Warren Finds Love In Belmont, Winning Dem Presidential Primary

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Photo: credit Lorie Shaull (Creative Commons)

It was a rough Super Tuesday for Elizabeth Warren, as the Massachusetts senator saw her chances to become the Democratic standard bearer for President of the United States take a serious blow as she finished back in the pack in each of the 14 states up for grabs including in her home Bay State which was won by a surging Joe Biden.

But Warren would be able to savor the taste of victory at least once Tuesday; over in the Town of Homes as the Cambridge resident racked up nearly a third of all votes cast by Belmont voters in the state’s Presidential Primary held March 3.

The final tally in the Democratic primary from Belmont’s eight precincts:

  • Liz Warren: 2,856 (32.2 percent)
  • Joe Biden: 2,681 (30.2 percent)
  • Bernie Sanders: 1,805 (20.4 percent)
  • Mike Bloomberg: 1,043 (11.8 percent)
  • Pete Buttigieg: 239 (2.7 percent)
  • Amy Klobuchar: 108 (1.2 percent)
  • Tulsi Gabbard: 59 (0.7 percent)
  • Andrew Yang: 19 (0.2 percent)
  • Tom Steyer: 16 (0.2 percent)

See Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman announce the results of the 2020 presidential primary.

And there is good evidence that the suspension of Buttigieg and Klobuchar’s campaigns and their endorsements of Biden over the weekend impacted the outcome of the race. In the week of early voting when 1,571 (about 9 percent of all voters) cast ballots, Biden registered just nine percent of the early votes (130 votes), compared to Warren’s 35.4 percent (509 votes) and behind Sanders, Bloomberg and Buttigieg.

Overall voter participation was impressive with 55 percent of registered voters – 9,622 our of 17,633 – going to the polls, participated in early voting or taking out an absentee ballot. In 2016, 9,969 voters (58 percent) came out with two contested races while in 2008, 63 percent of registered voters participated.

Belmont was an outlier among Bay State municipalities as it was one of 14 cities and towns voting for Warren as Biden won the state after trailing badly in polls just a week previously.

With 89 percent of the state’s precinct reporting as of 1 a.m., Wednesday, March 4, Biden has received 33.8 percent of the total vote with Vt. Senator Bernie Sanders at 26.7 percent with Warren down at 20.9 percent.

Over on the Republican side of the ballot, President Trump took home 587 votes with former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld receiving 105.

Belmont Votes Today: Presidential Primary 2020; Polls Open at 7 AM, Schools Closed

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Photo: Get to the polls, today.

Belmont votes today, Tuesday, March 3 in the 2020 Massachusetts Presidential Primary.

POLLS ARE OPEN FROM 7 A.M. TO 8 P.M.

BELMONT PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED.

Voters are encouraged to check their voter registration status and voting precinct before they go to vote by visiting the Town Clerk’s web page.

Voters who have not returned a census in 2019 or 2020 are classified as “inactive” voters, a status that requires the voter to present identification to return to the active voting rolls.  Think about carrying your ID when you go to vote to make the process seamlessly.

BELMONT VOTING LOCATIONS

  • Precinct One: Belmont Public Library, Assembly Room, 336 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct Two: Belmont Town Hall, Selectmen’s Room, 455 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct Three: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct Four: Daniel Butler School Gym, 90 White St.
  • Precinct Five: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct Six: Belmont Fire Headquarters, 299 Trapelo Rd.
  • Precinct Seven: Burbank School Gym, 266 School St.
  • Precinct Eight: Winn Brook School Gym, 97 Waterhouse Rd., Enter From Cross Street.

Don’t know your voting precinct?  Visit the Town Clerk’s website for a list of Belmont precinct assignments by street:

  1. Select Town Departments,
  2. Select Town Clerk,
  3. then select Elections: Information for Residents and scroll down the page.

Or go directly here.

WHO CAN VOTE, AND FOR WHOM

Your enrollment as a voter will determine which party ballot you will receive at the polls.

There are four political parties in Massachusetts. If you are enrolled in one of these four political parties when you go to the polls, you can only vote for that particular party:

  • D – Democratic Party
  • R – Republican Party
  • J – Green-Rainbow  Party
  • L – Libertarian Party

Only voters who are not affiliated with a political party, called Unenrolled (U – commonly known as No Party or “Independent”) and voters in Political Designations may choose any one of the four party ballots when voting in Primary Elections.

ARRIVE EARLY, CONSIDER TRAFFIC AND LIMITED PARKING

Belmont Police will designate voter parking at each of the polling locations however with a very busy election, parking close to the voting sites is often a challenge. Plan ahead: consider walking, carpooling with a friend or voting “off peak” during the middle of the day.  Only voters who arrive at the precinct and are in line for the Voter Check-In before the close of polls at 8 p.m. can be permitted to vote; those who come too late will miss out.

If you would like further clarification of your party, voting  status, voting precinct or have any other questions related to the upcoming election, please call the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office at 617-993-2600 or email: townclerk@belmont-ma.gov

Chenery Greets New Interim Principal As Kate Conway Accepts Position

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Photo: Chenery Middle School.

Long-time educator and administrator Kate Conway has been named the interim principal of Chenery Middle School, according to the Belmont School District. Conway will start on March 19 and remain in the role until the end of the school year.

Current Chenery Principal Mike McAllister and Conway “will work together on March 19 and 20 to provide some transition discussions, updates, and meetings,” said the release.

McAllister will begin his new role as human resources director at the Central Office on Pleasant Street on Monday, March 23.

Conway has been a successful school principal and administrator throughout her career. Mrs. Conway spent most of her employment in the Cambridge and Wilmington Public Schools as a principal of middle schools, K-8 schools, and an intermediate school (grades 4 and 5). She has also provided interim work in the Dedham and Cambridge Public Schools as principal as recently as 2017.

Kate is a graduate of Lesley College with a Ed.M. from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Judith Malone Neville, the district’s Interim Director of Human Resources, is reaching out to the staff and the PTO for volunteers to serve on the Search Committee to help select the next Chenery principal who will start on July 1.

Risk Low: Belmont Health Dept. Updates School District On Students And COVID-19

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Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientist shown implementing molecular testing. (CDC image)

In a health advisory to the Belmont School Department issued today, Feb. 28, town’s health officials said the chances of students catching the new respiratory illness known as COVID-19 is currently slight but those attending Belmont schools should take precautions.

The state “that the risk for COVID-19 continues to remain LOW with one confirmed case … in Massachusetts,” wrote Wesley Chin, Belmont’s Health Director in a memo released to the school district.

Due to the limited exposure to the illness statewide, Chin does not recommend wearing face masks or cancelling athletic or school events.

The memo comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn Americans that they should prepare for the possibility of an outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus as the new strain of flu continues to spread worldwide.

According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus which comes from a large family of viruses – which includes the common cold, flues and more severe respiratory illnesses – which may cause animals or humans to become sick.

Chin said the Belmont Health Department was sharing this updated information “to help keep it informed about the emerging global health concern” as it continues to monitor the latest information from the CDC and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The Belmont Health Department is following public health guidance provided by the CDC and MDPH, which “may include the monitoring of individuals who may be quarantined at home as needed.”

“As this situation continues to evolve, if any special instructions are provided, the Belmont Health Department will communicate them to the community,” said Chin.

Chin also list “some things you can do” to remain healthy:

Keep yourself and others healthy

  • Wash your hands with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
  • Stay home when you are sick
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash

Know the facts and help prevent the spread of rumors:

  • Be sure you are using a reliable source for your information
  • CDC updates its website frequently with information and guidance about COVID-19: www.cdc.gov/nCoV
  • CDC continues to provide updates for travelers at:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html
  • MDPH provides regular updates for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/2019coronavirus
  • The Belmont Health Department will post community wide advisories on the Town of Belmont’s home page if there is a change in risk level: www.belmont-ma.gov
  • Face masks are not recommended for the general public at this time.
  • Face masks can be useful in some settings, such as a clinic waiting room, to prevent someone who has a respiratory illness from spreading it to others.
  • Cancelling public events is not currently recommended as the risk for COVID-19

Please continue to remain calm and open-minded

History has seen many instances of societies excluding, blaming, or devaluing those feared to have an unfamiliar disease. Recent examples include Ebola, HIV, and past influenza pandemics where fear led to stigma and discrimination. In many instances, the discriminatory actions caused the health problems to worsen as those who felt alienated avoided seeking out health care and information they needed. We encourage you to continue to remain calm.

Questions?

Contact your healthcare provider for all medical emergencies and health related concerns. All other questions may be directed to the Belmont Health Department at 617-993-2720.

Boys Hoops Shut Down Rockets In Playoff Opener, Billerica Next On Friday [Video]

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Photo: Mac Annus at the line vs Reading.

Belmont Boys’ Hoops began its campaign to repeat as sectional champions with an emphatic victory over Middlesex Liberty rival Reading Memorial High, 87-45, in the first round match up of the Division 2 North playoffs.

“We had a great week of practice and we played a good game on offense and defense,” said Belmont’s Head Coach Adam Pritchard.

With its victory, third seed Belmont will host 6th ranked Billerica Memorial High School on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. after the team from Billerica defeated Somerville, 66-47.

The Marauders spread the rock around with three starters topping the 20 point mark with junior forward Preston Jackson-Stephens leading the way with 25 points followed by senior Mac Annus and junior Tim Minicozzi each with 21 points.

Belmont raced off to a 11-2 lead midway through the first quarter from the outside coming from threes from Minicozzi, Annus and sophomore center Kevin Logan who started the game.

Reading didn’t panic and through senior captain Taylor Marchant crept back to within five, 18-13. at the end of the quarter.

But Belmont broke out in the second quarter as Jackson-Stephens got of the snide with nine points as the junior was targeted when the Rockets began moving from under the basket to defend against Belmont outside scoring. Belmont’s solid defense and “push, push, push” transition gave the Marauders the open looks that gave them a 35-18 half time lead with Annus leading the way with 14 points including three 3s.

Reading started the second half going with a quicker but smaller lineup to spark the offense but that only allowed Belmont to dominate under the boards and allowed them to run the Rockets off the court, scoring 33 points and putting the game to bed finishing the third up 68-35.

Girls Hoops Taking the ’75’ Tuesday, Feb 25, To Cambridge For Tourney Opener Vs R&L

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Photo: Belmont’s Nina Minicozzi rounding the pick from Emma McDevitt during a game at the TD Boston Garden vs Pembroke.

After coming off a decisive away victory over Arlington on Feb. 7, the Belmont High Girls’ Basketball team was on a high note. At 11-6, the Marauders had secured a place in the MIAA Division 1 North tournament during a five game winning streak, had dominated fellow playoff squad in the SpyPonders – as well as revenging a home loss to Arlington – and was now playing for a good place in the sectionals.

But rather than heading up the seeding ladder, the Marauders took a tumble losing its final four to end the season at 11-10 to find themselves a 12th seed with an opening round game against its neighbors to the east, 5th seed Cambridge Rindge & Latin (16-4).

Belmont will be taking the MBTA’s number 75 bus – figuratively – to Cambridge on Tuesday, Feb. 25 for a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Falcons.

Defense will be the Marauders hallmark as it has been during the teams six year run in the playoffs. Starting with the guard play from junior Kiki Christofori and sophomore Sarah Dullagan, Belmont will attempt to create pressure against the opposing backcourt, attempting to minimize the Falcons noted athleticism. You can expect junior Abbie Morin and sophomores Bridgette Martin and Meredith Christo to coming in often to spark the defense.

Offensively, it will come down to Belmont’s sophomore Nina Minicozzi who has been a whirlwind down the stretch scoring in double digits and junior bomber Reese Shapazian who has been deadly throwing up threes. Expect the McDevitt sisters – junior Emma and sophomore Sophie – and junior Addie Wagner to contend under the basket on both ends of the court.

“I think we are a dangerous team to anyone in the tourney,” said Head Coach Melissa Hart. “We do need to clean up some things and we can be a little emotional when things go well or not so well. But I think this is a team that can advance.”

Public Meeting On Impact To Pleasant St. From Proposed McLean Development Set For March 2

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Photo: The intersection of Pleasant Street and Olmstead Drive.

The proposed 144-unit townhouse/rental apartment development on the McLean Hospital campus will not only create a new residential neighborhood in Belmont, it will also bring a slew of vehicles onto Pleasant Street as locals drive off to work and do their daily tasks.

A public discussion on the traffic implications related to the potential McLean Hospital on Pleasant Street near Olmstead Drive will be held on Monday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. during a joint session of the Select and Planning boards at the Little Theater in the Belmont High School, 221 Concord Ave.

In previous meetings before the boards, discussions included adding a traffic light at the intersection of Pleasant and Olmstead as well as a possible van/bus option for residents to cut down on the number of trips to and from the development.

For any questions, please contact Patrice Garvin, Town Administrator at 617-993-2610 or pgarvin@belmont-ma.gov

Five Days Of Early Voting For Presidential Primary Starts Monday, Feb. 24

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Photo: One week of early voting in Belmont.

Belmont voters are now able to cast ballots early for the presidential primary election ahead of Super Tuesday, March 3.

With voter turnout expected to be high due to the large number of candidates seeking to challenge President Trump in the general election in November, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin permitted five days of early voting.

Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman announced early voting will take place on the following dates and times: 

  • Monday, Feb. 24        8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Feb. 25        8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
  • Wednesday, Feb. 26  8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
  • Thursday, Feb. 27     8 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
  • Friday, Feb. 28          8 a.m. to Noon

Early Voting will only take place at the Belmont Town Hall, 455 Concord Ave. Election Day voting will occur at each of the eight voting precinct locations in town.

Early Voting is available to all voters of the Commonwealth, unlike Absentee Voting that is only available to those voters who will not be in Belmont on Election Day or cannot vote in person on Election Day due to a medical disability or religious conflict.

The Town Clerk’s office always recommends that voters carry  identification when going to the polls or Early Voting in case one is required due to inactive status. 

Questions should be directed to the Town Clerk’s office at 617-993-2600.

Draft ’21 Budget Tops $137M, Balanced Using One-Time Funds As Override Looms

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Photo: Town Administrator Patrice Garvin at the town budget joint meeting.

Like Bullwinkle J Moose pulling a rabbit out of a hat, the town of Belmont rolled up its sleeves, dug deep into the financial hat and pulled out the latest draft of the fiscal year 2021 budget.

But the document revealed at a joint meeting on Monday, Feb. 10 at the Beech Street Center was missing something that had be anticipated for the past six months; an operating override to balance a revenue shortfall in the $6 million range.

For this coming fiscal year budget, the town will instead use one-time revenue sources and a trimming of expenditures around the edges of town departments to reach its fiscal goal.

“We’re really trying to think outside the box on how to balance the ’21 budget,” said Patrice Garvin, Belmont Town Administrator who led the budget effort with help from the newly created Financial Task Force II.

The highlights of the draft FY ’21 budget include:

  • The total operating budget is $137 million – $136,581,778 to be precise – a 6.4 percent increase, up $8.3 million, from fiscal ’20.
  • The school budget will increase by $1.9 million to $62.5 million, a 3.1 percent increase.
  • The town side of the budget will increase by 0.3 percent, a $117,000 jump.
  • The largest increase is in fixed costs, up $6.6 million to $30.8 million, a 27 percent increase largely due to the new debt associated with the construction of the Middle and High School.

Garvin said the continued skyrocketing school enrollment is overshadowing the budget and grabbing a large portion of new revenue as Belmont will have 4,700 student by this coming October, an increase of 300 students in four years.

“It seems to be driving everything in this budget,” she told a joint meeting of of the Select Board, School Committee and the Warrant Committee with members of the Capital Budget committee in attendance.

When the budget was being written in the fall of 2019, there was a realization that revenues would not come close to filling a $5.6 million revenue gap created by rising expenses from the Middle and High School project and schools.

With funds from the stabilization fund created in 2015 with $4.5 million raised by a Proposition 2 1/2 override all but depleted, it was assumed the town would call for an override in Nov. 2020 to resolve the shortfall.

In November, 2019, in an update to the Special Town Meet, the newly formed Financial Task Force II made a somewhat bold announcement to commit to a balanced budget without an override.

And on Monday, the curtain was pulled aside to reveal just how the town would pull $5.6 million out of the budget hat:

  • The largest component will come from free cash, the town’s reserves, taking $3.5 million. This will draw down the account to $2.4 million in 2021, skirting just above the percentage required by credit agencies to allow Belmont to maintain a coveted AAA bond rating.
  • The town-owned electrical utility, Belmont Light, will provide a $1 million PILOT payment (payment in lieu of taxes), substantially more than the $625,000 it annually provides the town. That payment will be returned back to the utility over time as the utility’s PILOT payment going forward will be lowered to $500,000.
  • The final component is $1.2 million from indirect costs from Water and Sewer Enterprise accounts. This is being accomplished by following a recommendation from the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at UMass/Boston on a different way to calculate indirect costs.

She said she was confident that the hit on free cash will be replenished during the summer when the state certifies that amount.

“I’m not nervous about that number,” said Garvin.

In addition, there will be a trimming of expenditures in fiscal 2021:

  • Delay in capital purchases such as new police cruisers ($210,000), turn-out gear for the Fire Department ($26,250) and Central Fleet Equipment for the DPW ($47,385).
  • The implementation of the Health Plan Design Change which is projected to limit health costs to a four percent increase.
  • Freeze cost of living adjustments (COLA) during union negotiations at zero.

When asked why the town would not bite the bullet and use funds from an override to fill the current revenue gap, Garvin said “I believed we could balance it with one time funds that we have on hand and its always preferable to do so without going to the taxpayers with an override.”

While the town will push the funding of an operational override starting in Fiscal Year 2022, residents will cast their vote on a Prop 2 1/2 measure on Nov. 3, the date of the Presidential election. Garvin said the town is currently in discussion with town departments and the schools to calculate an estimate for the amount the town will ask voters to pass.

Garvin said that funding number will be announced just before the annual Town Meeting.

Middle/High School Project Takes Big Step Towards Final Cost Number

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Photo: Daedalus Project’s Shane Nolan report on the trade bids during a recent meeting of the Belmont Middle and High School Building Committee.

A sigh of relief was heard from the members of the Belmont Middle and High School Building Committee Friday. Feb. 7 when the bid results from roughly a third of the cost for the $295 million school project came in just under where they thought it would be.

Shane Nolan, senior project manager with Owners Project Manager Daedalus Projects revealed that final bids – which were opened the day before, Thursday, Feb. 6 in a process called “rip and read” – for the 18 trade subcontractors including skills such as masonry, painting, tile work, and plumbing totaled $73.6 million, approximately $1.7 million under their pre-bid estimated value.

“Is this when we cheer?” asked committee member and Select Board Chair Tom Caputo.

The bid results included some large savings in glass and glazing (an underbid of nearly $834,000) and electrical (at $17.9 million, the bid was $1.89 million under the estimate) that off set overbids in HVAC (at $24.4 million was $3.2 million over the estimate) and roofing and flashing (over by $420,000), Nolan told the committee.

With those favorable numbers in hand, the committee voted to add back work struck from the project in 2019 during what Nolan described as the “painful value engineering exercise” which resulted in $19 million cut out of construction.

Brought back from their sidelines will be:

  • Skylights in the High School Maker Space and Middle School Art Room $74,000,
  • A canopy outside the loading dock entrance, $76,000
  • A slab heat ejection at the loading dock $262,000, and
  • Wall tile to four stairwells, $202,000.

Friday’s result is a big step in finalizing the total project cost, according to Bill Lovallo, Building Committee Chair.

“If you want to just look at this as a $237 million project, a third of the job [is underway], a third of the job were in the trades that Shane just read out … and locked in and about a third of the job is still in its final stages,” said Lovallo.

According to representatives from construction manager Skanska, with the trade subcontractor bids included, the total building cost for the project as of Friday’s meeting is $154.5 million. Add into that contingency, insurance and bonds along with management services, the estimated total project cost comes in at $183.0 million.

With a grand total project cost of $237,208,732 – $52 million is coming from the Massachusetts School Building Authority which partnered with the town on the project – the roughly $54.2 million difference is made up of non-trade work controlled by Shanska.

Non-trade contractors are any third party agent that is not directly involved in the major operations of the project.

Unlike the “rip and read” process with Daedalus in which the subcontractors bid is “locked in,” bids for work with the construction manager is “more of a negotiation,” said Lovallo.

The final third of the cost to be revealed in the next six weeks.