‘Anything Goes’ Behind the Scenes Stars Honored at Theater Guild Awards

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Photo: Belmont High’s Sara Nelson and Nomi Vilvovsky with their “Best Stage Management’ award from the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild. 

They are the unsung heroes back stage at a play or musical; providing actors their cues, oversee the tech crew, assist the director, making sure props are either off or on stage while keeping the show moving.

And for a production with as many moving parts – dancers, singers, actors, musicians – as this spring’s Belmont High School Performing Arts Company production of the Cole Porter musical “Anything Goes,” stage managers Sara Nelson and Nomi Vilvovsky, along with assistant managers Sophia Lubarr, Georgia Sundahl and Eli Dearden, where like jugglers being thrown an ever increasing number of balls to shuffle, with the expectation they would keep all of them in the air.

This past Monday, June 15, Nelson and Vilvovsky were honored for their organization and professional mastery by being awarded “Best Stage Management” in the High School Division at the annual Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild awards ceremony held in Boston. 

More than 70 Middle and High School productions were adjudicated by professional theater artists and educators and awards were given in a number of technical and performance categories.

“The award is a recognition not just of our strong team of student stage managers, but also the level of cohesion in all elements of the production: scenery and set changes, lighting, props, costumes, sound, actors and musicians,” noted Ezra Flam, “Anything Goes” producer and director.

In addition to the Stage Management Award, BHS PAC received nominations – which went to the top five schools in each category – for Best Dance Ensemble, Best Specialty Ensemble (the Sailors in the show) and Best Supporting Actor, Henry Dalby, as Moonface Martin.

No Need for Modulars at Belmont Schools in Coming School Year

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Photo: Newton’s Oak Hill Middle School recently used eight modulars to fill a temporary space need, adding 4,800 sq.-ft. to the district’s footprint.

During the worst of the record snow fall in February, it appeared a certainty that many of Belmont’s six schools would see small villages of modular structures spring up in the fall to meet the need of housing the explosion of students – 317 in the past five years – entering the district.

But under the warmth of summer skies, the outlook for temporary classrooms moving into spaces adjacent the schools has diminished so much that the district will be able to handle the current enrollment within the footprint of the half-dozen schools, Belmont Superintendent John Phelan told the Belmont School Committee at its June 9 meeting.

But Phelan said he could only make that assurance for the upcoming 2015-16 school calendar. After that, with a projection of more than 800 additional students entering the district over 10 years by the 2018-19 school year, the school department will need to work closely with the town’s Capital Budget Committee to discuss options on meeting classroom demands.

“We will form a committee to meet this fall to re-examine and solidify our enrollment projections and brainstorm short- and long-term solutions,” said Phelan, saying the group will consist of school committee members and town officials including those serving on Capital Budget.

But the need for temporary classrooms will not be necessary in the coming school year, said Phelan. Each of the schools were able to “create” space to be utilized for learning;

  • The four elementary schools will use existing space and the increase in full-time equivalent staffing to expand programming to meet the rising enrollment; 
  • A computer lab at the Chenery Middle School will be retrofitted into classroom space to accommodate the increase in students; and 
  • The High School will use the existing modular classrooms units in the back of the school adjacent the commuter rail tracks. As of now, there will be no need to move the Belmont Food Pantry which is located in two of the rooms. 

Yet if enrollment trends continue as predicted in recent models, “we will need to discuss our options with the School Committee and the Capital Committee,” said Phelan. 

In the past two years, Belmont town and school officials have used the idiom that the school district has been “bursting at the seams” with the rapid increase in student enrollment – 330 more students – since 2009.

In February, Phelan noted that skyrocketing student rolls would likely require the district to consider using modular classrooms – single-story prefabricated buildings most notably used in Belmont to house Wellington Elementary students as the new school was being built.

A report on enrollment commissioned by former Belmont Superintendent Dr. Thomas Kingston in 2013 bluntly stated the Chenery Middle School “does not have enough space to support the current level of student enrollment” and won’t be able to fit the large classes funneling from the four elementary schools in the next five years.

The solution “will result in the need for modular classrooms” by the beginning of the 2016-17 school year at the school located on Washington Street. 

Nor is the situation at the aging Belmont High School any better. The school is currently “out of space,” said the report, with 31 rooms shared by two teachers and four rooms by three teachers.

Modular classrooms are growing in popularity in many school districts to meet space demands. Modulars can be brought onto a site and set up in a matter of days, with lower annual utility and operating costs then a permanent building. 

Newton’s Oak Hill Middle School recently used eight modulars to fill a temporary space need, adding 4,800 sq.-ft. to the district’s footprint.

 

 

Belmont Schools Honor Eight Retirees Who Provided 200 Years of Educational Grit

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Photo: Retiring: (from left) Mary Dominguez, Anne Mullany, Rosemary Peterson, Roseanne Mili and Georgia Patterson.

They had a collective experience of nearly two centuries working in the Belmont schools; a testament to their commitment to education.

At a ceremony held on Tuesday, June 9, Belmont School Committee honored eight educators and staff members as they prepared to retire from the district at the end of the 2015 school year. 

Susan Blanchard, Mary Dominguez, Roseanne Mili, Anne Mullany, Georgia Patterson, Ellen Payne, Rosemary Peterson and Colleen Ryder were feted by the reading of a resolution from the School Committee, providing a brief glimpse of their skills and personalities that were hallmarks of their careers.  

Below are samples of the accomplishments of these educators and staff members:

“She finds ways to engage every learner – by giving extra time and attention to those who struggle, by stretching those who are ready for enrichment, and by never forgetting the needs in the middle either.” – Susan Blanchard.

“Teachers know that they can count on Mary to figuratively and literally bring science to life in their classrooms. She delivered crayfish to third grade classrooms, wrangles those that escape and fearlessly trains reluctant teachers and students to handle them.” – Mary Dominguez. 

“Aside from the wealth of knowledge and skills Mrs. Mili has provided the children of Belmont over the years, she has given them a joyful music-making experience that has fostered a love of music that they will carry with them throughout their lives.” – Roseanne Mili. 

“She has developed teaching skills that present as genuine, professional magic with which she invites students to learn.” – Anne Mullany. 

“Her pivotal role in the Student Services department allowed her to truly leave a mark on the facilitation of services for our students, and the success they ultimately achieved due to those added supports and assistance.” – Georgia Patterson.

“She is endlessly patient with her students – most of whom struggle in school – and her true grit is in convincing students that they are capable and that she will believe and support them until they believe in themselves and can support themselves.” – Ellen Payne.

“She worked consistently over the years to define and develop a strong school health program for the district, and provide oversight and guidance to nursing staff, administration and community partners.” – Rosemary Peterson. 

“She possessed endless empathy for students and families who struggled and always fought on their behalf. Her kindness and supportive nature and the impact she has had on our entire community will be sorely missed.” – Colleen Ryder.

Wagging Tails, Good Food Hoped to Lessen Anxiety of Belmont High Finals

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Photo: Dog BONES recently at MIT.

“Finals.”

That single word creates more anxiety for high school students around the world than just about any other.

And it’s no different for students at Belmont High School, as high expectations from home and school added to being an adolescent while taking one test after another can, at times, seem overwhelming.

“Students noted that stress at Belmont High is a large issue and wanted to address this,” said Becca Tananbaum, a Belmont High junior who is a member of the school’s Student Leadership Team, a group made up of approximately 74 students who are given the opportunity to take charge of certain aspects of student activities on campus.

At the beginning of the year, Belmont High School Asst. Principal John Muldoon asked the Leadership Team to propose ideas for activities that would enhance the school environment. And what better place then the culmination of the a year’s worth of study.

With a general idea of attempting to improve the general atmosphere surrounding a week’s worth of cramming and worrying, the team focused on giving themselves and their peers a chance to ease up on the academic accelerator.

The result is the school’s inaugural “Stress-Free Brunch” taking place on Wednesday, June 17.

“We have worked closely with Mr. Muldoon and [Belmont High School Principal Dan] Richards to get approval and coordinate our plans,” said Tananbaum.

Team members Erin Cantor and Solvay Metelmann proposed having food available to students between exam periods to alleviate stress. The result will be a brunch with bacon, eggs and hash browns served specially for the event by the cafeteria staff. They are organizing donations as well as working with cafeteria staff and other clubs to provide the food. In addition, student volunteers are baking various foods for the brunch. 

Along with nourishment will be a treat in the auditorium: cute dogs.

“I suggested bringing in therapy dogs during finals week, as spending time with animals has been proven to reduce stress,” said Tananbaum, noting that many universities including Tufts and MIT have found them to be effective in reducing anxiety during exam season.

Partnering with Dog B.O.N.E.S., a Scituate-based organization that provides trained, certified therapy dogs to individuals, medical settings and at elementary, middle and high schools in towns such as Hingham and Ashland.

If successful, the Stress-Free Finals could become a tradition at the High School, noted Richards at a recent School Committee meeting. 

School Committee OKs Fee, Rent Increases for Using School Spaces

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Photo: School lunches will increase by a quarter beginning in September.

The Belmont School Committee approved a package of fee hikes for all users of school space at its Tuesday, June 10 meeting.

The action, first reported in the Belmontonian last month, will begin in July at the start of the new fiscal year in July for facility rentals, full-day Kindergarten and school breakfast and lunches.

The increases come after an analysis conducted this spring by the Belmont School District to determine the actual cost of operating school facilities including classrooms and athletic spaces. 

Examples of the new fees include: 

• Increases for after school care will range from $7,400 to $5,900 over the two years with rental expenses reaching $29,425 at the Wellington, Butler and the Middle School, $23,406 at the Winn Brook and Burbank and $6,688 at the High School in fiscal 2017. 

• A jump in lunch fees by a quarter at the district’s elementary, middle and high schools will result in Belmont’s total pricing of $9.50, jumping from the lower to the highest third of other school districts, comparable to schools in municipalities such as Lexington ($9.25), Dover-Sherborn ($9.75) and Winchester ($10) but still behind Watertown ($10.50) and Concord ($10.55). 

• One local organization feeling the impact is the Belmont Aquatic Team. The non-profit will see its hourly rent for the Higginbottom Pool located at Belmont High School increase from $13.28 to $50 an hour in the coming school year and $75 in 2016-17. 

Speaking to the committee, Elena Ruggiero, BAT’s director of registration, said the new rental expenses on the 35-year-old club, with 77 swimmers – it is one of the smallest clubs in the New England Swim League – “does seem abrupt, making up from past times.”  

Ruggiero said the organization did not feel the school district’s move towards establishing market rents as “unfair considering the very low rates currently.” But she said “it is a big expansion of fees” resulting in higher tuition rates. Currently, members – 88 percent are Belmont residents – pay between $700 (for those 10 and younger) and $900 (for more senior swimmers) for half of a 11 month season. 

Ruggiero said the jump in tuition for members will be “substantial” and the club will only know how it will effect membership when enrollment starts in September.

School District Superintendent John Phelan, who described each effected group as “our partners,” said he is committed to a continuing dialogue with the renters on the impact of the higher expenses, a comment that Ruggiero took to heart. 

“Our hope is that we keep talking,” said Ruggiero, noting that most teams are part of a larger business – many own the pools and rent them out or conduct swimming lessons – with dedicated revenue that allows them to subsidize the clubs.

“We are just a swim team,” said Ruggiero. 

From Alley to Classroom, An Educational Garden Grows at the Burbank

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Photo: Opening of the Burbank’s Garden Classroom with a ribbon cutting led by Principal Tricia Clifford.

On Friday afternoon, June 5, students, teachers, parents and residents joined Principal Dr. Tricia Clifford cutting the ribbon to open the newest classroom at the Mary Lee Burbank Elementary School.

But this classroom at the School Street school does not have a white board, book shelves, chairs, desks or even a ceiling.

Instead, it has a butterfly garden, a playful fairy ring, a Colonial herb garden, a Wetu wigwam and a weather station. Welcome to Burbank’s Garden Classroom, a once abandoned strip of land transferred into a landscaped area that Clifford believes “the core values at Burbank will come alive … where students can participate in activities that promote a love of learning, respect, and well-being.”

Designed by Belmont landscape architect Elizabeth Gourley with input from Burbank teachers and students, the outdoor classroom allows hands-on learning aligned with specific curriculum requirements at each grade level. In fact, Burbank teachers and students are already using the Garden Classroom as an opportunity for an enrichment experience. Kindergarten students buried “magic” beans for their study of fairy tales, and third graders planted a selection of herbs used in colonial Massachusetts.

“We are going to encourage classes to come out during the day and take their learning outside into a different context and have the after-school program to use it as much as they can,” said Harriet Wong, co-chair of the Burbank PTA which co-sponsored the creation of the garden.

The garden classroom join’s the school’s organic vegetable garden, also established this year with co-sponsorship from Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom.

The project’s genesis came after Clifford told the PTA last year how she wished something creative could be done in the “bowling alley” – an unloved, forgotten rectangular strip of land adjacent to the right side of the school – and “it grew from there,” said PTA co-president Laurie Bufano.

The PTA approached landscape designers for the best way to use the land, as well as talking to Massachusetts Audubon’s Habitat Intergenerational Program’s Phyl Solomon and teacher Ben Ligon of the Chenery Middle School’s Courtyard which a decade ago turned the school’s central interior from a concrete afterthought into a lush garden and patio.

With funds from co-sponsor the Foundation for Belmont Education and the PTA along with donations from the community and hundreds of hours of pro-bono work, the challenge changed from planning the space to actually building it on a small budget.

“At that point, we said to make this a success, we needed an Eagle Scout,” Bufano said.

Enter Walker Thomas. Last summer, the Belmont High School sophomore – a Burbank alum whose brothers attend the school – thought he would set aside “a few weeks” to plan and build a community project as part of his Eagle Scout submission.

“I didn’t know at the time how big and involved it would become,” said Thomas, who already was a basketball player, marching band participant and member of the high school’s Model UN.

“But working with Mr. [Michael] White [of Continuum Landscape Architects who became the garden’s project manager], I began to coordinate all the different working parts that would be needed,” said Thomas.

Working in close collaboration with the Burbank PTA since the fall and playing a leading role throughout, Thomas oversaw the clearing and preparation of the site last fall (much done with this scout troop) to prepare for installation of the garden.

After the long winter, main construction finally began April 25 with site excavation by local landscapers – and former Burbank students – Brendan and Steve Kelly who prepared the patch of land for the largest group of workers, two dozen students from Minuteman High School in Lexington.

Enrolled at the school’s Horticulture and Landscape Program, the students spent two weeks working from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. gaining practical experience with the Garden Classroom. The project is the largest the students have taken on to date, involving a full installation from the ground up following design specifications and on-site adjustments. Minuteman instructors Sarah Ard and Peter Kelleher directed the students’ work along with White.

On May 13, the students completed – on schedule – installation of the garden’s hardscape and main features. Burbank families, alumni, and student volunteers gathered on Saturday, May 16, to “Plant Something!” in the classroom.

This past Friday, as students sang, ate popsicles and danced around a May Pole, adults and volunteers toured the site that just months earlier was all but forgotten.

“We’re thrilled,” said PTA’s Bufano. “We never thought we would get exactly this.”

“This will make learning so much more memorable. When kids do something physical it sticks with them,” said Wong.

It’s been a really humbling experience,” said Thomas, who will be entering his junior year at Belmont High in the fall.

“It’s pretty surreal not to have any more deadlines to be working towards. It looks awesome. I’m very happy how it turned out,” he said.

Editor’s note: The Burbank PTA wants to acknowledge the generous contributions of many to the Garden Classroom project, including:

  • The Foundation for Belmont Education,
  • Minuteman High School,
  • Michael White, Continuum Landscape Architects,
  • Liz Gourley, Elizabeth Gourley Design,
  • Kelly Brothers Landscaping Co.,
  • Walker Thomas, Eagle Scout candidate and Burbank alumnus,
  • Boy Scouts of America, Troop 66,
  • Mahoney’s Garden Centers,
  • Martignetti Enterprises,
  • Wagon Wheel Nursery,
  • ML Fence Company
  • Belmont Department Public Works, and
  • Belmont Public Schools Facilities Department.

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Belmont Boys, Girls Track In the Top Ten in East Divisional Meet

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Photo: Belmont’s girls relay team in action. 

In the best combined day in recent memory, the Belmont High School Boys’ and Girls’ Spring Track teams powered their way to top-ten finishes in the East Division 3 championships held Wednesday, June 3 in Durfee, Mass.

Led by a pair of second-place finishes by sophomore Julia Cella in the 100 (12.73 seconds) and 200 meter (26.36) sprints, Belmont piled up 46.5 points over the day, good for a solid sixth place.

The boys collected 33 points to place 9th, just three points from 7th place.

Belmont’s girls was the only team with two runners in both sprint finals as fellow sophomore Marley Williams joined Cella in the dashes.

After taking seventh in the 100, Williams finished second to the eventual winner, Tatum Pecci of Tewksbury, in the preliminary heats of the 200 meters, making her a favorite in the finals.

But Williams began feeling under the weather and scratched from the final, said Belmont Head Coach Melissa Glotzbecker, whose team won the Middlesex League regular season title and the League meet. 

Belmont’s other multi-event point scorer was freshman standout Anoush Krafian, who finished third in the 100-meter hurdles, tied for seventh in the high jump and 11th in the long jump. She was also on the 4×100-meter relay that came in fourth.

Junior Samantha Kelts was one of three athletes who broke the existing point record for the pentathlon to finish the multi-event competition in third. Also capturing a third place medal was junior Meggie MacAulay in the 400 meters.

Sophomore Claudia Tenner led three Marauders in the 400-meter hurdles, coming in 7th followed by senior Kayla Magno and sophomore Guilia Rufo.

In the field events, junior Katrina Rokosz threw the javelin just under 111 feet for 7th place.

Leading the boys was senior captain Ari Silverfine, who broke two minutes to finish fourth in the 800 meters, while anchoring the 4×800 relay that raced stride for stride against Pembroke which eked out the victory over the Marauders by less than a second.

Silverfine’s fellow senior Owen Madden took third in the 400 hurdles while junior Luke Peterson used his long frame to finish fifth in the long jump, and sixth in the triple jump.

The final meet for both girls and boys is the All-State meet taking place on Saturday, June 6, at Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg.

From the girls team, Cella will be running in the 100 and 200 meters, Krafian in the 100 hurdles and high jump, MacAulay the 400, in addition to the 4×100 relay with Cella, Krafian, MacAulay and Williams with Naria Sealy as alternative.

Silverfine will run the 800 and Madden the 400 hurdles with the 4×800 and 4×400 relay teams taking part.

Belmont Schools Increasing Rents, Fees for BASEC, Swim Team and Kindergarten

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Photo: Renting Belmont High School’s Higginbottom Pool will cost more if the Belmont School Committee approved fee increases. 

Saying that teaching positions should not be sacrificed if programs using its facilities are not paying a fair rate, the Belmont School Committee was presented a proposal to increase the rent for two non-profit programs and a jump in kindergarten fees in the coming school year.

“So now we will be we equitable with other areas and we’ll be getting more money,” said Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan at the committee’s meeting held Tuesday, May 26 at the Chenery Middle School.

Under the new fee schedule, two popular programs, the Belmont After School Enrichment Collaborative (the independent non-profit that runs the after school care programs at Belmont schools) and the Belmont Aquatic Team will see significant hikes in rental bills in the next two years.

Part of the impetus for a comprehensive review of the district’s rent and fee schedule came during the lead up to the Proposition 2 1/2 override vote in April, in which town voters overwhelming approved a $4.5 million tax hike to cover future deficits in the district’s budget.  

“We have not raised fees in five years and we’ve been talking about” revisiting the subject no matter the override’s outcome, said Phelan.

The overriding concern facing the district is that the current rates doesn’t meet the costs of “keeping the lights on,” paying utility costs, cleaning the areas, having maintenance workers on site and other demands on the district to keep the facilities up and running. 

Led by Tony DiCologero, the district’s Finance, Business and Operations director, the analysis calculated the cost-per-square-foot to operate a variety of spaces – the Higginbottom pool at the High School is far more expensive than a standard classroom – so the district could create a “baseline” cost to use a particular location.

DiCologero discovered the current sticker price for space did not meet the basic expenses required to manage the space. In addition, Belmont’s rental fees were well below the market rates of surrounding towns.

After the initial analysis was run, Phelan and DiCologero met with the two major users of school space – BASEC and BAT – to discuss the need for a “rethinking” on the fees.

“We see them as partners with the schools,” said Phelan. “They were expecting rate increases and were eager to refile contracts and we agreed to phase in the fee so not to pile on a burdensome expense in the next six month.”

Under the proposal, BASEC will see an increase of about a third to rent space in the six schools – 25 percent in fiscal 2016 and 7 percent in fiscal 2017.

In actual dollars, increases range from $7,400 to $5,900 over the two years with rental expenses reaching $29,425 at the Wellington, Butler and the Middle School, $23,406 at the Winn Brook and Burbank and $6,688 at the High School in fiscal 2017. The school district will see an increase of a nearly $36,000.

BAT will see a major increase in its rent over the two years of a proposed new contract. Currently, the squad pays what many consider a token fee of $13.28 an hour, using the pool for just over 500 hours for a total cost of $6,760.

Beginning in fiscal 2016, the rent increases to $50 an hour and then to $70 an hour in fiscal ’17. The increase will see rental fees jump by $28,000 over the two years to $35,000. 

In addition to the fees, the groups will also need to produce a certificate of insurance and have their employees submit to a CORI review. 

Phelan said he did not know what the rental fees would cost individuals as members of the effected groups, but he has heard the groups “will be able to absorb the new costs.”  

Parents of incoming full-day kindergarteners will see fees increase either $400 or $600, depending whether Gov. Charlie Baker is successful in passing through the legislature a cut in an annual state grant that facilitates full-day K. If the grant money is not restored by either the House or Senate, the higher rate will be imposed. 

Even with the higher fee – the first increase in four years – compared to surrounding town and private kindergarten, the cost for the program “remains a bargain,” said Phelan.

The proposal is before the School Committee and its financial subcommittee. It will be voted at the next meeting of the school committee on June 9.

Two-Bit Hike in School Lunch Prices Next School Year

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Photo: Lunch in Belmont.

Dustin O’Brien, Belmont Public School’s Food Services director, has been a culinary whirling dervish this school year. 

The person responsible for providing nutritious meals for students that partake in the lunch offerings at the six Belmont public schools – as well as breakfast at the Belmont High – O’Brien has been leading the way in establishing innovative programs and new nutrition partnerships including taste testing new menu items, bringing in rustic breads with Iggy Breads and starting a “farm to table” initiative where locally grown produce from Belmont Acres Farm and from other growers is used in meals throughout the growing season.

According to Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan, the entire operation is self-sufficient, with the money taken in paying for the food and staff in each school.

“They don’t take a dime from the district,” Phelan told the Belmont School Committee on Tuesday, May 26. 

Yet there is more than just food and personnel that makes for an efficient department. They need to outfit a working kitchen – the pots, pans, and especially the bigger items, said Phelan, “working oven and refrigerators.” 

Yet, other than the basics, O’Brien doesn’t have the extra cash on hand to do simple tasks such as haul away broken equipment from the lunch rooms. 

With the support of Phelan, O’Brien has created a capital plan for food services, “to continue to provide quality food,” said the superintendent. 

The program would be set up like a revolving capital fund, with funds appropriated to replacing and upgrading equipment along with any other need in the kitchen. 

The proposal asks the School Committee to approve a 25 cents increase for a daily meal “ticket” to bring in between $60,000 to $66,000 annually into the revolving account. 

The changes will result in the following prices for lunch beginning in the new school year in August:

  • Belmont High School: $3.50
  • Chenery Middle School: $3.25
  • Belmont’s elementary schools: $2.75

Even with the increases, Belmont school lunch prices will be in the bottom third compared to surrounding communities, said Phelan. And hopefully with new equipment, prices will remain lower due to efficiencies. 

The School Committee will decide on the fee increase at its June 9 meeting. 

Belmont High Will Be In Session Tuesday Despite Early Morning Fire Monday

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Photo: Crews cleaning the room where a floor cleaning machine was destroyed by fire early Monday morning, May 25.

Belmont High School will be open on Tuesday, May 26, a day after a fire in a storage room next to the school’s auditorium destroyed a floor-cleaning machine and damaged the room.

“The fire started shortly before two o’clock this morning and [the entire] company went down there for an alarm investigation,” said Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell.

“When they got there, they found smoke coming from a custodial storage room underneath the back end of the auditorium outside the hallway that runs from the cafeteria and the music department,” said Frizzell.

In flames was a battery-operated floor maintenance machine used to clean and wash the school’s floors. It’s suspected an overheated battery caused the fire. The arriving companies stretched hose lines into the building to reach the area.

The blaze destroyed the machine and resulted in smoke and water damage to the room and a thick, smokey odor throughout in the auditorium and the immediate area, said Frizzell.

In an unrelated issue, a water pipe in the recirculation system in the adjacent room “let go” resulting in the water being shut off, he said.

By early Monday afternoon, building maintenance had opened all the doors to the school and positioned fans to clear the smoke from the premise. 

“Early this morning, the odor was overpowering. Now it’s so much better,” said Angela Braun, Belmont’s Health Department Director, as she visited the site.

Inside, members from a professional service company were scrubbing the walls and floors of the damaged room as water service was returned to the building. 

The fire comes as the town’s Capital Budget Committee prepares to replace the existing 40 year old alarm system the Fire Department said is past its useful life. The $1 million price tag to replace the system drained the entire bonding capacity provided to Capital Budget in this year’s $4.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override.