Belmont, Middlesex County Under Tornado Warning Until 1:45 PM Thursday

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Photo: Tornado warning in Belmont

A Tornado Warning has been issued for Belmont and other communities in East central Middlesex County until 1:45 p.m. by the National Weather Service in Boston.

The NWS is advising everyone to take cover now. Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.

Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.

After Extraordinary Year, Belmont Awards Police Chief With Extension, Pay Raise

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Photo: James MacIsaac, Belmont Police Chief

A pandemic, nationwide civil rights protests and the challenges brought on by the position itself. The past year put most police chief under the spotlight. And according to town officials, Chief James MacIsaac took on the challenge and shined.

At its Monday night meeting, Aug. 16, the Belmont Select Board unanimously approved a merit increase of one and a half percent for MacIsaac retroactive to July 1, 2021 and agreed to extend his contract by two years with a new expiration date of Dec. 31, 2024. The increase brings his “all-in” salary to $191,354.91, according to Belmont Human Resources Director Shawna Healey.

Belmont Town Administrator Patrice Garvin, who conducts the performance review of police chiefs, said unlike his previous review, “I had to look at it through a different lens given the abnormality of COVID and the challenges that that brought to the position.”

Shortly after MacIsaac started on January 2020, COVID hit, followed a couple months after, the country and police forces was dealing with the murder of George Floyd, all the while running a department from a temporary location while coordinating the move into the new Police Headquarters, noted Garvin.

“The challenges [MacIsaac] was facing in last year was challenges … former police chiefs 10 to 15 years to experience,” said Garvin. Despite working in that “whirlwind” as a first year police chief, “[MacIsaac] performed beyond expectation at an exemplary level, using the strengths that he has, given his personality and his years of experience with the force as the assistant chief.”

“He was able to … lead the community through all those challenges and my review [of his] last year’s performance was the highest it could be for an employee,” said Garvin, rating his performance a five.

“Thank you, Chief. I’m happy to extend you an additional two years,” said Select Board Chair Adam Dash. “Great work and I look forward to working with you further.”

Trapelo Road Condo Building Evacuated Friday Due To Structural Issues, 70 Left Homeless

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Photo: The condominium building at 125 Trapelo Rd. evacuated Friday afternoon, Aug. 13 due to structural issues.

A seven floor 40-unit residential building in Belmont’s Cushing Square was evacuated at 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 13 after a cautionary inspection Thursday discovered large cracks in apartments on the top two floors that made the 58-year-old apartment block structurally unsafe for occupancy.

The brick and mortar building at 125 Trapelo Rd. across from the newly constructed Bradford apartments is not a threat to fall or see significant portions fall away, said Glenn Clancy, Belmont’s town engineer who was at the scene along with Belmont police and fire and several broadcast crews and three new helicopters overhead.

“But it’s not ready for residents to return,” said Clancy, saying that two independent building inspectors will be on the site Monday, Aug. 16, to begin a survey of the structural integrity of the site. “It will be up to those engineers to determine if the structure is safe for occupancy,” said Clancy, who will sign off on any new certificate of occupancy.

The Trapelo Road evacuation comes less than two months after the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida killing 98 residents. “[The Florida] event is one reason we are proceeding with extra caution here,” said Clancy.

The inspection by a Maine-based firm Thursday was prompted by a resident of the top floor who found large cracks in the walls and ceiling and alerted the landlord, said Clancy. The structural engineer observed the breaks and wrote a report to the building’s management company, Great North Property Management of Exeter, NH.

Clancy said the engineer told him she suspected the large number of cellular antennas and wireless electronic equipment on the roof to be the likely cause of the damage.

40 residents evacuated

When the severity of the report was known on Friday, the management company notified the town and Belmont Police and Fire responded. ”Firefighters searched the entire building and evacuated at least 40 residents home at the time of the incident,” said Belmont Fire Chief David DeStefano. “The natural gas service to the building was shut by National Grid and it was ascertained from the engineering firm that there was no risk to nearby buildings,” he said

According to assessors records, the building was completed in 1963 and at the time was the largest residential premises in town. It was bought in 2015 for $5,275,000 by 125 Trapelo LCC located on Clarendon Street in Boston. Town officials said about 70 people live at 125 Trapelo.

With the building closed for at least the weekend and likely longer, the concerns of town and state officials turned to the residents who were suddenly made homeless during a mid-August heatwave.

Pearl Risberg and Calvin Heimberg moved into their apartment on Thursday and were out of the building early Friday only to arrive back to their new home to find the door blocked by Belmont firefighters.

”Everything looked great when we moved in so we’re a little bummed,” said Risberg.

Another resident who thought it best not to give his name was watching Netflix on his couch on his day off when someone knocked on his door saying they were from Belmont Fire. “They told me there was a problem with the structure and we need to evacuate.” He would relocate with the other residents across Trapelo Road, some staying inside the lobby of the Bradford to get out of the 90 degree heat to hear updates from Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac.

“I’ll be staying with a friend for tonight, but after that … “, he said.

But for several residents new to the area or whose families are overseas, the prospects of finding a place to relocate to did not appear promising. The lucky ones were able to grab plastic bags filled with clothes or suitcases with computers and documentation. Several were carrying hot and scared pets wondering where they would be going. By 5 p.m., the MBTA supplied a bus to allow residents a chance to rest in an air conditioned space.

The Red Cross arrived only to determine the building was not closed due to a “natural disaster” before leaving.

The one thing in common with all the residents was their collective scorn for the property management firm.

”It’s crazy. It’s unbelievable. It’s been six hours and no-one has told us anything,” said one resident who was traveling with her cat, Oreo. “This is not our fault. [Great North] should be working with us but they are doing nothing.”

As the afternoon turned to evening, Great North’s on-site representative, senior property manager Robert Linney, would not provide the residents any information on alternative housing or compensation for other lodgings. Linney referred all inquires to the main office in New Hampshire. By 7 p.m., Belmont Police were leading some residents into building to retrieve computers and clothes they would need for the weekend.

State Rep. Dave Rogers arrived at 3 p.m. and coordinated with assistant town manager Jon Marshall, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the Salvation Army to provide shelter for the newly homeless. By 11 p.m., those remaining took the bus to a hotel to spend at least one night indoors.

“There is a core group that really needs help,” said Rogers. “There are long term issues with the building but right now we just want to solve the short term and that’s getting people a place to stay.”

Belmont Public Library Open As Cool Center Friday, Aug. 13

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Photo: Cooling center at the Belmont Public Library Friday

Due to the current period of high heat and humidity, the Belmont Public Library, 336 Concord Ave., will be open as a community cooling center on Friday, Aug. 13 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. “We encourage everyone to stay cool and hydrated and to check on elderly friends and neighbors while following good social distancing practices,” said the town’s press release.

Remember if visiting the Belmont Public Library to follow all Covid-19 safety protocols and adhere to the current indoor mask mandate.

Beginning Monday, Concord Ave. Undergoing Street Construction At New High School

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Photo: An image from the Belmont Police Department of the impacted location

With the high school wing of the new Belmont Middle and High School just weeks from opening in September, construction will get underway on Monday, June 28 on the new intersection and completing the road work connected to the high school on Concord Avenue, according to Belmont Police.

Police are advising motorists to avoid this area if possible.

The work will focus on the intersection of Goden Street and Concord Avenue where the entrance/exit for the new building will be located, including installing a new set of traffic lights at the intersection and modifying the center traffic Island in the location.

Witness IDs Teen/Preteen As Writer of Racist Graffiti At Wellington

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Photo: The Wellington Elementary School

A resident told Belmont Police he witnessed a young man between 11 and 13 years old tagging a wall of the Wellington Elementary School where racist graffiti was discovered a few days later.

According to a statement by Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac released on Friday, April 2, an adult told police that on Saturday, March 28 at approximately 7 p.m., they observed the young man writing on the wall of the school. The witness asked the youth if he was responsible for graffiti on the wall near the flag pole.

Two days later, on March 30 at 4 p.m., Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan notified the Belmont Police that students discovered the graffiti that contained the words, “Math is F…ing (illegible) my ‘N-word’.”

At this time, the Belmont Police believe this youth was the one responsible forpage1image22307072

“The Belmont Public Schools and the Belmont Police emphasize that whether these words were written with malicious intent or out of ignorance, we are taking this incident very seriously and it is an act that must be strongly condemned. There is no place for hate or racism in Belmont,” said MacIsaac.

At this time, the Belmont Police Department is continuing its investigation.

The Belmont School Department has notified all families of this incident and is working with its Wellington team to discuss this incident with students in an age-appropriate manner.

McIsaac added that residents who have concerns or feel targeted by hate or racism may contact the Belmont Police or the Belmont Human Rights Commission at 617-993-2795 or email at Belmont.hrc@gmail.com.

Moving Day: Belmont Police Returning To Renovated Headquarters On Monday

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Photo: The Belmont Police Headquarters ready for the move Monday

The painting is done, the new furniture is in place, and come Monday, March 8, the staff and officers of the Belmont Police Department will be moving back to its long-time headquarters at the corner of Pleasant Street and Concord Avenue.

And the change of addresses from the temporary headquarters – located in modulars on Woodland Street they entered in August 2019 – is scheduled to take just one day to accomplish.

“Overall, the project is in very good shape; the interiors are wrapping up and we should have a final [town] inspection Friday,” said Ted Galante, the principal of the Galante Architecture Studio in Cambridge which designed the police headquarters’ extension and interior as well as revamped the Department of Public Works structure.

For those who oversaw the building project, the return of the department to its headquarters is a success story despite a few bumps in the road.

“It looks fantastic from where we started,” said Ann Marie Mahoney, the chair of the Building Committee and as long time head of the Capital Budget Committee who had spearheaded for more than a decade the drive within Town Meeting to provide “a humane place” for both the Police and Department of Public Works employees to work from.

While the year-and-a-half-year construction project was the rehabilitation and expansion of the now 90-year-old original structure, it will be a whole new experience for the men and women who endured its famously cramped and antiquated depths.

Where once were constricted spaces with no storage will be rooms with accompanying filing and cabinets. Rather than just a single stairway leading to the second floor, an elevator has been installed. The men’s locker rooms are expanded while female officers will have their first dedicated changing space and showers instead of a jerry-rigged set up they had languished with. The once constricted booking area – where the cells are – is now an expanded space, secured with an internal sally port to safely transfer detainees.

“The furniture has all been installed and … the little bit the punch list (the to-do’s list that need to be completed before a project can be considered finished) on the interior of the building has been cleaned up,” said Galante, who said the town’s certificate of occupancy was expected to be issued on Friday, March 5.

The project did not meet its scheduled opening day in October due to a COVID-19 delay receiving the charcoal black terra cotta panels (installed on the newly built extension) when the Italian manufacturer was forced to close shop last summer.

Finally, the landscaping and any leftover exterior work will be completed by the spring.

While the physical portion of the project is all-but completed, there still remains work to be done bringing the work in on a budget of just south of $11.8 million. And while she said the project was “a little bit on fumes,” Mahoney is confident that “when the project is presented to Town Meeting, every penny will be accounted for.”

What started as a $6.7 million renovation and expansion in 2018 ballooned to nearly $12 million a year later when the project’s scope changed to include a complete interior rehab, requiring a special town meeting vote for an added $3.76 million. While there were some grumblings at Town Meeting of a “bait and switch,” the additional funds were approved easily.

With a few “soft” costs remaining, the committee is sitting on about $31,500 in unencumbered funds with a commitment from the Capital Budget Committee to pay for “whatever odds and ends that may need funding,” said Mahoney.

Mahoney said a major reason the new headquarters will come in on budget is due to a shade under $30,000 in private contributions from residents and groups such as the Richard Lane Foundation, named after the late Belmont assistant Police Chief which will be paying for landscaping, a new flag pole and equipping rooms to be used by officers.

Actually the project will be returning approximately $35,000 to the Community Preservation Committee of the $100,000 it requested for exterior work such as masonry work while sending back to the Warrant Committee about $50,000 from a $250,000 transfer to repair a retaining wall and mitigate the “junk” soil on the site.

“This is fabulous,” said Building Committee member Stephen Rosales. “It’s close but it’s in the black.”

Driver Killed In Single-Vehicle Truck Accident on Common Street [Video]

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Photo: An accident on Common Street involving a box truck left the driver dead

The driver of a box truck was killed in an early-morning one-vehicle accident on Common Street on Thursday, March 4.

According to Belmont Fire Capt. Rick Nohl, Belmont Police and Fire arrived at the scene near the World War 1 memorial triangle at Dunbarton Road after receiving a 911 call at 2:50 a.m. They found a white box truck on its side and a 45-year-old man dead inside the severely damaged diver’s compartment.

It is believe the driver lost control of the vehicle and rolled it over while driving on Common Street, said Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac in a press release.

Nohl said his department began a recovery operation which took some time to retrieve the body. By daybreak, two large recovery trucks uprighted the truck, which was fully loaded with produce, before it was taken from the scene around 8:30 a.m.

The accident is under investigation by Belmont Police and the Massachusetts State Police’s Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit, according to Nohl.

Select Board Approves Contract With New Fire Chief DeStefano

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Photo: David DeStefano, Belmont Fire’s new chief.

It’s official. Belmont has a new fire chief as the Select Board agreed to a contract with David DeStefano at this Feb. 8 meeting.

DeStefano, a battalion chief with the North Providence (RI) Fire Department, was selected by the board at its Jan. 21 meeting, replacing long-time chief David Frizzell.

DeStefano’s contract will be for three years starting March 15, 2021. His starting salary is $152,000. As part of his employment, he must establish primary residency within 15 miles of Belmont’s border in the next six months.

The town will provide DeStefano with an unmarked fire vehicle.

On July 1, 2021, DeStefano will be eligible for a minimum cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 2 percent or a general COLA pay increase for department heads, whichever is greater. On July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023, he will be eligible for his current base salary plus a COLA minimum of 2 percent or the general COLA pay increase for department heads whichever is greater. There is also a merit increase based on his performance review.

DeStefano will accrue four weeks of vacation and three weeks of sick leave annually along with 12 holidays. He will be offered the normal health, dental and life insurance benefits of all employees of the town.

DeStefano must submit his application for Massachusetts Fire Chief credentials within the first three months of being hired.

Vehicle Slips, Slides Into Art’s Specialties As Belmont Gets Hit By Storm

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Photo: A vehicle took out two window at Trapelo Road’s Art’s Specialties. (Credit: Belmont Fire Dept.)

The National Weather Service said today’s snow storm would cause hazardous driving Monday night.

And a slick roadway under nearly six inches of snow resulted in a Toyota SUV slipping off the roadway and into Art’s Specialties at 369 Trapelo Rd. around 6:10 p.m., Feb. 1, according to the Belmont Fire Department.

No one was reportedly injured in the crash.

“Slick road conditions have caused several crashes this evening. Please stay off the roads unless necessary,” said a message on Belmont Fire’s Twitter feed.

Credit: Belmont Fire Department.