Belmont Under Severe Thunderstorm Watch ’til 8 p.m. Tuesday

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Photo: Thunderstorms on the way.

Belmont, along with most of eastern Massachusetts, is under a severe thunderstorm watch until 8 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 4.

The National Weather Service issued the warning at 12:20 p.m., advising residents to be prepared for the potential for the development of thunderstorms which may produce large hail or damaging winds.

When a watch is issued, people should go about your normal activities, but keep an eye to the sky and an ear to the National Weather Service’s weather radio or local radio and television stations for further updates and possible warnings.

In addition, a tornado warning has been issued for an area just to the west of Route 3 near Chelmsford for 2:30 p.m. 

Belmont Street Will Be a Milling Mess Monday, Tuesday

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Photo: More work on Belmont Street.

Go away.

That is likely the best advice for those daily commuters who travel along the lower section of Belmont Street as the main thoroughfare from School Street to the Cambridge line will become an active construction site on Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 3 and 4.

Nashua, NH-based Newport Construction will be micro-milling –  where the pavement is removed, ground up then reused as the aggregate in new pavement – on Belmont Street from School Street to and including the intersection of Ericsson Road.

The work – part of the $17 million Trapelo Road/Belmont Street Corridor Reconstruction Project running from Cambridge-to-Waltham – will require traffic to proceed in single lanes with major delays due to heavy construction equipment on the road.

All of Belmont Street between those two intersections will be posted for “NO PARKING” in preparation for the milling on Monday.

Belmont Resident ‘Stable’ After Being Seriously Injured at Acadia National Park

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Photo: The accident scene at Acadia National Park where a Belmont resident was seriously injured on Monday. (Acadia National Park photo).

A Belmont resident is in “stable condition” in a Bangor, Maine hospital with a collapsed lung and several broken ribs a day after she was run over by her family’s SUV when it began rolling backwards at a popular site at Acadia National Park on Monday, July 27.

The 38-year-old, whose name or address was not provided by the National Parks Service, was hurt near the trail head of the north ridge of Champlain Mountain, according to Chief Ranger Stuart West on Tuesday, July 28.

West told the Belmontonian the victim – who was also the driver – was with her family when they stopped their vehicle on the side of the road on an up-slop. When they got out, the woman forgot to place the vehicle in “park” and it began to drift down the the road towards a group of people and parked cars.

The woman attempted to get back into the moving vehicle to apply the brake. At that moment, the SUV quickly picked up speed and the front end swung to the side. The victim only got half way into the vehicle before the open driver’s door knocked her to the ground.

West said the front wheel ran over the woman before ended up in a ditch by the side of the road.

West said a park ranger was on the scene almost immediately and an ambulance from nearby Bar Harbor was there within minutes, likely saving her life.

Due to fog on the coast, the woman was evacuated to the airport in Trenton then taken via LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

Administrators at EMMC could not provide any health updates without the woman’s name.

Belmont Fire Log: Sharp-Eyed Firefighter Spots Improperly-Placed Grill

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Photo: Summer grilling. 

One hot car

July 16 – At twenty ’til 2 p.m., Engine 1 and the Ladder truck hustled over to a car fire on Howard Street located across from the Chenery Middle School.  Both crews assisted the other in extinguishing the car fire. The motor vehicle was towed to the Town Yard.

An downstairs disaster everted 

July 17 – Just a few ticks away from 8 p.m., all of the town’s fire equipment was sent to a single-family house on York Road where the report of smoke in the basement. The Engine 2 crew reported smoke filling the area. Rushing in, firefighters discovered a small blaze – about a foot wide and deep – in a small storage area. The blaze was put out using a Class A extinguisher while the crew from the Ladder truck helped ventilate the house. The culprit? An errant cigarette. The homeowner said a family member accidentally caused the fire.

That smell

July 18 – At 11:23 a.m., an occupant of a Westlund Road dwelling said they smelled a “distinct fuel odor” coming from the basement. Fire personnel soon found a leak from the oil burner. The line from the oil tank was shut down and SpeedyDry® was put down on ground.

On deck: grill close call 

July 18 – At 10 minutes ’til 6 p.m., fire equipment was returning back to the station when an eagle eyed firefighter noticed what appeared to be a grill fire on the rear deck of a house on Slade Street. Not only was he correct concerning the placement of the grill, it turns out the grease had just ignited in the drip pan. The fire was quickly extinguished, the grill relocated and the resident was made aware of fire regulations on the placement of grills.

Rabies in Pair of Animals Has Health Department Issue Warning

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Photo: Fox.

The Belmont Health Department has issued a warning to residents of an outbreak of rabies after a second non-domesticated animal tested positive for the illness in the past month.

A fox captured by Belmont Animal Control Officer John Maguranis on Monday, July 13 and a skunk on June 21 were infected by the very serious viral disease found in animals that can spread from an infected animal to a person.

Rabies is disperse through the saliva of an animal and can be transmitted from a bite, or when the animal’s saliva comes in contact with a person’s mouth, eyes or an open sore, according to the Health Department. 

The department and Belmont Police Department are urging residents to protect their families and pets by taking the following steps: 

  • Make sure your dogs and cats (including inside only cats), are up to date on their rabies vaccinations. 
  • Keep your children, loved ones, and pets from approaching, touching, or feeding wild or stray animals. 
  • Garbage should be contained in garbage cans that are closed and secured to avoid attracting wildlife. 
  • Do not feed or water your pets outdoors. Empty bowls will attract wild and stray animals. 
  • Do not let your cats and dogs roam freely. 
  • Keep your chimney capped and repair holes in attics, cellars, garages and porches to help keep wild animals like bats and raccoons out of your home. 
  • Report any animal that behaves oddly, looks sick, injured or orphaned to the Animal Control Officer or the Health Department at: Belmont Animal Control 617-993-2724. Belmont Health Department 617-993-2720. 
  • If the Animal Control Officer or Heath Department cannot be reached, notify the Belmont Police at 617-484-1212. 

If a bite or other significant exposure to rabies does occur, quick action can prevent progression to rabies disease.

• If a person has been bitten or scratched by an unfamiliar animal or an animal suspected of having rabies, immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water and then seek medical attention. If you find a bite or wound on your dog or cat that cannot be explained, take your animal to a veterinarian. 

Belmont/Trapelo Corridor Repaving ‘On Schedule’

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Photo: Paving work underway along Belmont Street.

Despite construction equipment on the road and travel limited to single lanes along one of Belmont’s busiest throughways, the major paving work along the Belmont Street/Trapelo Road Corridor is “on schedule,” according to construction officials at the work site.

The laying down of several inches of asphalt should be completed by the end of the construction day at 6 p.m., on Tuesday, June 30.

A final topcoat of paving material will be applied along the entire reconstruction route when the project is completed early in the spring of 2016. 

The paving work from Cushing Square (at the intersection of Trapelo Road and Common Street) to the corner of Belmont Street and School Street is part of the $17 million reconstruction of the 2.5 mile route from the Waltham to the Cambridge town lines. 

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Beware! Paving Along Belmont Street/Trapelo Road Monday, Tuesday

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Photo:

The main east/west corridor through Belmont will be clogged with asphalt spreaders and dump trucks as the roadway from Cushing Square towards the Cambridge line will undergoing street paving on Monday and Tuesday, June 29 and 30.

The work will begin at 7 a.m. and last until 6 p.m. 

The paving is part of the reconstruction of the 2.5 mile Belmont Street/Trapelo Road Corridor project, the $17 million Massachusetts Department of Transportation-financed repair of the major throughway from Waltham to Cambridge.

The Belmont Police is advising motorists to seek alternative routes during the two days in which the road will be under construction.

Severe Thunderstorms, Damaging Winds During Afternoon Rush Home

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Photo: “Running Before the Storm,” (c. 1870s) Unknown artist, in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

A rash of severe thunderstorms accompanied by potentially damaging winds is “likely” to pass through Belmont and most of eastern Massachusetts just before and during the evening rush hour, Tuesday, June 23, according to the National Weather Service. 

There is even a “very low risk of an isolated tornado” and a potential of “golf ball-sized” hail along with torrential downpours and localized floorings, according to the service. 

In a Hazardous Weather Outlook forecast issued at 3:40 a.m., the NWS stated the fast-moving storms, with “damaging straight line winds gusts of up to 70 mph” capable of knocking down trees and power lines, will arrive over Belmont between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. 

The severity of the storms will depend on how much sunshine the area will see in the morning and just past noon as more sun will heat up the air causing stronger storms as a cold front comes rumbling through the area. 

Three New Police Officers Sworn In By Town Clerk, Two Others Promoted

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Photo: The new hires: (from left) Officers Michael Santoro Jr., William Watkins  Jr., and Marco D ’Andrea.

Marco D ’Andrea, Michael Santoro Jr. and William Watkins Jr. were sworn in today, Thursday, June 18, by Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman as the the most recent police officers to join the ranks of the Belmont Police Department. 

The officers attended the distinguished and stringent six-month Boston Police Academy and graduated on June 17, along with 64 of their classmates, according to Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin. 

Forty-one of the new officers will join the ranks of the Boston Police Department and 23 are headed to cities and towns in Massachusetts.  Boston’s Mayor Walsh and Police Commissioner William Evans addressed the graduating class.  

“We are very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to send our recruits to the nationally recognized Boston Police Academy,” said McLaughlin.

In addition to Belmont Police personnel, the swearing in was attended by Belmont  Town Administrator David Kale, Assistant Town Administrator Phyllis Marshall and family and friends of the officers.

In addition to the swearing in of the three new officers, Belmont recognized recently promoted Mark Hurley and Marc Pugliese. Hurley was promoted to the rank of lieutenant from sergeant and  Pugliese was promoted from patrol officer to sergeant.

Promotions new hires-2

Pictured: L-R Sgt. Marc Pugliese, Lt. Mark Hurley, Asst. Chief James MacIsaac, Chief Richard McLaughlin, Officer Michael Santoro Jr., Officer William Watkins Jr., Officer Marco D ’Andrea.

Big Pot Bust By Belmont Cops on Watertown Line

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Photo: The pot and cash seized by Belmont Police after a traffic stop on the Watertown line. 

Editor’s note: The article comes from a press release from the Belmont Police Department.

On Tuesday, June 16, just before 12:30 p.m., Officer Matthew Benoit of the Belmont Police Traffic Division was conducting traffic enforcement at the intersection of Belmont Street and School Street on the Watertown line.  Benoit observed a Honda Civic with an expired registration sticker drive past him. Benoit stopped the Honda and was able to confirm that the registration was expired.  

Benoit described the operator of the vehicle, Peter Primes, 43, of Sycamore Street, Watertown, as “visibly shaking and very nervous.” Benoit issued Primes a citation and informed him the Honda would be towed from the roadway. 

In accordance with department policy, Benoit conducted an inventory search of the vehicle prior to towing.  Benoit’s search of the vehicle turned up four one pound vacuum sealed bags of marijuana, seven bags containing 11 ounces of marijuana and eight bags containing 130 grams each of marijuana. In addition to the drugs, Benoit discovered $116,453 in cash inside the vehicle. 

Benoit arrested Primes and charged him with possession to distribute a class D drug and diving an unregistered Motor Vehicle.