PHOTOS: Snow Day in Belmont

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The blizzard had passed and the next storm is still days away. A brilliant sun brings out the crowds to the town’s favorite sledding places as other create a snow couple or go out for a walk. On Town Field, an icy Stonehenge is created. 

Sold in Belmont: Million Dollar Bonanza Brings in the New Year

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 12 Greensbrook Way. Brick Ranch (1957) Sold: $1,250,000. Listed at $1,250,000. Living area: 2,735 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 4 baths. On the market: 16 days.

• 37 Marlboro St. Multi-family (1913), Sold for: $825,000. Listed at $825,000. Living area: 2,760 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 44 days.

• 30 Somerset St. The Albert Higgins House; Antebellum Greek Revival (1850) Sold: $1,950,000. Listed at $2,325,000. Living area: 4,023 sq.-ft. 13 rooms, 6 bedrooms, 3 full, 3 partial baths. On the market: 219 days.

• 85 Juniper Rd. Quite unique architectural style (1952) Sold: $1,325,000. Listed at $1,250,000. Living area: 2,626 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 91 days.

Sixteen days. That’s all it took for a 1950s ranch to sell on fancy Greensbrook Way. For $1.25 million! Well, what do you expect from a residential property across the street from Tagg Romney’s 8,000 square-foot manse. And there’s more! The seller of note was 12 Greensbrook Way LLC, which bought the house in October, 2014 for $1,050,000.

So who is this 12 Greensbrook Way LLC? It’s address is 103 Hemenway St. Suite B2 in Boston, the same address as Real Estate Management & Investment, the Fenway-based real estate investment firm known for constructing multi-story buildings in Boston neighborhoods such as the new 50 Symphony Road condo development. So it won’t shock you to know that the listed broker, OffCampus Apartment Finder, LLC, is a subsidiary of REM&I. 

This sale appears to be a “flip” to a motivated buyer. I would not be surprised if this rather standard eight-room house (rated a B+ by town assessors) on more than half-of-acre of valuable land is put “on the sword” and demolished to build something more “appropriate” for the location. It will be interesting to discover who bought the ranch.

A mention about 85 Juniper Rd: a very unique house with a well-thoughtout architectural approach to the land. I love the two-story rear side, full of windows facing east down the hill. Boxy but functional. It does require work (the interior needs serious updating) but a great house to own. 

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Not attractive even when it was built.

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The backside of this house is just nice.

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With smart interior design, this could become a stunning room.

Town Meeting Warrant Opening For a Month for Citizen’s Petitions

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Always wanted to change Belmont? How about requiring new homes to be painted one of only eight colors (an actual petition in another state), force model aircraft operators to be licensed pilots (another one) and make dogs wear pants (that hasn’t been petitioned … yet).

Your chance is coming next week when the town warrant – the document which Board of Selectmen approved to call a Town Meeting – will be open for residents who wish to add their own article to be heard and voted by the 290-member Town Meeting which will begin this year on Monday, May 4.

“Citizens are welcomed to submit petitions,” said Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, who said the warrant will be open on Monday, Feb. 2 at 9 a.m. and will remain so until Monday, March 2, no later than 3 p.m.

Under Massachusetts law, residents may place articles on an Annual Town Meeting warrant without approval by the Selectmen by petitioning the Town Clerk to insert the article. Officially, it only requires 10 signatures on the petition from residents to secure a place on the warrant (although Cushman suggests getting 15 to be on the safe side.)

While not all petitions are successful, a good portion have succeeded before the Belmont Town Meeting. In the past few years, citizen’s petitions on banning smoking in town playgrounds, combining school and town building supervision, restricting yard sales and requiring residents to shovel snow from sidewalks have passed Town Meeting muster and included into the bylaws.

In fact, a citizen’s petition before this spring’s annual Town Meeting restricting the height of residential homes near Grove Street Playground was inspired by the successful passage of a citizen’s petition in 2013 halting for a year the tear down of single-family homes to build two-families structures in the Waverley Square neighborhood.

For those residents thinking about putting their stamp on the town’s bylaws, Cushman advise petitioners to do their homework and be prepared to work with town officials and government groups to construct their appeal to have the chance of a favorable vote before Town Meeting.

For those seeking changes to the town’s zoning bylaws should meet with the Planning Board and the town’s Office of Community Development while those looking to alter the town’s budget priorities need to get in touch with the Warrant and Capital Budget committees and the town’s financial departments, said Cushman.

With all petitions, the town counsel, George Hall, is required to review them, so they do not violate the state or US constitutions.

“So it’s important that citizens start the process earlier than later to receive advice in drafting their petitions and getting the support they need to give themselves a good chance before Town Meeting,” said Cushman.

Clearing Out: What to Know the Day After the Blizzard in Belmont

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While the snow emergency parking ban will be lifted at noon today, Wednesday, Jan. 28, Belmont Department of Public Works Director Jay Marcotte is asking residents to keep their vehicles off of town streets for a bit longer.

“It would be great if our crews could have clear streets to finish plowing,” Marcotte told the Belmontonian on Monday, Jan. 26, hours before the storm hit.

That is just one request from Marcotte and other town officials who are looking to finish

Today, plow operators will begin “widen out” all streets by pushing the accumulated snow back towards the curb line and clearing the intersections. For that reason, Marcotte would like the widest possible clearance for the plows.

In addition, here are some things to know while clearing out the nearly 20 inches of snow that has settled in Belmont:

  • When clearing driveways, snow should be kept on the owner’s property, the tree lawn or in the gutter. Snow should not be deposited onto the street or sidewalk, or across the street onto a neighbor’s sidewalk. It’s actually the law: Section 60-800A of the Town’s General Bylaw.
  • Here’s a tip: Whenever possible, it is best to pile snow to the right of the driveway (as you face the street) to reduce the potential of having it redeposited at the driveway opening when the plows pass.
  • Prevent street flooding by clearing catch basins near your home to allow rain or melting snow to enter the drainage system.
  • At the urging of Belmont Fire Department, residents should shovel and clear fire hydrants of snow in your neighborhood.

“We do our best to shovel out each and every hydrant in town, but doing so takes several days,” said Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell.  “If we need to use a hydrant that hasn’t been shoveled out yet, it significantly delays the time it takes for the firefighters to get water on the fire.”

And the clock has started on residents clearing sidewalks adjacent to their property. Belmont’s general bylaws requires paved public sidewalks adjacent to residential property to be cleared and made safe for pedestrians. Residents have until 8 p.m. the day following the end of the storm (Thursday, Jan. 29) to clear the sidewalk of snow, slush and ice. For enforcement information, call the Belmont Office of Community Development at 617-993-2664.

Snow Emergency Ending Noon, Wednesday; Town Offices, Library Remain Closed

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Belmont’s Snow Emergency Parking Ban will be lifted at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 28, according to the Belmont Police Department.

The removal of the ban – put in place on Monday at 6 p.m.  due to the nor’easter that arrived on Tuesday, Jan. 27 – will allow residents and commuters to park on the street as well as the town’s commuter and school parking lots.

While the roads will be open, town offices, the Belmont’s schools as well as the Belmont Public Library will remain closed.

PHOTOS: A Blizzard Walk in Belmont

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The cold and wind knocked the breathe right out of anyone who stepped outside today as the Blizzard of 2015 settled over Belmont.

With wind chills below zero and the difficulty of several feet of snow on the ground, whether one was beginning to shovel out front steps, walking the dog, heading for some sledding or just to take some time out of the house was a challenge.

The Eastern Massachusetts driving ban – which was being ignored by some just after noon – allowed walkers to stride (albeit carefully) down main streets such as Trapelo Road without the hassle of thousands of vehicles. Town equipment and private contractors were mostly successful to keep the main thoroughfares open but most side streets appeared untouched for hours. In many areas, contractors lugging snowblowers had already begun throwing snow from sidewalks and driveways.

On Payson Road, the north side of the Cambridge Reservoir had drifts up to four-feet deep, while on the south side, hardy souls both young and not-so-young wanted to take the first ride down the slope.

 

All Hands on Deck: Belmont DPW Throwing Everything into Blizzard

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Jay Marcotte, Belmont’s newly-installed Director of Public Works, said this past Saturday’s snowfall “was a chance for the department to shake the rust off” its response in preparing and handling the inevitable task for any New England town’s DPW in clearing roads of the white stuff.

“It was only four-and-a-half inches in Belmont and we didn’t have a single resident’s call on our snow hotline,” said Marcotte as he introduced himself to the Belmont Board of Selectmen on Monday morning, Jan. 26.

The Belmont Department of Public Work’s Snow Emergency Hotline: 617-993-2698.

But as a potentially historic nor’easter was barreling towards the region and Belmont, Marcotte – who took over the reins of the department from the retiring Peter Castanino – wasn’t expecting his department to have as easy a go of it as three days previous.

“I suspect the hotline will have a few more calls,” he said, with a smile.

To handle the blizzard, Marcotte and Highway Division Manager Michael Santoro will be marshaling all the division’s assets as well as an army of private contractors to keep at least the main thoroughfares passable for first responders and other essential vehicles.

“It’s all hands on deck,” said Marcotte.

The Highway Division has put out 20 pieces of town-owned equipment clearing roads, including dump trucks, pickups and spreaders beginning at 6 p.m. on Monday. In addition, 37 vehicles from private contractors will be hitting the streets during the height of the storm and afterwards, said Marcotte.

In addition, a tree service is on standby to remove branches and trees that could topple during the storm and heavy equipment from James W. Flett Company and FE French Construction are ready “just in case we need them,” said Marcotte.

The DPW’s primary goal will be “to keep the main drags plowed and treated so medical and other emergency services” can get to their destinations, said Marcotte.

Plowing and treating of secondary and side roads are accomplished “as soon as the department can get to them, he said.

The planning, for tackling a storm “, is the same whether it is 2-inches or 24-inches,” said Marcotte.

“We treat [storms] accordingly to what is expected but we make sure we have a plan ready to go,” he said.

 

Blanketed Belmont: All-Day Blizzard Finally Winding Down Tonight

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A blizzard warning remains in effect in Belmont and all of eastern Massachusetts until 1 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 28, as the town and region have literally been shut down as a historic Nor’easter delivers nearly two feet of snow and gale force winds to New England.

In its latest report issued at 4:34 a.m. today, Tuesday, Jan. 27, the National Weather Service in Taunton said the region can expect heavy snow this morning at the rate of 2 to 3 inches an hour accompanied by strong and damaging winds – from the north at a sustained 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 65 mph – resulting in white-out/blizzard conditions with near zero visibility.

“Travel will be impossible and life threatening across the entire region. Also snow may be wet enough to result in downed tree limbs and power outages in addition to the winds,” said the NWS.

Snow totals have been reduced slightly as the NWS is predicting 15 to 25 inches of snow, a dip from earlier predictions of 20 to 30 inches. But the strong winds will cause snow drifts of up to four feet in some locations.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel: the NWS said the worst of the storm will be through this afternoon then diminishing later tonight with the winds slowing beginning in the early afternoon.

It’s Official: School’s Snowed Out for Tuesday. But Wednesday …

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Only the most wildly optimistic of parents would have thought Belmont District schools would be opening on Tuesday. 

And now it is official. Below is the note sent to parents from Belmont’s Superintendent of Schools, John Phelan. 

Dear Parents, Guardians and Staff:

Due to the impending storm, all Belmont Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, January 27, 2015.

Due to the Governors “State of Emergency” all buildings will be closed for the day.

If school needs to be cancelled/delayed for Wednesday – I will email you with further instructions.

I hope you stay safe during this storm.