Thanks, Charlie: New Governor Sends Extra Cash for Roads to Belmont

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Immigrants were told American streets were paved with gold. Last week, Charlie Baker sent Bay State towns some extra greenbacks to simply pave the streets.

On Wednesday, Jan. 8, on his first full day in office, the newly-installed Massachusetts Governor released an additional $100 million of Chapter 90 funding to Massachusetts communities.

Belmont’s share comes to an extra $266,000 for the town’s roadways and sidewalks.

Chapter 90 reimburses cities and towns for costs incurred for eligible transportation projects. Cities and towns must submit receipts to the state’s Highway Department which verifies if the expenditures qualify for reimbursement..

The money comes from an initial $300 million Chapter 90 funding in the state’s the fiscal year 2015 transportation bond bill that passed the legislature last year.

But then-Gov. Patrick said state revenues would be insufficient to support the entire borrowing and released $200 million.

According to Belmont Town Administrator David Kale, the town received $534,000 from the state for transportation-related projects.

While the money will be coming to town, a question remains when to spend the funds. Kale said he was in discussions with town counsel to determine if the money is required to be spent as part of the current fiscal year 2015 budget or allocated towards the fiscal 2016 town budget.

Whether it will be used today or towards the 2016 budget, “the money must be used for transportation purposes,” said Kale.

Guess Which Former Belmont Resident is Thinking of Running for President … Again

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Third times the charm.

At least, that’s what Mitt Romney is hoping.

The former Belmont homeowner who lived with his wife, Anne, and five sons for five decades on Winn Street, Marsh Street and South Cottage Road, told a group of donors on Friday, Jan. 9, that he is considering a White House bid in 2016, a move that could scramble the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In the Journal article, Romney cited turbulent events overseas and the state of the economy as two reasons why he is considering another run.

If Romney does run for a third time for president – he ran in 2008 but did not receive the Republican nomination and lost to President Obama in the 2012 general election – Belmont is unlikely to be placed in the international media spotlight as it was in the fall of 2012 as the Romney’s sold their Woodlands at Belmont Hill townhouse condominium in May for $1.2 million.

 

Belmont Library – Once Again – Seeks a New Director

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The search for a new director of the Belmont Public Library has begun again, and this time, it’s on the fast track.

In a recent appearance before the Belmont Board of Selectmen, Chair of the Board of Library Trustees Elaine Alligood and the library’s interim director Emily Reardon said the campaign have restarted to find the next leader of the library located at 336 Concord Ave.

The search is the second since long-time director Maureen Conners announced her retirement in August. After interviewing an unknown number of candidates in October, the trustees decided in November that none of those finalists meet the qualifications they were seeking.

Alligood said, unlike the previous search, Belmont will not be competing with more than a half-dozen similar-sized Bay State communities seeking library directors that occurred this past fall. She said only Wellesley is seeking to replace its library director at this time.
“This time, we believe the process will be accelerated and we’ll have a new director by February.

The director’s salary range is $76,859 to $109,140 commensurate with experience and includes a full benefits package, according to the job notice released in the summer.

Grove Street Playground Ready to be Redressed

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It’s been sized and appraised. Now, how should the Grove Street Playground be dressed?

This month, the town will formalize a contract for a landscape architecture firm – familiar with Belmont – to begin the  creation a master plan for the 10-acre site on the Cambridge-townline used by numerous youth sports groups, residents and neighbors.

David Kale, Belmont’s town administrator, told the Belmont Board of Selectmen at its Monday, Jan 5 meeting the town was finalizing a contract with Dedham-based Activitas Inc. to create a master plan for the playground.

Currently, the playground is one of the most used in the town. With three dedicated ball fields, Grove Street is the base for youth baseball in Belmont. The soccer field in the lower section is used from early spring to late fall by Belmont Youth Soccer. In addition, the park has four tennis courts, a basketball court (used as a backdrop for a political ad by Maura Healey, the incoming state Attorney General) and a new playground. After any significant snow fall, the playground becomes a place many smaller children first learn to sled.

Yet the evolution of the playground from an open space to a location for many athletic facilities was completed with little planning. Responding to the concerns of residents and neighbors, the Capital Budget Committee submitted in June for Town Meeting approval $30,000 toward the creation of a comprehensive plan to determine if there are efficiencies in land use.

During the fall, a survey was conducted to provide a detailed overview of the playground and its current uses.

Activitas is best known in town for creating the Belmont Athletic Facilities Study as well as managed last year’s Belmont High School Track and Harris Field renovation.

Kale said the firm will hold public meetings to hear from athletic groups, residents and those who live close by for opinions and ideas.

“Anyone interested in Belmont parks should attend those meetings,” said Belmont Selectmen Chair Andy Rojas.

Belmont Joining Smart 911 Network

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Many Belmont residents own smartphones. Smart watches are just around the corner.

And beginning in the next few weeks, Smart 911 will be available to every Belmont resident.

That’s the word from Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin after he presented what was an upgrade to the town’s existing 911 system to the Belmont Board of Selectmen at its Monday, Jan. 5 meeting.

“We want to get as many people as possible onto the system,” said McLaughlin, calling it “an enhancement to community policing.”

Smart911 – currently being used by the Massachusetts State Police, in Watertown, Medford, Chelsea and Stoughton and on the campuses of Boston College and MIT – allows citizens to create a Safety Profile at www.smart911.com for their household that includes any information they wish first responders to have in the event of an emergency.

“It is all voluntary; residents can provide as much or as little information to the system,” said McLaughlin, adding the profile is secured, and password protected. The company – Rave Mobile Safety of Framingham – also verifies the information every six months to keep it up-to-date.

When a citizen makes an emergency call, their Safety Profile is displayed to one of the two Belmont dispatchers located at the Police headquarters on Common Street, allowing them to send the appropriate response teams with the right information for those making the call.

“Right now, we only have the phone number and address. We don’t know what to expect,” said McLaughlin.

Police, fire and EMTs can be aware of a greater amount of information that is not known under the current system: fire crews can arrive at a house fire knowing how many people live in the home and the location of bedrooms including children’s rooms, EMS can be advised of allergies or specific medical conditions and police can have the photo of a missing child in seconds rather than minutes or hours.

McLaughlin said that the system can include all phones used at the location including cell phones, emergency contacts, vehicle identification and even the number of pets.

The chief said an added benefit is the personal information is “portable” which allows it to be used in other communities served by Smart911.

“Let’s say you are in Orlando [Florida] and need to contact 911, [the dispatchers] there will have the callers information because the caller is using a cell phone that is linked to the system,” said McLaughlin.

Outstanding restraining or protection orders can not be placed into the system by residents, said McLaughlin, indicating that local police are informed of those court-issued judgements.

The Smart911 system costs $9,000 annually – $4,500 for each dispatcher – with a three-year contract. The town will begin promoting Smart911 through its website and through social media in the upcoming weeks.

The Selectmen gave their support for the town to join Smart911.

“This is exciting for our community,” said Chair Andy Rojas.

Oh, Christmas Tree, You Can Place It On the Curb Beginning this Week

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Today, Jan. 5th, is Twelfth Night, which marks the end of the Christmas holiday (it’s the night before Epiphany, the day when the nativity story says the three wise men visited the infant Jesus), which in the past was a time of revelry and merry making.

And with the end of the holiday comes another tradition: the dumping of the family Christmas tree onto the curb.

And starting today, the Belmont Department of Public Works will collect your Christmas trees at the curb for regular trash pickup on the designated trash day during the first two full weeks of January.

Town Administrator Kale To Receive Second Three-Year Contract

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Receiving four-and-a-half (out of five) stars on the review and ranking website Yelp says a lot about how people think of a business or service.

You can add Belmont’s Town Administrator David Kale to that high-standard list as the official who manages the day-to-day operations of the town’s departments received an enthusiastic annual evaluation from the Belmont Board of Selectmen its Tuesday, Dec. 30 meeting.

“It was all very positive,” said Board Chair Andy Rojas.

During the meeting, the board announced Kale will receive a second three-year contract through July 2017 to stay in the position he’s held since August 2012.

“We are finishing the wording” in the contract, said the Cambridge-resident, who will receive a two percent cost-of-living adjustment to his current salary retroactive to July 1.

Kale’s evaluation was a tabulation of individual assessments by each selectmen, said Diane Crimmins, the town’s human resources director. The board appraised Kale’s expertise in professional tasks, public relations, organizational leadership, personnel management, leading the budget process and planning. Kale received a combined rating of 4.5 out of 5, said Crimmins.

The three selectmen praised Kale on improving morale in town personnel and working collaboratively with departments, and the school district, “which is critical is a small town like Belmont,” said Rojas.

Kale’s handling of the annual budget – which included creating a “one budget” process that requires a close working relationship between the town and the school committee and district – was sighted by the board.

“You’ve enhanced the public budget process,” said Selectman Mark Paolillo.

Kale, in turn, acknowledged the work of “a great group of department heads and employees” who “makes the work happen.”

“This is not done in a vacuum,” said Kale.

The Aftermath: How to Get Rid of All That Holiday Cardboard in Belmont

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Now that all your holiday presents are unwrapped, the Highway Division of the Belmont Public Works Department asks that residents recycle all of their cardboard in the following way:

  • All boxes must be flattened with a dimension smaller than 3 feet by three feet (3’X3′) about the size of your average four year old.
  • The cardboard must be cut, not folded, to make the above measurement.
  • If you have a great deal of cardboard, tie or tape them in stacks not higher than nine inches wide. Residents can leave an unlimited number of stacks for pickup.

Ambulance Base Approved for Pleasant Street, January Start Likely

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Photo: Armstrong Ambulance Service’s CEO Richard Raymond speaking before the Belmont Zoning Board of Appeals, Dec. 22.

At a “special” meeting on Monday, Dec. 22, requested by the applicant, the Belmont Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved a Special Permit allowing Arlington’s Armstrong Ambulance Service to open a satellite base at 1010 Pleasant St. situated between Belmont Motors and Star Market.

The five vehicles – four basic medical transports and one advanced life support unit – stationed at the Belmont location are likely be ready to roll from the company’s ninth base sometime in January, according to ZBA staffer Ara Yogurtian.

The meeting was the continuation of the discussion earlier in the month at which the board asked for information on traffic impact and possible use of sirens from vehicles at the site.

The town requires a Special Permit since the zoning bylaw doesn’t cover this use and Armstrong would need to show how their operation would benefit the town, said Eric Smith, the ZBA chair.

Armstrong officials assured the board the vast majority of the vehicles activity takes place away from the office site.

“They will only be at Pleasant Street either in the garage or at the beginning and end of a shift. Other than that, they will be away from the base,” said Richard Raymond, Armstrong’s CEO.

Once leaving the Pleasant Street site, the four transports will be located in or near area hospitals such as the Lahey Clinic in Burlington or Cambridge’s Mount Auburn, nursing homes and dialysis centers handling non-emergency trips during their eight or sixteen hour shifts.

“Many of calls are from hospitals to transport patients back home and to other facilities,” said Raymond.

The single paramedic unit – which responds to emergencies and calls for medical assistance – will also be away from the base situated in and around Watertown pre-positioned in locations such as at Target and Stop & Shop. The unit is operational 24 hours a day and 365 days a year and “is fairly busy,” said Raymond.

Raymond told the ZBA members sirens are only used to “open the flow of traffic,” which doesn’t appear to be a problem on Pleasant Street. In addition, the “backup” alarm can be turned off by a member of the crew placing the ambulances in the garage bays.

The facilities for the ambulance crews at Pleasant Street will consist of a room with couches, chairs, television and a kitchenette. Vehicle maintenance is performed in Woburn. Oxygen tanks are stored in the garage as will medical equipment which will be delivered three times a week.

A legal requirement under state law is washing the vehicles after a shift, which the site allows as it has an existing oil/water separator, said Raymond.

There will be no public access to the office nor will there be signage. Fifteen reserved parking spaces next to the building are for Armstrong employees.

Once the Special Permit is written and submitted to the Office of Community Development – which could be completed in the next few days or within the week – a 21-day review begins after which the company can being operations.

Finally: Sale of Town-Owned Woodfall Road Parcel Likely by Year’s End

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More than a year after it was selected to develop a town-owned property on Belmont Hill, a conglomerate of local businessmen will finally close on a deal to purchase the property and build three or four luxury homes on the site.

The 5.4 acre Woodfall Road parcel, a long-abandoned residential lot currently home to road material and overgrowth, “will be purchased by the end of the year,” said Andy Rojas, chair of the Belmont Board of Selectmen, at a meeting of the Warrant Committee on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

The winning bidder Belmont Advisors – made up of partners Greensbrook Development, Line Company Architects and Phoenix Construction Group – will pay the town a purchase price of “between $1.8 to $1.7 million” to build luxury housing on the land, said Rojas.

When it was selected by the Selectmen in Nov. 2013 as the future developer of the site, it’s bid was $2.2 million. The other bidder, Northland Residential Corporation, which developed the residential portion of the McLean Property in Belmont, offered $750,000.

The deed transfer and final sales price were affected by a series of delays that included financing issues and drawn out concern with the abutting property owner, the Belmont Country Club. Apparently, the proposed housing was in the flight path of golf balls launched by members on the pitching and practice course. There is likely to be fencing on the property line.

The drawn-out purchase process would have a significant impact on the financing of the Belmont Center road reconstruction project. Early in 2014, town officials predicted the sale of the Woodfall Road site at nearly $2 million and the $850,000 for the municipal parking lot in Cushing Square to the current developer of the Cushing Village, Smith Legacy Limited, would fund the $2.8 million road and parking project.

When the two sales did not materialize, the town was forced to use a portion of its “free cash” reserves and call a special Town Meeting in November to secure the remaining funds to complete the project by the fall of 2015.

The proceeds from the sale, deemed “one-time” revenue receipt, will not be heading to the town’s general fund. In the past, such “one-time” monies have been directed to the Capital Budget Committee, which pays for long-term, large budget items such as public safety vehicles and repairs and upgrades to municipal buildings.

The sale for the parcel – known as 108 Woodfall Road – will bring to an end nearly a decade of attempts to sell the property that the town acquired through a foreclosure in 1938. The town thought it had sold the land to a private developer in 2006, but he never came up with the money.

In June 2012, the town’s Office of Community Development proposed a plan that would allow an Atlanta-based for-profit hospice firm to build a small residential building for end-of-life care for Belmont residents and others. But the opposition from homeowners in the upscale neighborhood drove the Selectmen’s decision to withdraw the proposed plan and restricted it to only residential construction.