That was quick!

Belmont’s Special Town Meeting, scheduled for Monday, Nov. 17, will be a singular affair as town officials set an extremely tight window for residents to add anything else to the warrant.

The warrant, which is the agenda of items to be brought before and voted on by Town Meeting members, was officially open for a single hour, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 15, for citizens to submit petitions to be taken up by the town’s legislative body. 

“No one filed a citizen petition, though a couple of people had inquired last week how it could be done,” said Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman on Thursday, Oct. 16.

With nothing added to the agenda, members will have only one item to discuss, the $2.6 million Belmont Center Reconstruction Project.

Members will hear from town officials that while the blueprint for the long-awaited revamping of parking, pedestrian and traffic patterns in Belmont Center is complete, the financing is far from set after both state aid and the expected sales of the Cushing Square municipal lot and residential parcels off Woodfill Road – the sale of the town-owned parcels was anticipated to bring in approximately $2 million – never materialized. 

The Town Meeting will essentially determine if, and, or how money for the reconstruction will be secured.

“This is about a vision for your Town Center and that is what we really want to focus on,” said Belmont Selectmen Chair Andy Rojas at a September public meeting on the subject. 

That need for Town Meeting members to concentrate on an important infrastructure project resulted in the quick, open and shut, warrant.

“Town Meeting Members and citizens received several notifications from me that the Board of Selectmen were anticipated to call a Special Town Meeting for a specific purpose, the Belmont Center redevelopment.” The members also received an invitation to a public meeting on that topic, she said.

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