After Nearly Two Decades, Harris Field About To Be Media Savvy

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Photo: The pre-hoisted press box at Harris Field in Belmont.

The red single-room structure on a trailer placed hard by the entrance of the Skip Viglirolo Skating Rink looks like one of the popular “tiny” houses that have become all the rage across the country.

But the corrugated steel box with a door and a row of sliding windows wasn’t built with homeowners in mind. Rather, its occupants will be coaches, announcers, and the visiting media during fall and spring sports.

After nearly two decades of waiting, Belmont High’s Harris Field will finally have a press box.

In the next few weeks, the prefab unit will be hoisted to the top of the stands – work has been completed cutting space for the structure to fit into place by contractor Elizabeth Contracting of Westwood – with a completion date of September, coinciding with the start of the football, soccer, and field hockey seasons.

The press box has had a long history, first proposed in 2001 as part of the first renovation of Harris Field. But issues with cost and the need for the structure to include an elevator to comply with the Americans with Disability Act standards place the plans on the back burner. 

Those issues again delayed the press box in 2013 when Harris Field underwent its second renovation. 

Finally, through the efforts of Bill Webster – a long-time member of the Belmont Permanent Building Advisory Committee who has championed the press box since 2001 – the town and community groups and businesses including the Belmont Savings Bank, the Brendan Grant Foundation, the Belmont Boosters and individual contributors came together to raise in 2016 the $240,000 to complete the job. 

Obituary: David Senatus, BHS ’13, Known For His Athleticism, Kindness

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Photo: David Senatus (Facebook)

David Senatus, a well-loved member of Belmont High School’s Class of 2013 who played an integral part in the 2013 club rugby state championship team before traveling out west to start a new life died Wednesday, June 21 in what has been called an accidental drowning.

Senatus was 23.

“He was an incredible teammate, friend, and person and I’m going to miss him forever,” said Barrett Lyons, who was a good friend and teammate of Senatus on the Belmont High School football and club rugby teams. 

Greg Bruce, Senatus’ teacher and rugby coach, said the news of his death was “heart-wrenching” to those who knew “this unique young man with the big personality and great smile.”

Press reports from the Davis County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday said Senatus jumped from a popular rope swing attached to a tree branch into a pond in Farmington, Utah just after sunset just past 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21. After surfacing, Senatus was heading for shore when he began struggling before sinking below the surface.

After his friends could not locate him in the water, Emergency crews were called at 9:50 p.m. Senatus – who was visiting friends in the Salt Lake City area – was found shortly after 11:35 p.m. but could not be saved.

Law enforcement said cold temperatures of the water – the pond’s source is snow runoff – and “inefficiency while swimming” may have led to the drowning, which remains under investigation. Police said drugs or alcohol were not a factor.

With family in Boston and Belmont, Senatus transferred from East Boston High School to Belmont in his sophomore year.

“I remember the day I met David,” said Lyons. “His personality took over whatever room it was he walked into. Despite being the ‘new kid.’ Everybody who knew him loved and respected David immensely.”

“David’s sense of humor is what a lot of people will remember about him; one of the funniest kids I’ve ever met. He would have a group of guys legitimately rolling on the ground, uncontrollably laughing,” said his friend.

Bruce, who worked closely with Senatus during his time as a student in Belmont, said “David could have been negative about school but he never allowed himself to be that way. He was always upbeat, someone who worked extremely hard towards a better life.”

Senatus made an immediate impact on Belmont’s athletic fields.

“He worked extremely hard in athletics and was one of the most naturally gifted athletes I’ve ever competed with. That includes my brief stint playing Division 1 football… he was more athletic than everyone on that team,” said Lyons.

In his final Thanksgiving Day varsity football game, Senatus was matched up Watertown star receiver TJ Hairston. Despite losing, Senatus’ performance was remembered by the way he man-handled a tall (six-foot, five-inch) All-Scholastic receiver. 

“Hairston messaged me after David’s death, saying ‘that’s the one kid in high school who could shut me down.’ David didn’t even have experience playing corner, he was just a more gifted athlete than everyone else on the field. He was fast, strong, and vicious in contact,” said Lyons.

David played an integral part in Belmont’s Rugby Club’s 2013 State Championship campaign.

“I’ve never played with somebody who could just impose their will on others the way he did. We would never have broken St. Johns Prep six-year winning streak if it wasn’t for [him]. He broke an amazing 40 yard try with the clock running down. No way we win that game or the state championship without David,” said Lyons.

Bruce, who is Belmont’s long-time rugby head coach, used Senatus as the team’s “impact substitute,” inserting him in the second half of matches when the other team was exhausted.

“David would come in and be so physical, so fast, the opponent would struggle to stop him,” said Bruce, who recalled Senatus’ raw emotion not only on the pitch, but also from the sideline encouraging his teammates.

But it was Senatus great sense of humanity that is being remembered.

“David was also the type of kid who would say hi to everyone, especially those who looked like they needed it. In high school, we all know those quiet reserved kids who look uncomfortable socially. David would sit with these kids and treat them just like he would the varsity athletes,” Lyons said.

“Despite being one of the most intimidating kids to ever walk the halls of Belmont High School, David made sure everyone knew the kindness in his heart. He had that ‘treat the janitor the same way you’d treat the CEO’ attitude. And he was beloved for it. It’s just the way he was,” said Lyons.

After graduation, Senatus returned to Boston, for a time working at Abercrombie & Fitch.

Later, Senatus moved to the West Coast taking classes and playing football at a junior college in California before he was injured. He then moved to Utah with his brother and was working and taking classes at LDS Business College in Salt Lake City when he died.

A wake for Senatus will be held Friday, June 30 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Waitt Funeral Home, 850 North Main St., Brockton. A funeral service will take on Saturday, July 1 at 9 a.m. in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 79 Mt. Hope St., Roslindale. Burial to follow at Melrose Cemetery, on North Pearl Street in Brockton.

Walk This Way: Wellington Send-Off Marks End of Elementary Experience

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Photo: Movin’-on at the Wellington.

It was a special class of students for Wellington Elementary Principal Amy Spangler who she led the fourth-grade students on their final walk out the front door on the last day of school, Wednesday, June 21, also known as “Moving-On” Day.

“Every year we have to say goodbye to our students, but this is the class which I have known since they were in kindergarten,” said Spangler, who arrived to head the school in January 2013. 

“They were in school for half the year, but they were still very young when I first met them,” said Spangler.

“Now they are on their way to [Chenery] Middle School,” said Spangler with a smile.

In what has become an annual event at Belmont, fourth and eighth graders moving into new schools are given an opportunity to have a “final exit” from their current building. At the Wellington, the five classes of fourth graders are led out the school’s front entrance by Spangler and their teachers – Jessica Endres, Aaron Ogilvie, Erin Severy, Steven Tenhor and Christina Westfall – in front of parents and family.

Then if was off to the turf playground for icicles, a last hug, and a photo before a summer long recess. 

“It’s nice to see them one last time as Wellington students,” said Spangler.

 

 

Belmont Yard Sales: June 24-25

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Photo: Garage sales in Belmont

Here are this weekend’s yard/moving/garage sales happening in the 02478 zip code:

Permitted yard sales by the Belmont Town Clerk are in bold:

 

• 28-30 Cross St., Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25, 9 a.m. (10 a.m. Sunday) to 2 p.m.

• 63 Davis Rd., Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• 11 Harvard Rd., Sunday, June 25, 8 a.m. to noon.

• Lexington Street at Ripley Road, Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• 180 School St., Saturday, June 24, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• 22 Townsend Rd., Saturday, June 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cardboard Recycling At Town Yard Saturday AM

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Photo: Cardboard, uncut but folded.

Belmont’s Department of Public Works’ cardboard recycling program was such a big hit after the winter holidays; the town decided to bring back the service for the summer. 

So once again, rather than spend time cutting up and wrapping them into bundles so it can be collected during the weekly trash/recycling collection, this Saturday, June 24, from 9 a.m. and noon, the Belmont’s Highway Department will accept uncut but folded cardboard packaging for recycling.

Cardboard will be the only item taken. And the DPW will accept as much as you can fit into your vehicle.

While Belmont’s trash and recycling contractor, Somerville-based FW  Russell and Son, accepts the heavy-duty paper, it must be cut into pieces no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet and tied or taped together to make a stack no more than nine inches high.

Banner(s) Season For Girls’ Rugby, Boys’ Tennis, National Honor for Krafian [VIDEO]

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Photos: Banner day for Belmont Girls’ Rugby.

It’s been a banner 2017 spring season for Belmont High School sports as the school saw three state championships come through the door and some banners ready to be placed on the wall of the Wenner Field House.

Both Girls Rugby and Boys’ Tennis will see 2017 banners go up; rugby’s historic state championship and tennis’ fantastic post-season run defeating three higher-seeded squads to reach the Divison 2 North sectional finals.

On the individual side, junior track star Anoush Krafian not only captured two state championships this month as the All-State Outdoor Track and Field Meet – the 100-meter hurdles and the pentathlon – she extended her exceptional season by placing 4th in the 100 hurdles (14.80 seconds) at the New England Championships in Norwell on June 10 before heading to the New Balance National Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Greensboro, NC last weekend to compete in the multi-event heptathlon.

Against the best high school heptathletes in the nation, Krafian placed fifth in the competition that required her to compete in seven individual track and field events including the sprints, jumping, hurdles, middle distance running and throwing. 

During the meet, Krafian achieved personal bests in three events (shot put, high jump and javelin) as well as her total score of 4,496 points, trailing the winner, Kaitlyn Kirby of Florida, by less than 500 points.

Watch Krafin run the 200 meters at Nationals here. She is running in lane 7. 

Banners have also been hung this school year for Field Hockey (Champions/Middlesex), Girls’ Basketball (Co-champions/Middlesex), Boys’ Golf (Champions/Middlesex) and Baseball (Champions/Middlesex, Super 8 Tournament).

Burbank Picked To Be Modulars’ New Home With a $2.2M Pricetag

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Photo: Belmont Superintendent John Phelan.

The fall Special Town Meeting now has a price tag for the big ticket item on its agenda as Belmont Schools Superintendent John Phelan recommended four new modular classrooms be sited at the Mary Lee Burbank Elementary School on School Street.

The anticipated cost of the project – which will be up and running in September 2018 – is $2.2 million, excluding furniture and teaching equipment, Phelan told the Belmont School Committee at its Tuesday meeting, June 20.

“This is a very significant ‘ask’ to the town for the Burbank to take on the modulars,” said Phelan.

The Burbank was selected at the Butler Elementary School to be the home of the third set of modulars used by the district – there are several at the High School while six were installed at the Chenery Middle School in November 2016 – to alleviate the skyrocketing enrollment gains occurring throughout the district.

Phelan said adding the classrooms will help reduce class sizes in elementary grades from 25 and 26 students per room to a more acceptable 22 to 23 students.

Last month, administrators and staff held a pair of two-hour meetings at each school to discuss the concerns of residents and parents of adding prefab structures, afterward was a walk of the sites with an architect.  

The Burbank four modular will be sited adjacent to the rear of the school building which will allow for a covered walkway. The location will also have a minimal impact on neighboring houses as it’s lower than nearby Richardson Road and next to a stone wall.

Another factor leading to the Burbank taking on the modulars was its ability to take on additional students without affecting the teaching going on at the school. While it could have met the needs of students if selected, Phelan said the Butler had been home to a historically smaller school community, which has worked educating students successfully.

The greatest difference between the two proposals was the extensive infrastructure proposed at the Burbank. Including the repair and expansion of the parking lot and the overhaul of the playground area while the Bulter’s improvements would be limited to adding sod to the school’s two playgrounds.

In dollars and cents, the Burbank’s infrastructure costs exceed $692,000 compared to $172,000 at the Butler.

Heather Rubeski of Dalton Road, a Burbank parent and Precinct 7 Town Meeting Member told the committee and Phelan that presenting the most expensive option to the town’s legislative body could result in pushback by members.

“When I look at the cost difference of almost $500,000 … I think there is gonna be a lot of questions at Town Meeting on why are we spending all this extra money to put them at Burbank when the town has many things it needs to spend money on,” Rubeki said.

Putting on her “parent’s hat,” Rubeki also asked why would the district select the Burbank for additional space when the school population has been static resulting in children being bused to the school in September 2019.

“It has a feeling of ‘us’ vs ‘them’ and that has become very noticeable in the parent conversations,” she said.

Town officials and Town Meeting members had already begun on how to pay for the modulars with discussions on whether to dip into the “free” cash account which paid for the prefab classrooms at the middle school (a total of $1.4 million) or to finance the project through a bond.

Phelan said moving forward with the project is the best solution until a decision is made on the future of the new Belmont High School which will impact the district’s building requirements. 

“This is something that I believe is a good decision for the town … that this is a short-term trend that will help inform our long-term planning as well,” he said.

Payson Park Music Festival’s 27th Season Opens Wed., June 21

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Photo: Poster

The 27th season of the Payson Park Music Festival Committee opens Wednesday, June 21, at 6:45 p.m. with “Craig and the Hurricane” sponsored by Emello & Pagani Realty and The Spirited Gourmet.

“We are thrilled to continue this tradition offering the community fun and family-friendly music on summer nights,” says Tomi Olson, Payson Park Music Festival’s director.  “We receive such fabulous feedback on the concerts from all ages of fans.”

For the full schedule and more information, including how you can get involved, visit www.ppmf.org.

The Payson Park Music Festival runs Wednesdays until August 30. June and July evening concerts start at 6:45 pm; beginning mid-August, start time is 6:30 pm. In addition to the evening program, four children’s programs will be offered on consecutive Fridays at 10:30 am, beginning July 7 and ending July 28. All concerts are held at Payson Park.

“Join us if you love soft, summer days and evenings, music, and the Belmont community,” Tomi said.  “Bring a picnic supper and a blanket, come down and enjoy a wonderful evening!”  Volunteer and sponsorship opportunities also exist.

The Payson Park Music Festival Committee is a 501(c)(3) organization funded by private citizens and made available through the cooperation and support by the Town of Belmont. 

Remembering a Son, Celebrating Fathers at Record-Setting Brendan’s Home Run

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Photo: Brighton’s Rosa Moriello smashes the existing female record to win the 16th Annual Brendan’s Home Run 5K road race held Sunday, June 18.

A new course record was set on the streets of Belmont as nearly 500 participants took part in the 16th Annual Brendan’s Home Run 5K road race that started and finished at Belmont’s Harris Field on Father’s Day, June 18.

“There’s no place I’d rather be on Father’s Day than here,” said Casey Grant, whose son, Brendan, died tragically during a baseball game in June 2001. Money raised by the race supports the Brendan Grant Foundation, created to honor the memory of a multi-sports athlete – wrestling, baseball, and football – who exhibited a true passion for life.

As for the race, Brighton’s Rosa Moriello took apart the previous women’s course record of 17 minutes and 15 seconds set last year by Laura Nagel, finishing in 16:32. 

The 2015 Boston University grad who was recently named to a US national cross country squad said her goal was to “hang tough and see what I could do and try to be close to my road PR.” While she didn’t match her 5K personal best, “I did chase down some boys which is always nice and exciting,” as she prepares for the USTrack and Field-New England 10K Championship in July.

Mitchell Klingler was visiting the Boston-area from Michigan to see his girlfriend when he came across the race on Facebook. Despite having done a great deal of walking while sightseeing in the past few days, “I asked my girlfriend, ‘You care if I run this 5K?’ and she said ‘Go for it,'” said Klingler.

The Albion College graduate put in a surge sometime after the second mile, finishing in 15:10 to take the victory over a strong field.

 “It was definitely a fun race, hot day but fast course,” said Klingler.

“He lucked out and made $500,” said Brian Rogers, the long-time race director.

Complete results can be found here at Cool Running.

The race attracted more than 350 runners and more than a hundred walkers on a warm and humid Sunday morning. The field not only attracted those seeking a fast time going into the summer, but parents and children, residents who make this a yearly Father’s Day tradition and a hoard of children who ran their own quarter mile race.

“This race works on a lot of levels, and that’s the beauty of it,” said Rogers. Saying there is a special glow about the foundation, Rogers said countless people give their time, provide contributions and make contacts all of “which keeps the memory of Brendan alive today.”

Funds raised by the race and other events have provided scholarships to 41 Belmont High School student athletes, said Grant.

Turning A New Page: Doors Open at Belmont Books In Center

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Photo: Belmont Book’s Matilda Banker-Johnson with the book purchased by the editor of the Belmontonian.

The long sheets of paper have been taken from the windows, the shelves are almost all filled with books and while you will need to wait a little bit longer to get a cappuccino, the Town of Homes has seen the return of its very own bookstore as Belmont Books opened officially for browsers and bibliophiles on Friday morning, June 16.

“It has taken us five years to get to this point,” said Belmont resident Chris Abouzeid, who with his wife, Kathy Crowley, own the general bookstore. 

Abouzeid, who was a bookseller for Porter Square Books for many years, said it’s “basically scary” opening up a new store. “We’re new to retail, and we don’t make any pretense otherwise,” he said, noting they had plenty of help from friends in the business. 

The two-floor store – large children’s and young adult sections upstairs – with its new bright interior at 75 Leonard St. is the second business to settle in the renovated Macy’s/Filene’s building following Foodies Urban Market by a month.

Residents who have followed the build-up via the store’s Twitter feed 

“We knew this was a community that wanted a bookstore after fighting to try and keep the last one,” said Abouzeid referring to the Charlesbank Bookshop that closed in January 2010. “We wouldn’t have tried this if they community didn’t seem to care.”

And town residents have been eagerly anticipating the opening, many following the daily updates via Twitter and other social media sites.

“All we’ve heard for the last eight months is ‘when are you opening? when are you opening?'” said Abouzeid. 

The opening came at an advantageous time as “[w]e really wanted to open this weekend because of Father’s Day and give people an opportunity to buy their summer reading before leaving town [the] schools closing,” said Abouzeid, who along with Crowley, is an author. 

Abouzeid and Crowley are entering a market dominated by the online behemoth Amazon (which on the same day purchased Whole Foods) which has millions of titles on hand which they sell at a discount that a solo store can not match.

But evidence indicates that customers are not abandoning the local shop. While the number of bookstores nationwide has declined by 12 percent from 2012 to 2016, membership in an independent booksellers trade group has grown almost 13 percent in the five years to 2016.

“E-book sales have flattened, and folks are showing that they prefer to hold a real book and that includes young people that you might not expect. They are on electronic devices all day long, so a book is more relaxing.”

He also spoke of the environment of a book buying experience is heightened by searching for a new book in a store, especially in one that is new to the community.

“Just the colors, the feeling, the atmosphere. You can’t get that shopping online,” said Abouzeid. The staff, who will be making recommendations and emphasizing customer service, will also be a draw for shoppers.

“Hopefully, over time, we’ll get to know our customers that come in regularly. We’ll know six months down the line before a new book is coming out so we can make a suggestion to buyers who are fans of the author,” he said. “And you’d be surprised that you’ll get seven-year-olds who say, “Do you have this book” and we can answer them right away.”

Store manager Matilda Banker-Johnson, who has been working in bookstores since she was 16, said one of her primaryr4 goals is an attempt to carry books customers want to read – and conceivably purchase – “so they’ll feel like they belong here.”

The store’s inaugural event will feature two local debut authors as “The Salt House” writer Lisa Duffy talks with Crystal King, author of “Feast of Sorrow” about their books on Thursday, June 22, at 7 p.m.   

Belmont Books is located at 75 Leonard St. in Belmont Center.

Hours:
Monday-Saturday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Thursdays: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Parking is on Leonard Street and in the municipal parking lot behind the Center.