Sports: Kerans Breaks Belmont’s Boys’ Hoops All-Time Scoring Record

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Photo: Matt Kerans driving against Lexington.

This spring, a new banner will be placed in the Wenner Field House with  Belmont High senior Matt Kerans’ name on it accompanied by a still-to-be-determined number.

While the amount remains in flux, the recognition was earned through persistence and excellence as the four-year varsity guard broke Steve Pollard’s 30-year-old all-time career scoring record of 1,294 in Belmont’s 58-48 victory over Lexington High School on Seniors Night/Afternoon, Thursday, Feb 18.

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Belmont High Boys’ Hoops 2015-16 seniors with parents: (from left) Justin Wagner, Joe Shaughnessy, Yvrantzi Desravines, Luke Peterson, Kevork Hamparian, Cole Bartels, Damian Bitsikas, Lowell Haska, Matt Kerans.

Needing seven points to top Pollard’s record, Kerans wasted little time hitting a three on the team’s initial trip down the court and a bucket soon after before taking a pass on the right side and hitting his trademark fallaway three-point shot midway through the first quarter.

Despite the history-making moment – and after the buzzer signaling the event was ignored by the refs – play continued for a minute longer before a timeout occurred allowing Kerans to receive congratulations from his teammates.

The win over the Minutemen left Belmont with a 17-5 record, a league championship and predicted five seed in the upcoming MIAA Division 2 North sectionals, earning the Marauders, at least, one home playoff game. 

Despite a well-earned reputation for being a player who lets his outstanding play do most of his speaking, Kerans did say breaking the record “means a lot.”

“Ever since I was in middle school, I’ve been looking up at the banners, seeing the points and people have seen saying I could be up there,” said Kerans, who thanked his teammates over the past four seasons for their play which allowed him the opportunities to be an offensive force. 

“And I couldn’t have done it without coach [Adam] Pritchard’s support,” he said.

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Belmont Savings’ Net Income Shots Up 61% in ’15; Assets Reach $1.8B

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Photo: One of Belmont Savings’ supermarket bank branches.

BSB Bancorp, the holding company for state-chartered Belmont Savings Bank reported Thursday net income for the year ending Dec. 31, 2015 rose to $6.9 million, compared to 2014’s $4.3 million, an increase of 61 percent.

“Through strong organic growth and expense control, we have achieved 10 consecutive quarters of earnings improvement. Credit quality remains good,” said Robert Mahoney, president and chief executive officer.

On the last day of 2015, BSB’s total assets reached $1.81 billion, an increase of $387 million or 27 percent from $1.43 billion on Dec. 31, 2014.

On Dec. 31, 2015, bank deposits totaled $1.27 billion, an increase of $285 million or 29 percent compared to $985 million reached the last day of ’14.

“Our deposit growth throughout 2015 was an important, cost-effective funding source for loans our strong asset growth,” said Hal Tovin, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

“We were very pleased with the fact that it came from building customer relationships in many business segments – most notably business banking, municipal banking and commercial real estate,” said Tovin. 

The bank experienced net loan growth of $356 million, or 30 percent, from Dec. 31, 2014, with increases across the board:

  • Residential 1-4 family real estate loans: $259 million.
  • commercial real estate loans: $54.2 million
  • construction loans: $29.3 million
  • home equity lines of credit $28.4 million.
  • commercial loans: $14 million.

Total stockholders’ equity increased by $9.2 million from $137 million as of Dec. 31, 2014 to $146.20 million as of Dec. 30, 2015. This increase is primarily the result of earnings of $6.9 million and a $2.2 million increase in additional paid-in capital related to stock-based compensation.

Town Election Update: Ballot All Set, Good Numbers for Town Meeting (Except for Pct. 7!), A Race to Support Housing

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Photo: Paul Rickter and his buddy, Anne Mahon. 

The rain really started coming down as the clock struck 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, as Belmont Town Clerks shut the door as the deadline for passing in nomination papers passed with nearly everyone who took out papers returned them.

And after all the papers were examined and certified, a preliminary town ballot was announced at 6 p.m. by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, in which voters will have four competitive races for town-wide elected offices at April’s Town Election. 

Board of Selectmen

Alexandra Ruban, a newcomer to town (arriving in 2013) and political novice with no known involvement in town governance – she is not a Town Meeting member – will be going against incumbent Mark Paolillo who is seeking his third – and final – term on the board. Ruban’s team is made up of people who managed Selectman Jim Williams’ upset victory over Andy Rojas.

School Committee

Three very attractive candidates will be seeking two-three years seats on the committee; a venture capitalist (Sabri Murat Bicer), a child care professional who was a finalist to fill a vacant committee seat in November 2014 (Kimberly O’Mahony) and an astrophysicist who is leading the charge to start the school day later (Andrea Prestwich).

Housing Authority

Usually a quiet spot on the ballot, this year there will be two competitive races in the category. The first, for the five-year seat, will see two well-known political entities, Matt Sullivan and Anne Mahon, duke it out while Tomi Olson, who created the Payson Park Music Festival, will meet Town Meeting member Paul Rickter for the three-year seat.

The draft ballot for Belmont Town Election; April 5, 2016

Moderator (vote for one, one year)

  • Mike Widmer, candidate for re-election, for one year.

Board of Selectmen (vote for one, three years)

  • Mark Paolillo, candidate for re-election, for three years.
  • Alexandra Ruban, for three years

Town Clerk (vote for one, three years)

  • Ellen O’Brien Cushman, candidate for re-election, for three years.

Board of Assessors (vote for one, three years)

  • Charles R. Laverty, III, candidate for re-election, for three years.

Board of Cemetery Commissioners (vote for one, three years)

  • William Chemelli, candidate for re-election, for three years.

Board of Health (vote for one, three years)

  • Julie LeMay, for three years.

Members of the Housing Authority (vote for one, five years; vote for one, three years)

  • Anne Barrington Mahon, for five years.
  • Matthew Sullivan, for five years.
  • Tommasina Anne Olson, for three years.
  • Paul Rickter, for three years.

Trustees of the Public Library (vote for two for three years)

  • Mark Carthy, candidate for re-election, for three years.
  • Mary Donahue Stearns, for three years.

Members of the School Committee (vote for two for three years, vote one for one year)

  • Sabri Murat Bicer, for three years.
  • Kimberly O’Mahony, for three years
  • Andrea Prestwich, for three years.
  • Elyse Shuster, for one year. 

To see who has qualified to run for Town Meeting in the eight precincts, head to the Town Clerk’s website.

Town Meeting member races throughout Belmont, except in Precinct 7

Residents can expect campaign flyers, lawn signs and candidates at their front doors as six of eight precincts will have competitive races to fill 12 three year terms and some partial terms. 

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In precinct 1 and 8, the ballot will be overflowing with candidates as 17 will be running for the 12 seats up for grabs in Precinct 1 and Precinct 3 while 18 residents will be battling it out for 12 in Precinct 8. 

There will be contested races in Precinct 2 (15 candidates for 12 seats), Precinct 4 or the “husband and wife precinct” as 6 of the 14 candidates are spouses (that will be an interesting election night) and Precinct 6 with 14 for 12. Even Precinct 5, which at some elections has seen fewer candidates than seats, has come through with 12 candidates for 12 seats so everyone running has already won.

Then there is Precinct 7. With a more transient population than most of Belmont, it is always a struggle to find people who want to run for the town’s legislative body. And the lack of interest is present in just nine candidates – only five for re-election and four taking out papers – are running for Town Meeting, leaving three seats that will remain empty, to be decided by write-ins. In addition, there was no interest what so ever for the three one-year partial seats.

Rickter hopes non-profit experience leads to Housing slot

Saying he wants to be an advocate for “safe, clean affordable housing for all,” Cross Street’s Paul Rickter hopes that his “25 years of experience on non-public boards” will help convince voters to place him to be a member of the Housing Authority.

Rickter’s time includes being on the national board of the Unitarian Universalist Association, “on small boards, on search committees, and lots of other boards,” he said, as he submitted his nomination papers with fellow candidate Anne Mahon by his side.

One area Rickter will focus on is the aging Belmont Village complex including using Community Preservation Committee funds to shore up the facility.

“Not everyone is excited about using money for it but it needs to be done. The key is to make sure we are serving that community,” said Rickter.

Students: Community Service Opportunities at Town Clerk’s Office

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Photo:

Middle and High school students who need or want community service credit (and with the Belmont Library swarming with volunteers) think about coming to the Belmont Town Clerk’s office on the first floor of Town Hall.

“We need some help filing papers and have work for up to six kids,” said Town Clerk Ellen Cushman.  

The best thing about this opportunity, there is no advance notice or call required. Just show up at the office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., do the work and get the hours. As easy as that.

A Fairy Tale Wedding, From Cinderella’s Castle to Belmont’s Town Hall

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Photo: Not only did Town Clerk Ellen Cushman conduct the ceremony, she took photos of the bride and groom.

For Kai Lin and Guang Shen, it felt like their love was fated.

Meeting online just about a year ago, Lin – a widow with an 11-year-old son – and Shen – divorced with an eight-year-old son –discovered their sons have the same name (11-year-old Brian and 8-year-old Bryan) and they shared an enduring love of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park.

Lin, a Belmontian with a doctorate from Penn who works as a director at Watertown’s Enanta Pharmaceuticals, and Shen, a Winchester resident currently obtaining her masters in special education from Lesley, love the theme park “because it’s where everything is magical,” said Lin. 

And it was in Orlando, in front of Cinderella’s Castle, where Lin asked for Shen’s hand in marriage.

And like any good Disney love story, there was complication that needed to be over come by the hero.

“I wanted to propose on Christmas Day but the park was so full, we couldn’t get in. I had to ask her on Dec. 26,” said Lin.

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While the engagement was in one of the most public of places, the couple decided the wedding would be a simple affair.

“We decided we wanted to get married as soon as possible so it would be small,” said Lin.

While searching online for a venue, he discovered that Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman had officiated ceremonies on Valentine’s in the past. 

“We thought ‘what a great idea, to be married on Valentine’s Day’,” said Lin, who called Cushman who said despite the lateness of the request, she’d be happy to open Town Hall and perform the ceremony.

Lin and Shen are part of a growing trend in couples seeking to be married by the Belmont Town Clerk.  Though Cushman only performs a small portion of Belmont’s total number  of marriages, the number of couples who filed for marriage licenses in Belmont grew to 150 couples in 2015, up from what was a fairly static 115 annually for the past decade.                              

So on a “beautiful, sparkling day” – which happened to be the coldest day of the year – the happy couple, their boys and Lin’s parents ascended to the Selectmen’s Room on the second floor for their wedding. The groom looked sharp in a pressed suit while the bride wore a full-length silver embroidered gown that she got “off the rack” the day before.

Because of their shared affection for all things Disney, Cushman added a line from “Winnie the Pooh” in her message to the bride and groom.

“Piglet says, ‘Pooh, how do you spell ‘love’?’ and Pooh responds ‘You don’t spell it … you feel it’,” said Cushman.

With phone cameras recording the event and Lin’s mother making like an experienced paparazzi, the couple exchanged rings, vows and a few tears on their first day as a married couple.

After formal portraits and a banquet with family and friends, the couple and kids will settle into their Knowles Road home, as Cushman noted, “happily ever after, like a Disney movie.”

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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.

Town Election Update: Final Day to Submit Nomination Papers, Who’s On the Ballot, Scientist Seek Schools Seat,

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Photo: Andrea Prestwich submitting her papers.

It’s Deadline Day

Today, Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 5 p.m. is the deadline for residents seeking to be on the Town Election Ballot for town-wide elected office or Town Meeting member. No ifs, and’s, or buts.

Who’s on the Ballot for Town-Wide Office as of Tuesday morning

Below are the candidates certified by the Town Clerk’s Office for the elected town-wide races, so what you’re looking at is the draft ballot for the April 5 Town Election unless others who took out nomination papers submit them today.

Moderator (vote for one)

  • Mike Widmer, candidate for re-election, for one year.

Board of Selectmen (vote for one)

  • Mark Paolillo, candidate for re-election, for three years.

Town Clerk (vote for one)

  • Ellen O’Brien Cushman, candidate for re-election, for three years.

Board of Assessors (vote for one)

  • Charles R. Laverty, III, candidate for re-election, for three years.

Board of Cemetery Commissioners (vote for one)

  • William Chemelli, candidate for re-election, for three years.

Board of Health (vote for one)

  • Julie LeMay, for three years.

Members of the Housing Authority (vote for one, five years; vote for one, three years)

  • Anne Barrington Mahon, for five years.
  • Matthew Sullivan, for five years.
  • Tommasina Anne Olson, for three years.

Trustees of the Public Library (vote for two for three years)

  • Mark Carthy, candidate for re-election, for three years.
  • Mary Donahue Stearns, for three years.

Members of the School Committee (vote for two for three years, vote one for one year)

  • Sabri Murat Bicer, for three years.
  • Andrea Prestwich, for three years.

To discover who has qualified to run for Town Meeting, head to the Town Clerk’s website.

The Science of Running for School Committee

On one of the coldest days of the year, Andrea Prestwich walked from her home on Alexander Avenue to Town Hall to submit her nomination papers for a run to fill one of the two three-year seats on the School Committee.

But for Prestwich, the single-digit temperatures is nothing compared to where she’s employed where the “outside” temperature is a constant -270.45 Celsius. Prestwich is an astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Observatory at Harvard and works in the environs of deep space.

Prestwich, who has 13-year-old twins, Christopher and Katie, attending the Chenery Middle School, is best known outside the observatory as a champion of starting the school day later to provide students more time to sleep.

In addition to bringing what she calls a major health issue of sleep deprivation to the forefront, Prestwich has other issues on her agenda. As a scientist, Prestwich would also like to have input on the district’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum as well as emphasizing special education and supporting the district’s music program (she is a POMS member).

“Belmont schools face a great number of challenges such as the need for a new High School and dealing with spiraling enrollment. We have a world-class education system, and I want it to stay that way,” she said.

A political neophyte, Prestwich – who has lived for nearly 20 years in Belmont with her husband, who is an astronomer – admits seeking elected office is “terrifying” especially since until the previous week she “never once thought about running for anything.”

This (Short) Week: Historical Society Talks Subways, Mad Science, Just Dance Party

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Photo: Mad Science: Up, Up and Away.

On the government side of This Week:

  • The Vision 21 Implementation Committee meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at Town Hall. 

• Due to the holiday, garbage and recycling pickup is delayed by a day. So if your pickup date is Tuesday, you’ll need to wait ’til Wednesday to drag you trash out to the curb.

• Pre-School Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer-run library, on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 10:30 a.m. Stories and crafts for children age 3 to 5. Parents or caregivers must attend. Siblings may attend with adults. Registration is not required. The Benton Library is located  at 75 Oakley Rd. at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex.

• The staff from US Rep. Katherine Clark’s office will be available for walk-in office hours at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16.

• If you have a bored middle and high school student at home on this rainy day, head over to the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library on Tuesday, Feb. 16 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. where the staff will have board games for your children and you to play. The library has lots of games, but you can also bring your own board or video games. For teens 5th grade and up.

• The International Fiction Book Club will discuss Life and Death are Wearing Me Out by Mo Yan on Wednesday, Feb. 17 from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room. Join the club for fun conversation, tea, and snacks. Everybody is welcome. If you have questions or need help finding a copy of the book, contact Kylie at ksparks@minlib.net.

• The Belmont Historical Society is hosting author Doug Most who will discuss his book The Race Underground:  Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry that Built America’s First Subway on Wednesday, Feb. 17 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room. All are welcome to attend this free program.

• Here is a winter recess activity that fun and educational: Mad Science: Up, Up and Away is a  spellbinding science show illustrates the principles of air pressure. Children will be amazed as a soda bottle is crushed by the atmosphere, see a hot air balloon made out of a dry cleaning bag, and get the chance to watch a hovercraft in action. The fun takes place on Thursday, Feb. 18 from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room.

It’s Senior Night as the Belmont High School Boys Basketball team honors a great group of players before its game with Lexington at 4 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 18 in the Wenner Field House. 

• Staff from State Sen. Will Brownsberger’s office will be holding office hours at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., on Friday, Feb. 19 beginning at 10 a.m. 

 • Teens, is vacation getting boring? Come and have fun with a Just Dance Party at the Belmont Public Library on Friday, Feb. 19 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Teens 5th grade and up welcome to attend. No sign up necessary; just drop in.

Sports: Belmont Girls’ Hoops Reach Playoffs with Win Over Rockets

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Photo: Belmont’s Sara Lyons (left) against Reading.

Behind a complete team performance, Belmont High Girls’ Basketball is returning to the postseason after its 65-42 victory over hosts Reading on Friday, Feb. 12.

“It was a full-out team effort, for sure,” said Belmont Head Coach Melissa Hart

“We haven’t scored that many points in a while because it was well-rounded scoring. A lot of players contributed and that’s because we were moving the ball around,” Hart said.

Belmont’s 10th win (10-6) secures a spot in the MIAA Division 2 North sectionals.

But Hart is not looking towards the playoffs just yet.

“We have a long way to go before then, with four games left in the season, and that’s a lot of games,” she said.

Sophomore guard Jenny Call (5 of her team-high 18 points in the first quarter) and senior co-captain Samari Winklaar (half of her 8 total points in the first) helped Belmont take a 15-12 after the first.

Belmont’s improving defense took command in the second quarter, holding Reading to five points as the Marauders tripled the Rocket’s output with 16 in the quarter led by sophomore point guard Carly Christofori (a basket and 3 for 4 from the line in the second) and the overall play from senior forward Sara Lyons. 

A role player for the season, Lyons has seen her minutes increase due to the absence of senior co-captain Sarah Stewart and she has taken advantage of her increased role on both ends of the court. On Friday, Lyons hit for a season-high 9 points including a three from distance to go along with her posting up against Reading’s centers.

“It’s fun just getting out there and prove myself, that’s a big part of it,” said Lyons, who is happy to admit that “when I’m, I will take the shot.” 

The Marauders took their 31-17 halftime lead and kept it in double digits despite the effort of Reading’s freshman sensation Haley Lightbody who had 17 points going 11-14 from the free throw line. The quarter ended with senior co-captain Irini Nikolaidis (8 points) hitting a drive with 15.9 seconds remaining to give Belmont an unsurmountable 45-31 lead. 

“I was pleased what I saw tonight because a lot was not bouncing our way early in the game. We kept our cool and composure,” said Hart, noting the play of senior Sophia Cellucci who downed a pair of threes in the final stanza. 

Lyons believes the team, which went through a hard patch recently (1-5 before their last two game which they won), can have a successful run in the playoffs.

“I think we can do really well when we play as a team. Clearly we can come together and play really well especially in games like tonight when everyone contributes. That helps a lot,” said Lyons.

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Sold In Belmont: Long(meadow) and Hard Fall For a Cape on the Hill

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Photo: It would take more than 600 days and a drop in price by $400,000 to sell this Cape on the Hill.

A recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

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95 Longmeadow Rd., Extended Cape (1960). Sold: $1,286,000.

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438 Trapelo Rd., Unit 2, Two family (1917). Sold: $520,000.

• 95 Longmeadow Rd., Extended Cape (1960). Sold: $1,286,000. Listed at $1,699,900. Living area: 4,546 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 634 days.

• 438 Trapelo Rd., Unit 2, Two family (1917). Sold: $520,000. Listed at $519,000. Living area: 1,341 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 38 days.

You may not know this but Mother Nature has a sibling: Auntie Marketplace, and you shouldn’t fool with either one.

Whether it was hubris, a miscalculation or wishful thinking, the long-time (30 years plus) owners of the very-well preserved built-out Cape on Longmeadow sought to cash in on their house by cashing out. Considering the location – one of the cozy backstreets on “the Hill” – the seller and sales associate shot for the moon in May 2014 and put out an asking price of approximately $1.7 million.

But there appear to have been two major impediments to the price tag placed on the rather roomy (4,500 square feet) abode. First was Auntie Marketplace; even in the heady environs of Belmont housing, attempting to sell a house for m0re than 30 percent greater than the assessed value ($1.2 million) takes a lot of chutzpah.

In addition, while the house is rated above average (a B+ by town assessors) and it has many nice features, the interior architecture is unlike your typical Cape. You enter the front door and suddenly you’ve been transported into a ranch with low-slung ceilings and wide front windows. The living room is quite large – the house only has seven rooms – so you’ll need that oil truck (yes, oil heat) making a delievery every few weeks. While the basement is finished, it’s like a bowling alley at 100 feet by 16 feet. 

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And there is a period interior design element that is an eye opener and not the good kind: wood paneling. And lots of it in the kitchen, basement and den. I understand in the 1960 paneling was all the rage as manufacturing innovations made it affordable, it was a homeowner’s dream as it did away with having to paint or wallpaper walls and was a wiz to clean. But today, paneling just screams “outdated!” It’s like you’re on the set of “Boogie Nights.”

The need for a good interior renovation – new carpeting, wallpaper, paint – will keep the new owners busy and their wallets open for at least the first year. Sort of hard to ask for a premium price when the buyer is going to shell out to bring the place into the 2000s. 

So it was no surprise that the fall from the original list price was steadily downward towards its assessed value:

  • May 19, 2014: $1,699,900
  • June 23, 2014: $1,649,900
  • June 30, 2014: $1,599,900
  • By July 12, the owners decided to pull it off the market until the coming spring.
  • Feb. 26, 2015: $1,439,000
  • June 25, 2015: $1,399,000
  • July 3, 2015: $1,349,000
  • By August, the sellers again decided to once again take it off the market.
  • It came back on Dec. 11, 2015, at $1,299,000.

Finally, the 600-plus day long sales march was over on Feb. 12 and it sold for $1,286,000.

And what is the 2016 assessed value of the property? $1,250,000. In the long run, Auntie Marketplace is almost always right.