Corrugate Tsunami! After Town Yard Swamped, Town Holding Second Cardboard Day Saturday

By Leave a Comment

Photo: A DPW photo showing just one of the containers filled with cardboard.

The Department of Public Works knew they would have a good response with its first cardboard drop off event of the new year – the first since the holiday season – so it reserved a second 42-foot long transport container “just in case” the first would fill up.

What occurred on Saturday morning, Jan. 5, was beyond anyone’s imagination.

Approximately 276 cars – many stuffed to the brim with packaging and corrugated paper – crawled into the Town Yard at the end of C Street, as the undermanned volunteers and workers tried their best to take out the material and find someplace to put it. Before noon on Saturday, not only were the two shipping container stuffed, the workers filled the shed housing the department’s snow trucks with cardboard. Even before the noon ending, Belmont Police was turning people away as the line were potential traffic on Waverley Street. 

As DPW director Jay Marcotte said before the Belmont Board of Selectmen on Monday, Jan. 7, “it was a lesson learned.”

In response to the obvious demand, the DPW is holding a second cardboard recycling drop off this Saturday, Jan. 12 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Town Yard off C Street.

With last week’s enthusiastic response for this drop off still fresh on everyone’s mind and with the trend of cardboard recycling is “going up,” Marcotte said the town along with its recycling hauler Waste Management is studying whether to have a regularly scheduled drop off time – for example, an hour on Monday evenings after work – that would be spaced out over a few weeks so the neighborhood on C Street doesn’t feel they are being invaded by their fellow residents. It would involve the rental or purchase of a compactor which would dramatically lessen the number of containers required. 

A new recycling program could also alleviate the growing outcry from residents who contend the blue “recycling” carts aren’t large enough to hold two weeks of cardboard and other recyclables, While residents can store additional trash in authorized purchased bags, there’s no such alternative for recycling since the 96-gallon cart was considered sufficient capacity for two weeks of paper by similar-sized communities with a similar single-stream system.  

Lyons Den: School Committee OKs Naming HS Court After Former Coach

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The court at the high school is now named after Belmont resident Paul Lyons. 

Belmont High School indoor teams will be playing at a “new” home as the Belmont School Committee at its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 8 voted unanimously to name the playing surface in the Wenner Field House after Paul Lyons, the legendary high school basketball coach and resident.

Calling the honor “worthy and timely” for a man with great values, Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan noted the naming comes a quarter century after Lyons led Belmont to its only basketball state title in 1994.

The campaign to name the court after Lyons was led by David Ramsey and Ralph Jones, two longtime members of the Marauder Basketball Association, who wanted to pay tribute to his coaching triumphs as well as supporting the game in town.

Phelan said a wall plaque will be dedicated to Lyons and the court named for him.

Phelan also revealed that as the new school building will be built around the field house and school’s Higginbottom Pool, the main court could be turned 90 degrees which will permit three full-sized courts to be located in the Wenner.

BREAKING: Paolillo Stepping Down As Selectman

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Mark Paolillo

It was a tough decision, but in the end, Mark Paolillo decided that it was a time of a change in his life and the political life of his hometown.

The three-term member of the Belmont Board of Selectmen told his fellow members after the end of its scheduled meeting Monday, Jan. 7 that he would not seek re-election to the three-person board in April.

“Nine years is a long time and it’s time to move on,” said the life-long Belmont resident.

Paolillo had been wavering between staying for a fourth term –  which would have been the longest-serving member since William Monahan

“I’ve been conflicted because it’s been a great board (comprised of selectmen Tom Caputo and chairman Adam Dash) this past year and I enjoy thoroughly working with Patrice [Garvin, Town Administrator] and there is still a lot of issues and there always will be. But I think it’s the best decision for myself and my family.

“I sought the counsel of many in town and I did call some of them privately and told them my decision. It was a really tough, tough call because it’s been a fun year,” said Paolillo. 

“It’s not that [the work] has worn on me but I think new ideas are important as well. I only thought I would do two [terms] but I did nine [years]. And I will continue to support these two guys,” said Paolillo of Caputo and Dash.

“I am sorry to see him go,” said Dash, noting the importance of having Paolillo on the board who had the institutional history and policy heft when taking on major concerns facing residents.

“I understand your decision but you will be sorely missed and look forward you staying involved,” said Caputo.

Paolillo will still be involved in town governance as he will seek a Town Meeting seat this April and has talked about joining one of the myriads of boards and committees. “I will give it a little bit of a breather before deciding.”

After serving on numerous boards including the Warrant Committee, Paolillo was elected selectman in 2010, defeating Dan LeClerc and Anne Mahon with 45 percent of the vote. He ran unopposed in 2013 and beat back challenger Alexandra Ruban with 65 percent of the voters backing him in 2016. 

While always looking for a “win-win-win” solution (a favorite Paolillo phrase) to challenging issues facing the town, Paolillo was not a shrinking violet when confronting opposing views that he felt were specious or misinformed. 

Paolillo said he hopes candidates will step up, noting that “we need diversity on the board and hopefully they are up to that task.” 

Belmont Girls Hoops Beat Back Reading With Strong 4th; Boys’ Quiet Rockets Early

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Maiya Bergdorf scored 7 of her 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Since the beginning of the season, Belmont High Girls’ Basketball Head Coach Melissa Hart had been waiting for her team to face a “tough” contest.

“I want to see just how good we really are,” she said.

Hart got her wish granted on Friday, Jan. 3 when the undefeated Marauders found itself down by eight, 20-12, after the first quarter against an energized one-loss Reading Memorial High squad playing before its fans.

“Reading’s a good team,” said Hart. “They work hard, they’re really tenaciously defensively and that makes them tough. They made us pay for mistakes, that’s for sure.”

Belmont remains unbeaten (7-0, 5-0 in the league) and is ranked in the top ten by both the Boston Globe (5th) and Boston Herald (3rd). On Tuesday, Jan. 8, the Marauders will host a strong Melrose team sporting a 6-1 record, only losing a close one to Tewksbury. Tip off is 6 p.m.

After going back and forth with the Rockets for three quarters, Belmont mounted a 10-0 run midway through the fourth, as the Marauders’ strength, height (out rebounding the Rockets by more than two-to-one) and ability to contest Reading’s shots proved the difference as Belmont came away with a ten point victory, 55-45.

“We just weren’t near the basket in the first half and we wanted to get close to take advantage of things,” said Hart.

Spearheading Belmont’s win were sophomore Maiya Bergdorf and senior Jane Mahon who stepped up during the game. Mahon, who finished with a team-high 14 points, hit first of her first six shots, each mid-range jumpers, then went four for four from the charity stripe in the fourth.

“Sure in the beginning, we lost the tempo because we’ve been playing teams that haven’t challenged us as much as Reading and we’re playing at their pace,” said Mahon. “In the second half, we said let’s play like Belmont.”

It took Bergdorf a while to get on track, before dominating the fourth quarter by taking the ball straight to the hoop, scoring seven of her 11 points in the final stanza.

“I was getting frustrated because my shot wasn’t falling. But they didn’t have much height so if I hustled into the paint, I’d have a scoring opportunity. And if I missed I’d have rebounds,” said Bergdorf.  

“She stepped up. She’s a player and doesn’t like to lose,” said Hart of her sophomore scorer.

It was also an advantageous time for Belmont that Reading’s league MVP-candidate Haley Lightbody had her first below par game on offense this season. While a threat on defense and one of two Rockets who battled Belmont under the boards, Lightbody struggled in the forecourt, making two baskets – both 3s – and going a dreadful 3 for 15 from the free-throw line (0 for 5 in the critical fourth quarter) for nine points, more than half of her season average.

After Belmont opened the game leading 6-1 (including two blocks), it was bombs away for Reading as they hit five three-pointers, a pair each by junior guard Celia Capone and freshman guard Jacqueline Malley, to take a 20-12 lead into the second.

Belmont came out in the second quarter and pressed the ball away from the basket more aggressively as the Rockets – whose tallest player is 5’8″ – could not solve the issue of Belmont’s ability to place four players near or greater than six-feet on the floor.

“We started our zone press and that helped and we stopped turning the ball over,” said Hart.

After Reading built their largest lead of the game, 27-18, midway through the quarter, Belmont began its comeback with a three from freshman Bridgette Martin (3 points). Mahon continued her hot hand, knocking down two baskets while freshman guard Nina Minicozzi (11 points) and senior Megan Tan (10 points) were able to drive and score with Tan scoring a hoop at the buzzer to cut the deficit to two, 27-25, at the half.

Belmont came out blazing in the third, a free throw by senior center captain Jess Giorgio, a layup by Tan and a three from Minicozzi gave Belmont the lead at 31-27 two minutes into the third. But the hosts came back highlighted by its quick defense and a three from Capone to lead 37-35 with a minute to play. But an inside basket by Giorgio and Bergdorf’s putback of a rebound with five seconds remaining gave Belmont a tenuous two-point lead, 39-37.

Hart started the fourth with her freshmen guard pairing of Minicozzi and Martin to run the show with Bergdorf wanting the ball. She was promptly fouled and hit 1 of 2 as did Minicozzi before Bergdorf was fouled as she hit a power drive and made the foul shot for an old-school three giving Belmont at 43-37 after two and half minutes. Another drive by the defense by the sophomore forward/guard, the first two of Mahon’s made free throws followed by Minicozzi baseline layup built the Marauders’ lead to ten, 49-39, midway in the fourth with the Rockets sensing the contest was over. Reading cut the lead to six with just under a minute remaining but it was a little too late for a comeback. 

For Mahon, the team’s success last year – a trip to the Division 1 North sectional finals – and the perfect start so far has placed a target on the team for other squads to take aim at.

“We came into the year with this expectation for us to fulfill what the past seniors left behind. People will be out for us so we have to remember to keep pushing ourselves every day,” said Mahon.

Belmont Boys Rocket Past Reading Early, Than … Meh

The Belmont High Boys team ran away and hid from host Reading – they were up 19-4 after the first quarter and 42-18 at the half – in the second game of the girls/boys doubleheader at Reading on Friday, Jan. 4.

But it soon became apparent that both teams would play the second half with the focus and intensity of a Sunday morning suburban dads league match. It could have been the knowledge that Belmont was cruising to another win (7-0 and ranked 8th by the Boston Globe), that it was already past 8 p.m. on a Friday night or that New Year’s was earlier in the week; for whatever the reason, the play deteriorated into lots of one-on-one match ups and sloppy play. Even the fans appeared ready to head home early.

Belmont’s sophomore guard Tim Minicozzi lead the Marauders with 14 points, several driving through traffic to the hoop while back court mate senior captain Danny Yardemian hit for 13 points with several Rockets following his every move as the teams got to the finish with Belmont ahead, 62-45.

New Rules And Times For Leaving Your X-Mas Tree For Pickup

By Leave a Comment

Photo: New rule on X-Mas tree pickup.

As Christmas is fading into the distance, the annual “de-dressing” of o’ Tannenbaum has begun and it’s off to the sidewalk for the family Christmas tree. 

And the Department of Public Works has a message to all residents:

Starting this year, Christmas trees will only be picked up during the two weeks from:

Jan. 7 to Jan. 17. So residents will have two opportunities to have trees picked up.

Please plan accordingly, according to the DPW, or you will have to hold on to your tree for a year (!) or you’ll need to have it hauled away by a private contractor. (Or you can recycle your tree yourself. They make a great covering for flower or vegetable gardens.)

Since the trees are being chipped and composted, they must not have any ornaments, tinsel or lights on them.

Also, the trees can’t be in a bag.

Finally, per the DPW, make sure that your tree is not covered by snow and ice, to facilitate putting it in the truck.

The trees will be recycled this year and will be diverted from the Waste to Energy plant.

Nomination Papers For Town-Wide, Town Meeting Election Now Available

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Nomination papers.

Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman announced Friday, Jan. 3 that nomination papers for elected town-wide 0ffices are available for those who wish to run. All candidates must be registered voters of Belmont.

In addition to those races, 12 representative Town Meeting Members are elected for three-year terms from each of the town’s eight voting precincts. This year, there are also some partial-term openings for Town Meeting; vacancies are created by Members moving or resigning.

Stop by the Town Clerk’s office to pick up nomination papers; have your neighbors and friends, who are voters, sign your nomination papers and submit the signed forms to the Town Clerk by the deadline, Feb. 12, at 5 p.m.

The Town Clerk’s web pages contain quite a bit of information to help make a decision to seek office at www.belmont-ma.gov  select Town Clerk, then select Running for Elected Office and Campaigning or feel free to call us at 617-993-2600, or email at townclerk@belmont-ma.gov

Running for election is simple:

  • To be nominated for Town-wide office – signatures of at least 50 registered voters of the Town are required on the nomination papers. The Town Clerk must certify these signatures so we always suggest obtaining about 20% more just to be safe.
  • To be nominated for Town Meeting – signatures of at least 25 registered voters of your precinct are required on the nomination papers. The Town Clerk must certify these signatures so we always suggest obtaining about 20% more just to be safe.  Some current Town Meeting Members will be asking the voters for re-election but all twelve seats are available in each precinct.

Running for re-election to Town Meeting: current Town Meeting Members whose term of office expires in 2019 have already been sent a letter asking if the person wants to seek re-election. Deadline for return of those letters to the Town Clerk is January 22nd at 4 PM.

Here’s the list of offices that will be filled by the April 2 annual Town Election as of January 3, 2019:

Town -wide Offices Number of Seats Term of Office
Moderator Vote for One 1 year
Board of Selectmen Vote for One 3 years
Board of Assessors Vote for One 3 years
Board of Cemetery Commissioners Vote for One 3 years
Board of Health Vote for One 3 years
Members of the Housing Authority Vote for One 5 years
Trustees of the Public Library Vote for Two 3 years
Members of the School Committee Vote for Two 3 years
Member of the School Committee Vote for One 1 year
Town Meeting Members for

Each of the Eight Precincts

 Vote for Twelve 3 years
Partial-Term Town Meeting  Members:

For Precinct 1

 Vote for One 2 years
For Precinct 1 Vote for One 1 year
For Precinct 5 Vote for One 2 years
For Precinct 7 Vote for One 1 year

Tsae Seta! Old School Barista Bids Starbucks – And Work – Farewell

By 1 Comment

Photo: Seta Najarian is retiring from Starbucks after 14-plus years. 

The sign on the door at 48 Leonard St. in Belmont Center reads “Starbucks” but on most weekday mornings for the past decade and a half, it might as well have read “Seta’s.”

That’s because it would be hard to find any more commanding personality among the whole of the baristas working in the Seattle-based coffee conglomerate than Belmont’s Seta Najarian, a five-foot-tall Lebanese-born and bred grandmother who demanded respect from those waiting to be served but at the same time loved her customers unconditionally.

Seta hardly the archetypical young-ish millennial that make up the mass of baristas – she doesn’t display or have tattoos, never heard of Young Thug and wears the most sensible of clothes. What she might have lacked in hipness she brought that first generation familiarity for the customer to the job. She knows what you drink, what your kids are doing and she’ll give you a quick kiss for that special day, “like a sister, a good friend or a neighbor.” 

“[The cusomers] think I own this place,” said Najarian, a long-time Belmont fixture. “I’ve been here so long, I felt like it was my place, to tell you the truth,” she said as her friend Carol interrupts the interview to say how sorry she’ll be to see her leave. 

But last week, on Friday, Dec. 29, after 14 year and three months to the day, Seta is taking a well-deserved break from working full-time that began when she was a teenager. The store held a small party at the store with the district manager “hang around and then say goodbye to everybody.”

The cafe and the town are going to miss Seta’s mannerisms that border on charming but which others would say it’s more her “old school” view on almost everything.

How old school is she? Seta’s aunt arranged her marriage to a “neighborhood boy,” Avedis Najarian, who lived in America and was visiting Lebanon.

“And I’ve been married for 45 years,” she said. “That’s old fashion!”

Born in Beirut, Seta started working at 16 as a secretary for a Swedish company in Beirut – she got the job because she can speak French, English, Arabic, Turkish and Armenian – sending and receiving telex posts. After she married at 19, she came to Watertown and her daughters Christine and Tanya came straight away. But Seta was not one to sit at home.

“I’m a workaholic, I guess,” she said. “I love working. If a person wakes up in the morning, they should go to work.”

And she did, working at a bakery then opening businesses with her husband including a gas station and for 17 years running restaurant across from the Arsenal Mall.

After closing the Watertown eatery in the early 2000s and with her husband settling into retirement, Seta began working at Starbucks in Belmont Center “because I didn’t want to stay home. I’m cursed in that way.” 

“I am always with the public. I love talking, connecting with the people,” she said 

And Seta soon was making the outlet of the multinational coffeehouse chain her own. 

“Because I’m an older generation and I ran my own businesses, I know what works,” she said. If a customer would take too long to order, Seta would give them a stern look over and “suggest” a purchase but would greet a regular with a resounding shout of their first name.

She also took up the role of vigilant overseer of the store. During her interview, she stopped to pick up and move a pallet that was left where it could be stepped on. “See what I mean? I’m always looking like its my [place]” she said. 

Seta admits that it takes a while for her to warm up to someone new coming into Starbucks. “If I don’t know them, I’m not good with them. I have to know them, they have to come close to me. But once I know that person, I will give them my heart,” she said. And while she wasn’t shy to express her opinion on how some of her colleagues’ methods – “Why do you leave the water running? It’s not your water.” – Seta had only the kindest comments for her follow baristas “although the young ones always go away so soon.”

She claims – it’s not known if this is true or not – that she’s responsible for the large number of fellow Armenians who would make a visit a part of their morning routine. “They knew me from my old place so they followed me. They were looking for the chicken.”

“I’m proud to be Armenian. It’s a beautiful, rich culture, language, music and food! The best food!” she added without prompting.

This summer Seta will downsize her current abode and move to one of her homes in Watertown that’s “walking distance from the church” and spend more time with her grandchildren, three boys and a girl, between 17 and 3 years old, 

“They are my life, those grandkids,” she said. 

Belmont Boys’ Girls’ Hockey Right The Ship Before The Holiday Break

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Game winner by Belmont junior Matt Brody against Woburn.

Belmont Boys’ and Girls’ Hockey stopped a streak of dropping points with wins on the first day of the holiday recess on Saturday, Dec. 22.

The boys’ got out in front midway through the game to defeat Woburn, 2-1, at the Skip while its compatriots defeated the host Tanners – coming off consecutive Division 1 state titles – by the same 2-1 score.

While the Boys’ now head to New Hampshire for its annual trip up north starting Dec. 26, the Girls’, now sporting a 3-1-1 record will get into the swing of things when school resumes on Wednesday, Jan. 2 away against Lincoln-Sudbury, Thursday, Jan 3 at Waltham before returning home vs. Lexington on Saturday, Jan. 5.

The Boys’ took the ice Saturday against Woburn riding a three-game losing slide with a 1-3-0 record while the Tanners coming to town at 2-3-0, records both teams did not expect to have at this point in the season.

The first period was balanced if not that exciting affair as both teams had a limited number of chances with Woburn will the better of the opportunities. The Tanners were on the attack in the second as Belmont had to kill a five-minute major penalty at the start of the period and then skated a man down shortly afterward due to a two-minute minor.

Belmont struck first on a sweet individual effort by junior forward Matt Brody – who had been stellar being a pest on the shorthand – who with the puck on his backhand was able to hold off a defender and then place the puck top glove side past the Woburn goalie at 6:28.

Woburn nearly got the goal back less than a minute later but Belmont junior goalie Nico Carere gloved the shot from the Tanners’ forward.

The game-winner started with a miscue producing a magic moment in the final minute of the period. After a face-off in the Marauders end, a pass back to the Tanner defender was fumbled that resulted in the defender stumbling after losing his skate edge allowing Belmont a 3-on-1 counter. While at full speed, sophomore forward and line mate sophomore Ben Fici found that man Brody with a pitch perfect pass at the right post for a bang-bang goal with 13 seconds remaining in the second.

While Woburn would spend most of the third on the front foot against the Marauders, the Belmont defense was able to clog the passing and shooting lanes to prevent any difficult shots against Carere – who was named man of the match – who was finally beaten on Woburn’s fifth power play with less than two to play in the game.

After its trip to the Live Free Or Die state, Belmont boys will be back in league action on Saturday, Jan. 5 away at Lexington at 8:30 p.m.

Opinion: Working To Keep Teens Safe Over The Holidays

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Keeping teens healthy over the recess.

By: Lisa Gibalerio, Prevention Specialist, and Laura Kurman, Program Director

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network

With the holiday season underway and the opening of retail marijuana shops in Massachusetts, adults are urged to pay close attention to teenagers’ behavior concerning alcohol and other drugs in the days and months ahead.  The Belmont Wellness Coalition is working collaboratively with many partners across town to reduce underage use of alcohol and other drugs. Please be part of the solution and do what you can to reduce youth access to alcohol as well as marijuana products.

As we know, teen alcohol use can lead to unsafe behaviors that put our kids’ health and safety at risk. If we work together, we can help to ensure that our kids stay healthy and safe!  (By the way, for each year that a teen does not use alcohol, the odds of lifelong dependence decrease by 15 percent.)

Retail recreational marijuana shops are opening around the state. In Belmont, although there are no licenses or special permit applications at this time, the town could approve up to two retail marijuana establishments within certain zoned areas. While shops in Belmont would not be allowed to sell marijuana to people under the age of 25, teens may nevertheless find ways to access these products.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), administered several years ago in Belmont, revealed that approximately one-third of teens reported that they are drinking.  Most are getting alcohol from older siblings, older friends, or home.  In many instances, students said, their parents do not know they drink, or do not know how much they drink.

Often, due to their developing brains, when teens drink, they tend to drink too much. Teens who drink put themselves at risk for alcohol poisoning, car crashes, injuries, violence, or unprotected/unwanted sex, and, if they are athletes subject to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) regulations, they may lose the privilege to participate in sports.

As a parent or guardian, you can and do make a difference!

Here are some tips to reduce teen drinking and use of marijuana:

  • Keep alcohol in a secure location, preferably in locked cabinets. Even if you trust your teen, their friends may be tempted by what’s available in your home.
  • If you are hosting a party, do not leave unsupervised alcohol around where it is accessible to underage guests. Tell other relatives not to serve alcohol to your child under the age of 21 as well.
  • Let your child know what you expect. Tell your teen that adults may be drinking during the holidays, but under no circumstances is he/she allowed to drink alcohol.
  • If your child is attending a party, check on the details. Find out if there will be parental supervision, and be sure no alcohol will be available at the parties that your teen will be attending.  Wait up to greet your child when he/she/they arrives home at curfew time.
  • Never serve alcohol to anyone under 21, and don’t allow children to serve alcohol to others. It is illegal to serve or provide alcohol to underage youth, or to allow them to drink alcohol in your home or on other property you control.  See Social Host Liability Law: http://www.mass.gov/essexda/prevention-and-intervention/juvenile-prevention/social-host-liability.html
  • Do not to leave your teenagers home alone if you go out of town. Word gets out quickly and a drinking party can develop – sometimes without your child’s consent.
  • Do not relax your family rules with your own teens during the holidays. It can be difficult to return to previous expectations.

The Belmont Wellness Coalition welcomes your input!  Please consider joining us as we work to keep our kids safe and healthy – it really does take a village!

The BWC, along with Wayside Multi-Service Center, wishes you a peaceful, safe, and happy holiday season.

If I can be of support to you or your teens, please contact me at: Lisa_Gibalerio@WaysideYouth.org

Campaign To Name HS Basketball Court After Legendary Coach Lyons

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Paul Lyons at a recent Belmont High hockey game.

For David Ramsey, the proposal he and his colleague Ralph Jones are promoting “is a layup to me.”

Officials with the Marauder Basketball Association, Ramsey and  Jones believe it’s time for the town to honor one of its great coaches and residents, former Belmont High Boys’ Basketball headman Paul Lyons. And what more appropriate place than where he did most of his work.

If approved by the committee, the plan is to place a banner with Lyons name and achievements on the Wenner Field House wall and name the field house the “Home of Coach Lyons Court.” The campaigners said there would be no wording applied to the court surface, and the new name would only be mentioned when an announcer welcomes teams and fans to the site.

The pair came before the Belmont School Committee on Dec. 18 to have Lyons lionized for his sports leadership abilities and character. A one-time player at Boston College, Lyons coached the Belmont High boys’ basketball team for a quarter century and led them to the state championship in 1993 on top of five Middlesex League titles. By the end of his Belmont career, Lyons had racked up 335 victories (and 473 overall) and was installed in the Massachusetts Basketball Association’s Hall of Fame.

His legacy continues as one of the founders of the Belmont Youth Basketball Association in 1977 and the Marauders Basketball Association in 1986 which has supported both the high school teams as well as introduced thousands of elementary and middle school-aged children to the game. Nearly all the players of the current undefeated boys and girls high school teams started playing hoops in the BYBA.

But Ramsey and Jones also said they wanted Lyons to be known for how he coached, always with sportsmanship and teamwork in mind. 

“He was very competitive and always wanted to win, but [Lyons] did so with a great deal of class and integrity,” said Jones, who is a former selectman and noted local basketball historian whose daughters played.

The committee, as its policy, would not respond to the motion at last week’s meeting. According to district policy, the School Committee has sole authority over naming or re-naming buildings, interior facilities and grounds to a person whose “work or service has contributed significantly to the Belmont Public Schools or to the Belmont community.”

As for Lyons, he continues to display his modest demeanor when pressed during a chance interview at the Belmont/Woburn hockey match Saturday, Dec. 22 at the Skip.

“We’ll see,” he said.