This Weekend: Jazz Times Three on Saturday, See Cuba from Belmont

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Photo: Cuba From a Different Angle

• The John Arcaro Trio will be part of the Music on Saturday concert on Saturday, April 18, at 3 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. Playing classic American jazz, John Arcaro is an internationally known pianist, recording artist, and clinician. Music on Saturday concerts are free to all thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library.

• The Belmont Gallery of Art explores the intimate lives of the Cuban people as well as the country’s architecture and geography with “Cuba From a Different Angle” by photographer and Harvard lecturer  Jonathan Hansen. The gallery – located on the third floor of the Homer Municipal Building, 219 Moore St., in the Town Hall complex – is open on Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Excellence: Foundation Honors Inaugural Group of ‘Outstanding’ Belmont Teachers

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Photo: Belmont High Biology teacher Suzanne Lijek named one of “Outstanding Teacher of the Year.”

Suzanne Lijek had no idea why Principal Dan Richards had called her down to the main office for a “meeting.” 

The AP Biology teacher at Belmont High School was preparing for the day’s classes when when she headed to the offices at 9 a.m. on April 15. 

It was only when she was ushered into the guidance room did she suspect that something was amiss.

Inside were many of her students, colleagues, Superintendent John Phelan and members of the Foundation for Belmont Education along with flowers, balloons and a certificate.

After a few seconds of being surprised, Lijek was informed by FBE President Jamie Shea she was the very first honoree of the foundation’s “Belmont’s Outstanding Teachers of the Year” award. 

The six honorees, from each of Belmont’s public schools, were recognized for their excellence in the classroom and for consistently making a difference in the lives of Belmont’s children. Recipients were nominated by students, parents and community members. 

“Teachers don’t receive the recognition they deserve in many places in the country, so this is a great opportunity for Belmont to tell them how important they are,” Phelan told Lijek and those assembled.

Shea noted that Lijek was the very first recipient of the award that the FBE hopes to make an annual event.

“I’m happy to receive this award because it validates the work all teachers do,” Lijek told the Belmontonian. 

In addition to Lijek, the 2015 honorees – all who were told in person at their schools – are: 

  • Katharine Caritey, Burbank Elementary, Grade 2 
  • Audrey Ruddock, Butler Elementary, Kindergarten 
  • Steven Tenhor, Wellington Elementary, Grade 4 
  • Danielle Pandolfo, Winn Brook Elementary, Grade 3 
  • Ben Ligon, Chenery Middle School, Grade 6 (Math) 

The ceremony to honor Belmont’s Outstanding Teachers of the Year award winners will be held on April 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School. The award celebration, sponsored by Belmont Savings Bank, is open to the public. 

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This Week: Pulitzer Prize Winner Kristof on Wednesday, Let’s Talk Books on Tuesday

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Photo: Ken Gloss, owner of the Brattle Street Book Shop.

On the government side of “This Week”:

  • Community Meeting on Grove Street Playground will be held on Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at the Beech Street Center. A first look at some draft proposals that would be part of a new Master Plan for the playground.
  • The Belmont School Committee is meeting on Tuesday, April 14, at 7 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School to discuss the fiscal 2016 budget now that the Proposition 2 1/2 override was approved by voters. It will also discuss school choice and vote on the final day of school.
  • A full agenda at the Belmont Conservation Commission being held on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. It will discuss a proposal to allow parking on Rock Meadow for a week in June (9-14) to accommodate the PGA’s Senior Players Tournament being played at Belmont Country Club.

• Nichole Bernier will speak on her debut bestselling novel “The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D.” at the Belmont Public Library’s Books and Bites event today, Monday, April 13 at 11 a.m. in the Assembly Room. 
A New England Independent Booksellers Association award finalist that spent eight weeks on The Boston Globe bestseller list, the novel is a portrait of two women and two families through the lens of one mother’s posthumous journals is a thoughtful exploration of the struggle for identity that women face.
Bernier is a writer for magazines, including Psychology Today and Boston Magazine and a 14-year contributing editor with Conde Nast Traveler.
All are welcome to attend this free program. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Refreshments will be provided. The Assembly Room is handicapped accessible.

• Dr. Tara Grimm of Bennett Family Eye Care in Belmont will give a talk on low vision – when a loss of eyesight makes everyday tasks difficult – on Monday, April 13, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room.

• On Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School, Breaking Winds – yes, that’s its name – a quartet of bassoonists will be performing a free concert after giving a master class at the school. They will be doing a Lady Gaga melody. This concert is all made possible by POMS (Parents of Music Students).

• Tuesday is story time at both of Belmont libraries. 
• Pre-School Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer run library, at 10:30 a.m. Stories and crafts for children age 3 to 5. Parents or caregivers must attend. Siblings may attend with adults. Registration is not required. The Benton Library is located at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex. 
• The Belmont Public Library on Concord Avenue will be holding two sessions of Story Time for 2’s and 3’s, at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. 

• State Rep. Dave Rogers holds office hours on Tuesday, April 14 at 9:30 a.m.

• Ken Gloss, owner of the Brattle Street Book Shop, brings his expert opinion on appraising books, book collecting and selling to the Belmont Public Library on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m.   Ken is often featured talking about books and their values on local and national television and radio programs. Major universities such as Harvard, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, Simmons, Suffolk, Tufts, and Babson have consulted with him on the value of their collections. The Brattle Street Book Shop, founded in the Cornhill section of Boston in 1825, has been in the hands of the Gloss Family since 1949. The program is open and free to all thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library.

• The International Fiction Book Club will discuss How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid, in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room on Wednesday, April 15, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Everybody is welcome. If you have questions, or need help finding a copy of either book, contact Kylie at ksparks@minlib.net
• The Parent/Teacher Band Concert will be held in the Chenery Middle School’s auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15. 

• The Belmont Historical Society presents actor Gerry Wright who will present his one-man play honoring the life and work of Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of landscape architecture who designed the grounds of McLean Hospital and Boston’s Emerald Necklace among many other famous parks, on Wednesday, April 15, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room.

• New York Times columnist, author and Pulitzer prize winner Nicholas Kristof will speak on his book, “A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity,” on Wednesday, April 15, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Belmont High School’s auditorium.

• Well-loved local musician Liz Buchanan performs original songs and traditional favorites on Friday, April 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room.

• State Sen. Will Brownsberger will be holding office hours on Friday, April 17, 10 a.m. at the Beech Street Center.

Letter to the Editor: Lessons on Democracy from Kids in Starbucks

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To the editor: 

Yesterday [Sunday, April 5] after our Easter brunch was over and my uncle had gone, the kids had tired of playing both indoors and out, so we made our way to the town-center Starbucks for a change of scenery.

Grouped around a table were five teenagers studying AP biology.  My six-year-old pointed out to me that one of them had a “Yes for Belmont” sticker on her laptop. She seemed pleased that he had noticed and we began to talk. She was a junior, 17, too young to vote. I asked about her parents: they wished they could vote in favor but are not U.S. citizens; she was hoping that people like me could vote for it. It turned out that some of the other kids at the table were in the same situation. I found myself wondering if these bright, articulate, hard-working kids perhaps had benefited when they were younger from the ELL classes that the “No” campaign wants to (illegally) do away with. 

This chance encounter came as a reminder: Citizenship is a privilege that we don’t all have. We owe it to those who can’t vote – our children, other people’s children, and the immigrant population of Belmont that helps make this town what it is – to exercise our right on Tuesday. 

This is going to be a close election. If ever there were a case of “every vote counts,” this is it! If you have voted absentee already, thank you. If you haven’t, please remember to vote Tuesday, April 7. And please budget enough time. The polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. but there may be lines. Please don’t walk away if the line is long; you will be relinquishing a vote that those kids in Starbucks (and their parents) wish they had. 

And if you’re in the same situation as those kids’ parents, ask your friends who are citizens to vote. Democracy only works if we make it work. 

Mary Lewis

Randolph Street 

Heated Election Emotions Spurs Plea for Civility from Town Clerk, Top Cop

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Photo: Ellen Cushman.

For the past few weeks, Belmont’s Town Clerk Ellen Cushman has been receiving an increasing number of calls, emails and personal visits from residents on the same topic, the Proposition 2 1/2 override on the Town Election ballot set for April 7.

But the residents were not seeking information about the Question 1. Rather, they showed Cushman examples of vitriol from neighbors or strangers on what side they took on Question 1: angry personal attacks in email and notes left on their property, political signs taken or destroyed, biting comments on social media.

“They’re upset that people are attacking their character for a political position,” Cushman told the Belmontonian Thursday afternoon, April 2.

“It’s been very bad tempered and personal,” she added.

After hearing from Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin that his department has received similar messages, Cushman decided it was time to act by sending an extraordinary email to Town Meeting Members, elected officials, and town department heads to call for a return to civility in the election season.

Under the subject line, “The Community of Belmont – We All Share Responsibility,” (see the email below) Cushman spoke of “rising tide of negative emotion and malicious deeds and speech” against residents on the override question. Declaring she “abhor(s)” the actions taking place, Cushman is calling for those receiving the email to ask anyone they see participating in such acts to stop them and have the people return to “respectful discourse.”

The note is the first time the long-time Belmont resident can recall a town official requesting residents to remain civil during an election. Heated campaigning is not new to Belmont, infamous for the poison pen letters sent days before elections impugning the character of residents seeking town office.

(The Belmontonian has recently deleted Facebook and website comments for phrases and words that questioned poster’s characters.)

After speaking to McLaughlin, Cushman felt the underlying current of ugliness that “people were afraid to have conversations” about the election.

“It reached s a point where someone needed to notify residents of what’s happening,” said Cushman, hoping that residents realize they will still be neighbors on April 8.

While most of her focus is on the day of elections, Cushman said her mandate also is to make sure residents have the right to participate in the election process.

“Honestly, all I’m attempting to say is just be respectful,” she said.

The email from Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman:
As the chief election official of the Town of Belmont, and in consultation with the Richard McLaughlin  our Chief of Police, I must call your attention to a rising tide of negative emotion and malicious deeds and speech regarding the Override, April 7th .   I have the utmost respect for the many volunteers who are active and willing to help educate our voters on this important issue, but I also realize that people cast their secret ballots for a myriad of reasons that I must also respect. Belmont needs the help of all of our elected and appointed officials to get back on track.  Some of the more outrageous examples of this problematic behavior:
  • Vicious emails have been sent to individual residents, stating that other residents “hate” the person who has announced an intention to vote a certain way
  • Political signs on private property, both Yes and No, have been removed
  • Handwritten notes containing aggressive, distressing language have been attached to political signs on private property
  • Facebook posts, online commentary and blogs that question the integrity of an individual volunteer rather than examine the person’s political stance
As a lifelong resident of Belmont, I’m not proud of those behaviors, I abhor them. They do not send a positive message to our children and neighbors; they send a message of personal attack, harassment and disdain.
Belmont is just over four square miles in area containing 25,000 residents. On April 8th, that won’t change. What I ask of you as one of Belmont’s elected and appointed officials is simple:
 
When you hear or see someone denigrating or criticizing our Belmont neighbors, stop them! Ask them instead to participate in a respectful discourse, not a campaign of hate but one of cooperation. Whatever the outcome on Tuesday night, Belmont will continue to rely on our many volunteers to keep our town strong and a wonderful place to live.  Let’s start displaying that respect right now.

Selectmen Approve Earlier Morning Start for Trapelo/Belmont Project

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Photo: Reconstruction roadwork in Cushing Square.

Faced with the possibility of a delay in the completion of the massive – and intrusive – road project running through the heart of the town, the Belmont Board of Selectmen approved a request by the contractor of the Trapelo Road/Belmont Street Corridor Reconstruction Project to begin its workday an hour-and-a-half earlier at 5:30 a.m.

The board also agreed to a request to allow Newport Construction Corp. of Nashua, NH to work on Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

The new hours – which will be in effect for the duration of the project – will begin in “the next couple of weeks,” said Newport’s Project Manager John Gleason. 

The $17.2 million state-funded project broke ground in the fall of 2013, starting the reconstruction of streets, sidewalks and curbs at Mill Street near the Waltham town line. Newport is currently in Cushing Square as the works heads eastward towards Cambridge. 

According to Gleason and Ron Strangfeld, the project’s Massachusetts Department of Transportation resident engineer, delays due to weather and other issues put the project off its schedule of completing the reconstruction and final paving by the end of the 2015 construction season. They calculate the project “currently is not on target.”

Adding 15 working hours per week to the job – which Gleason and Strangfeld said is 50 percent complete – “will allow the project to be finished on time” in September. 

Gleason told Selectmen Chair Andy Rojas that the first half hour will be for “things that we can do quietly” such as setting up signs and barriers as well as the delivery of concrete.

While there will be some activity, “you won’t hear jackhammering or any loud machines,” he said. 

The town will send leaflets to businesses and residents with information on the new hours. 

This Week: Final Precinct Meeting, Two Great Concerts, Recycling Q&A, Rugby Mega Match

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On the government side of “This Week”:

  • The Board of Selectmen is meeting a little earlier than normal, convening at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, March 30 at the Beech Street Center prior to the final precinct meeting of the spring. It will be accepting the latest statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority to help fund a new Belmont High School. 
  • The Board of Health meets on Tuesday, March 31, at 5:30 p.m. at Town Hall where they will meet with Artur Nergaryan, owner of Art’s Specialties, the new cheese shop in town.
  • The Warrant Committee will be holding its bimonthly meeting on Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School.
  • Tree Hearing will take place in Town Hall on Thursday, April 2, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• The Saturday Morning Music School will be holding the All-Town Concert on Monday, March 30, at 7 p.m. at Belmont High School. The many ensembles featured on this concert include the SMMS All-Town Chorus (Grades 3-5), the All-Town Beginning and Advanced Orchestras (Grades 3-5), and the All-Town Beginning and Advanced Bands (Grades 4-5). This concert is open to the public and admission is free.

• The final precinct meeting on the fiscal 2016 budget and the Prop 2 1/2 override jointly hosted by the Belmont Board of Selectmen and the Financial Task Force will take place on Monday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at the Beech Street Center. 

• Storyteller and comedian David Shikes presents a collection of humorous situations and subjects including New England jokes at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, March 31, at 1:15 p.m. Shikes has been enthusiastically recommended anytime – so come join in the fun.

• An Easter tradition continues as the Belmont Public Library hosts a Peeps dioramas party on Tuesday, March 31 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the library’s Assembly Room.

• After a postponement on Saturday, there is a good bet that the Belmont High School spring sports season will get underway on Tuesday, March 31 at 4:30 p.m. as the Belmont High Boys’ Lacrosse team hosts Shawsheen Valley Reg Tech High School at Harris Field. 

• Sustainable Belmont will host Carolyn Dann, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Municipal coordinator, and Mary Beth Calnan, Belmont’s Recycling coordinator, along with local experts for the group’s second annual Recycling Q&A. The meeting takes place on Wednesday, April 1, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room.

• On Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m., a concert featuring the Belmont High Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band and Jazz Collective will take place at Belmont High School.  The Wind Ensemble will feature BHS Concerto Competition winner Hannah Messenger in a performance of Strauss’ Horn Concerto, Opus 8. The Jazz Collective is fresh off of a Silver Medal performance at the MAJE State Finals where senior Rowan Wolf was awarded Outstanding Soloist for all Division 2 bands in the state. This concert is open to the public and admission is free.

• The most anticipated matchup of the regular season in New England High School rugby takes place on the Harris Field pitch Wednesday as last year’s state champion Bishop Hendricken High School of Warwick, RI (the Rhode Island school is included with Massachusetts teams for the title) takes on Belmont High School Rugby Football Club at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 1. The teams have been the finalists in the state championships for three consecutive years with Belmont winning in 2013 and coming within five meters twice of defending its championship last year.  

• It’s LEGO time at the Belmont Public Library on Thursday, April 2! The library’s LEGO club is for kids in kindergarten through second grade who want to meet and create their own unique structures. All LEGOs will be provided so just bring your imagination to the Assembly Room from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• The Friends of the Belmont Public Library will meet on Thursday, April 2, from 9:30 p.m. to  11 a.m. in the Assembly Room.

• Half day of school on Friday due to the Good Friday holiday on Friday, April 3.

This Weekend: AP Art Showcase, Broadway in Belmont, Teens ‘Tempest’ for Teens, Lacrosse Begins

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Photo: Art that will be at the AP Arts show.

• The talented students who participate in Belmont High School’s AP Art class are hosting an arts show on Saturday, March 28 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Beth El Temple Center, 2 Concord Ave. The show will give a chance for residents can see and understand what the student do. It’s free and there will be food and music at this kids friendly event. 
• The Great White Way comes to Belmont as a group of graduate students from the Boston Conservatory’s Theater Division present “Broadway Magic: from the Golden Age to the Hits of Today” in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library on Saturday, March 28, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Music on Saturday concerts are free to all thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library.
• The Belmont High School spring sports season gets underway – in the snow if the forecast is correct – with Belmont High Boys’ Lacrosse taking on the Newton South High School Lions at Harris Field on Saturday, March 28 at 9 a.m. That’s right, 9 a.m.
• The Belmont High School Performing Arts Company finishes its run of the Cole Porter musical “Anything Goes” with two shows on Saturday, March 28, a 1:30 p.m. matinee and at 7 p.m. Tickets: Adults: $15 in advance/$18 at the door; Students: $10; Chenery 8th Grade Students: $5. 
• Teens performing The Bard as the Boston Theatre Company’s Teen Touring Troupe will perform Shakespeare’s The Tempest on Sunday, March 29, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. Don’t miss this amazing theatrical performance for teens, by teens.

Finalist for Belmont Top Librarian Spot Had Short Stay in Arlington

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Photo: Peter Struzziero, the finalist to become director of the Belmont Public Library director. (LinkedIn)

He was an on-line movie reviewer, a performer at Disney World, portrayed Obi-Wan Kenobi for a workshop he created to inspire other librarians to promoting reading and was Mr. August 2013 in the Tattooed Youth Librarians of Massachusetts calendar.

And now Peter Struzziero can add (pending) director of the Belmont’s Public Library as the Board of Library Trustees named the 31-year-old its finalist to lead the town’s library services, in a press release dated Monday, March 23. He will replace Maureen Connors, who retired after two decades on the job in October 2014.

Struzziero’s resume also indicates an extremely short tenure as Arlington’s library director, serving less than two months on the job before agreeing with town officials that he should leave his position on Feb. 18.

Media reports from last month suggested Arlington Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine told Struzziero he should pursue other opportunities. There is no other public information or comment suggesting what prompted Arlington town officials to take their action.

“Yes, Mr. Struzziero has left the employment of the Town of Arlington,” Chapdelaine told the Belmontonian on Tuesday.

When asked about Struzziero’s quick departure from the Arlington top spot, Belmont Trustee Elaine Alligood told the Belmontonian, “Great question – come and ask it,” referring to the public “meet and greet” with Struzziero on Thursday, March 26, at 6:30pm in the library’s Assembly Room, led by Alligood.

Struzziero’s sudden move out of Arlington apparently did not hurt his chances taking over in Belmont, according to Alligood.

“The trustees have interviewed him twice in both recruitments and are fully vetting his credentials, references and experience,” Alligood told the Belmontonian.

Alligood’s response indicates that Struzziero was considered with a slew of applicants in the first attempt by the trustees to find a director. That initial effort was ended in November 2014 without anyone being named at the time. 

Not that Struzziero’s quick move to Belmont would be without precedence; current Belmont High School Principal Dr. Dan Richards returned to Belmont after a year as Melrose High’s principal when the top job opened up at the high school where he was a long-time assistant principal.

Struzziero previously worked as the director of the Arlington Public Library, and the Winthrop Public Library. Struzziero also served as the Teen Librarian for Scituate Public Library. Prior to Scituate, Struzziero was the Nevins Memorial Library Young Adult and Readers’ Services Librarian in Methuen.

Struzziero is a graduate of the New England Library Leadership Symposium NELLS, a six state sponsored training program, and Simmons College.

For further information, please call the Belmont Public Library 617-489-2000.

The Governor Giveth to Belmont, than Taketh Away in State Funding

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Photo: Gov. Charlie Baker. 

It appeared, at first glance, newly-installed Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker would be providing Belmont a little bit extra in the town’s coffers when he announced his $38.1 billion preliminary budget proposal for fiscal 2016 two weeks ago.

But while Baker gave in state aid with one hand, the other hand grabbed back an important funding source used by Belmont’s schools. 

According to Town Administrator David Kale, Belmont would be set to receive $8,941,904  in total state aid, a $386,000 increase compared to fiscal 2015.

The jump in funding is part of Baker’s earlier pledge to increase unrestricted local aid by 3.6 percent to $980 million, and state payments to local education (known as Chapter 70) by $105.3 million or a minimum of nearly $20 per pupil.

Belmont’s share of Chapter 70 funds increases by approximately $280,000 from last year, for a total of $6,757,056 in fiscal 2016 with general government funding increasing to $2.1 million. 

Yet the slight improvement in Belmont’s local aid as tampered by Baker’s suggested elimination of the Quality Full-Day Kindergarten Grant program, a program promoted by former Gov. Deval Patrick.

Belmont receives approximately $165,000 annually to expand its full-day kindergarten program. The ending of the grant could result in higher fees for kindergarten parents, Belmont School District Superintendent John Phelan told residents at a precinct meeting at the Beech Street Center on Friday, March 20.

With kindergarten funding taken out, the state aid in fiscal 2016 will have only increased by just under $222,000, said Kale.

The amounts used are from Baker’s proposed budget. It will be used as a benchmark by the state House and Senate which will proposed their own budget blueprints. Those plans will then be sent to a joint committee to resolve any differences before being sent to Baker’s desk for his signature.