 50,000 units since 1973 and is the top private-sector affordable housing owner in the country, with more than 340 properties in 33 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

It is likely Micheals was brought onto the team from previous work it had with Cambridge-based Urban Spaces, which partnered with Starr nearly a year ago to jump-start the long-stalled project.

In 2014, Urban Spaces and Michaels were involved in a 50/50 partnership to build a five-story, 160,000 sq.-ft. apartment complex at 159 First St. in Kendall Square. It included 115-unit apartments with commercial space on the first floor along with underground parking, “the same program we’d be executing at Cushing Village,” said Starr. 

But any arrangement remains stalled as Starr finds himself facing ever increasing demands from all sides, highlighted by the requirement from his lenders that he secures at minimum three leases to occupy the project’s 38,000 sq.-ft retail space. 

So far, the project has two firm leases with one national company and a “bar.” Critical for Starr is that the team’s “close to finalizing” the lease for an anchor tenant. But Starr is not longer saying the anchor will be a food market as he has expressed in the past.

Starr remains confident in his project and the town’s continued support for his effort. 

“They see what we are committed to bringing to the community, and that is a great commercial center,” he said. 

Belmont Under Winter Storm Warning, Heavy Snow During AM Commute

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Photo: Snow in the Friday forecast.

Here is the latest forecast of the pending snow event heading for Belmont: 

At 11:10 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 4, the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning that will remain in effect until 3 p.m. on Friday.

Beginning as rain before turning to snow between 5 a.m and 7 a.m., Belmont and Greater Boston will be hit with up to four to eight inches of wet snow, the height of the storm will occur during the Friday morning commute with up to two inches of snow falling in an hour before tapering off around 2 p.m.

Along with the snow, north winds will gust to 30 to 35 mph on Friday, especially along and east of I-95/128 corridor.

Expect the morning commute to be slow and difficult due to snow-covered roads and poor visibility. 

As of 11 p.m., Belmont schools remain open and the town has not issued a snow emergency. 

Belmont’s SNOW EMERGENCY HOTLINE: 617-993-2698.

Belmont Light’s Outage Line: 617-993-2800.

See winter storm information from the Department of Public Works: Winter Weather Brochure

Snow Removal Bylaw:

Parade Feb. 4 for ‘Belmont Becca’ Pizzi, World Marathon Challenge Champ

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Photo: Becca Pizzi at the finish of the final race with men’s champ Dan Cartica.

In a display of strength and guts, a young single mom from Belmont who holds down two jobs and trains with purpose won one of the most challenging running events imaginable in a time that will be difficult for future runners to match.

Becca Pizzi, the life-long Belmontonian, conquered the second World Marathon Challenge in which runners race seven marathons in consecutive days on the seven continents, becoming the Women’s Champion in the early morning of Saturday, Jan. 30  in Sydney, Australia. She is the first American woman to both finish and win the race.

To celebrate Pizzi’s accomplishment and victory, a parade will be held in her honor in Belmont Center on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 3:30 p.m., sponsored by Belmont Savings Bank.

At today’s final leg on the Manly Beach course, Pizzi once again won the women’s race going away, winning in 4:08.51, only the second time in seven races that she failed to break four hours. In the seven races, Pizzi average less than four hours for each race, an amazing accomplishment as only two men races faster over the seven days. 

Pizzi joins US Marine Dan Cartica who won the men’s race averaging just more than three and a half hours per marathon.