Sports: Brams’ Win Streak Ends; Volleyball on the Verge; Boys’, Girls’ Soccer Take Ones, Field Hockey Blows by Red Devils

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Psst, Andrew MacDougall of the Boston Globe: The name’s Brams, Leah Brams. 

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In MacDougall’s logy write up of the cross girls’ country duel meet between Belmont High School and host Woburn High on Tuesday, Oct. 7, the correspondent described Brams as “a runner from Belmont” battling with Tanner’s star senior harrier Gina D’Addario “as the two entered the final 300-meter straightaway” of the race.

It took D’Addario breaking a quarter-century Woburn course record for her to defeat Brams – who came within one second of breaking the record herself – for the first time in three years and for anyone to defeat the Belmont runner since she first started racing for the Marauders. That “runner from Belmont” was undefeated for nearly three seasons and is now 4-1 head-to-head against the Woburn senior.

It was a long shot that Brams could go four years undefeated in Middlesex League competition and it took a record breaking effort to do so as the Tanners – which ran five top seniors against Belmont’s quartet of juniors and a freshman – defeated the Marauders, 20-41.

Brams will defend her two-time Middlesex League title against D’Addario later this month.

The boy harriers matched up better against Woburn, only falling by 25-31.

Volleyball on the verge of post season

Belmont High School’s Volleyball season could reach a milestone tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 8 against host Burlington. A win this afternoon over the Red Devils will send the Marauders (9-3, 8-2) into the post season as they will reach the 10-win mark.

Belmont has won their last two matches, at home vs. Winchester, 3-1, on Thursday, Oct. 2 and away, 3-0, against Wilmington on Monday, Oct. 6.

 

Soccer each pick up close shut out wins

Despite throwing everything at the Burlington High School Girls’ Soccer team – including playing nearly each and every player he had on the bench – it took a funky sort of goal for host Belmont (7-3-1) to come away with a 1-0 shutout against the Red Devils at Harris Field on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Belmont’s junior forward Kristin Gay got a foot on the ball just inside the left post and slotted it into the back of the net after only 13 minutes of play in the first half to give the Marauders the only goal needed as the defense – seniors Lucia Guzikowski and Lizzy Ferrante, and freshman Natilie Marcus-Bauer held Burlington to a couple of shots on goal – and midfielders Ava Colasin and Alex Dionne controlled the Red Devils and prevented them from racing onto long passes. Guzikowski nearly double the margin six minutes later hitting the crossbar from distances.

“Another game that a complete team win as all players on team played very well,” said Belmont Head Coach Paul Graham who is inching towards his 300th career coaching win. 

After losing two matches in a row – overmatched at home by Winchester, 2-0, on Sept. 30 and downed 1-0 to host Wilmington Oct. 2 – the Belmont Boys’ Soccer team got back in the winning column with a 1-0 victory over Burlington High in Burlington. Belmont now stands at 8-3-0, just two victories from the post season.

Field Hockey takes out frustrations on Red Devils

After tying Wilmington, 1-1, on Oct. 1 and then losing to non-conference power Concord-Carlisle Regional, 2-0, the next day, the Belmont High School Field Hockey (7-3-1) team took out their frustrations on host Burlington in racking up a 9-2 victory Monday night, Oct. 6.

While admitting that the Wilmington game was “not our best,” Belmont’s Head Coach Jessica Smith said the team played well against a power team from Concord.

“I like scheduling games against strong teams because it challenges us, especially with the playoffs starting in just a few weeks,” said Smith on Wednesday.

The team plays Wakefield on Wednesday, Oct. 8 before a rematch against one loss Reading on Harris Field Friday afternoon, Oct. 10.

Breaking News: Pool Fundraiser Reaches Goal to Construct New Facility

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The Underwood Pool Building Committee has reached its fundraising goal of $388,000 to meet the lowest bid to construct the new Underwood Pool complex, according to Ellen Schreiber, the committee member who headed the fundraising drive.

“This will allow the Underwood Pool Building Committee to award the construction contract and get started on the project ASAP, following the expected acceptance of the donations by the Belmont Board of Selectmen. The contractor has said that, if the winter weather cooperates, he will try to have the pool ready for next summer,” said Schreiber.

The fundraiser was started in September after a general contractor withdrew a bid within the Committee’s $4.2 million budget to construct a new two-pool complex to replace the current 102-year-old facility at Cottage Street and Concord Avenue. The next lowest bid came in at $4.6 million.

The fundraiser was given a considerable boost after the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation, the charitable offshoot of the Belmont Savings Bank, gave the committee a $200,000 grant in September.

The full story will be available after 1:30 p.m. 

Sixth Annual Belmont Serves Happens This Coming Columbus Day

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How can you make a real difference in Belmont, and still have lots of fun?

Hundreds of Belmont residents, of all ages, will join together on Monday, Oct. 8, Columbus Day, for the sixth annual Belmont Serves Day of Community Service.

“Belmont is community that values service to others. With a wide variety of projects for all ages and skill levels, Belmont Serves is both festive and the largest town-wide service project of the year,” said John Robotham of the Belmont Religious Council, which sponsors Belmont Serves.

All are invited to gather at St. Joseph’s Parish Hall (corner of Common and School streets) at 8:15 a.m. to register, have a light breakfast, and select a project.

After a brief orientation, projects teams begin their work at locations all over the town. Everyone returns at 12:30 p.m. for an ice cream celebration. The event concludes at 1 p.m., so volunteers can enjoy their afternoon time with friends and family.

Rev. Joe Zarro, pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church and vice president of the Belmont Religious Council, is excited about his first Belmont Serves Day:

“As a new resident of Belmont I’m grateful for this kind of community organizing, and Plymouth is thrilled to have an opportunity to serve in an interfaith, town-wide setting,” he said.

Doug John, president of the Belmont Religious Council explains why he looks forward every year to Belmont Serves:

“I like getting to make connections with fellow Belmontians of other faiths while doing worthwhile service within our community. I believe building a stronger sense of community cooperation is important for our town. “

The Belmont Food Pantry relies on Belmont Serves to completely restock their supplies for the fall. More than 2,000 bags of groceries were collected door-to-door at last year’s event.

In addition to the food drive, there will be conservation projects at Rock Meadow, Claypit Pond and Lone Tree Hill, as well as painting the ticket booths at Harris Field on Concord Avenue. There will also be an Eagle Scout project at the Mary Lee Burbank Elementary School. The project will clean and prepare an area of the Burbank School grounds for a second service date that will plant bushes and flowers that can grow and thrive in this shady area. Walker Thomas, the aspiring Eagle Scout, and his scout leaders will lead this project .

Belmont Serves has become a town tradition, with enthusiastic endorsements from the Board of Selectmen, Belmont School Department, and other community organizations.  While the event is free and open to all, a suggested donation of $5 per adult will help defray the costs of food and related items.  Community service hours can be earned by middle and high school students through this event. Additional information and on-line registration are available at the Belmont Serves web site.

How to donate to the Belmont Food Pantry on Belmont Serves Day

Teams of volunteers will be distributing grocery bags door-to-door with instructions. Just fill up your bag with non-perishable items (canned goods, paper items, toiletries), and leave it on your doorstep Monday morning, October 8, before 9:00 am.  Donations can also be taken directly to the Food Pantry on Monday morning, at its new location in the modular building behind Belmont High School.

If you would like to help distribute grocery bags before Belmont Serves day, you can volunteer when you register on-line.

What should I wear and bring?

Please wear cloths suitable for outdoor activities (long pants, long-sleeve shirts, jackets if needed). For conservation and painting projects, plan on getting dirt or paint stains! Bring a refillable water bottle – we will provide fresh water refills, but not plastic water bottles. Bring work gloves for all outdoor work projects, and optionally bring rakes, pruning sheers, loppers, and shovels if you have them. Please put your name on any tools you bring and take them home!

Stormy Weather Early Wednesday Morning

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There is low to moderate risk that Belmont and the rest of eastern Massachusetts will experience a few strong to severe thunderstorms overnight and into early Wednesday morning, Oct. 8, according to the latest update from the The National Weather Service.

The likely peak of the Hazardous Weather Outlook issued by the NWS will be from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m., Wednesday.

Due to the strong winds which will accompany the storms, down branches and perhaps some downed power lines are possible as trees are still full of leaves, said the Service in a report issued at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 7.

If residents should experience a power outage, they should call Belmont Light at 617-993-2800.

Yet the NSW said it can not rule out small hail or even an isolated tornado coming from the storm.

Despite the possible stormy weather, clouds will pass with sunshine likely in the afternoon.

Photo of the Day: Rising Community Tide for New Underwood Pool

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In Jane Austen’s day two hundred years ago, you’d communicate with your neighbors or a friend by leaving a note on a fence post or in a nook of a stone wall.

And while today, there is high speed G4 internet and instant messaging available to keep us informed, the people raising $200,000 to meet the new low bid to construct the new Underwood Pool has decided to use the Austen-like “note” to the community at Belmont’s major intersections.

With just under four weeks remaining, the effort to preserve the 2015 summer swimming season by building the new Underwood has raised more than 80 percent of its goal.

Sold in Belmont: High Prices Take a Tumble, History Sells for a Premium

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

• 16 Garfield Rd. Semi-brick Colonial (1936), Sold for: $1,050,000. Listed at $1,289,000. Living area: 3,354 sq.-ft. 12 rooms; 6 bedrooms, 4.5 baths. On the market: 162 days.

• 85 Woodbine Rd. Stone and concrete Spanish-inspired Colonial (1948), Sold for: $1,400,000. Listed at $1,725,000. Living area: 3,244 sq.-ft. 9 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 209 days.

• 4 Pinehurst Rd. A ranch with a built-on central turret (1952), Sold for: $1,160,000. Listed at $1,195,000. Living area: 2,558 sq.-ft. 8 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 42 days.

• 80 Washington St. Historic Italianate Farmhouse (c. 1853), Sold for: $950,000. Listed at $825,000. Living area: 2,439 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 42 days.

• 44 Townsend Rd. Colonial (1940), Sold for: $899,000. Listed at $899,000. Living area: 2,350 sq.-ft. 11 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 53 days.

• 37 Franklin St. Colonial (1937), Sold for: $925,000. Listed at $799,000. Living area: 1,896 sq.-ft. 10 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 58 days.

• 136 Alexander Ave. Garrison-style Colonial (1940), Sold for: $835,000. Listed at $825,000. Living area: 1,756 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 36 days.

• 57 Creeley Rd. Colonial (1914), Sold for: $620,000. Listed at $629,900. Living area: 1,441 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 101 days.

Belmont’s DPW Chief Peter Castanino Stepping Down

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Peter Castanino, the long-serving director of the Belmont Department of Public Works, is retiring after 33 years of service, according to Town Administrator David Kale at Monday’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Sept. 29.

“Too bad we can’t lock his door and keep him here,” quipped Selectman Mark Paolillo who said Castanino’s departure is “a significant loss” to the town and that replacing him “will be very difficult.”

Kale, who said Castanino will be leaving his position before the end of the year, said the director of the approximate 65 employee department with a budget of $21 million is “irreplaceable” due to his significant institutional knowledge of the town.

Every resident have had some direct involvement with Castanino and his department which maintains streets and sidewalks, plows the roads after snowstorms, oversees garbage and recycling collection, takes care of Belmont’s playing fields and parks and runs the Recreation Department. One of the most significant responsibilities under the DPW’s wing is water and sewer maintenance and construction.

In addition, Castanino has helped shepherd town projects and proposals – the two most recent being the new Underwood Pool and the restoration of the turf field and running track at Harris Field – through the planning and construction process.

Castanino’s departure will end his family’s long tenure of service to Belmont. Castanino’s father, James, was Belmont’s highway superintendent – when the public works and highway departments were separate divisions – until he retired in 1988, working for the department for a total of 42 years.

Belmont Health Collaborative Set to Begin Wellness Conversation

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For Stacey Hammerlind and Lisa Gibalerio, the health of a community is based on what it knows not just how it feels.

The founders of the newly-formed Belmont Health Collaborative are hoping their organization will become a clearinghouse for all things related to wellness in Belmont.

“Our motto is ‘to inform, empower and engage,’” said Hammerlind, who is a registered nurse and certified care manager.

“The main goal is to be collaborative, to work with any organization in town that is interested in partnering up or to invite people who would like to speak about an issue they are passionate about,” said Hammerlind.

The pair saw a growing gap in health education services as traditional avenues from the town’s Health Department to the school department’s health employees are being stretched thin with greater responsibilities placed on their time.

“It seems that we are not providing information on subjects like nutrition, stress or AD/HD in kids in a thorough manner,” said Gibalerio, who earned a master’s of public health at Boston University and has a long background in health education.

“There’s an amazing amount of resources and sometimes it takes a little bit of hunting to find them,” said Hammerlind, saying the BHC’s web site will hopefully become the local resource on all health issues.

By leading interactive seminars, small group discussion and expert instruction, “we can address … issues that impact everyone in town from the young to the [elderly],” said Hammerlind.

She and Gibalerio will be looking to nearby centers such as McLean Hospital for mental health and Mt. Auburn Hospital and other sites for medical issues, solicit local residents with health or medical backgrounds or discover people who simply are passionate about a subject.

“There are people who have been affected by a health issue, such as suicide, and [might] be willing to be part of a panel discussion on the effects a suicide had on their family,” said Gibalerio.

The collaborative can also quickly pivot to answer questions when there is a flare-up of a disease or a rise in mental health issues in a targeted community.

“If there is an outbreak of, let’s say meningitis, we could begin the discussion as well has find experts on the subject,” said Gibalerio.

The partners have been working on a calendar with each month dedicated to a wide-ranging idea, such as loss whether it be the death of a loved one or if a spouse is suffering from dementia.

“We want to keep it fairly broad, so we don’t eliminate anyone from the discussion,” said Hammerlind.

The BHC’s first event is Wednesday, Oct. 1 when hip hop artist Juma Inniss will talk to Belmont High School students on media literacy at the Belmont Media Center. On Thursday, Oct. 2, Erin McNeill, President of Media Literacy Now, will talk to parents concerned about their children, the internet and other forms of media.

In determining future topics, the collaborative will focus on the answers to a short online survey on the BHC’s website.

“The whole impetus for the survey was to hear what the community wants to focus on and learn more about,” said Gibalerio.

While advocating for health education, the collaborative will likely take the role of being a facilitator including hosting events on emotional issues – such as the need for childhood vaccination – “where people of differing opinions can get together and have a discussion that is moderated,” said Hammerlind.

Photo of the Day: A Cry of Help From the Modern Work Force

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They’re called Starbucks squatters, coffee-shop campers and laptop hobos. They are the workers who have gone into business on their own or are hired by a firm as a freelancer or under a contract. While the independence is wonderful, their work place is no longer a cubical but a table at the friendly eatery with a Wifi connection. But for many, the convenience of the coffee place is trumped by the longing for a “real” office to work from. This Belmont resident has raised the white flag of surrender as they seek the normalcy of a desk in an office, like the good old days.