Photo:Myles Heller-Baptista will represent the Chenery Middle School’s Soap Box Derby Club at the National championships in Akron, Ohio
While most Chenery Middle School students, the summer break is for going to camp, hanging out with friends at the pool, or traveling to neat places like Europe or the West Coast.
But for Myles Heller-Baptista, this summer week will see the 11-year-old Belmontian hurdling down a steep 300-meter-long hill in Akron, Ohio, at nearly 35 mph in an unpowered fiberglass box on wheels.
Welcome to the tradition known as the All-American Soap Box Derby.
In its 90th year, the competition brings the winners of races around the country and from several foreign nations to the Rubber Captial of the World in the center of the Buckeye state to determine which kid or teen can use gravity the most efficiently to beat nearly 500 competitors to the finish.
The competition – now known as the “Ultimate Speed Challenge” – consists of timed runs in each of three lanes down a 989-foot (301-meter) hill. The car and team that achieve the fastest single run – a tenth usually separates races and sometimes hundredths of a second – is declared the winner. The finals take place on Saturday, July 22.
The Chenery Middle School Soap Box Derby Club and their silverware after the regional meet in Arlington. Club advisor Leon Dyer in the back
The rising sixth grader at what will be known as the Chenery Upper Elementary School come September, Myles got involved in the club run by teacher Leon Dyer after his parents sought a Middle School club that he would be interested in.
Joining the Soap Box Derby Club was a perfect match because, as Myles noted, “I like racing.” What kind of racing? “Any kind of racing,” from watching cars on the track, playing racing video games, and downhill skiing with this family.
Because Myles is still new to the sport, it was decided he would compete in the first of three divisions, known as Stock, which is designed to give first-time builders – between ages 7 -13, and less than 125 pounds and 5’3″ – to compete in simplified cars built from kits.
The club helped make the car, and once Myles did a few training sessions at the Chenery – and, no, Myles didn’t go wheeling down Washington Street at any time to learn the sport – it became clear he was pretty good driving the fiberglass shell.
After several races, Myles and the Chenery team made it to the regional qualifier, including teams from Rhode Island and Connecticut, held in Arlington on very steep Eastern Avenue near the Park Circle Water Tower. The racers took off at the top of the street ending at the Brackett Elementary School by the Robbins Farm Park.
In the double-elimination format, Myles raced against eight Stock entries and lost his first one, moving him into the losers bracket, which meant he would be out if he lost another race. But despite that disadvantage, Myles just kept winning and moved into the regional finals, where he beat the other undefeated finalist twice to win the title.
The Chenery team had some great results in the Super Stock race:
2nd Place – Sophia Shen
3rd Place – Paul Dulude
4th Place – Billy Loftus
5th Place – Mark Anderson
6th Place – Amalia Muller
Race day at the Arlington Soap Box Derby, June 2023
“Once I won that last race, I was happy because I knew I would go to a national race,” said Miles. And the week will be a family affair, with Miles’ family coming with relatives possibly showing up. Dyer – who runs a summer camp – will try to be there for at least one race.
Since the regional win, Dyer and Miles have been fine-tuning the car “a little bit” for the race and training like any of his previous races.
“Everything [Miles] did before; he’ll just continue to do that because he’s prepared. He’s ready,” said Dyer.
Photo:Parking at the US Post Office on Concord Avenue will return to the curb after a vote by the Belmont Select Board on July 10.
The Belmont Select Board made three significant changes to a pair of streets at its Monday, July 10 meeting.
The direction of Underwood Street is being reversed, soon to run one-way from Hittinger to Concord Avenue.
Two parking spaces will be constructed near the intersection of Concord and Underwood to accommodate at least one handicapped space for visitors to the Belmont Veterans Memorial.
On-street parking adjacent to the US Post Office on Concord Avenue will be relocated to the curb, with the bike lane set between traffic and parking.
Underwood turn-around
The reason for changing Underwood from north to southbound is to forestall what Chair Roy Epstein called “an extremely serious, probably unsafe and regrettable degree of congestion” when the new Middle and High School parking lot and Middle School building opens for the new academic year in September.
Epstein pointed out that under the current traffic pattern, the new driveway into the school located at Hittinger and Trowbridge would be a maelstrom of vehicles attempting to arrive and leave from three streets. With Underwood turned around and running north to south, a right-hand turn on Hittinger and left to Underwood will funnel exiting vehicles away from the school and towards Concord Avenue.
“That would achieve a level of separation between inbound and outbound traffic and … distributes the cars better across the streets,” said Epstein. “The main thing is to avoid congestion.”
Daytime parking for Underwood homeowners, residents, and visitors will be on the residential side of the street. The change will require residents to take neighborhood side streets to get home instead of taking a quick right off Concord.
At the meeting, former State Rep. and Select Board member Ann Paulson expressed concerns that sidewalks crossing Concord were “very vital” as many students walk from Precincts 1 and 7 to the school and use the crossings. Epstein said while it “remains a work in progress,” the crosswalks will not be ignored.
The new Middle/High School driveway (right) with Underwood in the left background
With the Belmont Police and the Office of Community Development signing off on the plan and the Middle and High School Traffic Working Group narrowly approving it, 4-3, the change received the board’s OK.
“It’s a really good idea,” said Board member Mark Paolillo as it voted unanimously to adopt the plan. The turnover will occur sometime in late July/early August.
Finding a doable parkingfix for visiting the Vets Memorial
The change in Underwood’s direction also resulted in what Paolillo called “a fair compromise, ” which could have been a nasty fight between interested parties.
The Belmont Veterans Memorial is a shining example of volunteers and residents coming together to create a monument to those who served our country the community can appreciate for years to come. But for the leaders of the Veterans Memorial committee, there is a glaring issue they say can not be ignored: the lack of handicapped parking to allow older and disabled vets to visit the site.
“People aren’t coming to the memorial right now … because it’s just not safe,” said retired US Marine Corp Col. Mike Callahan, chair of the Veterans Memorial Committee.
To assist disabled vets, Callahan and the committee requested last month the town create up to three handicapped spaces, two on the west immediately after the Underwood/Concord intersection and one to the east.
Those questioning the request said the debate was not about vets vs. cyclists but about providing safety for bikers. Bike advocates noted their concerns about forcing cyclists to weave out and back in along the roadway. Select Board member Roy Epstein also observed that one handicapped space would lose three or four spaces, which are needed as there is an anticipation of greater demand for student parking on Concord beginning in September.
As noted at the board’s previous meeting in June, a compromise was in the offing with the switch of the direction of Underwood. With the directional change approved on Monday, July 12, the town will carve out two parking spaces on the right-hand side of Underwood by removing about 40 feet of the four-foot grass strip adjacent to the path leading to the school nearest to the intersection. One space would be dedicated handicapped, with the other available for residents or visitors. For holidays and special events or celebrations, both spaces would be reserved for the disabled.
“What I like about having it closest to the curb is you have immediate access to the accessibility ramp to get you up on the sidewalk,” said Glen Clancy, director of the Office of Community Development and Town Engineer, who designed the new spaces. The other advantage of placing the spaces on the pond side is that drivers will naturally slow down with a stop sign at the intersection, which increases safety when the driver exits and brings out a wheelchair.
When the board’s vice chair Elizabeth Dionne said while every group is committed to making the plan a success, “we have at least a workable first draft,” a sentiment Callahan retorted, “I don’t disagree.”
And with a few add-ons to the project, such as a small ramp to the path between the new parking spaces, the vets and town supported the plan with the Select Board OK-ing the added spaces, 3-0.
The post office with curbside service
It took less than 10 minutes for the Select Board to turn back the hands of time and return parking in front of the US Post Office to precisely where it once was.
“We’re putting back [parking spaces] to the way it was, other than the transition point by the post office parking lot,” said Epstein.
But the back story of the unanimous vote demonstrated the difficulty in finding a working solution. From last year, the board was caught between the insistent concerns of seniors and the counterarguments by cyclists that being next to vehicle traffic is not the safest of positions.
Even before the town “painted” Concord Avenue placing the bike lane along the curb for nearly the entire length of the roadway, several residents – a majority made up of the senior community and the elderly – registered complaints that moving vehicle parking off-the-curb presented seniors with “an unsettling feeling” exiting their vehicles close to the traffic, according to Clancy.
“We’ve gotten more complaints on this post office and the unsafe conditions in my mind than any other issue,” said Paolillo.
The effort to develop a dedicated lane is to encourage students to bike to the new Belmont Middle and High School. The past configuration with the bike lane between traffic and parked cars deterred many potential bikers – especially youngsters – from cycling to school.
“For the last three years as the high school has been built, we’re talked and talked and talked about making this town safe for biking,” said Paulsen, School Street resident, and former state representative and select board member, who was the only bike advocate to show up in person at the June meeting.
In addition to parking, the residents pointed to the limited visibility pedestrians have seeing oncoming traffic as parked cars and SUVs block their view, requiring them to step into the busy bike lane to be seen.
Yet bikers pointed out the danger of riding alongside vehicles and the threat of being “doored” – when drivers fling open their driver-side doors. Aaron Pikcilingis, Town Meeting member Precinct 6, recounted being doored twice in streets with the same layout as proposed at the post office.
“I was lucky that collision did not throw me off my bike to the left … and being sent into traffic. I have been by many ghost bikes where many people died,” said Piccilingis. “So the configuration … is dangerous for cyclists as they are used as a buffer to protect people getting out of their cars,” said Pikcilingis.
In response to the board’s earlier request, David Coleman presented at the board’s June 26 meeting three possible street calming elements approved by the Traffic Advisory Committee he chairs that would increase pedestrian safety at the post office: permanent bollards to prevent vehicles from limiting the sight lines at the crosswalk, street decals warning bicyclists to reduce speeds as they approach the postal facility, and the introduction of a speed bump just before the first parking spaces to bring down speeds.
But TAC’s requests received pointed pushback but not from older drivers. Rather, it was the leaders of the town departments who challenged the recommendation. While the estimate for the three requests comes to at most $4,000, it is another bill the town will need to pay ad hoc as each issue arises.
“[The requests] just keep ticking up and up and up,” said Belmont Town Administrator Garvin. “And we have no budget for this.”
And it was not just the lack of funding that had officials concerned. DPW Director Jay Marcotte said the bollards are just another task his already overburdened personnel will need to undertake when it installs barriers and removes them when the town plows the streets during snow storms. Finally, Clancy said it’s uncertain that traffic calming is needed at the post office as there is no evidence drivers are speeding along that length to Concord, nullifying the need for a speed bump.
Rather than a piecemeal approach, which she doesn’t see as productive, Garvin said a comprehensive traffic and bike safety plan was needed, including finding a dedicated funding source.
“We really need to consider our spending priorities and not just when people come to the TAC … then we start spending money,” said Garvin. “It’s not a good use of the town funds.”
For the board, Epstein has long contended “it is not a significant safety hazard [for vehicles to] go back to the curb,” pointing to the relative safety between bikers and vehicles on Trapelo Road, which, he believes, is just as busy a corridor as Concord.
With the mounting concerns from the town departments and the complaints from older postal patrons, Paolillo said a decision had to be made to return the parking curbside. He also said the board would pitch having the speed limit on that short stretch of Concord reduced to 10 mph from the current 25 mph.
“This is a balance, and no one’s happy,” said Paolillo, at the June meeting.
Photo:Belmont Ellie Shea doing what Ellie Shea does: winthe 3000-meterat the U20 Nationals
An hour after running away from the field to win the 1500 meters national title, Belmont’s Ellie Shea decided, why not add the 3000-meter crown to her weekend trip to Eugene, Oregon?
Ten minutes later, the 17-year-old raising Belmont High School senior held off a former teammate and will be coming home with a pair of national titles in an impressive 60 minutes of racing at the 2023 USATF U20 Outdoor National Championships on Sunday, July 9.
The Emerging Elite Club runner is one of only three double winners at the US Outdoor Nationals, along with JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, who won the heptathlon and high jump, and Christian Miller, who took the sprint double, winning the men’s 100 and 200.
With the victory in the 1500 meters, Shea qualifies to represent the US in the upcoming Pan American U20 Championships held in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Aug. 4-6. If she competes, it will be the second time Shea will represent the USA on the international stage, having been a member of the U20 women’s team at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in February, coming home from Australia with a bronze medal.
Shea started her week on Thursday, July 6, running with the pros in the first heat of the Women’s National 1500 meters, a race – which included 800 meters world champion Athing Mu – the recent 11th grader led through 800 meters. But the field soon showed its class in the final 300 meters as Ellie finished 11th in 4:20.99.
While Shea was scheduled to run four events, she finally took to the track at Hayward Field in the 1500 meters against two newly-minted champions, Angelina Napoleon (3000-meter steeplechase) and Sophia Gorriaran (800 meters) from the Moses Brown School in RI. But it wasn’t a race as it followed the leader with Shea out in front from the start, stretching her lead to five seconds at the midway point over Gorriaran and Napoleon. Shea maintained her 30-meter lead until the final 300 when Harvard commit Gorriaran used her outstanding sprint speed to eat into the lead but came up short as Shea broke the tape in 4:19:58.
About an hour later, Shea would change tactics and tuck into the lead pack in the 3000 meters, which included University of Michigan’s Rylee Tolson and Zariel Macchia, a rising high school junior from New York who was Shea’s teammate on the history-making US team at the World Cross Country Championships.
With 600 meters remaining, Tolson upped the tempo. In the curve after the bell, Shea passed on the outside and held off the collegian coming off the backstretch. With Tolson fading, Macchia charged down the final straight, cutting into Shea’s lead with every stride but could not catch the Belmontian, who finished in 9:46.56 to win by a second.
As one of the commentators on the USATF.TV webcast said about Shea on Sunday: “That is a long day but a good one.”
Photo:The 2014 USPS First Class Forever Stamp – The Star Spangled Banner
Tuesday, July 4, the country observes Independence Day, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 (the document was signed on July 2nd).
Massachusetts’ own John Adams, who signed the Declaration and was the nation’s second president, said the Fourth should be celebrated the day with “Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” Adams would die on July 4th, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the original signing, on the same day as the declaration’s chief author, Thomas Jefferson, the third president.
For most Belmontians, the most impactful result of the holiday is that trash and recycling pick up will be interrupted for one day due to the holiday. So Tuesday’s pickup will take place on Wednesday, and so on.
Here is what’s closed and open on the 4th of July.
Closed on the 4th
Belmont Town Hall and town offices.
Belmont Public Library.
State and Federal government offices.
US Postal Service: Both Belmont post offices are closed; express delivery only.
Banks.
Opened
The Underwood Pool: Open to members and those purchasing day passes
Retail stores: Open at owner’s discretion
Supermarkets: Star Market on Trapelo Road in Waverley Square is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Coffee shops: Starbucks and Dunkin’s on Trapelo Road will operate during their regular hours.
CVS: 89 Leonard St. (Belmont Center) Store 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Pharmacy 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
CVS: 264 Trapelo St. Store 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Pharmacy 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Subway will run on a modified Saturday schedule until 3 p.m. After 3 p.m., the subway will run on a weekday schedule.
Bus and the RIDE will run on a Sunday schedule.
Commuter Rail will run on a weekend schedule. The last train on the Wachusett route, which serves Belmont and Waverley commuter stops, will be held until 11:25 p.m.
Where to see fireworks celebrations near-ish to Belmont:
Boston/Cambridge: along the Charles River at the Esplanade, 10:30 p.m.
Newton: Albemarle Field/Halloran Sports Complex, 9:10 p.m. Note: From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile – which recently was rebranded as the “Frankmobile” – will be available for tours and photo ops.
Photo:The Belmont Health Department wants to know what you think about them
The Belmont Health Department would like residents to take a very short online survey about your experience and opinion about the department.
This survey is intended to measure the ways in which the community benefiting from the work of the health department, and its understanding of the resources available to you. In addition, it wants to identify any expectations or misconceptions concerning the department.
Answering the questions should take no more than 10 minutes, and residents may chose to write additional comments at the end.
For all you “seasoned” customers out there, the Town of Homes is now a place for people to find a righteous time.
Belmont’s first cannabis dispensary, Cal Verde Naturals at 1010 Pleasant St., has officially opened its doors to adults – it is 21+ to get inside – and will have a grand opening celebration on Saturday, July 8.
Store hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“I am so thrilled to bring the Cal Verde vision to life in Belmont,” said Cal Verde owner Kelly Tomasello. “It has been a labor of love for [more than] four years.”
And from reading the press release, Cal Verde is all in with their products and services. Saying it is staying true to its motto, “Nurture with Nature,” the adult-use dispensary is focused on curating a “unique, worthwhile experience” for “seasoned consumers and newcomers alike,” as the store provides “exceptional cannabis products through a hands-on, first-class retail experience.”
“We are happy to serve the communities in which we operate. We believe that cannabis can enhance any lifestyle … [we have] all the products and strains to meet your needs,” said Tomasello.
With the Massachusetts cannabis marketplace getting more crowded by the day, Tomasello hired Belmont resident Emma Thurston as the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, saying their quarter century cumulative experience in the retail industry is more relevant than ever.
“Cannabis consumers are seeking not only exceptional products but an exceptional shopping experience, something which [the executives] believe they are set to deliver on,” said the release.
“Emma and I have created what we believe to be a first-class operation. We are looking forward to being able to contribute to the town through our business and volunteer work. We can’t wait to meet all of our new patrons,” said Tomasello.
Photo: Belmont High student and Emerging Elite athlete Ellie Shea (Credit: Sage Zipeto, Brooks PRI)
Two young Belmont track runners – one already well-established and the other a newcomer breaking into the spotlight – came home with silverware over the same distance captured at separate national competitions earlier this month.
And this coming weekend, Ellie Shea and Dana Lehr could be competing against each other for the first time at the National Championships for athletes under 20 years old.
Shea continues her impressive track results, winning the two-mile at the annual Brooks PR Invitational (PRI) on June 14. Toeing the line against a deep field of speedy athletes, Shea was at the top of her game having smashed her PR in the mile two weeks earlier with a 4 minute, 37.22 second, the fastest mile ever by a Massachusetts high schooler (although it is not an official record as it was set in a mixed gender race).
Unlike some of her previous distance races where she would run away from the competition, Shea – wearing her trademark cobalt-blue sunglasses – would have all she could handle with a familiar opponent, senior Leah Stephens from Maryland (they battled each other at the Champs National Cross Country Championships in December) who ran shoulder to shoulder with the Emerging Elite athlete as they were running steady laps.
On the final of eight laps, Shea and Stephens were stride for stride as the Florida State-bound runner held off Shea on the final corner. But at the head of the home stretch, Shea increased the pace to pass Stephens breaking the finishing tape in 9:53.36 to be the fastest high school two-miler in the US this year.
Unlike the past two years, Shea would skip racing at the annual Nike Outdoor Nationals for high school student in Eugene, Oregon that weekend, leaving the stage to her Emerging Elite teammate Lehr.
At the New Balance National Outdoor Championships in Philadelphia, the Belmont High 10th grader ran in the Rising Star meet, highlighting the nation’s up-and-coming tracksters on June 14. Running in the first of two heats at the historic Franklin Field track, Lehr would benefit from the brave pace setting of junior Reece Landis of Ohio. Almost from the start, the race was a three runner affair with Landis out front followed by Lehr and junior Maggie Powers from Indiana in that order.
Landis would slowly stretch her lead in the second mile where a the bell lap she appeared to have shed her pursuers with nearly a 10 meters lead. But Lehr would erase the 1.2 second deficit using her impressive 800-meter speed – she won the MIAA Division 2 title in May – to marshal a 74 second final lap to take the heat in 10:41.59, winning by five seconds over Landis as the Belmontian lowering her 2-mile PR by a minute and five seconds since February. And when the second heat developed into a tactical contest, Lehr’s time stood up to take the title.
After winning her contest, Lehr decided – why not – to jump into the Championship Mile, placing 6th in her heat and 33rd overall in 4:57.88, just a second off her PR.
With her time, Lehr made the qualifying time for the 3000 and 5,000 meters at the USATF U20 Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene taking place on July 6-9. And with Shea also qualifying in the 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 meters – just a reminder: since it has been a very long season for both young women, there is no guarantee either will attend – it could be big couple of days for these residents.
Photo: State Rep. Dave Rogers honors Belmont’s Jeanne Widmer (Credit: courtesy photo)
State Rep. Dave Rogers honored Belmont’s Jeanne Widmer as the 24th Middlesex District’s Commonwealth Heroine Award on the Status of Women at the State House on June 23.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the award recognizes the often-unsung heroines who devote their time, talent, and civic spirit to make a difference in their communities and enrich the lives of others.
“In her personal and professional life, Jeanne has exemplified what it means to be a Heroine,” said Rogers. “She is driven by her kindness and desire to give back. I was delighted to honor Jeanne with this award and to participate in a day dedicated to uplifting the women who help build and improve our communities.”
Rogers nominated Widmer for her varied and passionate work in Belmont. Soon after moving to the “Town of Homes, Widmer worked on the town’s campaign for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and has since volunteered on dozens of local campaigns. She was elected three times to the Belmont School Committee, serving two years as its chair, and has been a Town Meeting Member since 1981.
Widmer also founded the Belmont Women’s Resource Center, which provides monthly programs on issues of concern to women. For 20 years, Jeanne has worked as a tutor and counselor, helping students access education and unlock their potential. She was awarded for volunteer work with Belmont Parent Teacher Organizations, METCO, and youth sports teams.
This year’s Independence Day holiday got a day longer for Belmont town employees as Monday, July 3, has been added to the July 4 celebration.
“The town was scheduled to be open on July 3. But with a lot of discussion from some stakeholders in the community – the school department, the library, the DPW, and the Beech Street Center – we are closing town offices on July 3 in recognition of the holiday,” Belmont Town Administrator Patrice Garvin told the Select Board at its Monday, June 26 meeting.
“Employees that are overworked will be able to enjoy a long weekend with their family and their friends,” said Garvin of the extra paid holiday.
Board member Elizabeth Dionne said she and her colleagues support the added day off as employees “are working very, very hard under challenging circumstances and [this] felt like something small that we could support as an appreciation of thanks.”
There is also the realization that nearly every non-retail business and government entity would likely find workplaces empty as employees would take a day off to make the 4th four days long.
But while the town is closed, trash and recycling will occur on Monday. After the 4th, the curbside schedule will return with Wednesday, July 5, the Tuesday collection day.
For problems with trash and recycling collections on Monday, call the town’s trash contractor, Waste Management, at 1-800-972-4545
Photo: The Benton Library at the corner of Oakley and Old Middlesex Roads.
Despite being closed for nearly two years as the new building is being constructed late in 2023, the Belmont Public Library will continue to serve the community at three locations around town.
Kathy Keohane, member of the Library Building Committee and chair of the Board of Library Trustees, came before the Select Board on June 26 to identify the temporary spaces it will be used to serve patrons.
“I’m thrilled to state we have a solution,” said Keohane, announcing where services will be held beginning in October/November.
Beech Street Center: Adult services and circulation
“It’s taken a number of months, but I think with great leadership from [Town Administrator] Patrice [Garvin], from the Council on Aging, the School Board, and [Facilties Director] Dave Blazon, we found a solution for the community,” said Keohane.
“It was a victory to secure the spaces and work collaboratively. This is a wonderful example of how all the different groups came together to find a shared solution that can work,” said Keohane.
Since most of the permanent collection will be in storage for the next two years, the library will heavily rely on the Minuteman Library Network to provide books and media material to residents, said Keohane.
Keohane told the board the beginning of the demolition of the current library will begin in November/December, with the opening of the new facility in the second quarter of 2025.
