Sports: Upset-Minded Belmont Football Falls to Final Minute Watertown FG, 24-22

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Photo: Belmont RB Ben Jones runs through a wide opening in the line to score late in the fourth quarter against Watertown.

In what will be remembered as an epic Thanksgiving Day clash, Belmont’s bid for a memorable upset of arch rivals and host Watertown was derailed by the foot of sophomore Conor Kennelly as the Raiders’ kicker hit a field goal from 35 yards out with 56 seconds remaining to give Watertown a 24-22 victory over the Mauraders on Thursday, Nov. 26 at Victory Field.

“We played a great football game, all aspects of it. Our coaches did a tremendous job, planning it up for them. I was really proud of the effort we put forth in this game,” said Belmont Head Coach Yann Kuman, who fought off his emotions to reach out to his players.

“I hope that we sent a message to people in general that Belmont football is on the rise and Belmont football is here to stay. Get ready for us because we’re going to lick our wounds and in a month we will be back in the weight room getting ready for 2016,” said Kuman.

Calling his team’s performance Thursday, “the season’s most complete game from both sides of ball,” Kuman said the players and coaches stayed with the plans mapped out in the past two weeks in preparation for Watertown’s rushing attack and strong defensive line

“We stuck with [our plan] even though we had some execution problems in the first quarter of defense, we didn’t abandon what we practiced and prepared for,” Kuman said. 

But for the fourth time in time this season, Belmont could not find a way to score or hold the lead at the end of the game.

“We have to be like the experience teams and know how to close out a game,” said Kuman.

One of Belmont’s season-long bugaboos raised its head once again as Watertown quickly marched down the field – aided by four offsides penalties against the Marauders – towards a go-ahead score. But Belmont’s interior defensive line spearheaded by senior Justin Aroyan and stopped Watertown’s running game inside the 5-yard line.

“The guys did a lot of work this week, and the coaches put in a lot of hours on the grease board and we came up with a good package,” said Kuman.

“We had faith in the guys in doing the job, and they did it,” he said., 

On his first passing attempt, Watertown junior QB Deon Smith threw the ball into the arms of junior Marauder defensive back Kevin Martin in the end zone at 4:43 in the first quarter.

After gaining a first down, Belmont’s drive stalled and on the subsequent punt attempt, the ball sailed over punter Aidan Cadogan’s head. When all was said and done, Watertown had the ball on the Marauders’ 19 when on their first play, Watertown’s Smith juked down the right side 19 yards for the opening touchdown with 56 seconds left in the first quarter.

After the kickoff, Belmont kept the ball for nearly eight minutes, mixing short runs by senior Mehki Johnson – which Watertown successfully bottled up for most of the game – and junior Ben Jones and passing by junior QB Cal Christofori to senior WR Justin Wagner (including a six-yard pickup on fourth down and four yards at the 18 yard line) culminating in Christofori finding senior WR Joe Shaughnessy on a seven-yard slant for the game-tying touchdown at 4:07 to the half.

Watertown quickly went downfield – helped by a Smith 30-yard run – finishing with senior running back Kyle Foley scoring on a 7-yard run with 41 seconds left.

But that was enough time for Christofori to complete three passes and for Johnson to break a 30 yard gain that allowed Cadogan to hit a line-drive field goal with three seconds remaining to cut the halftime lead to 14-10.

Watertown caught a break when the third quarter pooch kickoff eluded Belmont’s return team, and the Raiders recovered the ball on the Belmont 22. A few plays later, the score was 21-10 as Foley ran the ball in from 2 yards out early in the third.

But Belmont would not fold, coming out with a masterpiece of a drive,a 19 play, 11-minute possession (including a 15-yard roughing the passing personal foul on the Raiders) in which Belmont, behind the ever-improving offensive line – sophomores Dennis Crowley and Ryan Noone along with seniors Chris Piccione, Lowell Haska and Aroyan – and the bruising blocking from sophomore fullback Adam Deese saw Jones and Johnson eat up yards while Christofori connected with his favorite target Wagner.

The Marauders took the ball 81 yards where Johnson busted through for his 22nd touchdown of the season to shrink the lead to 21-16 with 9-minutes remaining. While it appeared Johnson had scored on the two-point conversion, the referees said the Belmont runner’s knee had first hit the ground.

A good kickoff return by Watertown was negated by a 15-yard personal foul penalty, and Belmont’s defense stuffed the Raiders on three consecutive plays. On fourth down, Wagner used his basketball reach to block the Watertown punt, and Belmont recovered the ball on the Raiders 10-yard line. Two plays later, Jones scored on a 4-yard run with 6:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving Belmont a 22-21 lead after missing the two-point conversion.

Watertown had the ball on the Belmont 45 and nearly lost the ball on a fumble and a near interception. On fourth down and 4 yards at the 38, Smith’s pass was a poor one, and Belmont took over on downs with 3:56 to play and up by a point.

A Christofori sprint pass to Wagner and Deese run gave Belmont a first and ten at its 48-yard line with 2:56 remaining. It appeared Belmont had sealed the upset when Johnson sprinted to the Raiders 20-yard line with 2:39 left, but the Marauders were penalized for holding. Belmont punted with 1:39 left giving the Raiders the ball on its 19.

Some hard running by Smith and a timely pass to senior Tyler Poulin coupled with two near interceptions by Belmont where Watertown receivers had to play “defense” gave Kennelly the opportunity to play the hero of the day.

Watertown now leads the yearly contest 46-43-5.

Players and coaches were resolute in defeat, showing their disappointment but also congratulating each other for the season they completed.

“The big statement of this game would have been winning it. But we’re proud of what we accomplished. This was a program with one win in two seasons, and now we’ve won seven in two [years] and competitive in all but two games this season,” Kuman said.

“The only emotion I have right now is pride. I’m proud how the kids played this year, how the coaches led the players. We’re proud where we are and really proud of what we did,” he said.

Sold in Belmont: Homes with a View Reap in a Million

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Photo: 41 Hay Rd.

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22 Hartley Rd. Garrison Colonial (1955). Sold: $848,000.

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35 Elizabeth Rd. Expanded colonial (1935). Sold: $1,400,000.

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533 Pleasant St. Deck House/Mid-century modern (1964). Sold: $1,250,000.

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41 Hay Rd. Arts & Crafts-inspired Cape with studio designed by Nelson Chase. (1925). Sold: $1,000,000.

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32 Holden Rd. Condominium (1926). Sold: $425,000.

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69 Cedar Rd. New England shingles Colonial (1920). Sold: $891,000.

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246 Blanchard Rd. Colonial (1914). Sold: $485,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 22 Hartley Rd. Garrison Colonial (1955). Sold: $848,000. Listed at $859,000. Living area: 1,921 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 140 days.

• 35 Elizabeth Rd. Expanded Colonial (1935). Sold: $1,400,000. Listed at $1,350,000. Living area: 3,309 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 32 days.  $767,500

• 533 Pleasant St. Deck House/Mid-century modern (1964). Sold: $1,250,000. Listed at $1,195,000. Living area: 2,769 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 52 days.

• 41 Hay Rd. Arts & Crafts-inspired Cape with studio designed by Nelson Chase. (1925). Sold: $1,000,000. Listed at $1,100,000. Living area: 1,490 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 148 days.

• 32 Holden Rd. Condominium (1926). Sold: $425,000. Listed at $429,000. Living area: 1,166 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 54 days.

• 69 Cedar Rd. New England shingles Colonial (1920). Sold: $891,000. Listed at $899,900. Living area: 2,024 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 45 days.

• 246 Blanchard Rd. Colonial (1914). Sold: $485,000. Listed at $499,000. Living area: 1,498 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 47 days. 

Tidbits

How do you double the value of your house in five short years? After buying the Colonial on Elizabeth Road for $767,500 in 2010, the owner laid down $37,000 to create an open floor plan that allowed the back end of the house to experience a spectacular view of Boston and install a new kitchen. Spend another $60,000 on new windows and siding, and then put it on the market and keep showing potential buyers the view of the Back Bay, Beacon Hill and Downtown. It sold for a cool $1.4 million. 

You don’t see this happen much; a seller delisting their house only to return with a higher price tag. That’s what occurred on Cedar Street as the price went from $859,000 in June to $865,000 in September. Did it achieve its goal of selling for the higher of the two list prices? Nope. It sold for $11,000 below the beginning sales price. 

Extensive water damage to a house on Pleasant Street in 2014 nearly laid low a house style you don’t see in Belmont even though the manufacturer is located in Acton: a deck house. Only 20,000 worldwide, the deck house is a prefabricated house built by the Deck House company founded in 1959. The structure is post and beam construction with Cedar tongue and groove ceilings. Trim is mahogany and siding was furred Mahogany. Popular in the Carolinas and in and around the factory, the Belmont example needed $178,000 to rehab the interior with another $46,000 to remodel the main and master bedroom. It sold for $1.25 million, which isn’t bad for a house built on a factory floor. 

It only has 6 rooms, a pair of bedrooms and a bath and a half crammed into less than 1,500 sq.-ft. of space. But the house is a pristine example of an Arts & Crafts cottage designed by the artist and architect Nelson Chase. Add to that it’s on quirky Hay Road, has a view of the Center, and has an artist’s studio, and the $1 million final sales price is acceptable … for some. 

 

Put a ‘Bee’ in Your Bonnet: Register for the FBE Annual Spelling Bee

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Photo: Spelling teams.

Have your dictionaries at the ready. It’s that time of year when the younger students in the Belmont School District will be lining up to show off their spelling prowess as the 15th annual Foundation for Belmont Education Spelling Bee takes place on Saturday, Nov. 14

The yearly congregation of the town’s best spellers occurs in the Belmont High School Auditorium from 2 p.m. to until they have a winner.

Student teams from Kindergarten to 6th grade can register here: CLICK HERE. Deadline is Friday, Oct. 30.

And HERE are the rules for the Fall 2015 Spelling Bee Rules. 

Participants should check the FBE website the week before the Bee to determine approximately what time their team will be on stage! 

WORD LISTS
Spelling Bee 2015 Grade K Word List

Spelling Bee 2015 Grades 1 and 2 Word List

Spelling Bee 2015 Grades 3 and 4 Word List

Spelling Bee 2015 Grades 5 and 6 Word List

Students may review the appropriate grade word lists at home and with their team. Spellers may participate in three or four-person teams. On the day of the Bee, teams go on stage in groups (swarms) and are given words from the list to write on a small team whiteboard (teams can designate one writer or rotate).

The K-4 swarms are non-competitive. Teams will be told if their word is correct or incorrect, but there is no elimination.

The 5th and 6th grade swarms are competitive using our famous “two stingers before you’re out” rules. Challenging, off-list words may be used, if needed. 

In preparation for the Bee, each team picks a name and is encouraged to wear attire (shirts, hats, etc.) to show their team spirit. Pizza, drinks and desserts will be available for sale in the cafeteria. Family members and friends are welcome to come and watch. Participants should check the FBE website before the Bee to determine approximately what time teams will be on stage. 

More questions? Check out this year FAQ! Still have questions? Contact the Spelling Bee Co-Chairs, Christa Bauge or Jacqueline Kaiser, at beemaster@fbe-belmont.org

Volunteers are always welcome and greatly appreciated. Contact beemaster@fbe-belmont.org

‘Bee’ there!

Ohlin’s Celebrates Century Mark Saturday, Oct. 17

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Photo: Ohlin’s Bakery celebrates 100 years in business.

Two family owners, a century of memories and millions of donuts, pastries and cakes will be recognized on Saturday, Oct. 17 as Ohlin’s Bakery celebrates a centennial doing business in Belmont.

The store, in the heart of Cushing Square at 456 Common St., will be holding hourly raffles until 6 p.m. commemorating the Ohlin and Klemm families who have been operating the business since 1915. 

The bakery has been honored over the years by local publications and national magazines for making some of the best donuts around, especially the maple glaze which the Boston Globe described as “one of the most aesthetically pleasing treats we encounter, overflowing with topping and beautifully drizzled with chocolate.”

Profiled in the Belmontonian in July, the business is truly a family run business as Marybeth and Paul Klemm and their children work either running the store or creating the baked goods.

“There’s no magic to Ohlin’s success and longevity; just the dedication of a pair of families over the past century creating a landmark destination for sweet confectionary treats,” the profile read. 

 

Sports: Field Hockey Tweaks D, Rights Ship as Watertown Looms

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Photo: Senior forward Katherine McCarthy scoring against Reading.

Belmont High’s Field Hockey Head Coach Jessica Snith still shakes her head and goes silent when she’s asked about “that” game. The one where Winchester scored four goals in the final 12 minutes to defeat the unbeaten Marauders, 5-4.

“Oh, I hate talking about it,” Smith said.

But two solid victories since has Belmont riding high again (8-1-0) and giving Smith a renewed sense of confidence as she and the team prepares for the regular season game of the year as Watertown, six-time consecutive state Div. 2 champion and winner of 148 straight games (as the Raiders prepare for a strong Lexington squad on Tuesday, Oct. 6) will travel the two-and-a-half miles down Common Street in both towns to Harris Field for the 6 p.m. match on Thursday, Oct. 8. 

On a blustery and cool Saturday afternoon, Oct. 3, the Marauders defeated a team they could not figure out last season, Reading, scoring four goals in the first half to ease past the Rockets, 5-0. 

The win puts Belmont in the Div. 1 North sectional playoffs, the earliest the Marauders have ever secured a ticket to the post season. 

“Now every game is to get up a higher seed so we can avoid the big schools (Andover and Acton-Boxborough) until late in the playoffs,” said Smith.

“Right now, this team is playing so well that we can challenge anyone (in the post season),” Smith said. 

Senior forward Katherine McCarthy scored the opener on an acrobatic shot from in close 11 minutes into the match. Morgan Chase tipped in a shot at the doorstep and Kerri Lynch got back into the scoring grove for the team’s third. Junior midfielder AnnMarie Habelow finished the scoring, her first from about 10 meters in front of the goal, the worst location a team could leave such a deadly scorer. 

On Thursday, the girls defeated Burlington, 7-1, on Thursday, Oct. 1. In that game, Bridget Gardner scored as McCarthy and Habelow each scored a pair. 

Smith said despite the Winchester loss – she has circled the date the Sachems will be visiting Belmont for the return match – the team has been growing in their teamwork such as multiple passes and stopping the other team from breaking out from their zone.

Smith has also tweeked the defense by changing a position player to add stickhandling and speed in the back line.

“We just want to make the change well before Watertown so it doesn’t feel like we’re doing something desperate,” said Smith, who said the Raiders “will be a tough squad [to meet] but so are we.” 

Next up for the girls is a trip to Wakefield on Tuesday, Oct. 6 before Thursday night’s big match.

Sold in Belmont: Affordable in a Potpourri of Styles, Locations

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Photo: 81 Statler Rd.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 77 Leicester Rd. Old-style center-entrance Colonial (1932). Sold: $987,500. Listed at $1,050,000. Living area: 2,510 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 98 days.

• 25-27 Gilbert Rd. 5+5 Two family (1925). Sold: $710,000. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 2,308 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 42 days.

• 42 Walnut St. Townhouse condo (1993). Sold: $667,000. Listed at $630,000. Living area: 1,800 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 43 days.

• 96 Beech St. Early Cape with commercial space (1922). Sold: $625,000. Listed at $599,900. Living area: 1,691 sq.-ft. 11 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 38 days.

• 49-51 Slade St. Two family (1925). Sold: $755,000. Listed at $749,000. Living area: 2,150 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 69 days.

• 285 Common St. Brick Cape-ish (1945). Sold: $810,000. Listed at $820,000. Living area: 2,383 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 98 days.

• 271 Common St. Brick Cape (1948). Sold: $810,000. Listed at $820,000. Living area: 1,684 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 42 days.

• 16 Bay State Rd. Brick/frame Colonial (1928). Sold: $1,005,000. Listed at $999,000. Living area: 2,165 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 57 days.

• 81 Statler Rd. Cape (1939). Sold: $545,000. Listed at $525,000. Living area: 984 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 63 days.

From one of the smallest single-family homes in Belmont (most new condo/townhouses are double the size of the Cape on Statler) to a pair of classic two units close to Trapelo Road, a mishmash of add-on extensions along the Beech and a lot of Capes, the traditional frame for first-time homebuyers. There is affordable housing in the “Town of Homes.” 

This (Short but Busy) Week: Stormwater Forum, LEGOs, Rink Presentation

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Photo:
 
On the governmental side of “The Week.”
  • The Belmont Board of Selectmen, the Belmont School Committee and the town’s Capital Budget Committee will hold a joint session to hear a presentation on the construction of a new skating rink and field house at the present site off Concord Avenue. The meeting is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at the Chenery Middle School.
  • The Belmont School Committee meets for the first time this school year at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at the Chenery Middle School. In addition to the Hockey Rink presentation, new staff members will be introduced and lots of reports and goals announced.
  • The Belmont Planning Board will meet to continue public hearing on a number of existing applications and one new application at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8 in Town Hall. 
  • The Belmont Historic District Commission will discuss Demolition Delay and the cleaning of the commuter rail bridge at its 7 p.m. meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8 in Town Hall. 
  • The Energy Committee is meeting at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Town Hall.
  • The Community Preservation Committee is meeting at 5 p.m., Sept. 9 at Town Hall in preparation to its Sept. 17 public meeting. 
• Pre-School Summer Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer run library, on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 10:30 a.m. Stories and crafts for children age 3 to 5. Parents or caregivers must attend. Siblings can join with adults. Registration is not required. The Benton Library is located at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex.
• State Rep. Dave Rogers will be holding office hours at the Beech Street Center at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8. 
• The Belmont Public Library, in partnership with the Belmont-based non-profit Science for the Public, will offer the program Origami: Art and Science, on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 7  p.m. in the Assembly Room. The presenter for the program is Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan, Ph.D., de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics; Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology; Professor of Physics, Harvard University.
 
• Join Julie Goetze for traditional songs and nursery rhymes, played on her guitar on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the library’s Assembly Room
 
• A jobs workshop on “Changing Careers: Reinventing Oneself in Today’s Job Market” with employment expert Gary Gekow will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. Transitioning into a new profession can be a challenging and daunting undertaking. Gekow will discuss and explore various strategies to help make the transition from one industry to another a smooth one.  This is a group discussion where everyone’s experiences and opinions are welcomed.  No sign-up necessary.
 
• Belmont Historical Society is holding its board meeting Wednesday, Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. at the Library’s Claflin Room.
 
• The LEGOs Club is back! If you love building with LEGOs, this program is for you!  Kids in grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade will build with our LEGOs and we’ll put all the creations on display in the Children’s Room. The fun begins Thursday, Sept. 10, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the library’s Assembly Room.
 
• The Belmont League of Women Voters monthly meeting is being held on Thursday, Sept. 10, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the library’s Flett Room.
 
• A stormwater forum titled “Water Trouble: A Neighbor-to-Neighbor Dialogue about Storms, Floods, and Water Quality” will take place on Thursday, Sept. 10, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Winn Brook School. Registration starts at 6:45 pm. Representatives from grass root organizations from Arlington, Belmont, and Watertown organized the forum. We have panelists from all three towns.
 
• Join Lenka from Belmont’s Music Together on Friday, Sept. 11 from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. 
in the library’s Assembly Room for singing, playing with egg shakers and dancing!  For kids 5 and under.
 
• The senior book discussion group will meet on Friday, Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. at the Beech Street Center to discuss Middlemarch by George Eliot.
 
• The Belmont Gallery of Art invites the public to the closing reception for “!02478,” Belmont Art Association’s Summer Show, on Friday, Sept. 11, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Belmont Art Gallery located on the third floor of the Homer Building in the Town Hall complex.

• The Benton Library, Belmont’s independent library, is open on Friday, Sept. 11, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., come by the Benton on the way home or after dinner. Get a free library card if you don’t have one already. Explore the collection. Select some of our gently used sale books; all proceeds benefit the library.

Eye of the Marauder: Belmont High’s New Court Up and Running

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Photo: The new court at the Wenner.

Just six months after getting together with a group of friends at Conley’s Pub for a beer and to throw around the “wild” idea of replacing the worst basketball court – the vinyl floor at Belmont High’s Wenner Field House – any high school team had to play on, John Carson was standing on a shiny, new surface ready for action.  

“This is amazing,” said Carson, as he and that original group of supporters, school officials and the captains of this coming season’s Belmont High basketball celebrated the court’s completion at Wenner Field House on Monday, Aug. 31.

“Amazing that, one, we pulled it off, and two, it looks this damn good,” he said.

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John Carson.

The new stone grey and dark blue court – which will be inaugurated by Belmont High’s Volleyball team at a scrimmage this week – is a composite surface that took Rockland-based American Sport Floors about five weeks to complete.

“I couldn’t be prouder,” said Carson, who said once the original group of supporters – made up of himself, Paula Christofori, Jon Baldi, Chris Messer and David Ramsey – decided to move forward with the plan, it would take “only 10 to 12 weeks to get the money to do all this.”

The new court is an example of a growing trend in Belmont where – whether out of frustration or due to  philanthropic intentions – residents, businesses and groups join to raise the private funds needed to build or improve public infrastructure that town government is finding harder to finance.

Recently, private monies have been used to repair school playgrounds, irrigate town fields and “rescue” the new swimming facility, to name a few. 

The new varsity court joins the list of privately funded/public amenities that included a pair of $35,000 contributions; from the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation and Belmont Youth Basketball Association. 

“In no way did [Belmont Savings] want their logo on [the center court] because they wanted to do the right thing, so hats off to them,” said Carson.

An additional $40,000 was collected from private individuals – “from $10 to $5,000,” said Carson – and $15,000 from Belmont Boosters allowed for the entire varsity areas to be redone. 

The adjacent JV court and surrounding areas will be completed in the summer of 2016 financed by a $100,000 appropriation from the town’s Capital Budget Committee.

Carson also praised Belmont Schools Superintendent John Phelan as “someone who gets things done” for making the project a priority “because it will be used by all students, and that was a key for him.” 

Opening the court to the players for a brief shoot-around – Carson said hopefully the new court “will bring a championship with it.”

“No pressure, guys,” he said to the players. 

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Scrub-a-Dub: Commuter Bridge To Undergo Cleaning Today, Wednesday

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Photo: The Belmont Center Commuter Rail bridge set for a cleaning in the next days.

One of Belmont’s iconic images will get its first cleaning in its history as the Belmont Center Commuter Rail bridge will undergo a power washing beginning Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 18.

The private initiative spurred by former Belmont Selectman Angelo Firenze and the Belmont Citizens Forum – which has been actively collecting private donations for the past several years to pay for the bridge cleaning – should be complete by Wednesday, Aug. 19, according to Town Administrator David Kale who made the announcement to the Board of Selectmen at its Monday, Aug. 17, meeting.

Well-known Belmont landscaping business, Dante Muzzioli Associates, will be performing the work. 

The washing will begin “after traffic” abates on Tuesday, and will “do as much as they can” before finishing on Wednesday. 

Kale said the private group received permission from the bridge’s owner, the MBTA, and is using volunteer donations to perform the work.

Swimmingly: Residents Swarm to New Underwood Pool Opener

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Photo: Off the slide and into the pool.

Lorraine Benoit had spent 10 hours on the job at the new Underwood Pool, literally opening the doors for the first day of swimming at the new $5.3 million facility on Monday, Aug. 10.

On a sunny, warm summer day, hundreds of Belmont residents – there was no official number because the counter was left in the front desk because it was so busy – entered the fence to take a dip in the two pools, rest on the grass banking and even voluntarily venture into the two bath houses to change and take a shower.

“Everything is ready to go. I’m just hoping everything goes well,” said Benoit, the pool’s manager who has been working at Belmont pools since 1964.

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For the early birds who came early, it was a chance to finally test the facilities which took nine months to build from ground breaking on a freezing cold November day.

“I’m here to swim laps,” said Jim Crawford, one of nearly two dozen residents – most of them pre-teens and younger – who waited patiently for the official opening at 9 a.m. 

“I figured I’d swim first thing in the morning and rest for the rest of the day,” said Crawford.

Julie Campisano brought her six-and-a-half year of twins who didn’t have to travel very far to reach the pool; they live across Cottage Street from the facility. 

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“We saw it being built all winter and couldn’t wait for it to be open. It’s so exciting,” said Campisano.

With many town officials present, including Town Administrator David Kale, the DPW’s Director Jay Marcotte and Health Director Angela Braun, the kids and adults marched in and much like when someone has a new car, tentatively entered the water, seemingly not wanting to spoil the new-ness of the premises.

But soon children where washing out of the slide, jumping off the diving board while the adults took a more placid approach, taking photos of their children or hitting the designated lap area.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid and now I’m 73,” said Mary Turner, “from famous Waverley Square.”

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Turner, whose children and grandchildren all learned to swim at the Underwood, said she appreciated the chance to do laps “since you really couldn’t do that in the old pool.”

By 2 p.m., the pool was nearing capacity as blankets covered the grass and the sound of kids and splashing could be heard from School Street to well down Concord Avenue. While the crowds diminished by afternoon, people were still arriving as shade settled across the entire location.

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With the exception of the super slippery pool surface leading into the pools – especially noticeable in the “kiddie” pool when entering from the “zero entry” section – which required Department of Public Works employees to place bath and auto mats in the area, the “new Underwood” won a near universal thumbs up from residents.

“It’s been a great success, despite the little problem we’ve experienced,” said Anne Paulsen, chair of the Underwood Pool Building Committee, who stood drying off after test driving the facility. She said the slipping issue would be resolved after the pool is closed for the season when the contractor will apply a textured “sand” paint.

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Just after 6 p.m., Benoit was preparing for the umpteenth “deep end test,” in which young swimmers demonstrate the swimming prowess required to allow them to leap off the diving board into 12 feet of water. 

“It’s been fabulous today,” said Benoit, who praised the gaggle of lifeguards, many who had spent the entire day at the site. 

“Everyone did a great job today,” she said as she drifted over to the next group of youngsters ready to brave the test.