Belmont Town Meeting, Budget Articles

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Welcome to the future as the 2014 annual Belmont Town Meeting reconvenes in the relative comfort of the Chenery Middle School’s auditorium tonight, Monday, June 2.
Tonight brings not just the premier of the fiscal 2015 budgets but also e-voting to the 155-year-old legislative body. Just after Moderator Mike Widmer brings the assembly to order, there will be a tutorial on how to use the voting devices.
There will be special recognitions tonight with one being Belmont Superintendent Dr. Thomas Kingston who will be leaving his interim position.
7:10 p.m.: A great rendition of “God Bless America” by the one-and-only Sandy Kendall who is being feted by the Selectmen, State Sen. Brownsberger and State Rep. Rogers for her great works around town. Three standing ovations to a classy lady.
Bob Gallant is honored for his great work with the town bylaws and creating the McLean agreement.
Kingston is honored for bringing a more collegial effort to the town/school relationship. In a great gesture, Kingston brings up Dr. Shea who was named the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year this year.
7:30 p.m.: By introducing the articles, Moderator Mike Widmer said electronic voting, which is being introduced tonight, will make our “wonderful clerks” obsolete.
Widmer said there will be a dry run with the e-voting devices, the “latest fashion statement” said Town Clerk Ellen Cushman. The polls will be declared open and you will have 40 seconds to vote. This should be neat. Aggregate voting will be anonymous. A roll call vote will be recorded. The practice votes: did you attend Town Day? (No was the majority vote). Will the Red Sox win tonight (a roll call vote with yes winning easily)
That was fun. Now for the budget.
7:45 p.m.: Article 18: Salaries for town officials. Pretty straight forward. Not much to debate. And it is adopted unanimously.
Article 19: Enterprise Funds for Water and Sewer and Stormwater Services. Again, fairly standard routine financial event; this year nearly $6 million in user fees will go to fund the Water Department and $8 million in sewer and storm water revenue to fund the maintenance of our sewers. Yes with no discussion or no vote.
Article 20: the fiscal ’15 Budget Appropriation: This is it: where your taxes go to in the general government and the schools totaling $95.2 million. Presentation about general government, schools and Minuteman. Selectman Chair Andy Rojas said the fiscal ’15 budget was created under a collaborative effort known as “One Town, One Budget” approach; a realistic budget “we all could support” by reaching consensus. Rojas talked about the Financial Task-Force and precinct meetings concerning the OPEB payments. He said the selectmen take seriously the Belmont Center reconstruction project as well as the new Minuteman Regional contract.
Mike Libenson, chair of the Warrant Committee, the Meeting’s financial watchdog, gives his committee’s opinion on the budget. He praised the budget process from the town and school sides at a 58/42 percent split. He is explaining how the budget is created – or how the sausage is made – ending in mid-May. He shows the pie chart of available revenue which nearly 3/4 comes from property taxes. State aid is a variable number with this year was actually a positive for Belmont to make this a “drama-free” budget.
Libenson said that on the expense side, the fix costs are paid right away, about $15 million (pensions and debt making up the majority of these funds as well as nearly $2 million for roads), with $79.6 million in discretionary fund to be divided between schools and government.
The operating budget is 58 percent to the schools and the rest to the general government; the two big parts: 16 percent public safety, 12 percent public service.
Highlights include town departments level funded or a little better, the schools being walloped by 139 students saw its budget increasing by 4.1 percent. Healthcare costs remain flat – a big winner for the town’s bottom line and a new combined Facilities Department and a new director Gerald Boyle.
Risks: Revenue growth will only rise by 2.5 to 3.5 percent growth while employee compensation is 69 percent of the budget and that’s going up, significant infrastructure needs (the list goes on and on; a new high school, library, DPW building, police station, the rink and the White Field House) and school budget pressure continues with rocketing enrollment, compensation (a new contract with the teachers is coming) special ed and rising direct cost. “There will be pressure on all fronts.”
Pensions and OPEB (health costs after retirement) are costly: $6 million contribution to unfunded liability which will be covered by 2027. The town is making a contribution to the OPEB account, which currently is at $196 million, of $265,000. It’s tiny amount but the rating agencies want to see something.
“All towns are in the same boat and work with Will and Dave to have the best results,” said Libenson. His report was quick and precise.
8:25 p.m.: Now there will be nine articles under general government.
A question by Vincent Stanton, Pct. 3; can the town use a later date for the pension to be paid for to 2040. Lebenson said he hadn’t looked at it. Town Administrator David Kale said town’s want to get rid of this expense as soon as possible due to the ups and downs of the economy.
The pensions will be the first real test of an article. And the vote is in: 224 yes, five opposed, and three or two not voting.
Johanna Swift Hart, Pct. 4, wants to know about the $60,000 funding of a school resource officer under the public safety appropriation of $12.8 million. Mark Paolillo of the selectmen said the cost is covered. Swift Hart said she was concerned that under the school’s order of priority spending, an officer was “next to last” behind teachers, education, smaller classes … Couldn’t that money be better spent on educating. Paolillo said the additional money was there and a SRO in the High School enhances the safety of the students.

8:40 p.m.: Now the school department budget with Chair Laurie Slap providing an overview of the achievements and what’s up. The issues facing the schools is, of course, exploding enrollment, increasing class size, greater special needs and strains on the staff and budget. She highlights all the students who are coming “across the world” 102 to 182 students needing help in English instruction.

The future is scary as 500 new students could be coming to the district in the next decade. Short-term, the department will attempt to cope with the enrollment boom; long term, the need will be additional space. While renovating the high school, it may need to be a 8th grade to 12th grade.

But how to keep this great district sustainable? It will focus on studying the finances with a subcommittee, using “trend modeling” groups and other issues.

Superintendent Kingston discuss the three pillars that keep Belmont as a top level 3 status, a rare achievement.

The primary cost drivers are salaries, enrollment and special ed while losing federal grants. The real cost to run the district is $52.4 million, with the general fund request of $46.2 million, a four percent increase.

8:57 p.m.: Discussion from the members: Yes. Christine Doyle, pct. 1, asks how much the additional tax, such as student fees, is being paid to the district; her family is paying $1,100. Kingston agrees that is an issue but they are trying to keep them level.

Rachel Berger, pct. 2, said there is a lot of user fees, such as 60 percent of the athletic department. Outside fees supports so much “and this is not a Cadillac budget, it’s not even your father’s Oldsmobile budget” and the town will need more funding to keep this level of education.

Kimberly Becker, pct 6, said the “O” word; override, which needs to be placed on the November ballot to get the greatest level of voting.

Paul Roberts, pct. 8, said there are already changes being made due to limited budget such as teaching team structures at the Chenery Middle School. He worries that modular classrooms will be used to save money because we don’t have the money. What other examples of budget constraints if impacting the schools today? Kingston said the elimination of the fifth grade foreign language was one example. “Sometimes we have to make

Anne Mahon, pct. 5, said “Don’t kid yourself, a level service budget doesn’t do our kids anything.” Help the schools by playing an override in November.

This is a roll call vote with the e-voting system which comes out overwhelmingly in support of the school budget.

9:28 p.m.: After a short “stretch” break, the Minuteman Regional High School appropriation of $751,000, which is lower by nearly 12 percent, or $100,000, from last year’s budget due to lower enrollment, while the school’s total enrollment has increased along with a boom in out-of-district student tuition. Approved with little debate.

The final budget item, the debt and interest, in the fiscal ’15 budget is approved.

Belmont now has its fiscal 2015 budget coming in at $95.2 million.

9:50 p.m.: Article 21: Authorization to Transfer Balances to Fund the ’15 Budget. A straight forward transfer to keep the upcoming budget out of the red. 204 in favor and 6 opposed.

Now we are at Article 22: Authorization for Up-Front Funds for Chapter 90 Highway Improvements. That’s $534,000 from the state to repair our roads. Passes easily.

And Widmer agrees to go forward with the Capital Budget. Ann Marie Mahoney, committee chair, said they had $4.3 million in requests from all departments, but only with available funds of $1.4 million. Unlike past years, there is no “big ticket” items although there was some of those from the library, the schools or the Belmont Center reconstruction project. There will be a snow blower, $200,000 in sidewalk maintenance, $133,000 in building envelop improvements, only two town vehicles, a new surface for the Town Field’s basketball courts and a fingerprinting “livescan” system. Mahoney said she would love to have $3 million a year that doesn’t rely on one-time funds.

“We need more revenue, more predictable revenue,” said Mahoney.

Roger Colton, pct. 6, has submitted an amendment to the capital budget article, who will add $30,000 to the sidewalk maintenance budget by taking it from the Grove Street Master Plan. The Warrant Committee voted 7 to 7 on the amendment and the Capital Budget Committee voted one for, two against and one not voting. Colton said this is just the sort of question that Town Meeting was created; to make priorities. He said residents asked why give money to the schools when the sidewalks aren’t repaired. He said when the town has to go to the voters for an operational override, it must show that Town Meeting has their priorities straight.

Mahoney has submitted her own amendment to the amendment that would take the $30,000 and place it in three other requests. She said she had hoped that Colton had come to the committee’s meeting to hear the debate on the request.

Andy Rojas said he placed the request for the neighbors who are in conflict with youth sports specifically baseball. A master plan will be help control the ad hoc nature of our parks that are “overused and underfunded” which will be the first step with Community Preservation Committee funding coming afterwards to implement the plan’s recommendations. Colton’s amendment is a “false argument.”

Chris Doyle, pct 1, why can’t the master plan be paid for by the CPC and what’s the shelf life of a master plan. Rojas said the CPC will not pay for it and the master plan (he is backed up by Town Treasurer Floyd Carman) for a park like this is five years. How about the youth baseball people pay for the master plan. Rojas said the baseball people do play their fair share.

Swift Hart, pct 4, said she had seen the town pay for plans that could not be implemented and why not an overall recreation plan instead of being driven by a neighborhood that’s angry about parking.

Deb Lockett, pct. 7, a neighbor to the Grove Park, said she was concerned it was coming out of the overburdened Capital Budget. After a series of conversations, Lockett said the selectman had promised that a master plan would be coming and this is the follow up. It can also spur other reports for other parks and the CPC will then pay for them. So while agreeing with some of Colton’s arguments, she can’t support it because this expenditure will result in critical answers.

Paul Roberts, pct. 8, said he hopes the selectmen are “listening” to Mahoney, Libenson and Slap the town does not have the revenues needed to support all the needs; an override is needed.

James Stanton, pct. 1, said why pay an outside consultant $30,000 when this should be a job of the selectmen (to cheers).

11 p.m.: Town Meeting has now reached its fourth hour, just as long as it took Belmont High baseball to play that marathon 16-inning game on Friday night. One member told me that Town Meeting would be completed tonight. HA!

Donna Ruvolo, pct. 7, said she finds paying $30,000 for a report a bit bewildering but the park, which is now being mismanaged, is in need of a plan to save it. “This is our property” as a town, not for a single neighborhood. “The entire town should have a voice in deciding this issue,” said Ruvolo.

A Scott Sheffield who is not a member but is allowed to speak on the measure. The 10-acre park – in a densely urban areas – does not have the amenities like so many parks in surrounding towns. For $30,000, that could be accomplished.

The motion has been moved and the e-vote in underway. 69 to 114 against. Colton’s amendment is defeated.

The capital budget is approved by a very tired meeting. Time to go home. It’s 11:19 p.m.

See you Wednesday.

2014 Class Act: Belmont High Graduates Seniors into the World

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Salutations, speeches, songs and even a selfie. The 2014 graduating class of Belmont High School was feted in a myriad of ways at the final ceremony of – for many of the graduates – 13 years of education in the Belmont school system.

On a brilliant late spring day, the 265 graduates – one of the largest senior classes in recent history – had to cool their heels upstairs in the “little” gym before descending into a hallway with faculty, staff and School Committee members just outside the Wenner Field House. Inside were parents, relatives, siblings and friends, many with cameras, iPads and smartphones at the ready to help remember the celebration.

Leading the way in was Belmont School Superintendent Dr. Thomas Kingston whose three-year long “interim” tenure heading the district is coming to an end on June 30. It also marked the end of an active career as an educator of nearly half a century.

“All graduations are a bit bittersweet,” said Kingston, who said he had been to so many in his career his academic robes had become frayed.

And a few minutes after 3 p.m. – not that many people were worried about being tardy – the graduation possession proceeded with Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” by the school’s Symphonic Winds.

The ceremony’s highlights were the exceptional speeches from three outstanding graduates.

Class President Tyler Normale – or as he was known, “El Presidente” – said he is the 32nd member of his extended family to have graduated from Belmont High School, a school in what is more than just a small town; “it is a community … a place to be together, and a place where everyone knows everyone.”

Speaking of the activities his classmates had in common, Normale said it took a “thick skin, hard work, perseverance and countless sleepless hours with nothing but caffeine” to move through the four years of high school and to be seating in the Field House on this day.

Normale, who will be attending Stonehill in the fall, asked his classmates to turn around and give those nearby a hug, a high five and a handshake before turning around himself to take a group selfie of himself and his classmates, a gesture leading to a standing ovation from this classmates.

The two graduation speakers, honored with the School Committee Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship, saw their classmates as having

An accomplished violinist and outstanding academic – her senior thesis was honored with the Lillian Blacker Award – Aldis Elfarsdottir said while they praise those who helped shape us such as parents, family, teachers and friends, she asked her classmates to think of those “you only glancingly saw” in hallways and classrooms; “those you probably known by name but have never really spoken to.”

“You might be one of them,” said Elfarsdottir, who is matriculating at Harvard.

“All around us, there are people we don’t really know, who we take for granted to always act in certain ways” – Elfarsdottir never got to know the young man who had the locker next to hers through most of High School – which can change quietly or with a burst of friendly charm.

“Whether or not we choose to burst our with friendliness as we bump into new people in the future depends on ourselves. It is up to us … [to] bring out the compassion and goodness in ourselves and others of our global community,” she said.

Yuansi Amy Zhang admitted being a perfectionist from the time when she had to answer all the “Mad Minute” questions correctly. So given the opportunity to write one of the graduation speeches, she was flooded with excitement and anxiety “as the intrinsic need for fiction coursed through my body.”

Joining Elfarsdottir at Harvard, Zhang – a first-class scientist and four-year volunteer education aide – said she soon realized the speech need not be perfect but have some long-lasting impact on her classmates, a speech “tinged with permanence.”

“I believe that an individual, like a good speech, should strive to have style, substance and a permanent impact” one achieved through hard work, perseverance and practice, she said.

Asking her classmates to think of what, over the past 13 years, helped shape their character and their own quest for permanence, Zhang said she believed the class of 2014 remain in control of that goal “because we can choose what impact we make on the world.”

“We cannot be the future until we make the conscious decision to become part of the present,” said Zhang.

And for the next 45 minutes, that present was for each of the seniors to receive their diplomas, toss their caps into the air and then walking out into the warm afternoon newly-minted alumni.

Soon, several young men continued the recent tradition of lighting up a “victory” cigars – this year joined by a few young women – while classmates gathered for photographs, handshakes and hugs.

Belmont Town Meeting Reconvenes With Budgets on the Agenda

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Belmont’s annual Town Meeting, 2.0, will commence tonight as the town’s yearly legislative gathering will reconvene after a three week hiatus to take on the $95 million town and school budget.

The meeting, known as Section B, will take place at the Chenery Middle School, 95 Washington St., at 7 p.m., Monday, June 2, having decamped from Belmont High School.

The meeting members will review and vote on budget articles including general government, school district, capital improvements and all other sundry financial items.

The order of the articles will be 18 through 27 and then non-budgetary articles 3 and 14, according to Town Clerk Ellen Cushman. 

Budget information can be found on the Town Clerk’s web page on the town’s web site.

But before the meetings articles are taken up, the 300-odd member will pick up “response cards” – or voting devices – before the start of Town Meeting. There will be a brief overview as well as a hand-out to familiarize members with the new technology. It’s anticipated all voting will be cataloged electronically tonight and at future Town Meetings.

If time permits, members will debate two non-financial articles:

  • Articles 3 proposes action regarding a proposed amendment to the Minuteman Regional Vocational High School Regional Agreement, and
  • Article 14 seeks to amend the Town’s Zoning By-law to Address Citizens’ Petition from 2013 Special Town Meeting.

PHOTOS: Second Sunny Saturday Greets Rescheduled Belmont Town Day

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Would Belmont Town Day, delayed a fortnight by rain that never came, be dampened by precipitation on the day it was rescheduled, the last day of May?

Two weeks previous, predictions of a stormy weekend by weather forecasters forced the hand of Town Day’s hosts, the Belmont Center Business Association, who postponed the yearly event. 

That Saturday turned out to be the best weekend of the year, warm without a cloud in the sky all day.

With fingers crossed, John Gallagher, a manager at Champions Sporting Goods who helps manage the yearly festival, said he was expecting the same conditions on Saturday, May 31.

“We’re due,” he said.

But that prediction appeared a bit iffy as the same weather prognosticators predicted showers on Saturday morning.

Thankfully, the experts were incorrect for a second time as the entire day was just as sunny but just a bit cooler for the crowds to came to Belmont Center for a day of fun and food.

Sponsored by Belmont Savings Bank, events as diverse as kiddy rides, a petting zone sponsored by the Lions Club, eats and tables manned by organizations and businesses lined Leonard Street as the multitude of residents and visitors browsed, rode and walked the scene.

Cella, Jones Second to One in 200 at Divisional Track Championships

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The former sprinter and outstanding coach Latif Thomas said, the 200 meters “is the Rodney Dangerfield of the sprint events. It gets no respect. When we commonly think of the sprint events, the 100 meter dash gets all the glory and the 400 meter dash gets all the respect.”

But don’t tell Belmont’s Julia Cella and Max Jones that “the Duce” is a race no one loves.

On the Pembroke High School track Saturday, May 31, the freshman Cella and junior Jones both took second in their 200 races at the Eastern Massachusetts Division 3 Track and Field championships.

Cella powered home in 26.09, taking second to Dennis Yarmouth’s sophomore Madison Pawlina who just dipped under 26 seconds (25.98).

Over on the boys’ side, Jones’ 23.05 was only beaten by Falmouth’s Craig Green who easily won the title in 22.59, to go along with his 100-meter championship. Jones also grab a point in the long jump by finishing 8th with a jump of 18 feet, 9 1/2 inches.

But the 200 was just part of a busy day for the 9th grader. Cella took an additional second place, this time in the 100 meters in 12.74, just behind senior Jessica Scott from Hopkinton. Cella was the only freshman to compete in the finals of the 100 and 200. Yet she was not the only Belmont freshman running the 100 Saturday; Marley Williams took 16th in the crowded field.

Cella finally anchored Belmont’s 4 x 100 meter squad – made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores – to third in an outstanding time of 50.74.

By the end of the meet, Cella accounted for 22 of Belmont Girls’ 26 points which placed the Marauders in 11th place, just a point outside of the top 10.

Adding to Belmont’s point total was senior Julia Lenef – who would graduate the next day – who finished 4th in the 800 meters, finishing behind Dracut senior Karina Shepard who broke the Div. 3 record in 2:13.12. Lenef also placed 11th in the triple jump.

And just as busy as Cella, sophomore Samantha Kelts took part in the 100 meter hurdles, high jump and triple jump.

Joining Jones on the scoring table was junior Ari Silverfine who broke the two-minute barrier in the 800 with a 1.59:20 to finish fourth and grab five points.  Just missing scoring was junior Thomas Wasserman who finished 9th in the discus.

The Week Ahead in Belmont: Chenery Courtyard Celebration, Climate Control and Curry

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• The Belmont community is invited to the 10th annual Chenery Courtyard Celebration of the Arts, taking place on Tuesday, June 3 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., come rain or shine, in the Chenery Middle School courtyard. Theatrical and musical performances by Chenery students and the Belmont Senior Center’s The Bellaires will accompany the artwork by the Chenery students inspired by the courtyard gardens. Refreshments will be served.
• Attract butterflies and other pollinators to your garden by choosing host plants at “Pollinator Gardens – Buzz and Flutter” hosted by the Massachusetts Audubon’s Habitat Sanctuary’s Barbara Brown at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, June 3 from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Learn a bit about some common plants and flowers and their connection to butterflies. This talk is open to the entire community.
• The Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau Clinic is coming to the Beech Street Center on Friday, June 6 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Services are free if you are over 60 and a resident of Belmont, Brookline, Waltham, Watertown and other surrounding communities. Appointments are 15 minutes long. Among the issues they handle are: Public Benefits (SSI, SSDI, MassHealth), housing, divorce, custody, child support, elder issues, and issues related to low-moderate income entrepreneurs. They can refer you to other resources if you need further assistance.
• Chenery Middle School students: Bring your homework by the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library on early Wednesday, June 4 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. for lemonade and cookies. This is for middleschoolers only!
• The annual meeting of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library will be held Thursday, June 5 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library.
• Sustainable Belmont in conjunction with Boston Metrowest Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Control will be holding a talk at the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room on Saturday, June 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help Belmont residents learn about creating a stable climate.

• The Powers Music School will be holding their All-School Recitals throughout the day on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 at the All Saint’s Church at the corner of Church and Common streets.
• Learn what 1.2 billion people already know: making Indian food is both simple and tasty. Learn about creating one-pot Indian meals at a cooking demo with Kathy Chandrakasan and Priya Senthil at the Beech Street Center on Friday, June 6 from 1:30 p.m. They will show how simple the preparation of an Indian (vegetarian) entrée can be – with only a few herbs and spices.

Open Houses In Belmont: Seven Figures for the One Percent

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Here are a few of the open houses in Belmont this weekend.

In fact, this week, how about the homes that are selling for a pretty penny; more like 100 million pennies: homes that are listed for more than $1 million. And according to the Seattle-based real estate brokerage firm Redfin, the most expensive one percent of homes nationwide are hot, hot, hot, with sales up 21 percent since January, while sales of the 99 percent of “lower end” housing are off 7.6 percent.

“There are haves and have nots, and the haves are the ones out buying,” Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman said.

• 531 Concord Ave. Open house: Sunday, June 1, Noon to 1:30 p.m. Three-story Georgian Revival (1926), 7,277 sq.-ft. on 1.6 acres. 18 rooms, 7 bedrooms (it has 7 fireplaces, a “Gone With The Wind” staircase and its own museum section. MUSEUM! Price tag: $3,950,000.

• 20 Wellington Lane. (a stone’s throw from 531 Concord) Open house, Sunday, June 1, Noon to 1:30 p.m. Brand new Colonial”-ish” structure. 5,701 sq.-ft. (with 2,200 square feet still unfinished). 18 rooms, 5 bedrooms. (Looks finished but the photo shows the driveway not connect to the garage.) Price tag: $2,775,000.

• 529 Concord Ave. (next door to 531 Concord) Open house, Sunday, June 1, Noon to 1:30 p.m. Brand new “contemporary.” Only 5,664 sq.-ft. (with 2,100 square feet left unfinished) on a “mere” half acre. 18 rooms, 5 bedrooms. Price tag: $2,745,000.

• 26 Cedar Road (designed by H. Thaxter Underwood who built in the same year the Underwood Pool bathhouse.) Open house, Sunday, June 1, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; Monday June 2, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Antique stucco Colonial (1912). 3,700 sq.-ft. 11 rooms, 6 bedrooms. (Brokers contend the house is located on a hill in Belmont; Walnut Hill. That’s a first.) Price tag: $1,795,000.

• 85 Woodbine Road (in what’s called “Old Belmont Hill” abutting Habitat) Open house, Sunday, June 1, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Another stucco Colonial (1948).” 3,244 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 4 bedrooms. Price tag: $1,595,000. (Recently reduced!)

• 7 Prentiss Lane (described as a “mini estate”) Open house, Sunday, June 1, Noon to 1:30 p.m. Custom brick “cottage” design (1926). 2,381 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms. Price tag: $1,580,000. 

• 232 Prospect St. Open house, Sunday, June 1, Noon to 1:30 p.m. What says Belmont better than a “Belmont Hill Classic Center Entrance Colonial” (1932). 3,220 sq.-ft. 11 rooms, 4 bedrooms. Price tag: $1,415,000. 

• 6 Highland Road Open house, Sunday, June 1, 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Colonial that was gut-rehabbed (1941) on the bottom of “Walnut Hill.” 2,237 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms. Price tag: $1,349,000. 

• 117 School St. Open house, Sunday, June 1, Noon to 2 p.m.; Monday June 2, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Antique Victorian Shingle-style house. A classic from 1895. 3,122 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 6 bedrooms. Price tag: $1,199,000.

• 49 Payson Terrace. Open house, Sunday, June 1, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. A 1925 brick center entrance Colonial (. 2,731 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms. Price tag: $1,095,000.

• 37 Pilgram Rd. Open house, Sunday, June 1, Noon to 2 p.m.; Monday June 2, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. A BIG Tudor-style Colonial on a small – 0.13 acre – lot. (1936). 3,100 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms. Price tag: $1,048,000.

Clean Sweep for Belmont Girls’ Tennis in Playoff Opener

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Belmont High School Girls’ Tennis first met Melrose High back on a cold, windy day early in April and came away with a 4 to 1 win over the Red Raiders.

And the Middlesex League opponent was back again, yesterday, Thursday, May 29, this time in the first round of the Div. 2 North Sectionals playoffs.

And while it was a bit warmer nearly eight weeks later, the results of the five matches improved for the Marauders as Belmont (12-4) defeated Melrose, 5-0, to advance to the quarterfinals which will be held at Belmont.

Senior Annie Hang (first singles), sophomores Amanda Jung (second singles) and Nina Pellegrini (third singles) and the teams of junior Haley Sawyer and sophomore Sarah Paolillo (first doubles) and seniors Alexa Analetto and Amy Zhang (second doubles) had relatively easy matches against their Melrose opponents in their wins, said Belmont Head Coach Eileen White.

“We were looking for consistency, that was the goal, and we did have more of that today,” said White.

As for the next opponent, there is a likelihood that Belmont will meet League rivals Reading High which holds a share of the Middlesex League division title with the Marauders.

“I’m excited for Reading,” said White.

“We split with them during the season with each match 3-2 so they were very tight. We lost to them here and I was not pleased with that result,” she said.

Mastering the Blank Page: Blacker Awards Honor Three Seniors Who Filled the Bill

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Mastering the blank page starts with Belmont’s youngest writers, said Lindsey Rinder, director of English, ELL and Reading.

Speaking before an audience of students, parents, educators and the trio of Belmont High School’s outstanding seniors writers at the annual Lillian Blacker Awards, Rinder recalled a first grader coming to her before writing her very first story.

“I’ve never been an author before and I’m nervous,” she told Rinder.

And while Belmont students’ writing journey begins with stories of buried treasurer, the capstone is the Senior Thesis, a 10-to-15 page critical analysis of literature that each 12th grade student must submit to complete their English requirement for graduation.

The year-long task involves reading multiple primary sources, studying at three libraries and online, creating countless note cards and revising, reappraising and sometimes tearing up papers during the depths of the winter quarter. Many students, even those recognized for their outstanding scholarship, cringe remembering the seemingly endless hours spent in a myriad of tasks in constructing a laudable result.

And it is a monumental undertaking, said Rinder, that immerses students in the complexity and profundity of their subject and theme as a way of knowing ones self. 

“[T]he study of literature helps us understand who we are …  as it encapsulates and dissects our most human qualities; our passions, our frustrations, our capacity of great deception as well as brutal honesty, our dignity as well as our most grieves fails,” she said.

“I believe Belmont High School’s dedication to the senior thesis and to writing education singles it out from most secondary schools,” said Rinder.

And the three honorees; Aldis Elfarsdottir, Hannah Pierce-Hoffman and Samuel Korn, succeeded in impressing their teachers and the department with their work’s depth and insight.

For their accomplishments, the seniors were presented with the Lillian Blacker Awards this past May 16. A long-time Belmont resident, active in education and politics and editor at the Harvard Medical School and the Belmont Citizen newspaper, Blacker’s family created the awards in 1991 to honor her commitment to the art of writing.

Elfarsdottir, who will matriculate at Harvard, said first and foremost she wanted to thank her subject, the modernist novelist Virginia Woolf, of her first-place paper – “In Each of Us Two Powers Preside, One Male, One Female”: Virginia Woolf’s Exploration of Mental Androgyny – “because without her I would not be here to be recognized for my writing.”

She thanked the Blacker family for their recognition of the “hard work and long hours composing our thesis have paid off, literally.”

“I will say that whether we are rewarded or not should not dent our pride in our accomplishment of having planned out, styled, drafted, redrafted, revised, edited and finalized our senior theses. No matter what profession we choose, we know that writing will be an integral to our success,” said Elfarsdottir.

Pierce-Hoffman told the audience that she as ready to present her thesis on “that ‘Blade Runner’ author,” the science fiction author Philip Kindred Dick. She read his work over the summer of her junior/senior year and “discovered I wasn’t a fan …”

When asked by her teacher if she would consider Margaret Atwood, Pierce-Hoffman responded “who is she?”

But reading four novels by the Canadian writer convinced Pierce-Hoffman that “I was a fan of her.” She noticed in the works how language and the words used to express oneself also reflect inner thoughts and by subtle changes in those words, “you can change how one thinks.”

Pierce-Hoffman, who is attending Barnard in the fall, wrote her thesis – Tongue-Untied: Rebellion Through Linguistic Manipulation in Margaret Atwood’s Works – on the cautionary message that “if we don’t watch how we speak today, we are going to end up with a nightmare vision that I see in [Atwood’s] works.”

Korn, who will enter the University of Pennsylvania in September, was inspired by a performance of Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing,” not by the acting – Korn has been active with the Performing Arts Company – but its language.

“Every line reflects troubling truths about grasping realities in our own lives,” said Korn. He added the works of absurdist writer Paul Auster to focus on stories within other stories in his second prize paper, The Pervasive Narrative of Authorial Identity: Metafiction in the Works of Paul Auster & Tom Stoppard.

Yet he admitted that he was like many of his classmates, staying up into the early morning to complete assignments.

“The thesis process is ably named. It is a process,” said Korn, speaking of sorting through hundreds of note cards and article after article, book after book.

“It really is a monument to all sweat, tears and cups of coffee I put into this process,” said Korn. “The thesis process also completely changed me as a writer and a consumer of literature and, for that, I am extremely grateful.”

Aldis Elfarsdóttir Blacker 1st Place 2014-3

Sam Korn Blacker 3rd Place 2014-2

Hannah Pierce-Hoffman Blacker 2nd Place 2014-2

The Weekend In Belmont: Town Day, Graduation, Concert at First Church, Yard Sale For Fire Victims

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• Belmont Town Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Belmont Center on Saturday, May 31. There will be food, music and rides and entertainment for the kids while businesses and community groups will have tables out in the middle of Leonard Street. Don’t be scared off by the small threat of rain.

• Belmont High School Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2014 will take place at 2 p.m. in the high school’s Wenner Field House on Sunday, June 1. Later, the newly-minted alumni will participate in the All-Night Party in the High School’s cafeteria.

• The Belmont Police is holding a Gun Buyback event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the town’s DPW Yard at 37 C St. on Saturday, May 31. It is a “no questions asked” service provided by the Belmont Police and the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office; gift cards will be provided to those who participate courtesy of the Belmont Religious Council.

• A Neighborhood/Marketplace Yard Sale for the nine victims of the fire on Marlboro Street will take place on Marlboro Street between Unity and Fairview from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. 

• A Chamber Music Concert to benefit the SPARK Pediatric Division of Boston Medical Center will take place at The First Church Belmont, Unitarian Universalist, 404 Concord Ave. at 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 31. Music of Bach, Handel, Purcell, Dowland and Gilbert & Sullivan is on the playbill.

• Belmont High School Girls Tennis will likely host a quarterfinals match this weekend in the Div. 2 North sectionals but there has been no indication when that would occur as of Friday morning.