Deadline Looms For Residents Interested Joining School Committee

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Time is growing short for residents who are interested in joining the Belmont School Committee as the deadline for applications to fill the vacancy after Kevin Cunningham resigned last month is Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m.

The School Committee and the Selectmen will meet jointly five days later, on Monday, Nov. 17, to hear from and interview candidates before voting to appoint a new member.

The selected appointee will be sworn in by the Town Clerk Ellen Cushman before the School Committee’s meeting on Nov. 18.

Under state law, the appointee’s term only lasts until the next Town Election; in Belmont that occurs in April, 2015. The person elected for that committee seat will serve a two year term, which is the remainder of Cunningham’s tenure.

Those interested in seeking appointment should write a letter of interest that will include:

  • The reasons for seeking the appointment,
  • Expertise, skills and perspectives they will bring to the committee, and
  • Identify the most pressing issues facing the committee, both through the April election and beyond.

Letters should be sent to:

Cathy Grant

Belmont Public Schools

644 Pleasant St.

Belmont, MA 02478

or via email at:

cgrant@belmont.k12.ma.us

Sold in Belmont: To the Manor Born, a Monster Colonial

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 2 Radcliffe Rd. Colonial with Cape-design features (1938), Sold for: $756,625. Listed at $775,000. Living area: 1,887 sq.-ft. 8 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 61 days.

• 20 Wellington Ln. New construction/Colonial inspired (2014), Sold for: $2,350,000. Listed at $2,475,000. Living area: 5,701 sq.-ft. 18 rooms; 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths. On the market: 52 days.

• 26 Alma Ave. #A1. Condominium (1923), Sold for: $356,000. Listed at $379,999. Living area: 970 sq.-ft. 5 rooms; 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 90 days.

• 11 Frederick St. Newly-renovated townhouse condo (1927/2013), Sold for: $699,000. Listed at $729,000. Living area: 1,909 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 98 days.

Sports: Volleyball’s Historic Journey Ends at 6-Foot, 2-Inch Roadblock

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Belmont High School’s Volleyball historic journey ended Tuesday night, Nov. 4 when it ran into a six-foot, two-inch roadblock stationed in the middle of the Arlington Catholic High School court.

The big obstacle Belmont faced was Cougar’s middle blocker “Demi” Fogarty, who did not just possess killer skills in a 72-inch frame but was accompanied by a supporting cast which could hold their own against most teams in the Div. 2 North Sectionals without Demiana situated at the net.

While the Marauders (who arrived 35 minutes late due a bus flub up) kept their spirits high though out the quarterfinal match played in a gym straight from “American Graffiti” – small, old fashioned with squeaky, wooden floors that bounced when you jumped on it – they couldn’t keep the ball from Fogarty’s wide wingspan as the junior swatted away balls and smashed passes for point after point for Arlington Catholic (19-3).

After 45 minutes, Belmont, who entered the tournament as the seventh seed, walked off the court after losing to the second-seed in a three-set sweep (25-13, 25-9, 25-19).

Belmont’s season ends with a record 16 wins (16-6) and a playoff win – a 3-2 victory over Danvers High on Friday, Oct. 31 – the first since 2010.

While Belmont had scouted AC’s first playoff game against Tewksbury and had practiced on double blocking Fogarty, the became quickly evident that the middle hitter was going to be a handful as she slammed an above-the-net kill for the first point of the game.

While Belmont was able to capitalize on some iffy play selection from the Cougars, the home team was also able to set up Fogarty or six-foot sophomore Lena Perez to strike a power shot at the Marauders’ back line.

Senior middle blocker Alexandra Davis‘ kill gave the Marauders’ its final lead in the first game at 6 before AC went on a 12-4 run behind Fogarty and senior libero Danielle Sullivan.

The second set saw senior setter Becki Sandvos contribute with a few nifty kills from a mid court position yet the Cougars were ever present at the net, able to turn back Belmont’s kill attempts or force shots high and out.

“[Senior] Rosy Fitzgerald was extremely consistent and was 20-for-21 hitting with eight kills. She also was 10-for-10 digging and 16-for-18 on serve receive,” said Coutour.

“Senior libero Sam Nelson also had a good game with great passes and was 22 for 22 on serve receive,” the coach said.
“Yvette Kleinbock had our only big serving run early on in the third set” with six straight points to knotted the score up at 12, said Coutour.
But after the Belmont side out, “Fogarty rotated into the front row and we had a hard time getting any momentum back,” said the coach.
The 2014 season will remembered for the eight seniors – Davis, Julia Dexter, Fitzgerald, Kleinbock, Nelson, Yeonjae Park, Sandvos and Julie Yu – who anchored the team to more than a dozen straight set wins and losses to only playoff-bound teams.

 

Cushing Village Returns to Planning Board Tonight as the Developer Speaks Out

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Sixteen months after receiving the go ahead to begin constructing the 167,000 square-foot, multi-use development in the heart of Belmont’s Cushing Square, the developer of Cushing Village will be back before the Belmont Planning Board tonight at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. 

But don’t expect any major announcements from the first appearance by Smith Legacy Partners before a town governmental board since coming to the Board of Selectmen in March. According to documents at the Office of Community Development, the development team will propose four minor design modifications to the Project Plans, approved by the Planning Board in July 2013.

In an email sent to selected residents late last week, Smith Legacy’s principal partner Chris Starr asked residents to show up to the meeting, saying “[w]e hope that you can attend this Planning Board meeting, which is another critical step in making the vision of new quality rental housing and retail space for Cushing Square a reality.”

As noted in the Community Development documents, the “proposed modifications [does not] alter the size of the development or reduce the number of apartments or parking spaces.”

Cushing Village’s emergence before town officials is the first time since September when the Acton-based developer began actively shopping the three-block site to an array of commercial developers to take on Smith Legacy as a partner, or to purchase the future home of 115 residential units, 230 parking spaces and nearly 36,000 square feet of retail at the corner of Trapelo Road and Common Street.

The last time the development came before the town was in March when Smith Legacy requested a month-to-month extension for the closing date for the $850,000 purchase and sale agreement for the municipal parking lot on Trapelo Road.

As part of the agreement, the developer agreed to pay a $20,000 penalty for each month it delayed the purchase. To date, Smith Legacy has paid $100,000 into town coffers.

Despite the delays and uncertain future of his involvement with the project he spent eight years seeking to build his first large-scale development, Starr continues to make optimist statements on the future of the retail/residential project.

“We realize that it is a project with many moving parts and lots of stakeholders to protect, so we understand how important our project execution is to the town. Our work will need to be carefully integrated with the Trapelo Road Redevelopment project that will be active in Cushing Square at the same time as our project,” said Smith as he also introduced members of the development team in the message.

“Soon we will sending out invitations for you to join us for a cup of coffee and meet the team. We think it is important that we keep the channels of communications flowing. I look forward to sitting down with you to discuss your ideas and concerns for the project,” said Smith.

Babysitting Safety Workshop for ‘Tweens’ on Nov. 11

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Every parent wants a babysitter who knows more than just caring with their child for a few hours; they want someone who is prepared to handle the rare emergency that might occur.

Professional Ambulance Center for MEDICS is offering a Safe Sitter® program for students 11 to 14 years old on Veterans Day Tuesday, Nov. 11 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Pro EMC training facility at 31 Smith Place in Cambridge.

Proceeds from the workshop will benefit the Foundation for Belmont Education.

The one-day course Safe Sitter® course is a comprehensive program that teaches adolescents everything they need to know to be safe when they’re home alone, watching younger siblings, or babysitting.

The course includes CPR certification, basic first aid, childcare essentials and behavior management, as well as information on how to be safe while home alone or babysitting.

The program combines full group activities with small group practice sessions, and includes giving students hands-on CPR experience with manikins. The day ends with an hour of testing to ensure kids learned the skills. Testing includes written exams and a hands-on scenario-based test.

To register for the class, please visit www.centerformedics.com, select “Training – Class Schedule” and scroll to the Safe Sitter class listing. You may also access the registration directly at http://proems.enrollware.com/registration/reg-start.aspx?id=523914.

The class accommodates 60 students. Registration closes on Sunday, Nov. 9. 

The cost of the program is $85 and includes all classroom instruction materials, which may be taken home, CPR certification cards, a Safe Sitter ® program certificate of completion and snacks during the program. Students should bring their own lunches and dress in comfortable clothes suitable for sitting and working on the floor.

Photo of the Day: Making the Daily Commute a Bit Better

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The daily work week crawl through Belmont Center was made a tad more tolerable this morning, Thursday, Nov. 6 by some early holiday cheer in the form of a delightful latte from the staff – Dan Ciper, Mark Fantasia and Rhyan Sullivan braved the traffic – at the Leonard Street Starbucks.

Maybe, just maybe, they’ll decide to do this again before the reconstruction of Belmont Center corrects all the traffic and parking issues.

Special Town Meeting Warrant Briefing at the Beech Tonight

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The Belmont League of Women Voters and the Warrant Committee is co-sponsoring a warrant briefing tonight, Thursday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Beech Street Center.

This is an opportunity for Town Meeting member as well as the general public to ask questions of town officials and department heads about the single article on the warrant – concerning the funding for the 2.8 million Belmont Center Reconstruction project – prior to Special Town Meeting to be held on Monday, Nov. 17 at the Chenery Middle School.

Raffi Manjikian, vice-chair of the Warrant Committee, will preside.

Curtain Raises on Performing Arts Company’s ‘Twelfth Night’ Tonight

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The curtain goes up tonight, Thursday, Nov. 6 on the Performing Arts Company’s production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” a comedy about a cross-dressing, ship-wreck surviving, poetry-loving girl who finds herself at the center of a not-so-average love triangle.

The production, produced and directed by Ezra Flam, will begin at 7 p.m. at the Belmont High School auditorium.

The play will also be staged on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 7 and 8, at 7 p.m. 

Tickets are adults: $12 in advance/$15 at the door; students: $10.

Tickets are available online and at Champions Sports in Belmont Center.

Chenery 8th Grade Students: reserve a free ticket when you order online using coupon code: CMS8. Belmont Schools Staff: reserve a free ticket online with coupon code BPSSTAFF or by e-mailing tickets@bhs-pac.org 

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Sports: Boys’ Soccer Wins Playoff Opener, Heads Off to Chelsea Saturday

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Winning ugly, as the saying goes, is still winning.

And Belmont High School Boys’ Soccer learned that lesson Monday, Nov. 3 after the Marauders defeated North Andover High Scarlett Knights, 1-0, in the first round of the Div. 2 North Sectional finals.

“We got away from a lot of things we were doing well at the end of the season,” said Belmont Head Coach Brian Bisceglia-Kane.

“It was not the best we’ve played because we were nervous because they know this is a game they should have,” said Bisceglia-Kane, saying the team performs better as an underdog than when it is expected to win easily.

“It was ugly, but a really entertaining game to watch,” he said.

The victory sends the Marauders on a trip to 4th-seed Chelsea High School (15-3-1) on Saturday, Nov. 8 to meet the Commonwealth League Upper Division Champions at 4 p.m.

Belmont (14-3-2) got the only goal it needed with 12 minutes remaining in the first half when substitute junior forward/midfielder Trevor Kelly made an outside run and sliced a shot 15 meters from the left of the box that curved into the back of the right side the goal.

For many Marauders on the field, the match with the 12-seed Scarlet Knights was a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals when North Andover scored in the first 30 seconds and kept the lead for the entire match to win 1-0.

While North Andover was able to move the ball into the Marauders end with short passes through the middle, Belmont’s midfielders, led by center midfielder and senior co-captain Ben Lazenby, stepped into passing lanes and use their physical approach to win the 50/50 challenges.

“I was just trying to play hard and communicate and work together as a team,” said Lazenby, who assisted on the goal.

“I was trying to get headers but really it was just playing non-stop,” he said.

Belmont’s goalkeeper Peter Berens took home another clean sheet with big senior defender Matt Lawson stepping up to win headers and break-up at least two semi-breakaways in the second half.

It got hairy for Belmont 28 minutes into the final half when a goal-bound shot off a Berens save was cleared twice from the goal mouth by Lawson and senior Amar Fernald to secure the shutout.

Belmont now has a lengthy wait until its quarterfinal with the Red Devils.

Senior captain Wilbert Tejada leads Chelsea as its playmaker who sets up the team’s two leading scorers, Carlos Cartagena and Derilson DePina.

While Belmont knows little or nothing of Chelsea’s game, Lazenby said the team will not dwell on that issue.

“When you play a new team, you don’t know what to expect, you don’t know what team they’re going to be,” said Lazenby.

“That’s why we have to focus on our game. We can’t control our opponent, we can only control our own game and I think where we are strong in a lot of areas,” he said.

Belmont’s Sweet Peach Diner Changes Hands

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Dennis Dyer knows diners.

Dyer has owned the New York Diner on Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown Square for the past eight years, helping to approve what’s served and other aspects of the business.

And in the next few days, the Watertown resident will add Belmont’s Sweet Peach Diner to his inventory of investments.

On Monday, Nov. 3, the Belmont Board of Selectmen approved unanimously a change of ownership of the Trapelo Road eatery at its scheduled meeting at the Chenery Middle School.

“I heard it was for sale, I looked at it, [the current owner and I] agreed on the price and that’s basically it,” Dyer told the Belmontonian at an earlier visit to the Selectmen.

“I like it because it’s a new place, all the equipment is new and clean,” he said.

Dyer, who owns commercial and rental property in Watertown and Boston, is purchasing the two-year-old restaurant located at 628 Trapelo Rd. for cash for an undisclosed amount.

Dyer told the selectmen that he enjoys the diner’s current menu and has talked to the staff and has no plans to change either.

Known for its breakfasts and southern-inspired menu, the Sweet Peach, opened by Ellen Carter, was highlighted on “The Phantom Gourmet” in 2013. It replaced Andro’s Diner.