This Week: Learn About Gap Years, Affordable Housing in Belmont and The Great War

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On the government side of This Week:

  • The Belmont Board of Selectmen has a light agenda before them on Monday, March 16 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. The group looking to build a cul-de-sac and two houses at 863 Concord Ave. near McLean Hospital will before the Board of Survey (which the Selectmen also are) while the Selectmen will continue a deliberation on whether to award a beer and wine license to Jimmy’s Food Mart at 297 Belmont St. (the former Shore Drug). 
  • The Planning Board will meet Monday, March 16 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall to deliberate issuing special permits and potential cases while discuss preparing for a zoning forum. 
  • The Selectmen will hold the second of two Precinct Meeting on the fiscal ’16 budget, the Financial Task Force’s final report and the proposed Proposition 2 1/2 override at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., at 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 20. 
  • The School Committee is meeting on Friday, March 20 at 3:30 p.m. No agenda so I can’t tell where or what they will be doing, but I’m guess it has something to do with the precinct meeting. 

• The annual Chenery Middle School Honors Concert, which includes band, chorus and orchestra ensembles, will perform Monday, March 16 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School.

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. 

• The staff from U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark’s office will be holding office hours in Belmont at the Beech Street Center, on Tuesday, March 17, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

• Join Heather Hurd of Blue Cross Blue Shield for a lecture, Heart Health, on Tuesday, March 17, at 1:15 p.m. at the Beech Street Center about how aging can cause changes in the heart and blood vessels which may increase a person’s risk of heart disease. The good news is there is much that seniors can do to delay, lower, or possibly avoid or reverse their risk.

• The Belmont Art Association is meeting Tuesday, March 17 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the  Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. 

• Learn all about the advantages and challenges of taking a gap year after graduating from Belmont High as parents and students are invited to attend “A Gap Year Panel” being held in the Belmont High School Library on Tuesday, March 17 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

• Peeps dioramas will be assembled in the Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library on Wednesday, March 18 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. 

• The Belmont Historical Society presents former Belmont Selectman Dan Leclerc who will will speak about Belmont and World War I in his talk, “The Yankee Division in the Great War,” on Wednesday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. Leclerc, a retired history teacher and former vice-president of the Belmont Historical Society, will speak about heroic roles played by Belmont residents in the division’s action during World War I.  

• The Chenery Middle School PTO will hear a school budget presentation on Thursday, March 19 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School, 95 Washington St. 

• State Sen. Will Brownsberger office will be holding office hours on Friday, March 20 at 10 a.m. in the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. 

• Judie Feins, a long-time member of the Belmont Housing Trust and the Belmont League of Women Voters, will present a slide show on affordable housing in Belmont called “What’s the Plan?,” part of the League of Women Voters’ Brown Bag Lunch series, being held in the Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library on Friday, March 20 from noon until 1:30 p.m. Hear about the Town’s housing needs and potential strategies for meeting them.  

This Weekend: Karen K & the Jitterbugs Saturday, Vanessa Trien also Saturday, Battling Robots Sunday, The Art of Teabags

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• Karen K & the Jitterbugs will be giving a free concert from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday March 14 at Chenery Middle School, sponsored by Belmont Savings Bank.  The show is ideal for kids ages 2 to 7 and their parents. Karen K & the Jitterbugs have been delighting audiences up and down the east coast with their crowd-engaging, theatrical show. Hear some of the music of Karen K & the Jitterbugs here.

Karen K and Belmont Savings request that guests bring a non-perishable food item to the concert for the Belmont Food Pantry.

In addition, parents can enter their kids to be honorary Jitterbugs by uploading a photo of them at the concert to Instagram with the hashtag #belmontsavingsbug. The Instagram post with the most likes will win free Karen K and the Jitterbugs CD and a $25 iTunes gift card. The post with the most “Likes” by 10 a.m. on Monday, March 16 will be the winner. To participate in the bank’s Instagram contest, post settings must be “public,” and participants must be 18 years or older to enter.

• Vanessa Trien and the Jumping Monkeys will be in concert supporting the Belmont Coop Nursery School at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 14 in the Social Hall of St. Joseph Church, 130 Common St. There will be great music, an auction, pizza, a bake sale and more. $10 per person with a $30 max for a family. Kids under 2 are in like Flynn. 

• Belmont artist Christiane Corcelle will give a talk on her show (which has been receiving great reviews in arts publications)  Kaleidoscope: The Art of Tea at the Belmont Gallery of Art on Sunday, March 15, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. This eclectic and unique exhibit includes both two and three-dimensional objects created using the common tea bag and its components. The Gallery is located on the third floor of the Homer Building located in the Town Hall complex off Concord Avenue in Belmont Center.

• Don’t miss Lexington High School Robotics’ presentation on the challenging, exciting world of teen competitive team robotics, taking place Sunday, March 15 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. See robots in action, try your hand at building-block robotics, and learn how to start your own team from veteran FIRST competitors.

Novelist Sarah Payne Stuart Stops to Talk ‘Guilt, God and Real Estate’ at BPL Sunday

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The Friends of Belmont Public Library’s Author’s Series presents novelist Sarah Payne Stuart who will speak on her book “Perfectly Miserable: Guilt, God and Real Estate in a Small Town,” today, Sunday, March 1, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The book is a wryly comic memoir that examines the pillars of New England WASP culture – class, history, family, money, and, of course, real estate – through the lens of mothers and daughters.

Stuart – who was raised and later lived in Concord – has written for The New Yorker and The New York Times Book Review. She divides her time between Maine and New York.

All are welcome to attend this free program. Books will be available for purchase and signing. The Assembly Room is handicapped accessible.

This Weekend: Stings and Ivory in Concert Saturday – But Call First

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Photo: the Arneis Quartet on the move.

It could be quite snowy on Saturday so please call before heading out to these events.

• The Arneis Quartet will make its Belmont premier as part of the Belmont Public Library’s Music on Saturday concert series being held on Saturday, Jan. 24, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., in the library’s Assembly Room. The string quintet, made up of violinist Heather Braun and Rose Drucker, violist Daniel Dona and cellist Agnes Kim, is the faculty ensemble in residence at the Dana Hall School of Music. The concert will include:

  • Gardel: Por Una Cabeza
  • Wallace: pale reflections …
  • Dvorak: String Quartet in F major, Op. 96, “American”

Music on Saturday concerts are free to all thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library. Call 617-489-2000 for information.

• The First Church in Belmont, Unitarian Universalist will hold its 20th annual Piano and Organ Celebration Concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24 at the church, 404 Concord Ave. Proceeds will be used to continue the restoration and maintenance of First Church’s Steinway grand pianos and the pipe organ in the sanctuary. Tickets are $10 at the door. Call 617-484-1054 x 206 or email alfajoy@uubelmont.org for more info. The snow date will be Sunday, Jan. 25. at 7 p.m.

Belmont Library – Once Again – Seeks a New Director

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The search for a new director of the Belmont Public Library has begun again, and this time, it’s on the fast track.

In a recent appearance before the Belmont Board of Selectmen, Chair of the Board of Library Trustees Elaine Alligood and the library’s interim director Emily Reardon said the campaign have restarted to find the next leader of the library located at 336 Concord Ave.

The search is the second since long-time director Maureen Conners announced her retirement in August. After interviewing an unknown number of candidates in October, the trustees decided in November that none of those finalists meet the qualifications they were seeking.

Alligood said, unlike the previous search, Belmont will not be competing with more than a half-dozen similar-sized Bay State communities seeking library directors that occurred this past fall. She said only Wellesley is seeking to replace its library director at this time.
“This time, we believe the process will be accelerated and we’ll have a new director by February.

The director’s salary range is $76,859 to $109,140 commensurate with experience and includes a full benefits package, according to the job notice released in the summer.

This Week: Veterans Day Tuesday, Stealing Masterpieces Wednesday

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On the government side of the week, the Community Preservation Committee will hear presentations from groups seeking CPA funds as well as ask them questions at the committee’s public meeting at Town Hall on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.

Juliette Fay will speak about her latest novel, The Shortest Way Home, at Belmont Public Library’s “Books and Bites” from 11 a.m. to noon, Monday, Nov. 10. Described by Library Journal as “a moving, introspective look at what it means to be family, and to be truly home,” The Shortest Way Home is the Massachusetts resident’s third novel. 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.

The 7th and 8th Grade Book Club will discuss Ava Dellaira’s Love Letters to the Dead, in the Young Adult’s section of the Belmont Public Library on Monday, Nov. 10 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Also choose December’s book and enjoy some snacks.

Tuesday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day.

The Belmont Historical Society presents author Anthony Amore, director of security at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for the past five years, who will give an illustrated lecture on the notorious theft of 13 priceless masterpieces from the museum in March 1990, “Stealing Rembrants” at the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room on Wednesday, Nov. 12 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public. Copies of Amore’s book, Stealing Rembrandts, will be available for purchase. Refreshments will be served.

 It’s an early release day for all public schools – elementary, middle and high schools – on Wednesday, Nov. 12. 

The Belmont League of Women Voters will be meeting in the Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library on Thursday, Nov. 13 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Board of Library Trustees and the Friends of the Belmont Public Library invite the public to attend a reception to honor retiring Library Director Maureen Conners for her 18 years of service on Thursday, Nov. 13 from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the library’s Assembly Room.
The Beech Street Center’s Senior Book Discussion Group will discuss Bleak House by Charles Dickens (Chapter 1 through Chapter 31) on Friday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. at the Beech Street Center. The group will discuss Chapter 32 to the end on Friday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m.
The Beech Street Center will be screening The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns on Friday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. Viewers will watch Episode 5, “The Rising Road” concerning FDR’s first two terms from 1933 to 1939.

Rinse, Repeat: Search Committee Rejects All Finalists for Library Director

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The search committee created to find Belmont Public Library’s next Library Director will be getting an “overdue” notice after the group rejected what is now the first round of finalist candidates.

“I will stay on until the end of December,” said Maureen Conners, the current Library Director, despite that her retirement party is set. (Nov. 13, 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.)

Conners statement came days after the committee put in place by the Belmont Board of Library Trustees voted on a second round of balloting that none of the finalist were qualified for the position. The vote occurred after the unknown number of candidates were interviewed by the committee in October.

The board had announced in August when Conners announced her retirement that a new director would likely be installed by mid-November. Now the earliest the town’s next “head librarian” will be selected is after the New Year.

The director’s salary range is $76,859 to $109,140 commensurate with experience and includes a full benefits package, according to the job notice released in the summer.

Books for All People, Purposes at Yearly Friend’s Library Sale

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Ninety-one year old Rosemary Cancian headed straight from the front of the line to where the non-fiction books were on sale.

“I’m always the first one at the door,” she said as she with two dozen other patrons came into the Belmont Public Library exactly at 9 a.m. for the first day of the annual Friends Book Sale on Saturday, Oct. 18.

“I’m here looking for books that I shouldn’t buy because I have so many unread at home,” said Cancian, viewing a few biographies.

For most of the participants in the annual event, the aim was finding a book – all donated to the library throughout the year – they would be interested in reading.

“There is always something here that you can put on your bookshelf. It will take you years to get around reading them, but it’s there when every you want it,” said Cancian.

Artist Hai Nguyen stacked a large column of coffee table art books outside the main sales room as he continued to browse.

“I will take some of the pages out [of the books] for some inspiration,” he said.

The sale’s proceeds allows the Friends to purchase museum memberships, bring authors and demonstrations to the library while adding to the technology available to patrons, according to Gail Gorman, a Friend who helped managed the sale Saturday.

“This is the biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Gorman, noting the books were priced to be sold with hardcover and upscale paperbacks sold for $1.50 and art and coffee table books at $3.

As with every year, the children’s section was the place to be as parents and children saw their opportunity to store up on books that can be read during the holidays, snow days and when it’s just too cold to go outside.

Maggie and her dad, Josh Loewenstein, where sitting outside the children’s room to read a little bit of the books they just purchased.

“We’re here to get books,” said Maggie, who is seven years old and from Belmont.

The day before, 32 Belmont school teachers from all grades were able to take 900 books for free back to their classrooms.

“A lot of first-year teachers come every year to build up their personal libraries,” said School Committee’s Laurie Graham who volunteers at the sale.

The real bargain came Sunday when anyone could haul away a bag full of books for $5, which lends itself to helping groups that can use the reading material.

“We have people who run shelters for women who come for the bag sale to stock their shelves. That’s nice to hear,” said Gorman.

After the sale, the remaining books were being packaged up by high school volunteers to be taken away by a book wholesaler.

“On Monday, we start the process all over again for next year,” said Gorman.

Hot Chocolate Homework Wednesday at the Library

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Rainy autumn days and hot chocolate is one the best examples of a complimentary pair. The Belmont Public School invites Chenery Middle School students on early release Wednesday to come over to the library’s Assembly Room today, Wednesday. Oct. 1 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., to do your homework while enjoying some hot chocolate. 

This is for middleschoolers only so high schoolers are on their own. This event is provided for free, thanks to the Friends of the Belmont Public Library.

Just drop in, no registration required.

Conners Retiring as Belmont Library Director

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“Everything has to come to an end, sometime,” wrote L. Frank Baum in “The Marvelous Land of Oz.” And on Halloween, Oct. 31, that “sometime” will occur at the Belmont Public Library as Maureen Conners, its long-serving director, will retire from the position she has held for nearly three decades. “I’m leaving before I turn into a pumpkin,” Conners told the Belmontonian on Monday, Aug. 18. Conners decision to turn in her library card was due in large part to the retirement of her husband from his job a year ago. “He has been saying that we should do things while we’re not ‘too old old’, and that sounded good to me,” the Medford-resident said. The Belmont Board of Library Trustees will discuss hiring a new director at its Tuesday, Aug. 19 meeting while the town has issued a job posting. Conners believe a new director could be named by mid-November. The salary range is $76,859 to $109,140 commensurate with experience and includes a full benefit package. Conners, a Cambridge-native who received a master’s in Library Science from Simmons College, has been at the helm of the library for the past 18 years, coming to the library from Watertown where she worked her way up from children’s librarian to assistant library director. Conners points to the introduction and use of technology as a significant accomplishment in her time at the library located on Concord Avenue. “When I got here, the computers were still in their boxes, waiting to be used,” said Conners, who also hired a technology librarian to allow the library to meet the need of a changing library clientele. The library has increased its digital services to include library-wide WiFi, tablets and e-books, computers for patrons and the introduction of Kindle and shared software. She is also responsible for establishing the Young Adults Room on the library’s main floor and the hiring of a young adult librarian to accommodate the needs of Middle and High School students. Conners said her greatest disappointment during her tenure was returning back to the state three separate grants from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners when the town would not approve either the spending for or location of a new library. “Hopefully, a new director will have more success,” said Conners.