Sports: Frosh Quartet Crush Record as Belmont Boys’ Swimming Begins Season

December 23, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: New Belmont record holders in the freshman 4×400: Sam Thompson, Damien Autissier, Luke Moore-Frederick and Ricky Ye.

In only their second competition as members of Belmont High School Boys Swim Team, a quartet of freshmen has already left its mark on the program.

Sam Thompson, Damien Autissier, Luke Moore-Frederick and Ricky Ye set a new 4×400-yard freestyle relay record of 3 minutes, 56 seconds in the team’s Dec. 18 meet at Lexington High School, chopping nine seconds off the old record (set 20 years ago in 1995) while breaking the four-minute barrier.

“Although they’re only underclassman, the team has high hopes and big expectations for its newest swimmers in the weeks ahead,” said Belmont High Boys’ Swim Head Coach Bobby Reardon, pointing to the many new and talented athletes who have joined the program this season.

In the first two meets of the year against Needham (69-103) and Lexington (73-92), the Marauders’ young swimmers were a bit over their heads against more experienced competition.

Already a few swimmers have placed themselves as those athletes who will be swimming well into the post season. Thompson qualified for states in the 200 (1:56.0) and 500 (5:18.09) yard frees winning both events against Lexington and Needham as fellow 9th grader Autissier finished second in the 500 (5:44.1) against Lexington.

Another Marauder touching first was Antony Bulat (1:12.11) in the 100 breaststroke with Ye in second (1:12.93) less than a second behind vs. Needham.

Owen Luo took second in the 50 yards free (24.65) and Luc Durand also picked up a second in the 100 butterfly (1:02: ) against the Rockets while Will Findlay took second in the 100 free going under a minute (55.05 vs. Needham) and then lowered his seasonal best to 54:81 against Lexington.

Taking a break from competition for the holidays, the squad is back in action Jan. 5 against Haverhill High School.

State Places $100 Million Belmont High Renovation in Final Funding Review

December 23, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont High School

Ten consecutive times the state agency created to assist Massachusetts communities in financing new school projects rejected the Belmont School District’s request to renovate the increasingly threadbare high school building on Concord Avenue.

That dubious streak may finally come to an end in 2016 as the Massachusetts School Building Authority selected the nearly $100 million renovation of the 45-year-old Belmont High School and the construction of a new science wing as one of 26 projects across the state the authority has chosen for a final funding review.

“This is great news for the town of Belmont as it represents a unique opportunity for our community as we have submitted an application for this project annually for over ten years,” said Belmont District Superintendent John Phelan.

This year, nearly 100 Statement of Interests from nearly the same number of school districts were submitted to the MSBA, Authority spokesperson Matt Donovan told the Belmontonian two weeks ago.

The Authority will make its decision on which projects it will approve for eventually financing at its monthly meeting on Jan. 27, 2016. Last year, the MSBA selected 16 projects from a group of 28.

If picked, Belmont will enter a 270-day “eligibility period” in which the district and town will shape the building plan to meet state requirements.

Joining Belmont in the final group include neighboring Arlington which is seeking to renovate its 101-year-old high school, and Framingham’s Fuller Middle School. (Arlington has been requesting funding for only two years)

While being passed over by the MSBA for a decade, it did not come as a complete surprise that Belmont’s “time” for a final review was close at hand. In October 2014, a team of architects and engineers associated with the School Building Authority conducted a “senior study” of the 45-year-old brick and concrete structure, asking a lot of questions of school and town officials while poking around the building.

Proposed projects that receive a “senior study” are seen as having a high level of being recommended to “move forward with an invitation” of being in the final group.

If current trends continue, Belmont should be reimbursed by the MSBA for approximately a third of the total construction costs.

The renovation price tag based on an updated 2008 estimation of the 2004 masterplan which would include using a single general contractor over four years was $79.6 million. With eight years of inflation added to the 2008 figure, the total cost is now close to $100 million.

With a third coming from the MSBA, the total cost to Belmont taxpayers is likely to be in the $66 to $70 million range.

A MSBA-financed project similar to Belmont is taking place in Winchester where a new high school that includes three new buildings is currently one-third finished. The $131.9 million project received 34 percent state reimbursement, requiring Winchester to pass a $90 million debt exclusion.

Under the 2004 Belmont High School master plan revised in 2008:

Construction at the school will take place in four phases over four years so students will remain on the existing campus,
All construction will be held within the current 257,000 sq.-ft. footprint of the current building, and
A 34,000 sq.ft. modern science wing will be built in the proximity of the parking lot adjacent the Wenner Field House and the Higginbottom Pool.

The renovation of the five-decade-old school building is critical as it is currently “structurally unsound” and “jeopardize the health and safety of the school children,” according to Belmont’s 2014 SOI submitted to the MSBA.

With the building of a science center, which will add 13.5 percent more classroom and lab space to the school, “it will eliminate the existing severe overcrowding” at the school. The district is also predicting an additional 254 students at the high school by fiscal 2024.

The SOI notes that Belmont High School is in danger of losing its regional accreditation due to the “negative impact on students … to achieve a 21st Century learning experience” in a building where critical infrastructure are now “beyond its normal life span.” This year, more than a million dollars was directed to rebuild the school’s fire alarm system which is so dated there is a lack of parts to repair the mechanism.

This year, more than a million dollars was directed to rebuild the school’s fire alarm system which is so dated there is a lack of parts to repair the mechanism. Without the change, the Belmont Fire Department warned the building could be closed for safety.

Sports: Belmont Girls’ Basketball Goes 3 for 3 with 54-42 Win over Wilmington

December 22, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Senior Samari Winklaar at the free-throw line vs. Wilmington.

Belmont High Girls Basketball senior forward Samari Winklaar is not just a double threat; a defensive stalwart and one of the toughest forwards on the court. She is a triple talent: this young lady can sing!

Those in the stands during the opening announcements heard Winklaar give a soulful, emotional rendition of the National Anthem that would have knocked your socks off if you weren’t wearing shoes.

Winklaar then joined her fellow starters onto the court and played a big role in Belmont’s victory at its home opener, defeating Wilmington High School Wildcats, 54-42, on Monday, Dec. 21 at the “Wenner.”

Winklaar’s 13 points including a pair of baskets in the third quarter allowed the Marauders keep a double-digit lead through the second half for its first game in which Belmont did not see an offensive dip that occurred in the first two games. Its point production – 13, 15, 14 and 12 in each subsequent quarter – allowed Belmont Head Coach Melissa Hart to include many players from her large bench which reach 17.

The Wilmington game also was the return of last season’s suffocating full-court defense that Belmont used to great effect in 2015’s playoff run. The result of the night’s pressure was that Wilmington did not have a player in double figures in points.

For the third consecutive game, sophomore point guard Carly Christofori quarterbacked the offense with her passing and her signature slashing move towards the basket resulting in 16 points. Her final six points – all in the final eight minutes – came from the free throw line, reminiscent of Christofori’s performance in last year’s sectional quarterfinals against Bedford.

Overall, Belmont went 19 for 23 from the charity stripe, an atypical result from a team that has at times struggled from the line.

Working hard at both ends of the court included senior co-captain forward/center Sarah Stewart with 9 points (7 in the first half) while matched up with Wilmington’s taller centers and freshman Megan Tan who took on the quickest Wildcat guards while contributing four points.

Due to fouls on the starters, Hart gave Belmont fans a glimpse of the future as she sent out Marauders tallest players, junior Margaux d’Arbeloff (6′) and freshman Jess Giorgio (6’1″).

Graham Resigns from School Committee; Three Seats Up in April Town Election

December 21, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Laurie Graham at the Friends of Belmont Education Spelling Bee in Nov. 2015.

Long-time Belmont School Committee member Laurie Graham has resigned after serving nearly eight years on the board, three of those as chair leading the committee during some of the most financially challenging times in recent history.

Graham’s resignation, announced at last week’s school committee meeting, is effective Jan. 20, 2016.

“I hope that I have added in some measure to a more cordial and respectful working relationship with other committees but one that is not only less tense but which also produces positive results and outcomes for our students,” Graham told the Belmontonian.

Her departure will likely result in three seats being filled at the 2016 Town Election on Tuesday, April 5. While traditionally, the seat of someone who resigns is occupied by a nominee selected by a joint meeting of the School Committee and Board of Selectmen, with the resignation coming within four months of Town Election, it is likely the two bodies will allow the one-year position to be picked by the voters.

The other two seats are three-year appointments currently held by incumbents Laurie Slap, the current committee chair, and Elyse Shuster. Both have told the Belmontonian they would wait until the New Year before announcing if they will run for re-election.

Graham, who won three town-wide elections starting in 2008 while, topped the school committee ticket in 2014 with 3,640 votes.

For the past six years, Graham worked out of her home as a contractor with a group of independent publishers reps and that has given her the flexibility to attend day-time sub-committee meetings as well as participate as a school committee liaison or appointed to other committees in town for both day and evening meetings.

That changed when she started a new job, as an office manager in a tax office, in downtown Boston. It has become clear to me that with a commute, no real time to attend meetings back in Belmont as well as the busy time coming these next few months that it made sense for me to step down now and not wait until the upcoming April election.

“It has become clear to me that with a commute, no real time to attend meetings back in Belmont as well as the busy time coming these next few months that it made sense for me to step down now and not wait until the upcoming April election,” she said.

Pool Memberships Stable for Residents, Increases for Out-of-Towers

December 21, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Underwood Pool, Belmont.

Preparing for the first full season of the still “new” Underwood Pool in the summer of 2016, members of the Recreation Commission told the Board of Selectmen Monday night, Dec. 15, that visitor season and daily passes will see significant increases as the town prepares for a deluge of swimmers beginning in June.

“Last year was a like a shakeout cruise,” said Recreation Commission Chair David Kane of the one month the pools were open in August. “We were just trying to understand what we need to do to be enjoyable.”

This coming year will be “more holistic,” said Kane, which includes the new price tag on using the facility.

While nearly all Belmont residents will not see an increase in tag prices for the 2016 swimming season, Kane said non-residents will feel the “bite” of a big increase for the pleasure of frolicking in Belmont’s new pools.

According to Kane, prices for Belmont residents will be:

Family season pass (two adults, up to four children): $225 before June 30/$250 after July 1.
Adult season pass: $150
Child season pass: $110
Day pass/adult: $10
Day pass/child: $5

For non-Belmont residents, prices will be:

Family season pass (two adults, up to four children): $375
Adult season pass: $225
Child season pass: $175
Day pass/adult: $20

In comparison, two years ago the non-resident family pass was $225 and a year ago $265.

“It is high,” said Kane of the new costs, but noting the commission had received “some complaints of overcrowding on certain days” and there is some hope that the new price structure will deter some non-residents swimmers from coming.

Staff members will ask for identification to determine residency.

In addition, there will be a 25 percent military discount while seniors will no longer have the option of a lifetime charge of $50 a year.

When asked if Belmont should place a hard cap limit on the number of non-residents, commission member Ann Bere – who conducted a review of pricing patterns in neighboring communities – said the group will review the membership data in late May so “we’d know if non-resident passes is at a level where we’d be at a level that we would need to set a limit.”

Bere said she believes the new costs will self-limit the number of out-of-towners coming to the Underwood.

This Christmas Week: Madrigal Singers at the Beech, Basketball’s First Time on the New Court

December 20, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont High Madrigal Singers.

On the government side of “This Week”

It’s a holiday edition of the Belmont Board of Selectmen on Monday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. After a few administrative duties, the board will hear a two-hour presentation of Pension Obligation Bonds and an actuarial report on the town’s OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits). Oh boy!
The Cable TV Advisory Committee is meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 3 p.m. at Town Hall to discuss Verizon’s contract renewal.

• Music & Movement with Rubi, a movement and music program recommended for ages 3 to 5 (but 2-year-olds are welcome) will be held in the Assembly Room on Monday, Dec. 21. There will be two sessions: 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

• The Belmont Public Library is holding a Teen Holiday Party on Monday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Assembly Room. Bake and decorate Christmas cookies, make tree ornaments, eat pizza and snacks, and sing karaoke. For teens 5th grade and up. Free, no sign-up necessary. If you have any questions, please ask Kylie at ksparks@minlib.net

• The “new” court in the Wenner Field House will see its first varsity basketball games as the Belmont High School Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball teams will face the Wildcats of Wilmington High on Monday, Dec. 21. The Boys’ game will start at 5 p.m. and the Girls’ at 7 p.m.

• Pre-School Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer-run library, at 10:30 a.m on Tuesday, Dec. 22. 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 High School Madrigal Singers will perform seasonal music at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 3 p.m.

• Come see the Belmont High Girls’ Ice Hockey team – no longer a cooperative with Watertown – play on home ice as they host the Wilmington High Wildcats at the “Skip” (the skating rink on Concord Avenue) at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 23.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day office hours around Belmont:

Town Hall and all Town Offices will close at noon on Thursday, Dec. 24 and remain closed on Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25.
The Belmont Public Library will have limited hours on Thursday, Dec. 24 from 9 a.m. until noon and will be closed on Christmas day, Friday, Dec. 25 and Boxing Day, Saturday, Dec. 26.
Beech Street Center will close at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 24, Christmas eve, and Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25 for the Holiday.

Sold In Belmont: A Million Dollar Flip That Fizzled on Highland

December 20, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: 6 Highland Rd. sold for nearly a quarter of million dollars profit in 2014, not so in 2015.

6 Highland Rd., Classic Colonial (1941). Sold: $1,300,000.

8 Oakley Rd. #2, Condominium townhouse (2011). Sold: $860,000.

60 Newcastle Rd. Side-entry Colonial, (1947). Sold: $800,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

• 6 Highland Rd., Classic Colonial (1941). Sold: $1,300,000. Listed at $1,250,000. Living area: 2,237 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 65 days.

• 8 Oakley Rd. #2, Condominium townhouse (2011). Sold: $860,000. Listed at $899,000. Living area: 3,175 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 58 days.

• 60 Newcastle Rd. Side-entry Colonial (1947). Sold: $800,000. Listed at $775,000. Living area: 1,593 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 51 days.

Selling a house for nearly half-a-million dollars greater than the appraised value for a fairly standard Colonial, you’d be, as Donald Trump/Charlie Sheen would put it, “a winner.”

Dante Muzzioli was a Hall of Fame hockey coach for five decades with Belmont High School. And he proves to be a solid real estate developer. Back in November 2013, Muzzioli purchased the rundown prewar house on Highland Road for $890,000, a nice premium over the assessed value of $718,000.

Within days, Muzzioli got to work putting in $97,000 of renovations and improvements – strip and reroof, install a three-ton AC system in the attic to service both floors, and $60,000 in bath and kitchen renovations – then place it on the market. By August of 2014, the once-threadbare house sold for $1,250,000 (he had originally listed the house at $1,395,000! but that price was just crazy), a more than quarter of a million dollar profit. Try getting that margin playing with equities.

But the most recent sale did not turn out as lucrative for the new owners. A mere 14 months after purchasing the house, the new owner placed the Colonial on the market for the original sales price. If this was purposely low-balling a house to spark a bidding war, it wasn’t that successful. Not to say $50,000 isn’t hay feed, it doesn’t come close to the last jump in sales price.

In the end, the neighborhood has a new comparable sale ($1.3 million) that is way out of whack from the 2015 market value the town has placed on the value of the land and building of $872,000. What better definition of a bubble is there?

Belmont High Performing Arts Coffeehouse Friday: For the Spotlights

December 18, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Poster for Friday’s PAC Coffeehouse.

Belmont High School Performing Arts Company performers will be in the spotlight Friday, Dec. 17 putting on a coffeehouse fundraiser FOR the spotlights: all of the night’s proceeds will support the purchase of new lighting equipment for the main theater space in the auditorium and the Little Theater.

There will be live student music acts, including a mix of acoustic, rock, jazz and pop. It will be a fun evening with a festive party atmosphere.

There’s dinner and desserts sold, and all for the inexpensive price of $10 for adults, $5 for students.

Sports: Boys’ Basketball Takes Opener Defeating Melrose, 66-58

December 16, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont’s Cole Bartels fouled vs. Melrose.

Belmont High Boys’ Basketball went “small” in the second half to shrug off a sluggish first half to win going away, 66-58, over a game Melrose squad in the 2015-16 season opener on the road.

“We have an advantage of being able to change our lineup when the circumstance arises,” said Belmont’s long-time head coach Adam Pritchard, who spoke highly of “the juniors who stepped up” during the third quarter when Belmont’s defense held a quick Red Raider team to eight points.

Belmont was led by its senior all-star backcourt of co-captains Cole Bartels (20 points) and pre-season Middlesex League all-star point guard Matt Kerans (16 points) who threw in three threes (his only baskets of the game) to stem a Melrose surge that saw Belmont at one point trail by five (25-20) midway through the second quarter.

Belmont came out the gates strong with big men senior Luke Peterson (6 of his 8 points in the first quarter) and co-captain Justin Wagner (8 points) who put in a banked three (!) and a hoop early to lead the Marauders to an 18-13 lead at the end of the first.

At the start of the second half, (Belmont held a 37-34 lead at the half) the Marauders substituted to what at times appeared to be a four guards and one forward formation to counter the speedy home team. And Pritchard’s gamble paid off as Belmont’s perimeter defense forced the Red Raiders to take shots from distance that, turned out, was not their forte.

On offense, the inclusion of sophomore Tomas Donoyan (4 points) and three juniors; Dylan Ferdinand, Bryan Goodwin (his four points on 2-2 shooting were the only baskets for the Marauders in the final quarter) and Paul Ramsey (6 points), opened the court for Bartels who stroked a pair of threes to end the quarter with nine points as the Marauders outscored the Raiders 14-8 to grab a nine-point lead (51-42).

While the hosts cut the lead to two possessions at 62-56, there only remained half-a-minute on the clock, with Belmont feasting on the charity stripe in the final eight minutes as Bartels went 4-4 and Kerans 6-6 from the line.

Next up for Belmont is a road match at Stoneham on Friday before the home opener at the Wenner (on the new court) on Monday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. vs. Wilmington.

Selectmen OKs Feasibility Study for Proposed Community Path

December 15, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker 6 Comments

Photo: Russell Leino (center), chair of the Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee with Heather Ivestor (left) and Brian Burke.

The Belmont Board of Selectmen took a significant step in moving the idea of a town community path towards reality when it approved the hiring an engineering consultant to create a feasibility study of a dozen proposed routes from the Waltham line to the Alewife bike path off of Brighton Street.

“Once [the Selectmen] makes a decision, we can make this happen,” said Russell Leino, chair of the Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee, which is overseeing the process for the town.

“Let’s get going with a [request for proposal] and move forward,” said Selectman Mark Paolillo, after hearing from the Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee at its meeting Monday, Dec. 15 at Town Hall.

Bowing to residents along Channing Road whose south-lying properties abut a favorite proposed path, the selectmen approved a suggestion by Selectmen Chair Sami Baghdady to have an additional route, traveling along a portion of Concord Avenue, added to the list of reviewed paths.

In his presentation, Leino said the guiding principle of the five-member group is not to “reinvent the wheel” instead build on the work of its predecessor, the Community Path Advisory Committee, which did the heavy lifting of carving out the possible routes through town.

The five-member Implementation Advisory Committee (Leino, Vincent Stanton, Heather Ivestor, Michael Cicalese and Brian Burke) was created a year ago to develop recommended strategies for the design, construction and implementation of community path route options selected by the Selectmen, “diving deep” into the routes recommended by CPAC, focusing on any choke points including rough terrain or intersections on busy roadways.

In addition to the pathway, the committee looked into an underpass from Alexander Avenue to the south side of the commuter rail tracks that would allow residents and students transverse from the Winn Brook neighborhood to Belmont High School safely.

After spending a great deal of time adhering to the mandate, “we are now at the stage to put pen to paper” by moving to a feasibility study,” said Leino.

During the initial process, the study will help determine “what things did we missed? What are things that CPAC missed? Are there alternatives that we should be thinking of?” said Leino.

With the Selectmen’s approval in hand, a draft request for proposal (RFP) will be put out to bid in early January. Leino expects to hire a firm in late spring and have a completed feasibility study by the end of 2016. A group will decide on a final recommended route that will be sent to the Selectmen in the Spring of 2017.

The $100,000 to hire the engineering consultancy comes from a grant from the Community Preservation Committee that was approved by the 2015 Town Meeting.

In addition to the CPC funds, the Massachusetts legislature approved a $100,000 earmark that would pay for a study. If Gov. Baker releases the funding – no small feat in this time of fiscal restraint – the state money could replace or, supplement the town’s funds.

According to Leino, once the final route has been selected, the committee can then focus on funding a project, which could be the least difficult portion of the project. A Belmont community path is in line for both national and federal grants that would pay for nearly 90 percent of the total cost of approximately $10 million for the 2.2-mile route.

Leino said because Belmont is a significant link to an extensive bike path from Somerville to Berlin, Mass and will lie close to other popular community routes nearby in Cambridge, Watertown, and Arlington, “we’d be right up there in priority for funding.”

The federal and state money would be available once the town invests about $1 million into the trail as they “want us to have some skin in the game,” said Leino.

Despite that the feasibility study is more than a year away, there is pushback from residents in two neighborhoods – Channing Road and homes on Clark Lane adjacent to Clark Road – to the path’s proximity to the property lines and the chance that homeowners on Clark Lane and the Boston Housing Authority could lose a portion of their land to the path.

Baghdady’s request for the feasibility study to look into using Concord Avenue and School Department land at Belmont High School came after some Channing Road residents felt the Community Path Advisory Committee did not give that proposal enough consideration.

Leino said that the Advisory Committee found the Concord Avenue route was “impractical” for several reasons including busy intersections, traffic, active driveways and other impediments. Also, a Concord Avenue route would effectively end financing plans for an underpass at Alexander Avenue, said Paolillo.

But Baghdady did not see an additional route as overburdening the feasibility study.

“The objective is to have a community path and to me, the more options we have before us, the better decision we can make,” said Baghdady, winning the argument.

The Belmontonian

Belmont's Independent Media Outlet Covering the 'Town of Homes'