Starbucks Staying Put During Cushing Village Build

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Like the little house in the Pixar film, “Up,” the Cushing Square Starbucks Coffee cafe will stay put at its current location as the proposed Cushing Village development – the three building, 186,000-sq.-ft. residential housing, retail and garage complex – goes up around the popular cafe, according to a town official.

And when Starbucks does move, it will not require 20,000 balloons but a few hand trucks to transport the shop as it will go into one of the newly-completed building.

According to Glenn Clancy, Belmont’s director of the town’s Office of Community Development, Starbucks will remain in the former Friendly’s restaurant structure at 112 Trapelo Rd. “with relocation coordinated with the construction of the new buildings.”

The announcement comes as developer Acton-based Smith Legacy Partners withdrew its application before the Belmont Zoning Board of Appeals last week to temporary relocated the busy Cushing Square Starbucks to a pair of store fronts at 6-8 Trapelo Rd.

Residents who have been critical of the proposed relocation plans by Cushing Village’s developer Chris Starr to place the national coffee retailer to the corner of Belmont Street and Trapelo Road across from the neighborhoods where they live.

“We are pleased that the proposal was withdrawn and that [Mr.] Starr seems to have found a way to uphold his original statements that Starbucks would not need to relocate during construction,” said a joint statement to the Belmontonian from four neighborhood residents.

Since the proposal was made public at the May meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals, residents voiced their concerns the store would generate additional parking on nearby side streets while promoting greater trash and litter, creating safety issues and other nuisances.

The development team was scheduled to present the latest proposal incorporating mitigation plans on Sept. 9.

By pulling its application, the developer has “withdrawn without prejudice which means they retain the right to resubmit in the future should they choose to do that,” said Clancy.

The town has yet to receive the development team’s new development scheme or construction timetable.

“[W]e are waiting on final confirmation,” Clancy told the Belmontonian.

The neighborhood group is also waiting to catch the latest word on the development team’s plans.

“Commenting on a possible future proposal would be premature, though the arguments made by the neighbors remain valid, and we will, of course, closely monitor developments over the coming months,” said the group made up of Rita Carpenter, Doug Koplow, Mark Clark and Dr. David Alper.

Developer Drops Plan To Move Starbucks … For Now

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A controversial proposal before the Belmont Zoning Board of Appeals to relocate the Cushing Square Starbucks for nearly a year to a site near residential neighborhoods near the intersection of Belmont Street and Trapelo Road was suddenly scuttled this week by the applicant, developer Smith Legacy Partners.

But a source within Belmont Town Hall noted Smith Legacy’s action could lead to a new proposal being brought before the ZBA in October.

The developer’s withdrawing the requests scheduled to be heard at the ZBA’s Sept. 9 meeting agenda shuts the door on Smith Legacy’s proposal to decamp Starbucks to a pair of store fronts at 6-8 Trapelo Rd.

The move was deemed necessary as construction is reportedly scheduled to begin in October on Cushing Village, the 186,000 sq.-ft. multi-building residential/retail/parking complex being built by developer Chris Starr, Smith Legacy Partners’ lead partner.

The developer’s trial balloon, first floated in May, was met with considerable consternation from residents who live on nearby streets during a pair of ZBA meetings in May and June. Residents believed the store would have a negative impact on parking while generating greater trash and litter, creating safety issues and other nuisances.

ZBA members also expressed concerns on placing the busy cafe in a semi-residential area where a popular ice cream business would be just a few feet away.

While an initial assessment of Smith Legacy’s action would appear to close the door on the developer’s attempts at relocating the popular store, a Town Hall insider said the move can be seen as a strategic retreat.

If the ZBA denied Smith Legacy’s application at the Sept. 9 meeting, it would have been effectively barred from returning back with a similar proposal for the next 24 months, said the Town Hall source.

By withdrawing the application, Smith Legacy can submit a new plan to the ZBA at the board’s following meeting. Just how significantly different a new proposal will need to be – in terms of location, size and parking – will become clearer with a closer examination of the ZBA’s rules and regulations, said the source.

E-mails and calls have been sent to Smith Legacy and the town. Return to the Belmontonian for updates on Friday morning, Aug. 22.

Belmont Resident Caught in Insider Trading Scheme

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When providing a friend a tip at the Oakley Country Club on Belmont Street, best leave it to what club to use off the 18th hole and not what financial institution your bank is about to purchase.

If Belmont resident John Patrick O’Neill had heeded that advice, he and his golfing partner and fellow Oakley member, Robert Bray, wouldn’t have found themselves under arrest Monday by the United States Attorney’s Office. That office, along with a separate civil action filed by the Securities & Exchange Commission, accused the pair of an alleged blatant case of insider stock trading.

O’Neill, who currently works at TD Bank, was released on $200,000 bond after his arrest on conspiracy to commit securities fraud charges.

According to a series of press releases by several law enforcement agencies released Monday, Aug. 18, O’Neill, a senior vice president and senior credit officer at the time at Eastern Bank, told his golfing buddy Bray on June 11, 2010 that his bank was close to purchasing Boston-based Wainwright Bank and Trust. O’Neill was a member of Eastern Bank’s due diligence team evaluating Wainwright in the weeks leading up to the deal.

The next trading day, Monday, June 14, the Cambridge native hot tailed it to his stockbroker to buy 25,000 shares of Wainwright stock, which he acknowledged to the broker “kinda sounds crazy” as the stock had shown little trading activity selling between $8.85 and $9.90 per share. Eventually, Bray purchased 31,000 shares over the next two weeks, accounting for a whopping 56 percent of the total trading volume in Wainwright over the fortnight.

On June 29, according the US Attorney Carmen Ortiz, Eastern Bank announced its agreement to acquire Wainwright for $19 per share in cash, a premium of nearly 100 percent more than the stock’s prior closing price. Bray then sold his 31,000 shares for a profit of more than $300,000.

But as Vincent Lisi, special agent in charge of the FBI in Boston said Monday, “there are many tripwires in place to detect suspiciously timed trades and as a result of those tripwires numerous people in the Boston area have been charged with insider trading based on parallel FBI and SEC investigations.”

“The risk versus reward calculation for insider trading should be clear based on the increasing number of those recently charged,” said Lisi.

The maximum sentence under the statute is five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,00 or twice the gross gain or loss.

 

Wednesday Final Day to Register for State Primary

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Since Massachusetts is considered a very “blue” state, one can expect the Sept. 9 Massachusetts Party Primary Election will generate the most excitement for all the state-wide races being contested this year.

If you don’t want to be left out, then you have until today, Wednesday, Aug. 20, to register to vote in the party election.

To help residents, the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office, located on the first floor of Belmont Town Hall in Belmont Center, will remain open until 8 p.m. today, according to Town Clerk Ellen Cushman.

And you will only be allowed to vote in the election if you are registered as a member of a political party that is holding a primary election – such as the Republican and Democrat – or are unenrolled. Residents can change their party affiliation or become unenrolled at the Town Clerk’s

Any Belmont resident who is 18 years or older and a citizen of the United States can register to vote.

If you were a registered to vote in another town or state, you’ll need to register as a voter in Belmont in order to vote here.

Voter registration and changes to party affiliation, name or address (within Belmont) documents are available at the Town Clerk’s office in Belmont Town Hall, 455 Concord Ave. or online at the Town Clerk’s web pages.

Absentee Ballot Application

Forms for individuals who qualify to receive an absentee ballot due to absence from Belmont on Election Day or physical disability preventing the voter from going to the polling place or religious belief. A voter may request a ballot in writing to the Town Clerk but the request must include the voter’s signature.

Rojas Leaning Closer to Re-election Run

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While still more than a half a year away before Belmont residents go to the polls in the 2015 town election, one incumbent is leaning ever closer to announcing a re-election run to keep his seat on the town’s executive branch.

“I still have a lot of time before I have to announce, but my inclination is that, yes, I will be running for the board,” said Andy Rojas, chair of the three-member Board of Selectmen when asked by the Belmontonian at the end of the board’s public meeting held Monday, Aug. 19.

The Drew Road resident won his first run for town-wide office in April 2012 when he defeated then-School Committee member, the late Dan Scharfman in one of the closest elections in town history, 2,171 to 2,136, to replace Angelo Firenze on the board.

Conners Retiring as Belmont Library Director

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“Everything has to come to an end, sometime,” wrote L. Frank Baum in “The Marvelous Land of Oz.” And on Halloween, Oct. 31, that “sometime” will occur at the Belmont Public Library as Maureen Conners, its long-serving director, will retire from the position she has held for nearly three decades. “I’m leaving before I turn into a pumpkin,” Conners told the Belmontonian on Monday, Aug. 18. Conners decision to turn in her library card was due in large part to the retirement of her husband from his job a year ago. “He has been saying that we should do things while we’re not ‘too old old’, and that sounded good to me,” the Medford-resident said. The Belmont Board of Library Trustees will discuss hiring a new director at its Tuesday, Aug. 19 meeting while the town has issued a job posting. Conners believe a new director could be named by mid-November. The salary range is $76,859 to $109,140 commensurate with experience and includes a full benefit package. Conners, a Cambridge-native who received a master’s in Library Science from Simmons College, has been at the helm of the library for the past 18 years, coming to the library from Watertown where she worked her way up from children’s librarian to assistant library director. Conners points to the introduction and use of technology as a significant accomplishment in her time at the library located on Concord Avenue. “When I got here, the computers were still in their boxes, waiting to be used,” said Conners, who also hired a technology librarian to allow the library to meet the need of a changing library clientele. The library has increased its digital services to include library-wide WiFi, tablets and e-books, computers for patrons and the introduction of Kindle and shared software. She is also responsible for establishing the Young Adults Room on the library’s main floor and the hiring of a young adult librarian to accommodate the needs of Middle and High School students. Conners said her greatest disappointment during her tenure was returning back to the state three separate grants from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners when the town would not approve either the spending for or location of a new library. “Hopefully, a new director will have more success,” said Conners.

Help Belmont’s Health Dept Survey Public Health Concerns

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What are your public health concerns?

The Belmont Health Department is seeking residents input to an online survey to determine what community health education resources town citizens would like to come from the department. 

You can take the survey here or going to the Health Department’s web page. 

Time’s Running Short to Register in State Elections

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Here is information that will confirm that summer is nearly over: the biennial State Elections are just around the corner as Massachusetts voters this year will select several important statewide political officials including a new Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and Treasurer along with members of Congress and the state legislature.

If you want to be part of the process, Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman is ready to register residents to vote in the Sept. 9 State Party Primary and the Nov. 4 General State elections.

Any Belmont resident who is 18 years or older and a citizen of the United States can register to vote.  In order to be eligible to vote in the upcoming elections, voter registration must be received or postmarked by the following dates:

  • Wednesday, Aug. 20 for the Sept. 9, for State Party Primaries.
  • Wednesday, Oct. 15 for the Nov. 4, for State General Election.

The Belmont Town Clerk’s office will be open until 8 p.m. on the deadline days.

Registered To Vote in Another Town

If you were a registered to vote in another town or state, you’ll need to register as a voter in Belmont in order to vote here.

Voter registration and changes to party affiliation, name or address (within Belmont) documents are available at the Town Clerk’s office in Belmont Town Hall, 455 Concord Ave. or online at the Town Clerk’s web pages.

Absentee Ballot Application

Forms for individuals who qualify to receive an absentee ballot due to absence from Belmont on Election Day or physical disability preventing the voter from going to the polling place or religious belief. A voter may request a ballot in writing to the Town Clerk but the request must include the voter’s signature.

Get Rid of Your Household Hazardous Waste This Saturday

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Half-used paint, mothballs, antifreeze and insecticides are just a few of the common household products that are hazardous waste that most residents have in their homes or garages.

Belmont residents looking to clear their homes of these harmful chemicals will have an opportunity this Saturday, Aug. 16 as the Belmont Health Department is registering households that will allow them to haul the material to Lexington’s Minuteman Hazardous Products Facility site at no cost. 

Once you sign up by calling the Health Department at 617-993-2720, the department will mail the required “free ticket” to residents to enter the Minuteman facility. Because the next pickup date is this Saturday, the department is requesting anyone interested in utilizing the service to call them “ASAP.”

Here is a list of acceptable and unacceptable materials as well as a video.

West Nile Risk Now at Moderate Risk Level in Belmont

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The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced yesterday, Thursday, Aug. 7 that West Nile virus mosquito samples have been identified recently in Boston and Newton. The risk level for Boston, Newton and neighboring communities including Belmont has been increased to moderate, according to a press release from the Belmont Department of Health.

WNV is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. The mosquitoes that carry this virus are common throughout the state and are found in urban as well as more rural areas. While WNV can infect people of all ages, people over 50 are at higher risk for severe infection.

As always, there are a few precautions people can do to protect themselves and their families:

Avoid Mosquito Bites

  • Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours: The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many mosquitoes. Consider rescheduling outdoor activities that occur during evening or early morning. If you are outdoors at any time and notice mosquitoes around you, take steps to avoid being bitten by moving indoors, covering up and/or wearing repellant.
  • Clothing Can Help to reduce mosquito bites. Although it may be difficult to do when it’s hot, wearing long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin.
  • Apply Insect Repellent when you go outdoors. Use a repellent with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m- toluamide), permethrin, picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-methane 3, 8-diol (PMD)] according to the instructions on the product label.

Mosquito-Proof Your Home

  • Drain Standing Water: Many mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or getting rid of items that hold water. Check rain gutters and drains. Empty any unused flowerpots and wading pools, and change water in birdbaths frequently.
  • Install or Repair Screens: Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having tightly-fitting screens on all of your windows and doors.

Information about WNV and reports of WNV activity in Massachusetts during 2014 can be found on the MDPH website at http://www.mass.gov/dph/wnv. Recorded information about WNV is also available by calling the MDPH Public Information Line at 1-866-MASS-WNV (1-866-627-7968).