On Sunday, Pizzi Starts Her Adventure of a Lifetime … All In One Week

By 1 Comment

Photo: Becca Pizzi with Belmont Saving’s CEO Bob Mahoney.

Just reading about Becca Pizzi’s typical day for the past year is exhausting.

The 35-year-old lifelong Belmont resident gets up before the sun comes up to run more miles in one morning than most people do in a week, gets her daughter ready for school, manages a child-care business, then heads over to run Moozy’s Ice Cream shop on Trapelo Road, be back for her daughter, goes back to complete work, before heading off for a quick hour of CrossFit or some other exhausting hardcore exercise program. Then back home for some down time with her daughter before popping off to bed.

It would not stretch one’s imagination to know the 1996 Belmont High grad is seen at the starting line of the Boston Marathon (3 hours, 25 minute PR) and other road races, running in the top ten percent of not just the women’s field but among men in the races.

But the challenge facing her in the next week is one that is more daunting than any other athletic accomplishment on her resume. It begins today, Sunday, Jan. 17 with a long-distance flight to Chile where Pizzi joins 11 men and three women traveling 32,000 miles in 70 hours and running 183 miles in a week participating in the second World Marathon Challenge.

Pizzi is attempting to be the first American woman to complete the around-the-world course. “This by far the toughest test I’ve ever put myself through,” said Pizzi at a public send-off at the Belmont Savings Bank’s headquarters in Belmont Center.

“This by far the toughest test I’ve ever put myself through,” said Pizzi at a public send-off at the Belmont Savings Bank’s headquarters in Belmont Center on Thursday, Jan. 14.

“But I’m looking forward to this test of endurance and strength and representing [Belmont],” she said

At the celebration which included ice cream (from Moozy’s, of course) and autograph posters of Pizzi, who spoke to half a dozen media outlets and a steady stream of admirers and family who came to wish her well. 

“It was just seemed like an amazing confluence of events,” said Robert Mahoney, CEO and president of Belmont Savings Bank. “We have a customer who is a mom and a neighbor who is going to run for a while, for seven days. Oh, and did I mention the seven continents and run 26 miles each day.”

“And that struck me as an extraordinary event that we should somehow celebrate and make it an even better event,” said Mahoney, presenting Pizzi a $1,000 check made out to the Belmont Food Pantry, the local anti-hunger non-profit Pizzi asked to receive the funds.

When Pizzi returns, the bank will sponsor a welcome home celebration and a student/parent lecture by Pizzi on the importance of goals and endurance. 

IMG_6423 IMG_6435 IMG_6437 IMG_6446

On Jan. 23, 2016, Pizzi will be in Union Glacier, Antarctica, to run the first of seven marathons on consecutive days. After running with spikes on her shoes in zero degree temperatures (that’s if it’s a “nice day” said Pizzi), she’ll be on her way to:

  • Punta Arenas, Chile;
  • Miami;
  • Madrid;
  • Marrakech, Morocco;
  • Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and finally
  • Sydney.

“The best way to describe it as ‘eat, sleep, run, fly, repeat’,” she said.

You can follow Pizzi’s trek around the world by going to the Belmont Savings Bank web page.

Daughter of Susan and Fred Pizzi (the long-time owner of Lawndale Realty that recently merged with Century 21) heard of the challenge just over a year ago before the inaugural race took place. 

“The moment I heard about it, I knew I wanted to do this, I had to do this,” said Pizzi. 

The first concern was finding sponsors to foot the $39,000 entry fee that includes all air flights, lodging, supplies and a support staff to help the runners. Her three major sponsors are the Lyon-Waush Auto Group, Dr. Cool and Ultima Replenisher while LuluLemon and Swift Socks are apparel suppliers. 

But this is no cake walk even for someone as physically strong as Pizzi. Even the event’s website warned participants of “marathon fatigue, jet lag, and sleep deprivation as the event progress.” In addition, there will be changeable environments from brutally cold in Antarctica to the desert heat of Dubai. 

Pizzi has been putting herself through the extended training regiment “because I know I’m going to be running on tired legs and I just have to get used to it.” She is aiming to finish each marathon in approximately 3 hours and 50 minutes.

Pizzi said she’ll have the company of the three women competitors, who all happen to be mothers. The other women have an advantage in the event’s first race as each has participated and two have won marathons held on Antarctica or the North Pole.

The worst part? Being away from her daughter, who she will Skype each day. 

So why put yourself through all this? 

“I’m doing this to inspire the world that you can do anything that you put your mind to,” she said.

Belmont World Film Presents NE Premiere of ‘Landfill Harmonic’ Sunday

By Leave a Comment

Photo: From the documentary “Landfill Harmonic.”

Belmont World Film’s “Family Festival” presents “Kid Power!” the 13th edition of its popular festival for children ages 3-12, from Jan. 15 to 18, at the Regent Theatre (7 Medford Street, Arlington), and Belmont’s Studio Cinema at 376 Trapelo Rd.

Twelve programs, featuring some of the world’s top animated and live action films for children, will screen in their native languages with English subtitles, from such diverse countries as Argentina, Canada, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Uganda, and the US. Each day is dedicated to a different theme, including magic, caring for the environment, and a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Martin Luther King Day.

“Belmont BelmontFilm2016FamilyFestivalAdWorld Film’s Family Festival offers filmgoers the opportunity

to hear and understand multiple languages in a fun and natural way while offering an alternative to the standard Hollywood fare typically found at the multiplex,” says Belmont World Film Executive Director Ellen Gitelman.

One of the most anticipated programs is the 10:30 a.m. talk on Saturday, Jan. 16, by Peter Reynolds, author and illustrator of such popular children’s picture books as The Dot, Ish, Sky Color, and The North Star and owner of the Blue Bunny bookstore in Dedham. The program features a screening of animated versions of his books by Weston Woods Studios and a book signing.

Another highlight is the New England premiere of the documentary Landfill Harmonic on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 1:15 p.m. The story is about members of a Paraguayan youth orchestra who live next to one of South America’s largest landfills and whose instruments are made out of garbage found by one of the pickers. When their story goes viral, they realize their dream of performing live with some of their favorite heavy metal bands, including Megadeth, catapulting them into the global spotlight. The film is a beautiful story about the transformative power of music that also highlights two vital issues of our times: poverty and waste pollution (age 6-adult, $9). 

The weekend’s other film programs include:

FRIDAY, JAN. 15

  • Fantasia, the groundbreaking film released 75 years ago by Walt Disney that ingeniously combined animated imagery with classical music, features Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer’s apprentice, and the music of Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and more, orchestrated and conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Presented in honor of the film’s 75th anniversary and as a kick-off to the Regent Theatre’s Through the Decades Classic Film Series, a year-long celebration of the Theatre’s 100th anniversary. Prizes will be given for the best costumes after a parade around the Theatre! (7 p.m., age 4+).

SATURDAY, JAN. 16

  • The Amazing Wiplala, a Dutch film in which a 7 year-old boy discovers a tiny man with magical powers in his kitchen cupboard. With his powers on the fritz, he accidentally shrinks the entire family (12:30 PM, age 6+, New England premiere). Presented by Dutch Culture USA
  • Song of the Sea, the Oscar-nominated hand-drawn animated film from Ireland about the last seal-child, Saoirse, and her brother Ben, who go on an epic journey to save the world of magic and discover the secrets of their past (2:30 PM, age 5+). Co-presented by the Boston Irish Film Festival

SUNDAY, JAN. 17

  • It’s Easy Being Green: Short Films about Animals and the Environment featuring award-winning animated and live action shorts followed by a talk by three 12-year old environmentalists Lexington featured in the film Save Tomorrow. 
  • Landfill Harmonic see above (1:15 p.m., age 8+, New England premiere).
  • Birds of Passage, a beautiful story from France about shy 10 year-old Cathy and her friend Margaux who is confined to a wheelchair with myopathy. When the duck egg that Cathy’s overly-enthusiastic father gives her for her birthday hatches and the duckling imprints on Margaux, the two set off on a secret mission to set the duckling free in its natural habitat (3:00 PM, age 6+, East Coast premiere). Co-presented by SMILE Mass.

MONDAY, JAN. 18

  • Imba Means Sing follows 8 year-olds Angel, Moses, Nina and the other members of the Grammy-nominated African Children’s Choir from the slums of Kampala, Uganda, a country torn apart by the guerilla war of 1981-86, through their world tour. Although lacking enough resources to even attend the first grade, the film shows how each child processes the joys and challenges of their life-changing opportunity to receive an education to achieve their dreams. (11:45 a.m., age 8+, New England premiere.
  • The Outlaw League, about a sensitive 12 year-old boy from Quebec who leads a campaign to rescue the town’s baseball field from becoming the town dump. (1:15 p.m., age 9+, New England premiere). Co-presented by the Quebec Delegation of Boston.
  • The Games Maker, about young Ivan Drago’s (David Mazouz, young Bruce Wayne in Gotham) newfound love of board games catapults him into the fantastical and competitive world of game invention, and pits him against the inventor Morodian (Joseph Fiennes), who has long desired to destroy the city of Zyl, founded by Ivan’s grandfather (Ed Asner). To save his family (Tom Cavanaugh) and defeat Morodian, Ivan must come to know what it is to be a true Games Maker (3:00 PM, Age 9+, East Coast premiere)

Festival sponsors include Hammond Real Estate, Dutch Culture USA, Belmont Day School, Solar City and Stellabella Toys. The Family Film Festival is also funded in part by grants from the Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Waltham and Watertown Cultural Councils, local agencies that are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Festival partners include the Boston Irish Film Festival, Project Giving Kids, and SMILE Mass.

Individual tickets are $6 for programs for shorts programs and $9 for feature-length films. Full festival passes are $50. Tickets are available in advance online at www.belmontworldfilm.org or in person at either the Studio Cinema or Regent Theatre box offices on

Tickets are available in advance online at www.belmontworldfilm.org or in person at either the Studio Cinema or Regent Theatre box offices on day of show. For full film descriptions and additional information visit www.belmontworldfilm.org or call 617-484-3980.

Belmont World Film is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that promotes cross-cultural understanding through the powerful universal language of film. It presents award-winning feature narrative films, documentaries, animation, and shorts from around the world for both adults and children accompanied by topical speakers, cultural performances and ethnic cuisine.

Sold in Belmont: Colonial Takes a Tumble, Ranch By The Rails A Steal

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Watch out below! Horace Road house listing falls.

Screen Shot 2016-01-15 at 3.58.44 AM

4 Goden St., Multifamily (1915). Sold: $886,000.

Screen Shot 2016-01-15 at 4.01.48 AM

219 Channing Rd., Brick-front Ranch (1959). Sold: $640,000

Screen Shot 2016-01-15 at 4.05.38 AM

42 Horace Rd., Colonial (1917). Sold: $815,000.

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

• 4 Goden St., Multifamily (1915). Sold: $886,000. Listed at $895,000. Living area: 2,715 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 114 days.

• 219 Channing Rd., Brick-front Ranch (1959). Sold: $640,000. Listed at $675,000. Living area: 1,432 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 94 days.

• 42 Horace Rd., Colonial (1917). Sold: $815,000. Listed at $945,000. Living area: 1,938 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 148 days.

The Colonial on Horace Road would appear to be priced at nearly $950,000 to squeeze ever penny out of the 99-year-old house. And why not, with “average” homes in the Winn Brook neighborhood and close to the High School on the south side of Concord Avenue selling for just north of $1 million, here was an attempt by the buyer to reap the benefits of a hot market. With an ample number of bedrooms, close to the Wellington, Chenery and High School, and with some lovely interior features – wooden floors, a corner china cabinet and double French doors – this structure looked like a sure deal for the seller.

But for this modest home near to Common Street, the market for “average” was cooling. Rather than riding the fall sales period ever higher, this house took a tumble, falling nearly $150,000 in value from the opening list price to final sale:

  • Aug. 21, 2015: $945,000 (Original list)
  • Oct. 7: $899,000
  • Nov. 5: $875,000
  • Jan. 8, 2016: $815,000

Not so the brick ranch on Channing, which some lucky person got for a song. OK, it borders the commuter rail tracks but what the buyer is getting is a well-maintained, cosy house with a landscaped backyard. And just think what it will be once the new community path is constructed adjacent to the property line (wink, wink).

Screen Shot 2016-01-15 at 5.14.20 AM Screen Shot 2016-01-15 at 5.14.29 AM Screen Shot 2016-01-15 at 5.14.37 AM Screen Shot 2016-01-15 at 5.15.02 AM

Closed to Business: Zoning Board Nix Permits for Dunkin’ Donuts, Airbnb

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Brighton Street’s Russell Mann at the ZBA meeting Jan. 11. 

Belmont’s reputation as a hard nut for businesses to crack was put in the spotlight Monday night, Jan. 11, as the Zoning Board of Appeals voted down applications for permits from two entrepreneurs.

In a pair of 3-2 votes, the board denied a special permit to the owner of 20 Dunkin’ Donut franchisees from opening his first shop in Belmont due to traffic and parking concerns.

Earlier, a request by a homeowner that would allow her to rent rooms to short-term visitors through the website Airbnb was rebuffed for allegations of safety and quality of life issues, concerns that two ZBA member dismissed as “red herrings.” 

After the Airbnb vote, a ZBA member who voted to issue the permit suggested the homeowner just skirt the town’s bylaw until the town creates new guidelines for this modern disruptive rental scheme. 

In a packed Belmont Gallery of Arts, more than 75 residents assembled to oppose many of the applications before the board in a meeting that took four hours to place a damper on 

The application that sparked the most interest came from the Leo Family which sought to build a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise in a three-store strip mall at 344 Pleasant St. The Leos – son Nicholas and father Vincent – purchased the service station/former gas station for $1 million in 2014 with the intention to run “an excellent business” like his existing stores nearby in Fresh Pond and Massachusetts Avenue, said Nicholas Leo. 

Anticipating questions about traffic to and from the site, the Leo’s traffic consultant David Giangrande, president of the transportation and civil engineering/land surveying firm Design Consultants, Inc., of Somerville, conducted a trip study analysis showing that a donut shop would generate 24 percent fewer trips than a service station over an hour during the morning rush, or about 75 customers.

But those assumptions were challenged by several members pointing out much of the data was gleaned through “industry standards” for businesses of that size, which did not take into effect traffic needing to cut across the street to enter the operation. 

Supporters of the Leo’s plan such as Timothy McCarthy of Simmons Avenue said the proposal would be “a great use” as he and his neighbors are “tired of the vacant and abandoned” service station. 

But many at the meeting opposed what they viewed as a high volume, fast food establishment that will attract vehicular traffic to an already congested intersection.

Russell Mann, an immediate abutter on Brighton Street, worried that the increase in traffic would create bigger traffic delays as vehicles heading towards Belmont Center on Pleasant Street attempted to take a left-hand turn into the strip mall that, with 21 parking spaces, is not enough for the activity the store hopes to bring in. 

“This is not a referendum on development of the property, or on the Leos … who run a good business. It’s about this special permit for use of fast food is appropriate for this location,” he said. 

Others noted that several parking spaces will be occupied by monitoring equipment as the location is under a government order to remediate the soil of dangerous levels of contaminants while some pointed to early-morning deliveries and assumptions that employees would park on neighborhood streets.

In the end, ZBA Chairman Eric Smith and Tino Lichauco who were not comfortable with the assumptions made in the traffic study and possible issues with parking which Smith felt was limiting. 

A dejected Leo, who stayed the four hours waiting for the decision, would not comment on whether he would appeal the vote nor would speculate on the future of the site. The location is zone “as right” for a retail operation such as a convenience store. 

The outcome of Anne Levy’s request to allow her to rent a room legally for less than a week in her Taylor split-level through the rental website Airbnb.

With the Planning Board deciding to push off reviewing the town’s lodging bylaws concerning this new way of boarding visitors, it was unlikely that the ZBA members would change their vote when they denied a special permit last month for an Airbnb host. (Currently, homeowner can rent a room for more than a week “as right”; yet most Airbnb rentals are for between two-to-four days.)

As with the first Airbnb case, some neighbors worried their quiet street would soon resemble a bustling tourist-lodging location with strangers in “Uber cars” coming at all hours of the night. 

While accepting member Jim Zarkadas’ no vote on the principle that the Planning Board needs to set the regulations, Lichauco and member Craig White, who along with Smith voted to approve the application, criticized the objections raised that an Airbnb rental is inherently unsafe and un-neighborly as fearmongering.

After the vote, Lichauco made the suggestion to the estimated 65 residents who rent via Airbnb: Simply make the customers sign a one-week lease and “reimburse” them for the days they don’t need the room all in the same transaction. 

“If they wish to do so, it is up to them. However, I am not going to advise them to do so,” said Ara Yogurtian, assistant director of community development. 

Belmont Savings Sending Pizzi Off On Her World Marathon Challenge Thursday

By 1 Comment

Photo: Becca Pizzi.

Belmont Savings Bank is sponsoring a “meet and greet” with Belmont resident Becca Pizzi, who is on track to make history as the first American woman to complete the World Marathon Challenge, which will have her running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.

The public send-off will be held Thursday, Jan. 14, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Belmont Savings Bank main branch at 2 Leonard St. in Belmont Center.

The event will afford well-wishers an opportunity to receive an autograph poster from Becca, as well as complimentary ice cream from Moozy’s on Trapelo Road, where Pizzi is a manager. Becca will also be available to pose for pictures.

The bank will donate $500 to Becca’s charity of choice, the Belmont Food Pantry, after she completes the fourth of seven marathons. The bank will make a second $500 donation after she completes the final marathon.

World Marathon Challenge participant Becca Pizzi, who will participate in seven marathons over a weeklong span:

  • Jan. 23: Union Glacier, Antarctica
  • Jan. 24: Punta Arenas, Chile
  • Jan. 25: Miami
  • Jan. 26: Madrid
  • Jan. 27: Marrakech, Morocco
  • Jan. 28: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • Jan. 29: Sydney, Australia

Modular Classrooms Heading to Chenery’s Tennis Court

By 1 Comment

Photo: The Chenery Middle School tennis courts which will house six modular classrooms in August 2016.

After putting off a decision for the past two years, Belmont School District announced last week it will place six modular classrooms on the Chenery Middle School tennis courts for the start of the 2016-17 school year in August.

The classrooms – single-story temporary prefabricated structures most notably used last to house Wellington Elementary students as the new school was being built five years ago – are being brought to the middle school to alleviate the skyrocketing enrollment in the past five years that is taxing the building’s capacity, according to Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan and members of the Capital Budget Committee. 

The decision to go with modulars is not a surprise as the district initially discussed adding temporary classrooms nearly three years ago when the Space Task Force established by former Superintendent Dr. Thomas Kingston concluded the Chenery “does not have enough space to support the current level of student enrollment” and won’t be able to fit the large classes funneling from the four elementary schools in the next five years.”

The solution “will result in the need for modular classrooms” by the beginning of the 2016-17 school year.

The six classrooms – equipt with their own bathrooms and powered with underground electrical wiring – each can hold up to 25 students, making a dent in the rapid increase in student enrollment in Belmont schools. 

While the Chenery is the only school selected this coming school year, the school district will evaluate the enrollment numbers at the elementary schools with the possibility of purchasing more units for one or more of the district’s four elementary schools. 

Phelan said the district has no timetable on how long the units will be used or if they will be moved from school to school when there is a need for more classrooms. 

“[They’ll be] used as long as needed,” he said. 

While Phelan said the district has yet to decide on the type or style of the “mods” to be placed at the Chenery “we are working with the same engineering firm that Winchester is using” during the construction of that district’s new High School.

On that project, Littleton-based firm Triumph Modular added eight classrooms as a new school was being built on the site of the current building. 

Closer to home, Triumph was hired by Belmont Hill School in 2013 to provide six classrooms, an open testing area, five private offices, a conference room, and restrooms for staff and students for a year and a half during construction of a school building. 

Screen Shot 2016-01-11 at 2.45.20 PM

Modular units at Belmont Hill School 2013.

According to a “rough budget” from a modular study created by the school district, the estimated cost for lease the mods for three years comes to $1.12 million compared to the upfront cost of $1.23 million buying the units. 

“The one benefit with buying [the modulars] is that there is a resale market for the newer units” as opposed to the type the district bought in the past, said Ann Marie Mahoney, Capital Budget chair. 

While the school district has yet decided if they will lease or buy the units – “a cost analysis [is] underway” to determine the financially wise course, said Phelan – the likely purchase of the modular structures could result in the Capital Budget Committee using its entire $1.1 million budget acquiring the units.

“We can’t keep asking taxpayers to bond another million dollar expense,” said Mahoney.

“But then we can’t meet requests from the other departments this budget cycle,” she said.

“It will simplify our Town Meeting report,” Mahoney said wistfully.

 

Special Town Meeting on Minuteman, HS Building Committee Proposed for Feb. 8

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Minuteman Regional HS

Belmont officials s selected a tentative date for Town Meeting to vote to approve or reject a new regional agreement for the Minuteman Career and Technical High School.

The Board of Selectmen will discuss and vote for a Special Town Meeting on Monday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Chenery Middle School’s auditorium at its Monday, Jan. 11 meeting.

That same night members will also decide to create a building committee to oversee a major renovation of Belmont High School. But this article comes with a big “if.” 

Along with accepting the date, Selectmen will open and close the Special Town Meeting warrant – at which time items can be put on Town Meetings agenda – during the discussion.

Town Meeting members will be asked to approve a series of fundamental changes to the existing agreement with the 15 other towns and cities in the Minuteman. 

Those alterations include the ability of members communities to withdrawal from the agreement (a number of towns with a handful of students have indicated they wished to depart the group) and requires out-of-district communities such as Watertown, Waltham and Medford which send nearly 40 percent of the new students to the school, to help pay a proportional share of capital costs of a new $144 million building.

In a last minute addition to the warrant, members will be asked to approve the creation of a Belmont High School Building Committee, which will direct the estimated $100 million renovations of the existing building and the construction of a science wing. 

The article was suggested by Pat Brusch of the Capital Budget Committee and former vice-chair of the Wellington Building Committees, who said the creation of a committee will give the group a several month head start on working with the state on the multi-year project and begin building public consensus for the project.

The town will likely vote in 2017 on a $65-$70 million debt exclusion to fund the project. 

The article’s big “if” is that its existence depends on the approval of the School District’s Statement of Interest by the Massachusetts School Building Authority which will fund close to a third of the renovation and construction costs.

The MSBA will select approximately half of the 25 projects currently on its “short” list at its Jan. 28 meeting.

On the Mark: Bennett Captures Junior State Shooting Championship

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Bennett (left) with second place Vladlen Vronsky of Brighton and Samuel Gens of Andover (in center).

Belmont High School senior Kevin Bennett is fast becoming a “can’t miss” athlete because he doesn’t miss at all.

Bennett placed first in junior men’s sport pistol at the 2016 Massachusetts Junior Olympics Pistol Championships held at MIT on Saturday, Jan. 9. Vladlen Vronsky of Brighton placed second and Andover’s Samuel Gens was third.

As state champion, Bennett – who will be matriculating at the US Coast Guard Academy in the fall – automatically qualifies to compete in junior sports pistol at this year’s National Junior Olympic Pistol Championships, to be held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo in April.

Last summer, Bennett placed third in the junior men’s Rapid Fire pistol, his first national individual shooting medal.

State Sen. Forry Featured Speaker at MLK Breakfast Monday, Jan. 18

By Leave a Comment

Photo: State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry

State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry will be the featured speaker at the 22nd annual Martin Luther King Community Breakfast to be held at Belmont High School Cafeteria, 221 Concord Ave., on Monday, Jan. 18.  

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m., with the program starting at 8:45 a.m. Tickets are $5 per person, $10 for each family.

Join the community for this multi-age gathering, including Belmont Schools’ families, Belmont town and school officials, the Belmont Religious Council, and others from Belmont and Boston, and surrounding communities, for community, conversation and celebration

  • Pastries, juice, fruit  and coffee to be served
  • Supervised activity, including gym activities with Belmont High Girls Basketball Coach Melissa Hart and childcare, for children 2- 12
  • Accessible to persons with disabilities
  • African Dance to be performed by middle school students, including one of our Belmont Boston students, from the Tony Williams Dance Center.

State Sen. Forry is the first woman and person of color to represent the 1st Suffolk District, a diverse and thriving cross-section of Boston that includes Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan and South Boston. Forry holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston College Carroll School of Management and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. 

Advance registration requested but not required. RSVP at http://www.belmont-ma.gov/home/slides/mlk or at www.BelmontAgainstRacism.org or at the door.

Donations will be accepted for the Belmont Schools’ METCO Support Fund which supports, among other things, late day transportation for our Belmont METCO students engaged in sports, arts and clubs. Contributions may be made by cash or check to Belmont Against Racism, re: METCO Support Fund or mailed to BAR, PO Box 649, Belmont, MA 02478.

This Week: Parents Lecture Series Begins, Learn About Solar, Sing-a-Rama Is Here

By Leave a Comment

On the government side of “This Week”

  • The Belmont Board of Selectmen meets at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11 at Town Hall for a marathon presentation on a review of the town’s sewers and long-standing pollution concerns coming from Belmont into the Mystic River watershed at Wellington and Winn’s brooks.
  • The Zoning Board of Appeals is also meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11 but in the Belmont Art Gallery on the third floor of the Homer Building in the Town Hall complex. It will review a request to build a Dunkin’ Donuts in a small strip mall at Pleasant and Brighton as well take up a matter concerning a resident who is seeking to rent a room for less than a week via the website Airbnb. 
  • The Community Preservation Committee will review the final applications for CPC’s grants at its meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 5 p.m. at Town Hall.

• Belmont Public Library’s Books and Bits Series welcomes author Henriette Lazaridis Power who will read from her novel “The Clover House” on Monday, Jan. 11 from 11 a.m. ’til noon in the library’s Assembly Room. The novel brings to life World War II-era and modern-day Greece, and tells the story of a vibrant family and the tragic secret kept hidden for generations.

• Kids, let’s use polymer clay to make cute charms of animals, food, and more! The crafts workshop, which will take place on Monday, Jan. 11, from 3:30 p.m. to 5  p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. For kids in 4th to 6th grades. Registration required by calling the Children’s Department at 617-993-2880.

• The inaugural talk in the Belmont After School Enrichment Collaborative (BASEC) Parents Lecture Series is “Embrace and Let Go – Understanding Digital Dependency” with Joni Siani, media and communication scholar, author/filmmaker of “Celling Your Soul; No App for Life” who will speak beginning at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 11 in the Chenery Middle School auditorium.

Tuesday is story time at both of Belmont libraries:
  • Pre-School Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer-run library, 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 located at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex.
  • Pre-School Storytime at the Belmont Public Library beginning at 9:30 a.m. We’ll read longer books, sing, and dance, and make simple crafts. For 3-5-year-olds with a longer attention span.

• Staff from State Rep. Dave Rogers’ office will be available for walk-in office hours on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 9:30 a.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.

• A screening of the film “Doctor Zhivago,” produced in 1965 starring Julie Christie, Omar Sharif, and Sir Alec Guinness, will be shown at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 1:15 p.m. Boris Pasternak’s masterpiece brings to life the Russian Revolution through the story of the gifted physician-poet Zhivago.

• Belmont cellist Shivane Pratapper performs works by Vivaldi, Goltermann and more at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 3:30 p.m.

• Infant Storytime, for infants up to 12 months and pre-walkers, includes a short program of songs and rhymes followed by time to play and socialize. The fun takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room.

• Meet Belmont Veterans Service Officer Bob Upton for veterans’ benefits questions on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at noon at the Beech Street Center.

• Learn iPad Basics on Wednesday, Jan. 13, from 11 a.m. to noon in the Young Adult Room of the Belmont Public Library. Register by calling the Reference Desk at 617-993-2870.

• It’s OTAKUrabu at the Belmont Public Library. Watch anime, do a craft/activity, plan for future events and nibble on some Japanese snacks (while they last – they’ll go fast) on Wednesday, Jan. 13 from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Assembly Room. Provided free, thanks to the Friends of the Belmont Public Library. Just drop in, no registration required.

• Learn more about solar in Belmont and meet the selected installer partner, Direct Energy Solar, on Wednesday, Jan. 13,  at 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium.

• It’s Sing-a-rama where all choral groups in Belmont schools come to perform at Belmont High School’s auditorium from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, Jan. 13.

• Storytime for 1’s is for walkers and toddlers under 24 months will be held on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 10:30 a.m. in the library’s Flett Room. They will share simple stories, songs, and nursery rhymes, and end with time to play.

• The Belmont League of Women Voters monthly meeting takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14 in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room.

• State Sen. Will Brownsberger’s staff will be available for walk-in office hours at the Beech Street Center on Friday, Jan. 15, at 10 a.m.

• Literacy Playgroup is a parent and child group that supports child’s language and literacy development on Friday, Jan. 15, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Flett Room. You’ll play, read, sing and take home new ideas. Presented by educators from the CFCE grant program; for children age 4 and under.