Are You One Of The Lucky 13? Town Selects Baker’s Dozen For Street Repair In 2019

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A lucky 13 town streets will undergo renovation and repave a year from now in 2019 as the Office of Community Development released the annual list of roads to be reconstructed under the Pavement Management Program. The streets are selected through a set of criteria that includes the condition of the road and it all infrastructure work has been completed.

The streets that will see repairs begun in the spring of next year include:

  • Alma Avenue (from Bartlett to Belmont)
  • Newton Street (Belmont to Fairview)
  • Ridge Road (Belmont to White)
  • Juniper Road (Somerset to Fletcher)
  • Carleton Road (Washington to Chester)
  • Harriet Avenue (Bartlett to Belmont)
  • Indian Hill Road (Old Middlesex to Oakley)
  • Essex Road (Benton to Old Middlesex)
  • Preble Gardens Road (Old Middlesex to Oakley)
  • Old Middlesex Road (Oakley to Benton)
  • Benton Road (Payson to Oakley)
  • Townsend Road (Payson N to Payson S)
  • Alexander Avenue (Leonard to Claflin)

Like New: ‘Innovative’ Designs Upgrade Police HQ, DPW At Fraction Of Cost, Time

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Photo: Police Chief Richard McLaughlin in the current crowded police headquarters.

Last fall, the first cost estimates to replace the outdated and dilapidated police department headquarters and crumbling Department of Public Works building came in at a staggering $50 million for both projects over 10 years.

But through the innovative work of a talented Cambridge architect and the cobbling together of a financing plan by town officials, the police and DPW can expect upgraded and improved facilities at a fraction of the initial price tag and with the work completed in a tenth of the time.

“The architect has done a fabulous job,” said Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin of Ted Galante of The Galante Architecture Studio in Harvard Square whose design plan based on renovations, creative land use and additions has the project coming in at just under $9 million with both updated facilities operational by 2020.

A public presentation by Galante on the design of the Police Headquarters and DPW building will be given on Thursday, May 24 at 7 p.m. at the Beech Street Center. 

The current police headquarters across from Town Hall at Pleasant Street and Concord Avenue is nearing its ninth decade of use and shows it; space is at a premium, there is no safe transfer of prisoners into the lockup from the outside, female officers have no lockerroom facility, paperwork and supplies are stored willy-nilly throughout the building and the second floor lacks handicap access.

Last November, the Special Town Meeting approved a new committee, the DPW/BPD Building Committee, which in one of its first moves hired Galante to lead the design of the project. 

“He’s been very creative and very ingenious. Every week he came up with something new and [the committee] said ‘Wow!”, said Ann Marie Mahoney, chair of the committee. To the surprise of the group, Galante “found a way to achieve everything … in the current location in such a way that we no longer see a need for a new police station,” said Roy Epstein, chair of the Warrant Committee and member of the building committee.

“He’s taken this to another level because I really didn’t think it could be done. I said we need to have the facilities here to be able to support all our work and this design does that. He made believers out of me and other people,” said  McLaughlin.

Galante’s design is the functional equivalent of a new station, said Epstein. The plans call for a new second floor located in the rear of the station adjacent to the commuter rail tracks that will hold office space and a new elevator. There will be a three-vehicle garage that will increase parking. The current garage will be transformed into large locker rooms and showers for male and female officers. The building will have a new electrical system along with air conditioning, updated plumbing and other upgrades.

On the left side of the headquarters, a new interior sally port to facilitate the transfer of arrested individuals will be located. To the right of the port will be a two-story addition with storage on the first floor and new prisoner holding cells and a processing center.

With work scheduled for the back and the side closest to Pleasant Street will leave intact the historic Georgian-style front facade along Concord Avenue. The renovation and additions will be done in stages so not to require officers to be housed off-site. 

“We are anticipating that construction will be completed on the police station in the fall of 2020,” said Mahoney.

The upgrade at the Department of Public Works will use modular units, similar to those at town schools. In the front of the main building will be a small unit which will be dedicated to much-needed office space. In the rear of the building will be three connected “mods” housing men and women’s showers and locker rooms, training rooms and a rest area for workers who are plowing snow or fixing broken pipes round the clock.

There will also be washing machines and other areas for cleaning services “because if you’re out there working on a sanitary sewer all day, currently there is no facility to clean your clothes before going home,” said Epstein. In the interior of the building will be an expanded break/cafe area and more office space. If approved, the DPW fix can be done by the fall of 2019.

The total bill for both buildings will be $8.9 million ($6.7 million for the Police headquarters, $1.2 million for the DPW); $7.4 million requires a vote by Town Meeting to issue bonds with $1.5 million covered by reserves. Best yet, “by inspired work” by Town Treasurer Floyd Carman and Town Administrator Patrice Garvin, the total cost can be done without a need for a debt exclusion,” said Epstein. Carman said the town has “sufficient monies” in revenue coming from capital turnbacks, premium dollars and retiring debt “to cover the debt service of $440,000 for the next 30 years.”

Public Meeting, Tours Previewing Proposed DPW/Belmont Police Renovations

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Photo: Police Headquarters at the corner of Pleasant Street and Concord Avenue.

The DPW/Belmont Police Department Building Committee – created to research and plan improvements to these major facilities – wil;l hold a Public Meeting on Thursday, May 24 at 7 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. to preview plans for proposed renovations and additions at both sites.

Observe the current conditions and challenges of the facilities by taking tours of the buildings on:

  • Monday, May 21
  • Tuesday, May 29

The visits start at the DPW from 9 a.m. to Noon (enter from C Street) and the Police from noon to 3 p.m. (Enter through the front door.)

Or you can take video tour of the pair of facilities at http://www.belmontmedia.org/watch/talk-town-bpd-and-dpw or
https://youtu.be/EVFl9oViDN0

First Public Say On Tenative Retail Marijuana Regs June 19

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Photo: Interior of a pot shop.

Planning Board Chair Charles Clark said while “very strong” arguments were made on both sides of the opt-out marijuana sales debate during Town Meeting earlier in the month, the cases for and against the article was limited to a small number of the members. 

Now, the board wants to hear from the rest of the town on what should be the “time, manner and place” of the first pot shops in Belmont.

At its Monday, May 14 meeting, Clark said the process of creating a new set of bylaws needs to begin soon.

“While it’s more than half a year away, it’s really just around the corner,” said Clark as the board released a draft schedule on writing the local ordinance ready to be enforced by the beginning of next year. 

“We want to hear a range of opinions” from the public on the placement and times of operation “which we didn’t hear the first time,” said Clark.

Scheduled for June 19 at the Beech Street Center to catch people before they leave town on summer vacation, the meeting will have the feel of the public “forum” rather than a more formal public hearing, said Town Planner Jeffrey Wheeler.

“We’ll ask, ‘Is this [regulation] good?’ Should [the stores] be placed in LB1 (business) zoning districts? We want to hear ideas,” said Clark. He said the board will also present data on how other towns are proceeding with establishing regulations and restrictions. 

Clark said the forum will be the first, but not last time the public will have their say on the matter. The board will be holding public meetings on the new “pot” zoning before the Special Election on Sept. 25, where voters will either approve or reject the opt-out article amended to only allow pot sales in town.

The proposed zoning bylaw on the wheres and whens of the stores will be before the fall Special Town Meeting starting Tuesday, Nov. 13. If passed by a two-thirds majority of the members, the regulations will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019.

[Correction: An earlier version of the article indicated Special Town Meeting begins on Nov. 8. The Town Clerk has selected Nov. 13, a Tuesday, as the first night of the “Special.”]

Traffic, Site Design Updates On Agenda At New High School Community Meeting May 16

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Photo: Traffic on the agenda.

The Belmont High School Building Committee is holding a community meeting discussing Traffic Evaluation and Site Design Update on Wednesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. at the Wellington Elementary School cafeteria, 121 Orchard St.

On the agenda will be

  • Construction Manager Introduction
  • Traffic evaluation and site design updates
  • Exterior design update
  • Questions and comments from residents and the public

Upcoming community meetings include:

  • Thursday, June 7, 7:30 a.m.: Design Update with Summary of Building Security, Zero Net Energy and Technology, Homer Municipal Building, Art Gallery
  • Tuesday, June 19, 7 p.m.: Schematic Design Review with Construction Schedule, Phasing, and Site Logistics, Chenery Middle School community room
  • Thursday, June 28, 7 p.m.: Project Costs Update and Schematic Design Presentation, Chenery Middle School community room

After Three Years, Zoning Board OKs Dunkin’ Donut at Pleasant and Brighton

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Photo: Nick Leo (left) and Attorney Joseph Noone before the Zoning Board of Appeals

They will be “making the donuts” at the base of Belmont Hill as the Zoning Board of Appeals brought a three-year-long saga to an end approving a special permit allowing a well-known franchise owner to place a Dunkin’ Donuts store at the corner of Pleasant and Brighton streets.

The unanimous vote of the four members held Monday, May 14 will allow the Leo Organization to push forward on placing a franchise in a three-store strip mall at 344 Pleasant St. The Leos – son Nicholas and father Vincent – purchased a closed service station/former gas station for $1 million in 2014 with the intention to run “an excellent business” like their stores nearby in Fresh Pond and Massachusetts Avenue.

“It’s been a long road and we are very excited and we are looking forward to show that we can be a great neighbor,” said Nick Leo after the meeting.

Leo said his family’s company will “push” to have the store open by December. “It will be a challenge because we have been looking at nine to 12 months [in construction].” The store will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with daily deliveries between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.

The 25-minute meeting in front of nearly three dozen residents was the first in nearly five months as the public meeting had been continued since December 2017, as requests for additional data on traffic studies at the busy intersection requested by the board. In addition, the Leos were concerned the limited number of board members, in this case, four, who would vote on the permit would require a 4-0 decision to pass.

But in the end, the board’s verdict was almost anti-climatic after three years of at time heated debate and the initial rejection of the project by the Board in January 2016. Neighbors argued that a fast food restaurant at a congested corner just off of Route 2 would lead to increased traffic gridlock and reduced safety on the mostly residential streets. They also worried that a business known for its early hour operations would be burdensome to the tranquility of the area.

Attorney Joseph Noone, speaking for the Leo Organization, quickly reviewed the three major traffic-related issues the board sought clarification, including a peer review of the initial traffic study with a store in the location which reiterated the earlier findings which indicated a store would not have a great impact on the traffic flow in the area. The meeting was limited to the applicant as the public meeting portion had been closed months before.

While there were some issues with slight inconsistencies with some of the data, the board was soon faced with little ammunition to deny a special permit. Rather, members sought restrictions on time of operation and when deliveries could be made. Vice-chair Jim Zarkadas called the vote which went Leos’ way.

Nick Leo said he understood “that there were a lot of concerns [from the neighborhood]. We wanted to make sure they were addressed.” 

Skanska Named New High School Construction Manager; Completes Project ‘Team’

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Photo: Skanska USA named construction manager of the new high school.

A familiar face will construct the new Belmont High School as Skanska USA was selected as the project’s Construction Manager by a subcommittee of the Belmont High School Building Committee on Tuesday, May 8.

Subcommittee Chair Patricia Brusch told the Belmontonian the multinational construction and development company headquartered in Sweden with an office in Boston will be officially on board the project “very quickly. Just a matter of days.” 

Skanska is no stranger to Belmont having managed the construction of the 84,000 square-foot Wellington Elementary School on Orchard Street between 2010 to 2011. 

Besides upfront payments, Skanska will receive a two percent of the total cost of the project as its fee, said Brusch.

Brusch said the three candidate firms – Skanska, Suffolk Construction, and Gilbane Building Co. – interviewed on Monday, May 7, were close in the subcommittee’s evaluation and in the bids submitted. But the subcommittee members ranked Skanska first in each category, said Brusch, who indicated the firm’s positive experience building the Wellington was likely the edge that won it the job.

“Each [firm] said they would do what was asked of them, but we knew that Skanska actually did it,” said Brusch, who recalled one example where the firm shut down operations at the Wellington whenever a funeral or memorial service took place at nearly by St. Joseph’s Church without being asked. 

With Skanska’s selection, the major players to build the estimated $290 million project has now been assembled with Skanska joining Daedalus Projects of Boston as Project Manager and Boston’s Perkins+Will as architect/designer.

Dates Set For Fall Special Town Meeting, Town-Wide Election On Pot In Belmont

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Photo: Town-wide vote Sept. 25.

The Belmont Board of Selectmen wasted no time putting the proposed marijuana “opt-out” bylaw before the people, voting Monday, May 7 to hold a town-wide election on Tuesday, Sept. 25. Polls will be opened from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voters will be asked to either accept or reject legislation allowing the town to opt-out of permitting pot-related industries authorized under state law with the exception of retail operations. In addition, voters will also cast a ballot OKing two pot shops in Belmont.

“The voters will have the same language that Town Meeting passed [last Wednesday] with the one permitted use,” said Selectmen Chair Adam Dash. “There is no new language.”

The selectmen also set the date for a fall Special Town Meeting, to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 13 and 14. The town meeting is being moved from its traditional Monday start due to the observation of Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 12.

The agenda for the “Special” will likely include new zoning restrictions on “time, place and manner” of retail marijuana operations in Belmont and the approval of a large debt exclusion for the construction of a new Belmont High School. But the exclusion will only be presented to Town Meeting if it’s first passed by town voters at the general election on Nov. 6. 

Four In Running To Fill Vacant School Committee Seat

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Four residents have submitted letters of interest in filling the vacant slot on the Belmont School Committee when Tom Caputo became a member of the Belmont Board of Selectmen in April.

A joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and School Committee will interview the candidates and select one of the four to join the committee. The meeting takes place on Friday, May 11 at 8:30 a.m. in Town Hall.

The residents on the short list to complete the two years remaining in Caputo’s term are:

  • Mary Boomhower
  • Sarabinh Levy-Brightman
  • Michael Crowley
  • Jill Norton

Below are very brief profiles of the four:

Boomhower has lived on Cutter Street (which is off Beech Street in the PQ neighborhood) for the past three years. Boomhower is not a member of any town committee or board. 

Levy-Brightman resides on Bow Street near the Burbank School. She taught American and world history at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School before heading to the Harvard Divinity School to become the Coordinator for the Religious Literacy and the Professions Initiative.

Crowley is a member and current secretary of the Warrant Committee, the Town Meeting’s financial watchdog. He’s currently a Senior Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. He spent 10 years at the Office of Management and Budget in DC. He lives on Farnham Street.

Norton, the director of education policy at Cambridge-based Abt Associates, and previously a senior policy adviser for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education, finished third for the two available seats on the School Committee in April’s election. She lives on Clark Street.

Take A Virtual Tour Of New High School Tuesday; Project’s Construction Firm Will Be Picked

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Photo: There will be a virtuality reality tour of the new school.

Residents don’t have to wait five years before taking a tour around a new Belmont High School as they are invited to view a virtual reality presentation of the interior of the proposed building housing 7th through 12th grades as the Belmont High School Building Committee holds a joint meeting with the School Committee at the large community room of the Chenery Middle School, 95 Washington St., on Tuesday, May 8 at 7 p.m.

Also on the agenda will be the selection of the firm to be the project’s Construction Manager. Gilbane Building Co., Skanska, and Suffolk Construction are in the running for the nearly $300 million project.

The night will also include a site design update, discussion of traffic and community comments.

The next community meeting is Wednesday, May 16, at 7 p.m. when traffic solutions will be discussed. The meeting takes place at the Wellington Elementary School cafeteria.