Public Interview Of Three Finalists For Fire Chief Post This Thursday, Jan. 21

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Photo: Belmont Fire Department

The Belmont Select Board will conduct public interviews the three finalists to replace David Frizzell as the town’s fire chief.

The board will conduct the one-hour interviews on Thursday, Sept. 21 beginning at 6 p.m. The candidates will be interviewed in this order:

  • 6 p.m.: Wayne Haley, Belmont acting Fire Chief
  • 7 p.m.: James Peplau, Battalion Chief,Waterbury Conn.
  • 8 p.m.: David DeStefano, Battalion Chief North Providence RI

After the interviews have taken place, the Select Board will discuss the candidates and possibly take a vote on an appointment.

Sports: Holiday Near Sweep Dampened By Season Ending Loss of Girls’ Hockey Captain

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Photo: Emma O’Donovan with Belmont High Head Coach Ken Murphy

Belmont High sports teams came out of the Martin Luther King Day holiday on the right foot as all four teams took away points in their reverse fixtures against Winchester on Monday, Jan. 18.

But a dark cloud ascended over the day’s good results as the Belmont High Girls Ice Hockey program lost its most dynamic player for the remainder of the shortened season.

Senior captain and offensive powerhouse Emma O’Donovan suffered a serious injury in the final five minutes of the Marauders 3-2 victory over the Sachems in a game played at Woburn. While picking up a puck behind the Winchester’s net, O’Donovan – who scored a pair of goals in the game – was pushed into the end boards by a Sachem defender. O’Donovan went directly to the ice and stayed there for nearly 10 minutes.

The Winchester player was issued a game misconduct for a boarding infraction – it’s unknown if the penalty was reduced post game – as O’Donovan was taken for medical care. A number of individuals with direct knowledge of the injury said the senior captain suffered a broken leg in two places.

O’Donovan’s line mate senior Sam Rocci scored the Marauders other goal as Belmont saw its record rise to 3-0-1.

The loss of O’Donovan is especially hard for the team and community knowing how the senior has struggled and succeeded to stay on the ice and the field hockey pitch. A first-year phenom, O’Donovan missed her sophomore year in 2018 after it was discovered she was suffering a aneurysmal bone cyst in her left ankle, result in her missing that year and required multiple operations. An article in the Boston Globe (“Belmont’s Emma O’Donovan has been the epitome of perseverance” Jan. 13), detailed her effort to getting back on the ice at the same high standards as before the diagnostic.

O’Donovan was seeking to reach the 100 point career mark and was 21 points from that goal after scoring eight goals and one assist this season.

Senior Caleb Christensen put in an offensive rebound with 14 seconds remaining to give Belmont Boys’ Basketball a 62-61 over previously undefeated Winchester (3-1) at the Wenner Field House. The victory marks the second time the Marauders (2-2) lost the first game of a series only to take the second, having lost to Winchester by three, 52-49, on Saturday.

After rolling past Winchester in the first game three days earlier by 28 points (80-52), Belmont Girls’ Basketball had a bit of a tighter game against the Sachems but came out on top, 42-34, as the team goes to 3-1 in the season.

Boys hockey fell behind twice only to rally with two goals in the second to earn the tie against the Sachems to remain undefeated. Senior Ben Fici and sophomore Peter Grace tallied for the 3-0-1 Marauders as sophomore goalie Ryan Griffin posted 34 saves.

Belmont, US Remembers Lives Lost To COVID On Tuesday

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Photo: Chairs will be placed in honor for those who died of COVID-19

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, the town of Belmont joins the country in remembering and honoring the lives lost to COVID-19 by placing 74 empty chairs – for the number of deaths in Belmont – on the property of First Church in Belmont, Unitarian Universalist, 404 Concord Ave.

Belmont will be joined by cities and towns across the country at 5:30 p.m. at a brief ceremony that will conclude with the ringing of church bells.

The town hopes you might observe this from a safe distance and wearing a mask while walking by the intersection of Concord Avenue and Common Street.

Residents Bring Tons of Cardboard During Saturday’s Drop Off Event

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Photo: Cardboard drop-off remains a popular event in Belmont

The line of cars and other vehicles stretched down C Street and out onto Waverley Street this past Saturday, Jan. 9, all driven by Belmontians with a single goal in common: take our cardboard – PLEASE!

With holiday shopping favoring the use of online sites, residents were undeterred by a first-time ever fee or the anticipated long waits to have someone to take away all the empty boxes and packages that were piling up in garages and basements.

In just five hours on Saturday morning into the afternoon, the Department of Public Works’ Highway Division collected 22 tons of cardboard filling five 40-yard long containers, two truck bays and six 6-wheel dump trucks, said Jay Marcotte, Belmont’s director of public works to the Select Board at its Monday, Jan. 11 meeting.

In total, 348 vehicles came through the DPW Yard at the new year’s first drop off event and the town’s inaugural fee-based service. Marcotte said 211 residents paid the $5 fee using the on-line registration (another 20 paid early but didn’t show up) resulting in the town pocketing approximately $1,750. With cardboard selling for something like $50 a ton, Belmont’s coffer will all told take in about $3,000.

With expenses such as a police detail and overtime for DPW personnel, the revenue taken in meant that “we’ll break even,” said Marcotte.

“So you’ll be off the hook,” said Select Board member Adam Dash referring to Select Chair Roy Epstein’s pledge to pay off any deficit saying he was confident that people would not be troubled by a small fee.

For Epstein, the more important outcome of Saturday’s event is that it has “shown its proof of concept.”

After Year End Review, Belmont Records 13 ‘Extra’ COVID-19 Deaths, 10 Since Thanksgiving

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Photo: COVID-19 deaths in Belmont is higher than originally thought.

A year-end review of official death records maintained by the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office revealed 13 additional Belmont deaths attributed to COVID-19 in 2020, according to the Belmont Health Department.

The revised total brings the town’s total COVID-19 death count since March 2020 to 74 resident including a death since the beginning of the new year, said Wesley Chin, Belmont’s Health Department director in his weekly health report dated Friday, Jan. 8.

And the Belmont health director is anticipating more cases and possible deaths in the near future.

“It’ll be a tough winter,” Chin told the Select Board last week due to the record number of COVID cases and deaths in the US and state over the past five weeks, as residents traveled to see relatives and were more likely to be at social events during the holiday season.

According to Chin:

  • Ten Belmont residents – all living outside long-term facilities – have died from COVID-19 since Thanksgiving.
  • COVID-19 deaths have disproportionately older residents, with the average age of death being approximately 85 years old.
  • 22 of these all deaths occurred among community members who were not residing in a local long-term care facility.

Belmont has 737 cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19, which is an increase of 48 cases since a Jan. 4 report.

Due to the new case count over the past two weeks, this puts Belmont in the state’s “yellow” zone according to the new color designation metrics; lower than 10 average cases/100,000 or five percentage positivity, as reported in the last two weeks.

The Town Clerk’s Office will continue to provide information for COVID-19 death statistics; the data will contribute to the town’s COVID-19 dashboard on Fridays.

The COVID-19 Vaccine

The Belmont Health Department is monitoring the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and preparing for the eventual vaccination of the general public. The Town is updating plans for large-scale vaccination of residents to ensure that doses of the vaccine are given quickly and efficiently when they arrive in Belmont.

At this time, Massachusetts is currently in Phase 1 of its vaccine distribution plan, and vaccines in Massachusetts are reserved for healthcare workers doing direct and COVID-facing care as well as employees and residents of Long-Term Care facilities. Vaccine requests for these groups are being
approved and overseen by the state.

Belmont is participating in a regional collaborative to administer vaccinations to first responders, the third priority group within Phase 1 of the Commonwealth’s vaccine distribution timeline. First responder vaccinations will begin on Tuesday, Jan 12.

At this time, the Belmont Health Department does not currently have access to COVID-19 vaccine, other than the vaccine that has already been allocated to the Town’s first responders, Chin said. Currently, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has not determined that local health departments will be involved with additional vaccine administration prior to the general public in Phase 3 of the State’s distribution plan, but that is subject to change.

Boston Globe’s Renee Graham To Speak Virtual At Belmont’s Annual MLK Breakfast

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Photo: Martin Luther King Breakfast

Belmont’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Breakfast will be held virtually on Monday, Jan. 18, at 9 a.m. through the Belmont Media Center.

The featured speaker, Renee Graham, Boston Globe associate editor and Op Ed columnist, will address the question: Rejecting ‘Normal’, Embracing Radical Change: Can we build a democracy that finally lives up to its ideals?

Graham reflects articulately and powerfully in her column on many contemporary issues – from voter suppression, to institutional racism, to LGBTQ issues, to politics, and to other social justice issues.

The event is co-sponsored by the Belmont Human Rights Commission, Belmont Against Racism, and Belmont Media Center.

To register, go to Eventbrite at: bit.ly/Register-2021MLK  For more information, contact Belmont Human Rights Commission or by email to Belmont.hrc@gmail.com or call 617-993-2795.

The event is free of charge but donations to the Belmont METCO Support Fund are greatly appreciated. Contributions may be made by cash or check to Belmont Against Racism, re:METCO Support Fund, PO Box 649, Belmont 02478 or on line at belmontagainstracism.org at the “donate” button.

Time To License Your Dogs and Cats; Deadline is March 15

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Photo: Pet licenses will be available in January.

It’s time to do the annual renewal of your dog and cat license to comply with Massachusetts General Laws as well as the Belmont bylaw, according to Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman. Make sure you license your pet by the March 15 deadline to avoid the automatic increase in fees and $50 enforcement violations.

If your pet has an up-to-date rabies vaccination currently on file with the Town Clerk’s Office, renewal of the pet license can be accomplished in fewer than two minutes by renewing and paying online. The convenience fee for a $12 pet license is an additional $1.22.

At the homepage for the Town, www.belmont-ma.gov, select Online Payments, then License my Pet online. If the system does not allow you to renew online, you’ll need to send us an updated rabies vaccination certificate – to townclerk@belmont-ma.gov or fax to 617-993-2601; we’ll update the record and you’ll be able to license online immediately thereafter.

First time licenses for new pets must be by paper application with the veterinarian certificate of rabies vaccination.

Pet license applications – both online renewals and fillable pdf – are available on the Town Clerk’s webpage at http://www.belmont-ma.gov/town-clerk; a paper pet license application will also be included with every census mailing to Belmont households in January. The Town Hall continues to be closed to the public so please use our secure Town Clerk Mail secure drop box located along the driveway to the left at the base of the steps to Town Hall at parking lot level.

Fees Applicable, Jan. 1 – March 15:

  • Spayed or neutered cats and dogs: $12 ($9 if the owner is 60 years or older)
  • Unaltered cats and dogs: $37 ($34 if the owner is 60 years or older)

Beginning March 16, the fees increase significantly.

XMas Tree Pickup Starts Jan 4; Special Cardboard Drop-Off Set For Jan . 9

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Photo: Residents have two weeks to have their trees collected.

Belmont’s Department of Public Works has announced the times and dates for a pair of yearly seasonal services: picking up your Christmas trees and collecting your cardboard.

Curbside Christmas tree collection starts on Monday, Jan. 4, and ends on Jan 14. Trees will be collected on your trash day for those two weeks. Trees need to be free of ornaments, bags, wiring, lights, and stands. After those two weeks, residents will need to call Waste Management (800-972-4545) for a bulky pick-up by noon the day before your trash day. 

Cardboard Drop-Off will take place on Saturday, Jan. 9 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the DPW yard located at 37 C St. off of Waverley Street.

There will be a $5 fee per vehicle.

Contact information will be required for contact tracing purposes. 

The DPW is encouraging contactless payment by requiring pre-registration and payment for the event. Please use the attached link for pre-registration. https://belmontma.myrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=29888

  • Prior to arriving at the event, all residents who have not paid on-line, should be ready with a check (payable to the “Town of Belmont”) or cash, and on a separate sheet of paper, provide the town contact information including your name, address, and phone number.
  • Cardboard will only be accepted from pickup truck beds, trunks, and the back of SUVs. The DPW will not accept cardboard from the seats of vehicles handed to us by residents.
  • Any resident who attempts to or exits a vehicle will be asked to leave.
  • Residents will be required to wear a mask.
  • All town personnel working will be wearing masks and gloves.

Obituary: Jeffrey Wheeler, Belmont’s Long-Time Town Planner, Died Sunday

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Photo: Jeffrey Wheeler (right) at a meeting of the Planning Board

Jeffrey Wheeler, who helped create the townscape of Belmont as a fixture in the town’s Planning Office for more than a quarter-century, died on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020.

“We are deeply saddened by this news, and share our condolences with his family, friends and coworkers,” said Shawna Healey, Belmont’s acting Human Resources director in an email to Town Meeting Members sent Tuesday, Dec. 29.

“I know we will all miss Jeffrey’s smile and the hard work he has contributed to the Town over his 26 years,” said Healey. 

As head of the Planning Division of the Office of Community Development, Wheeler handled land use, economic development, zoning and planning issues in Belmont. Working with town departments and boards – specifically the Planning and Zoning boards – Wheeler was involved in every aspect of town planning: from perfunctory design and site plan reviews to writing the 25-page agreement approving the construction of Cushing Village (now known as the Bradford).

Wheeler was the “go-to” source in Community Development on the town’s zoning bylaws – whether it was creating or changing existing ordinances and interpreting the meaning of a byzantine section of the law.

In the past year, Wheeler played a key role in some of the most significant projects in Belmont: planning for the opening of two retail marijuana establishments, reviewing the Chapter 40B housing development at Beatrice Circle, and leading the effort in rewriting residential zoning bylaws to allow a mixed-income development on McLean Hospital land that was approved by a Special Town Meeting.

A native of Sherborn, Wheeler’s family said it will forgo any services but are planning to hold a celebration of life in August 2021, so all can attend. 

Wheeler’s family and the town are looking to set up a fund to place a bench in his memory in Belmont.

“As soon as this fund is set up we will share it with staff and all those who wish to contribute,” said Healey.

What’s Closing Early On The 24th; What’s Open And Closed Christmas

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Photo: Well, there was a lot to cry about to Santa this year.

Merry Christmas, Belmont. While for many there is little to actually celebrate this difficult time, Dec. 25 will be a day to reflect on the past year around the dinner table before decamping to watch the latest holiday movie on the Hallmark Channel or basketball contest on whatever platform you prefer. For those who don’t celebrate the day, several fine Chinese restaurants will be open and, if you want to risk it, some great movies are premiering on the big screen on the 25th – Wonder Woman 1984, News of the World and Promising Young Woman.

And if you have a “need” to get out of the house, here are a few places around town closing early Christmas Eve and open on Christmas.

Christmas Eve early closings:

  • Star Market at 535 Trapelo Rd. closes at 6 p.m. The pharmacy closes at 5 p.m.
  • CVS: 264 Trapelo Rd. is closing at 10 p.m. (the pharmacy at 6 p.m.) and 60 Leonard St. at 9 p.m. (with the pharmacy shutting its doors at 4 p.m.)
  • Both Starbucks locations are closing at 5 p.m.
  • The Dunkin’ locations at 353 Trapelo Rd. and 52 Church St. are closing at 9 p.m. The store at 350 Pleasant St. will shut down at 7 p.m.
  • Craft Beer Cellar at 51 Leonard St. in the Center will be open ’til 7 p.m.
  • US Post Offices at 405 Concord Ave. and 492 Trapelo Rd. are closing at noon.

Christmas Day

Dunkin’

  • The Dunkin’ at 353 Trapelo Rd. has a sign on the door proclaiming “Open on Christmas.” So it will be open from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m.
  • The 52 Church St. location in Waverley Square and the operation at 350 Pleasant St. will be closed on Christmas.

Starbucks

  • The Belmont Center store at 47 Leonard St. and the “Cushing Village” location at 110 Trapelo Rd. will be closed.

CVS Pharmacy

  • The store at 264 Trapelo Rd. will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • The operation at 60 Leonard St. in Belmont Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Christmas.
  • The pharmacies at both locations will be closed.

Star Market

  • Belmont’s supermarket located at 535 Trapelo Rd. is closed for the day.

If you are looking to get around on the MBTA:

  • The Fitchburg/South Acton Commuter Line will operate a Sunday schedule while buses that operate in Belmont are likewise running on a Sunday schedule.