Photo of the Day: Rising Community Tide for New Underwood Pool

IMG_0713

In Jane Austen’s day two hundred years ago, you’d communicate with your neighbors or a friend by leaving a note on a fence post or in a nook of a stone wall.

And while today, there is high speed G4 internet and instant messaging available to keep us informed, the people raising $200,000 to meet the new low bid to construct the new Underwood Pool has decided to use the Austen-like “note” to the community at Belmont’s major intersections.

With just under four weeks remaining, the effort to preserve the 2015 summer swimming season by building the new Underwood has raised more than 80 percent of its goal.

New Eatery Hopes Belmont Loves ‘Oven Range’ BBQ

The corner of School and Belmont street is changing from Cuban ropa vieja to Texas-style barbecued pulled pork and Memphis dry-rubbed ribs as a person associated with Pho & Thai Restaurant in Waverley Square is bringing “casual and easy going” barbecue eatin’ to Belmont.

Sasirat Wyckoff of Winslow Road in Quincy filed an application with the Office of Community Development to open “Tony G’s Barbecue” in the former location of Gustazo Cuban Restaurant at 289 Belmont St. on the Watertown line.

Wyckoff will be before the Zoning Board of Appeals on Monday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. to discuss the transfer of a special permit. The meeting is being held on the third floor Belmont Gallery of Art in the Homer Building in the Town Hall complex.

The proposed eatery would be open for lunch and dinner serving “BBQ chicken, pork, ribs and beef brisket” along with side orders of salad, vegetables and rice.

Yet despite a menu loaded with a wide array of BBQ favorites, there will be “no deep frying or grilling” at the location; rather, the food will be barbecued via an “oven range.”

See a proposed menu below.

While the restaurant will have seating for 14, “[t]his will not be a full-service restaurant,” Wyckoff said in the application. Rather, she predicts that service will mainly be “to go” while on-site customers will use a “self-serve dining area.”

The currently proposed schedule call for the restaurant to be open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays, noon to 10 p.m.

According to an online business registry, Wyckoff is “the president and treasurer and director of Pho & Thai, Inc.” located on White Street. In a 2006 Boston Globe profile, Wychoff was name a partner in Montien Cambridge, a sister site of Montien Boston, a well-known Thai/Asian restaurant in the Theater District. 

BTW: the photo is from Memphis BBQ Ribs Recipe: LoveThatFood.com

IMG_0707 IMG_0706

Belmont’s New Yard Sale Bylaw Begins This Weekend

Belmont residents considering holding a yard sale this weekend will now need an advanced permit as the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office has the town’s online permitting site up and running.

As most Belmontians will recall, Town Meeting members adopted this spring a new General Bylaw setting limits and requirements for those holding private sales – including garage sales, tag sales, moving sales and other related private sales.

And the Massachusetts Attorney General approved the bylaw last month, becoming effective on Sept. 25.

“If you intend to hold a Private Sale as defined in the bylaw, you must first register and receive a free permit issued by the Town Clerk’s office,” said Town Clerk Ellen Cushman.

Residents can file for the Private Sale permit by going to the Town Clerk’s webpage on the town’s website and select Yard Sale Permit. Below is how the page appears:

Screen Shot 2014-10-06 at 12.20.41 PM

 

Registering for the free permit takes less than two minutes as the resident fills in  an online form with the date, time, address of the sale and contact information about the sponsor; the free permit will be emailed automatically; residents who do not have access to email may call or visit the Town Clerk’s office and the staff will be happy to help.

The Town Clerk’s office is reached at 617-993-2600 or townclerk@belmont-ma.gov .

As a side benefit of the new bylaw, yard sale enthusiasts may use the web page to view a map of registered Belmont yard sales or print a list or registered yard sales for the upcoming two weeks.

Breaking News: Cunningham Resigns From School Committee

Belmont School Committee member Kevin Cunningham, known for his loquacious manner and attention to detail, is resigning from the committee effective when a replacement is found or by Nov. 15.

In a letter [see Cunningham’s statement below] to Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, Cunningham said while he had hoped to complete his three-year term ending in April 2017, “I find that financial and family issues, long held in abeyance in favor of contributing to the schools, must now take priority.”

Cunningham and his wife, Lisa Gibalerio, are parents of three children in the Belmont schools.

Cunningham won re-election to the committee in April’s Town Election, receiving 3,501 votes as he and fellow incumbent Laurie Graham ran unopposed for the two open seats.

Cunningham won his seat when he topped the field of three with 2,101 votes as he and Graham beat out School Committee chair Ann Rittenburg for places on the committee. The year before, he finished a distant third with two seats available.

During his tenure on the committee, Cunningham directed most of his energy on budget and financial matters, work he won praise from colleagues and town officials for bringing an analytical, forward thinking approach to the school budget, using realistic, unemotional assumptions on revenue and spending.

He is also one of the architects of “One Town, One Budget,” a process Selectman Andy Rojas described at this year’s Town Meeting as creating a realistic budget “we all could support” through a collaborative effort between the school district and town government.

“I appreciate the movement of the School Department, and the Town generally, toward long-term financial planning, and I am so glad that all of us representing the public have worked together with respect and without rancor on the core issues of the district and town,” wrote Cunningham in his letter.

Cunningham also brought a natural inquisitive nature to the committee, which, at times, resulted in sometimes verbose “stream of consciousness” questioning that could approach Proustian lengths.

Yet each one of his questions brought to the fore important details to relative issues, from broad budgetary concepts to querying the need to send school trips overseas “when there’s just as much to see in Chicago.”

Cunningham’s replacement – to be selected by a joint committee of the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee – will fill the seat only until the Town Election in April 2015. Then the appointed replace, and any other registered voter can seek to fill the two-years remaining in Cunningham’s term.

With Cunningham’s resignation, three of the six seats on the committee will be open with incumbents Anne Lougee and Lisa Fiore expected to run.

Kevin Cunningham’s letter to Town Clerk Ellen Cushman dated Oct. 6. 

Dear Ellen:

I am writing today to formally resign from the elected position of School Committee Member, effective either when another qualified candidate is appointed jointly by the School Committee and Board of Selectmen, or by November 15, whichever comes first.

I am deeply grateful to my fellow citizens for having afforded me the opportunity to contribute to the Town of Belmont and our outstanding school system in this capacity for over three and a half years. It has been a privilege to work alongside so many people who are so skilled at – and devoted to – promoting excellent outcomes for all the students in town. I appreciate the movement of the School Department, and the Town generally, toward long-term financial planning, and I am so glad that all of us representing the public have worked together with respect and without rancor on the core issues of the district and town. I have been especially fortunate to serve along so many skilled School Committee members, current and past, and such highly qualified professionals throughout the school system.

I would truly prefer to continue to serve our town in my current capacity as School Committee member – I feel I still have much to offer, and serving feeds my soul. But I find that financial and family issues, long held in abeyance in favor of contributing to the schools, must now take priority.

And so I withdraw myself from my elected role. To the extent that I can still help the schools in a more limited way, I have informed the Chair of my availability.

Sincerely,

Kevin Cunningham

The Week to Come: Macbeth at the Beech Tuesday, Fire HQ Open House Wednesday

Upper school students at the Chenery Middle School are invited to attend the 7th and 8th Grade Book Club at the Belmont Public Library on Monday, Oct. 6 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Young Adult Room. Come discuss The Waking:  Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall, eat snacks, and pick next month’s book. Grab your copy of the book from the New Teen Fiction shelf. For more information, call 617-993-2873 or send an e-mail to cmitchem@minlib.net.

Belmont Public Library will be rockin’ Tuesday night, Oct. 7, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. as the Belmont Cultural Council presents a concert of blues, folk and early rock & roll with Jumpin’ Juba in the Assembly Room. This concert is free and open to the general public. Jumpin’ Juba – featuring Steve Hurl (guitars, vocal) and Bruce Ward (piano) – mixes regional blues from Chicago, Memphis and New Orleans together with roots-y rock & roll, jazz, calypso, and Latin flavors.

Come see the Scottish Play performed on the Beech. The New Rep Theatre’s classic company returns to the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. to deliver a performance of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” Considered one of The Bard’s darkest and most powerful works, this tragedy dramatizes the corrosive psychological and political effects produced when evil becomes the means to power. Cost: $10 adults, $5 kids under 16

Eleanor Baker of AAA Southern New England will give a presentation at the Beech Street Center on “Winter driving: How to Go on Ice and Snow” on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 1:15 p.m. She will share tips on how to deal safely with winter driving conditions. Baker is a certified instructor for AAA’s Driver Improvement Program.

The Belmont Fire Department is holding an open house at the Fire Department Headquarters on Wednesday, Oct. 8 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. as part of Fire Prevention Week. Pizza will be provided by Papa Ginos, and there will be demonstrations provided by members of the Fire Department. The HQ is located at 299 Trapelo Rd.

The Wellington Elementary School is celebrating International Walk to School Day on Wednesday Oct. 8 with nine celebrity walkers starting off (from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m.) from nine designated street corners as they bring students and parents to the school. Contact Diane Hutchins-Fridmann at dianehf98@gmail.com or 617-593-5014.

On the government side of things: The Zoning Board of Appeals will discuss a new eatery with a BBQ theme in the Belmont Street location once home to Gustazo Cuban Restaurant on Monday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at  in the Belmont Art Gallary on the third floor of the Homer Building in the Town Hall complex. Teachers earning professional status will be honored by the School Committee at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School. The Planning Board will begin discussions on reviewing Special Permit Applications on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 7:15 p.m. in the Belmont Art Gallary in the Homer Building. The Community Preservation Committee will announce which applications were selected and rejected in the preliminary round of this year’s grant applications on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. at Town Hall. 

 

 

 

Sports: Belmont Football’s First Home Game A Start In the Right Direction

The contest between Belmont High School and Arlington was never in doubt.

The Spy Ponders came into Belmont’s Harris Field on Thursday night, Oct. 2, riding an impressive 3-0 start to the season, dusting off with ease three established programs while the host Marauders had taken a series of lumps since opening the 2014 campaign four weeks ago.

But a participant at the game said before the teams came out onto the field for Belmont’s first home game on the new Harris turf field – along with the White Field House were renovated over the summer – that the game’s outcome was irrelevant to its purpose.

“The score means nothing because this game marks the start of a new time for Belmont [football],” he said.

With a new energetic head coach, Yann Kumin, and his young brain trust, an invigorated boosters program, a newly-established Middle School football team and the new infrastructure in place, a renewed sense of enthusiasm and optimism has taken hold around the Belmont football program which 50 years ago in November won their last state championship.

“We are really moving in the right direction. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I’m a pretty honest guy and if I think were taking a step backward I’m gonna say it. But I don’t see that,” said Kumin.

And members of that last championship team – all grey, many retired – led out the squad onto the field. A piper heralded the players – wearing new spiffy camouflage jerseys – onto the south end zone where they huddled and entered their home field for the first time.

In the game, which ended 49-13, Belmont was outmatched by a disciplined Arlington squad that ran through the middle of the Marauders defensive line seemingly at will. On the other side of the ball, Belmont could not get the offense running effectively against a strong SpyPonder defense.

“Obviously, defensively we just have to keep learning and keep growing and as coaches we have to figure out what we need to do a better job,” said Kumin.

“[Arlington Head Coach John] Dubs [Dubzinski] has done a great job over there. He’s done what we’re trying to do here,” said Kumin, referring to Dubzinski’s reconstruction of the Arlington program in four years from the 3-8 team to co-champions with Reading in 2013.

“I have so much respect for their program and their kids. You can tell they are a discipline and classy program,” he said.

Marauder highlights included a pair of long touchdown passes from sophomore QB Chris Christofori to lanky junior WR Justin Wagner, the last TD scored in the final 10 seconds, a several inspired runs by talented running back Michel Johnson.

“It sounds counterintuitive after letting up 41 points in the first half and that’s not what we’re trying to do as a team but I am so proud of this team because there is such a sense of family and togetherness,” Kumin told the Belmontonian.

The problem isn’t that his loss hurt. The problem would have been if it didn’t hurt and they didn’t want to come back on Friday and Saturday to work and continue to grow as a program,” he said.

After the end of the game, Kamin told the team he appreciated the effort each team member has made in the seven weeks since the new Belmont football program began.

“You worked hard for four quarters today. We depended on each other. I am humbled by your work,” said Kamin, adding that when the team wins a Middlesex League title at some future date, he wanted to see the present day seniors, “Max, Mugsy, D Chen, J Paul, Price, Omar on that day and tell you what you started to build, the seed that you planted for this program is growing into something big.”

“If you guys can show the same discipline, focus and heart and pride and energy for the rest of your life that you showed for Marauder football, then I’ll put my head down on the pillow tonight and I’m going to sleep great because you’ll be men I can be proud of.”

Belmont Youth Hockey Girls Opening for the Bruins Friday

The Belmont Youth Hockey Association’s Under 12 (U12) Mauraders Girls’ Hockey team is traveling all the way to Providence, RI to opening for the Providence Bruins, the top development team for the NHL’s Boston Bruins, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Arena today, Friday, Oct. 3.

The Marauders, coached by Peter Noone, will face the Walpole U12 team at 5 p.m., prior to the P-Bruins 7 p.m. preseason match with the Springfield Falcons.

The Mauraders’ will open their regular season this Sunday, Oct. 5, against nemesis Arlington.

Benton Library Open ‘Late’ Tonight Friday

The Benton Library, Belmont’s independent library, will be open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today, Friday, Oct. 3, as part of the library’s long standing program of staying open “late” on the first Friday evening of every month.

Make the Benton a stop on your way home or after dinner. See the latest New York Times Best sellers. Browse the collection and use the library’s wifi connection. Buy some of the reasonably priced sale books with all proceeds going to the Benton.