Photo: You could be towed.
The Belmont Police has announced a snow emergency parking ban on all roads and municipal and school parking lots beginning at 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 8.
The ban will last until 6 a.m., Tuesday morning, Feb. 9.
Vehicles parked on the side of the road or in the lots are in violation of the ban and will be ticketed and possibly towed at the owner’s expense.
For additional updates and storm resources, visit www.belmont-ma.gov/snow
Photo: Fire at il Casale in Belmont Center.
A smokey fire in an exhaust flue sent Belmont and Arlington fire departments to the building housing upscale il Casale restaurant, clogging Belmont Center with fire equipment during Thursday evening rush hour, Jan. 7.
Firefighters were seen on the building’s roof searching for flames inbetween walls and the ceiling.
According to il Casale’s General Manager Joanne Hastings, the fire was discovered by staff in one of the exhaust hoods in the restaurant’s kitchen at 4:10 p.m. There were no customers in the restaurant located at 50 Leonard St.
None of the dozen or so employees were injured, many who relocated to Starbucks across the street.
“There will have to be some repair work, obviously, more to repair the water damage. So we will be closed for a couple of days,” said Hastings, who has been with the eatery for the past seven months.
The structure, which consists of two buildings and once was the town’s main fire station built in the 19th century, is owned by Brian Burke. Above the restaurant, which opened in 2009, is the popular Every Body Pilates studio.
“Its a little ironic that it happened in the original fire station,” said one witness.
The second building in the rear of the restaurant consists of ten individual offices, including two executive offices.
Traffic was diverted from Leonard Street for more than two hours.
Photo: The aftermath of a three-vehicle accident that sent one person to the hospital.
One person was taken to a local hospital as the result of a three-car accident that took place on Concord Avenue adjacent to the Belmont Public Library on Saturday, Jan. 2.
The 2 p.m. event – which seriously damaged each car – occurred when a Toyota Corolla driving towards Belmont Center rear-ended a Toyota Prius which was partially in the inbound lane waiting to turn into the library’s parking lot, according to eyewitnesses. The collision forced the Prius into the outbound lane hitting the third sedan parked along Concord Avenue.
A passenger in the Corolla was taken by Belmont Fire Rescue ambulance to a local hospital for observation, according to police on the scene. No charges were made at the scene.
Photo: Yuck.
Ice-covered roads along with a wintry mix of snow and sleet will greet commuters Tuesday morning and later in the afternoon, Dec. 29, as the first blast of winter, hits Belmont and Eastern Massachusetts, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service in Taunton.
The service issued a winter weather advisory at 10:15 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28 that will last until 1 p.m. Tuesday, resulting in hazardous travel conditions as a mix of snow and sleet coats streets and highways before dawn with a layer of an icy slush on untreated roadways.
While conditions will improve in the early afternoon as temperatures rise, streets will once again become slippery in the afternoon as a cold front comes through the Boston area, warns the service.
Photo: An image of how the Dunkin’ Donuts on Pleasant Street would look like.
Belmont residents will need to wait until the New Year before getting their chance to debate whether the town wants to run with a third Dunkin’ Donuts, located at the corner of Pleasant and Brighton streets.
Belmont’s Joseph Noone, the attorney for Vincent and Nicholas Leo, asked the board for a postponement on Monday, Dec. 7, due to attorney/client “issues,” resulting in a dozen or so residents who came to speak to keep their powder dry for a month.
The ZBA rescheduled the hearing for January.
While the decision was a bit unexpected, according to the property owner, Vincent Leo – who also is a well-known Dunkin’ Donuts owner/operator – isn’t fazed by the delay, confident that once residents hear from him and his family, any “concerns” to having a donut shop as a neighbor will be set aside.
“We have been in business for over 35 years, and I am one of the premier Dunkin’ Donut franchisees in the system,” said Vincent, whose family business owns and operates 19 locations in both Massachusetts and Florida.
Vincent said the Pleasant Street property has been an eyesore for decades “and we are trying to make it right.” The Getty Corporation is currently remediating the land.
“We are going to enhance that whole corner, elevating all of the property values in the surrounding neighborhood,” he said. The family purchased the property for $1,060,000 in July 2014.
Read about the proposed plans for the site here.
Leo said that the City of Cambridge had complimented his operations “many, many times for our passion with the landscape as well as the maintenance of the property.
He reiterated that there would “never be a drive through” at the Pleasant Street location.
Leo said he believes a Belmont store “will enhance our little micro-market” that includes shops on Mass. Ave., Alewife and Fresh Pond.
Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owner Vincent Leo (at the door, left) and his son, Nicholas, (door, right) listen to their attorney, Joe Noone, as he speaks before the Zoning Board of Appeals, Dec. 7, 2015.
“It’s just another niche we’re trying to protect and develop as an investment,” he said.
As for issues of traffic – the intersection of Pleasant and Brighton is known as a choke point for both daily rush hours – Leo said a traffic study that he included with his application to the town, predicts no added vehicle trips due to the inclusion of a donut shop on that spot.
While some residents have pointed to how close the site is to Route 2, Leo said his experience with his stores in Medford just off Route 93 shows that “no one gets off a highway to grab a coffee then heads back on it.”
“It’s always a concern when they hear a brand like Dunkin’ Donuts is coming into a neighborhood. But at the end of the day, when the restaurant is in place, you’d be very surprised that it’s not a hindrance at all,” said Leo, noting there are several “as of right” businesses he could locate there that would increase traffic flow and litter.
“With the type of building we are putting in, it will not be a barnburner regarding sales. This will be a nice neighborhood location that should be profitable and help us with the investment we made,” said Leo.
“It will be a nice place to come in for a cup of coffee,” he said.
Photo: Personnel from Belmont Fire and Police, who were recognized for its teamwork, with Belmont Selectmen Sami Baghdady (left) and Jim Williams (right).
It was an awful accident that occurred a few months ago in Belmont.
A vehicle went off the road and imploded. Arriving at the scene, a Belmont Police officer found the driver (who due to privacy laws can not be identified) still in the vehicle in the worst possible condition; unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse.
That’s when the training for Belmont’s first responders kicked in. Members of the police departments removed the driver from the wreck and began preliminary lifesaving CPR. When Fire Department firefighters and paramedics arrived, they continued first aid while placing an advanced airway and stabilized a collapsed lung while treating the myriad of traumatic injuries. The victim was then sped to a nearby Boston trauma center.
And the victim lived.
The quick response by Belmont’s first responders in saving that one life was recognized by two organizations last week, according to Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell and Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin as they presented many of the first responders before the Board of Selectmen on Monday, Nov. 2.
The American Heart Association Emergency Cardiac Care Heart Saver Hero Award recognized the following police and fire personnel for their “hands on” work that saved the victim:
Belmont Police
Belmont Fire
In addition, both public safety departments were recognized last week with the “Outstanding Team Response of the Year Award” from the Metropolitan Boston Emergency Medical Services Council Region IV. The award recognizes that a patient’s outcome may not be dictated by a single individual but may be as the result of team orientated professional approach, from the emergency telecommunicators to those who hands over the victim to hospital staff.
The Belmont Fire and Police team includes:
Belmont Police
Belmont Fire
Photo: Belmont Police Officer Michael Stewart being sworn in by Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman on Nov. 2. Police Chief Richard McLaughlin (right) witnessed the ceremony.
Belmont’s newest police officer Michael Stewart was sworn in by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman on at Town Hall on Monday, Nov. 2. Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin was in attendance.
On Friday, Oct. 30, McLaughlin and Belmont Town Administrator David Kale attended Stweart’s graduation ceremony from the Lowell Police Academy and Municipal Police Academy.
Stewart passed the 27-week intensive academy program where he served as the Academy’s Class President.
Photo: Paving work in Belmont.
Starting at 5:30 a.m., Monday, Nov. 2, construction crews will resume paving Trapelo Road between Waverley and Cushing squares, according to Belmont Police.
The current construction schedule has paving work occurring on Monday, Nov. 2, Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Thursday, Nov. 5.
Police and town officials warn motorists to expect delays along the major thoroughfare that runs the length of Belmont from the Waltham to Cambridge town lines.
Town officials said that paving work is weather dependent and that the current schedule may fluctuate, although the latest forecast calls for clear skies and temperatures reaching the mid-60s into the 70s by the end of the week.
Due to cold temperatures it is not possible to complete the work during the overnight hours, necessitating daytime paving.
Questions about the project may be directed to the Office of Community Development at 617-993-2650.
Photo: Paving on Concord Avenue.
Commuters and residents: you can run, and you can’t hide.
In a rush to beat the weather and cold, two major road projects will be underway simultaneously, leading to likely gridlock around Belmont as drivers attempt to bypass the two sites.
On the Trapelo/Belmont Corridor project, the final paving of Trapelo Road from Mill Street to Cushing Square, which commenced last week has been moving at a snail’s pace, due to falling temperatures.
To combat the chilly conditions, work along the main thoroughfare will be performed during the day beginning today, Monday, Oct. 26, resulting in possible traffic congestion and snarl-ups as the final layers of asphalt is laid.
The Trapelo Road work will now occur concurrently with scheduled paving on Concord Avenue (eastbound) which also begins today, Monday, Oct. 26 at 6 a.m.
The work will take place from the US Postal Service Office to Cottage Street, which itself will be under-construction from Concord Avenue to School Street.
While Concord Avenue will be open, commuters and residents are being warned that traffic will be limited to one side of the roadway.
In addition, on-street parking will be banned from Goden to Common streets and along Cottage Street.
Officials are hopeful the work can be completed within the next few days.
(If this was snow, it would be a foot an hour!)