New Look Girls’ Volleyball Squad Ready To Make Confidence Run In Middlesex League

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Photo: Belmont High Girls’ Volleyball prepping for the coming season

Second-year Belmont High Girls Volleyball Head Coach Raylynn Kauila now has a team that has begun playing under “her” system. With a young team and not as big in the front line as recently, what’s going to drive the team is being poised and positive. 

“My overall philosophy is all about confidence because if they believe they can, they will. But the second they think they can’t do something, they won’t. And so in terms of hitting, playing defense, putting up a block, like, once a player doubts themselves, they are their own worst enemy. They will hold themselves back,” she said.

And Belmont plays in a very competitive Middlesex League where any dip in its conviction, the Marauders, will have its hands full battling playoff contenders headed by Winchester (19-1 last season) and a slew of Division II powerhouses in Wakefield, Burlington, Reading, and Melrose. 

“We’re very young all around,” said Kaulia. The team lost a number of key starters from last year’s team, including record-breaking assist leader Sophia Qin. 

Kauila will use two players in the key role: senior captain Katya Polina and sophomore Sophia Wang. “She’s enormous shoes to fill, but I am confident with who we have ready to step up now.” The pair will be feeding the ball to a pair of returning outside hitters, junior captain Danbi Kim and sophomore Emma Miao.

“Both of them were really big last year. They were really key players. Danbi started a lot, and then Emma did really well coming off the bench,” said Last year, it was intimidating being behind so many senior outsides. But Emma did a good job as a freshman on varsity, like coming off the bench ready. She definitely earned her starting spot this year.

Belmont’s youth will be found in its back line. The one returning varsity player, senior Sofia Pavlou, will be mentoring a group of players who will be on the court.

“Pavlou didn’t play as many games last year because our senior libero last year, Zulal Merdinian, she was just phenomenal. Sophia did a really good job of learning from Zulal. So we’re hoping that her senior leadership will help fill that role there. They are young in terms of varsity experience, but they do a good job of keeping up. They’ve played club. Furthermore, they are putting in the work during practice and outside on their own time.”

Senior captain LeeLee Kozelian will anchor the front line from the middle position. “She’s a force to be reckoned with at the net, whether it’s blocking or hitting. She’s going to be like our true utility player: wherever we need her, she’s ready to go.” Kozelian will be joined up front by Polina “one of our bigger blockers as well” along with our middle blocker, Lucy Warner. 

Belmont starts the league season Tuesday, Sept. 8 vs. Watertown at the Wenner. Not one of the stronger teams, Kauila will not have her charges overlook the Red Raiders or any team they face this season.

“I want us going into every game not underestimating a team. They aren’t the best, but I do know that they will sneak up on us if we’re playing lazy, if we’re not pushing ourselves,” said Kauila. “I want to hold us to a standard, no matter who we are playing against. And so Watertown will show me if the girls are also believing that and holding that standard. And if they aren’t, then they will quickly have to get it together. I’ll play girls who understand that we need to keep that standard, no matter who it is.”

Last year Belmont made the MIAA Division 1 tournament as the 24 seed with a 10-9 record. Does Kauila see a return to the post season?

“I think we could be a tournament team if it’s all going to come down to our confidence,” she said. “Our hitters are there. Our defense is there. Our blocks are there. Our chemistry is coming along, and it’s trusting each other to have each other’s back when playing defense. So if we put it all together throughout the season, I think we could make it to the tournament.”

What’s Open, Close On Labor Day; Trash Pick Up Delayed A Day

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Photo: USPS Labor Day stamps circa 1956

Goodbye, summer. Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, ends the last big getaway weekend of the warm weather season.

Trash and recycling collection is delayed ONE DAY due to the holiday: If your pickup day is Monday, this week it will be collected on Tuesday, etc.

The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being. 

Before it was a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized by labor activists and individual states. After municipal ordinances were passed in 1885 and 1886, a movement developed to secure state legislation. New York was the first state to introduce a bill, but Oregon was the first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day in 1887. During that year, Massachusetts joined four other states passing laws creating a Labor Day holiday. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday.

Boston will be holding its Labor Day Parade in downtown Boston at 10 a.m.

Labor Day is one of ten holidays recognized by the federal government, although the feds don’t require employers to pay workers for this holiday. Businesses traditionally provide their employees with a paid holiday as part of a benefits package because most others do the same.

Closed:

Belmont Town offices, Boston Public Schools, Belmont Public Library and Belmont Light are closed.

• US Postal Service offices and regular deliveries.

• Banks; although some branches will be open in some supermarkets.

• MBTA: Operating on a Sunday schedule. See www.mbta.com for details.

What’s Opened:

• Retail stores

• Coffee shops; Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are open.

• Supermarkets

• Convenience stores and,

• Establishments that sell beer and wine are also allowed to be open.

Update: Too Close To Call As Brownsberger Carves Out 61 Vote Advantage Over Lander In State Senate Race

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Photo: Will Brownsberger

On a night that saw one of the candidates announce he would probably loss than reverse that prediction an hour later and the other declaring victory no matter the decision, just who will be the next state senator representing Belmont remains up in the air.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, 15-year incumbent Will Brownsberger has a minuscule 61-vote advantage – 11,997 to 11,936 – over his opponent first-time candidate Daniel Lander, a former policy advisor for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

Neither Associated Press or the Boston Globe have called the Democratic primary race for the Suffolk & Middlesex Senate seat as of 5 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 2.

If Brownsberger does retain his seat he first won in Nov. 2011, it will be due in large part to the strong showing of support from his hometown voters. Belmont was the only segment of the districted he won, as the long-time legislator come up second in Boston, Cambridge and Watertown to the first-time candidate.

Brownsberger took the Town of Homes 3,974 to 1,793, a 2,181 margin that allowed the two decade incumbent to create enough of a cushion to stay in the lead for the majority of the night.

But even after Belmont and Watertown reported, Brownsberger surprisingly told campaign supporters who gathered at Donahue’s Bar and Grill in Watertown that it was not going to be his night.

“[The results are] not looking that good tonight,” Brownsberger told supporter before 10 p.m. “We might have lost,” Brownsberger said, reported the Boston Globe. “I’m not quite saying that yet, but as is my way upfront, that’s what I’m seeing out there.”

A Brownsberger backer from Belmont who attended the victory celebration, said the candidate’s “forthright” announcement took a large segment of the smallish crowd by surprise. “It is sooo early and the [reported] numbers said he is in the lead,” the supporter’s text. “[Brownsberger] must know it’s already over.”

But at the 11th hour, Brownsberger told the crowd his earlier prediction did not include complete Belmont returns – Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman announced the returns at 9:16 p.m. – and the vote count was now “in his favor.”

Lander entered the race with the endorsement and backing of his former boss Wu, who has been in a nasty political spat with Belmont’s veteran legislator over 2024 legislation in which he helped block a tax bill to temporarily shifted more of Boston’s property tax burden on to commercial owners.

Brownsberger would hold a 1,500 vote lead at 11 p.m. only to see the advantage slip away with each Boston precinct being called.

With Brownsberger holding on to a tight 325-vote lead after Boston’s 35 precincts were called, Cambridge votes were the final ones tallied sometime after 2 a.m. And while Landers carried his one-time hometown, he couldn’t close the gap.

It is uncertain if a recount is required or if Lander will ask for one.

In the other legislative race for the 24th Middlesex (The ABC District has it covers Arlington, Belmont, and Cambridge,} state Rep. Dave Rogers used his tireless retail campaign style to return to Beacon Hill as he defeated another first-time candidate Nomita Ganguly, 6,906 to 2,867. Rogers received 3,462 votes to Ganguly’s 2,043.

Middlesex District Attorney and Belmont’s own Marian Ryan will continue to uphold the law as she defeated David Marc Solet easily.

Early results: Brownsberger Says ‘[Election] Not Looking That Good Tonight’ As Hometown Comes Out Big For Long-Time Senator

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Photo: Will Brownsberger

With nearly 40 percent of precincts tallied, State Sen. Will Brownsberger could see the writing on the wall.

“[The results are] not looking that good tonight,” Brownsberger told supporters gathered at Donahue’s in Watertown just before 10 p.m. on state primary night, Sept. 1.

“We might have lost,” Brownsberger said, reported the Boston Globe. “I’m not quite saying that yet, but as is my way upfront, that’s what I’m seeing out there.”

Brownsberger’s reaction came just a half-an-hour after Belmont voters showed its support for the long-standing legislator. Town Clerk Ellen Cushman reported Brownsberger received 3,974 votes to his opponant Daniel Lander who garnered 1,793, a more than a two-to-one margin.

But Brownsberger isn’t rounding up that same level of support in the rest of the district, being edged out in his birthplace of Watertown and running behind in early returns in his Boston precincts where Lander had the advantage of the endorsement of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

Final results are expected soon.

Belmont Candidates On The Sept. 1 State Primary Ballots As Party Faithful Select Candidates For General Election

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Photo: State Sen. Will Brownsberger, State Rep. Dave Rogers and Gov. Maura Healey in Belmont Sunday.

Belmont residents both past and present and those connected to the town will be prominently on display on both the Democratic and Republican ballots as the party faithful pick the candidates for November’s general election.

Voting in the Massachusetts State Primary Election takes place Tuesday, Sept. 1, with the polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Registered voters may cast their ballots in person only on Election Day; at the following polling locations: 

  • Precinct One: Belmont Public Library, 366 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct Two: Belmont Town Hall, Select Board Room, 455 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct Three: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct Four: Daniel Butler School Gym, 90 White St.
  • Precinct Five: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct Six: Belmont Fire Headquarters,  299 Trapelo Rd.
  • Precinct Seven: Burbank School Gym, 266 School St.
  • Precinct Eight: Winn Brook School Gym, 97 Waterhouse Rd., enter from Cross Street.

If you are wondering if you are a registered voter and your voting precinct, go to the Town Clerk’s web page or phone the Town Clerk’s office at 617-993-2600.

Election results for town wide and Town Meeting races will be announced at Town Hall after the polls close and are located on the Town Clerk’s website early Wednesday morning.

Both of Belmont’s reps on Beacon Hill find themselves with opponents on the Democratic ballot.

In one of the featured races of the night, long-standing incumbent Will Brownsberger faces his stiffest challenge since being elected state senator in December 2011 from new comer Daniel Landers, a former policy advisor to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Landers has roots in the town as his parents are longtime members of Beth El Temple on Concord Avenue.

Landers has the endorsement and backing of his former boss Wu, who has been in a nasty political spat with the veteran legislator over 2024 legislation blocking a property tax bill that would have temporarily shifted more of Boston’s property tax burden on to commercial owners.

The importance of the election was highlighted as Gov. Maura Healey spent this past Sunday rallying Brownsberger’s volunteers before a final day of campaigning in the district.

In a much more quiet affair, State Rep. Dave Rogers seeks to retain his seat against first time candidate Nomita Ganguly of Belmont. It’s been a good natured campaign with a great deal of retail, face-to-face politicking.

Last year Elizabeth Dionne was steering Belmont’s town government as a member of the Select Board. Today, Dionne is running unopposed to be the Republican candidate for state Treasurer and take on Democrat Deb Goldberg.

Many will remember Brian Shortsleeve as a reporter and anchor on local Boston television. The former Belmont native is running to be the Republican candidate for governor against wealthy businessman Michael Minogue, who has aligned himself with President Donald Trump.

And incumbent Marian Ryan seeks to continue as Middlesex County District Attorney as she faces challenger David Marc Solet

After Decades Of Wishful Hopes, First Portion Of Community Path Hits Milestone With Board’s Approval

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Photo: The Belmont Select Board signing the documents to begin the construction phase of the first portion of the Belmont Community Path with a completion date in late-summer 2029

For more than two decades, the idea of a Belmont Community Path, a bike and walk way running through town from Cambridge to Waltham, was seen as a far-fetched hope of advocates and town officials, its reality being far off on the horizon.

That changed this week.

Monday. Aug. 10 was the red-letter day for the long-awaited path as the Select Board signed five documents that open the door for the state to seek bids next month to begin construction this time next year.

“We’re gonna have a path!” said Select Board member Matt Taylor, who has been the board’s representative on the Community Path Project Committee and has been heralding the path for years. 

With the final approvals in hand, the project has a tentative opening day for Phase 1 sometime mid-summer of 2029.

Phase 1 of the Belmont Community Path runs from the Fitchburg Cutoff Path at the Belmont and Cambridge line to the Clark Street Bridge off Pleasant Street. A major component of the first phase is a pedestrian tunnel at Alexander Avenue and St. under the commuter rail track to allow access to Belmont High School and Concord Avenue.

Monday’s main task was acquiring the property rights to do the work formally … to be certified to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and to be funneled to the Federal Highway Administration. 

“The Town’s job is to acquire rights of way, work with the engineers to make sure that the project is planned out, and then the funding gets unlocked through the state government,” said Mina Makarious, Belmont’s town counsel, who presented the documents to the board.

The five acquisitions and uses the Board approved Monday included:

  • Final MBTA lease for Phase 1 along the commuter rail line.
  • Permanent and temporary easements on private property with compensation determined by an independent appraiser.
  • Accepting the donation of land along the commuter rail from the Belmont Citizens Forum.
  • License to use Department of Conservation and Recreation property.
  • Vote for use of School Committee land.

“Taken together, it gives you the acquisition rights for all things you need for the path,” said Makarious. 
“With the unanimous vote, the state will put the path project out to bid on Sept. 5.”

With the approvals and funding in place, a project timeline has been released.

  • Jan. 2027: State puts out bids in early September 2026. It will select a winning bid before the start of 2027.
  • Jan. 2027-Sept. 2027: Construction submittals, including data, drawings, or physical samples provided to architects and engineers for approval before buying or installing materials. 
  • June 2027-June 2028: The procurement process will start including hiring specialized trade subcontractors and ordering material that have long lead times to deliver. 
  • July 2027-August 2028: Preliminary path construction.
  • August 2028: The construction of the Alexander Ave. pedestrian tunnel, which will take one week, during which commuter service on the Fitchburg line will be suspended.
  • August 2028-July 2029: Finishing the path’s construction.

“There’ll be a lot of coordination with drawings, site visits, and walks, and plan review for much of the first six months of 2027,” said Taylor, 

It’s has been a long and dedicated process since the summer of 2019 when Nitsch Engineering was selected to design the Belmont portion of the 104-mile Mass Central Rail Trail that began when its first segment was opened in West Boylston in 1999.

In July, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation approved the town’s $48 million request in the current state Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The community path is part of a rolling five-year capital plan (2027 to 2031) that includes all highway, road, bridge, and transit projects scheduled to receive federal funding within a specific regional planning area.

According to Taylor, putting the final pieces of the community path puzzle in place before a July deadline was dicey, as calculating the easements was conducted late in the process, and this year’s annual Town Meeting, which, as Taylor noted, “was kind of the roller coaster ride” as members were presented a surprise $1 million bill for the easement of a small spur of Alexander Avenue to provide access to the pedestrian tunnel. 

If any of the appraisals and easement determinations were not completed on time or funded by Town Meeting, it was a certainty federal and state funding would have been denied and the path – despite having finished construction blueprints – would have had to restart the process, which would have been a death knell for a future path.

But a late push resulted in the appraisals being completed in July and letters of just compensation to property owners being sent on July 9th. And Town Meeting showed its overwhelming support for the path by digging deep and funding the Alexander Avenue spur.

Sitting in the boardroom Monday was Holly Muson, chair of the Community Path Project Committee, which has overseen the project’s progress. After saying it was an important accomplishment to move a part of the project into the bid process, Muson noted the second phase – from the Clark Street Bridge through Waverley Square to the Waltham city line – will need to go through a similar process with a greater level of complexity in terms of design and obtaining right-of-way easements. 

“But today shows that we keep moving forward,” said Muson.

Belmont’s New Police Chief’s First Hires Upshot From Soaring Applications Coming Outside Civil Service

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Photo: Flanked by her mother and father, Belmont’s newest Police Officer Emily Ricci has her picture taken at her swearing in on Aug. 3 at Belmont’s Town Hall.

The Belmont Police Department welcomed two law enforcement veterans into the department in a Monday, Aug. 3 ceremony. 

Emily Ricci and Robert Ludwig were sworn in by Assistant Town Clerk Meg Piccione in the Town Hall auditorium with Belmont officers, Belmont elected officials, town staff, and family and friends in attendance.

Robert Ludwig (left) and Emily Ricci at their swearing in to be Belmont Police officers on Aug. 3

Four additional police hires began 22 weeks of Recruit Officer Courses, a basic training curriculum overseen by the Municipal Police Training Committee at its Randolph Police Academy. 

“The swearing in is a time-honored tradition that affirms the dedication of a public servant to the protection of the community,” Belmont Police Lt. Paul Cowing to begin the ceremony. “A solemn vow to serve the people based on the law, the Constitution, and what is best for Belmont.

“… [T]his ceremony will mark their commitment to a new community and the start of a new chapter in their professional lives,” said Cowing.

Ricci and Ludwig are lateral/post-certified officers transferring from their previous posts.

A Bedford native, Ricci began her law enforcement career in 2020 with the Richland County (SC) Sheriff’s Department after graduating from the University of South Carolina with a degree in psychology. She was a dispatcher with the Belmont Police Department for the past two years. Ricci joins her brother, a Burlington PD detective, as an officer in Massachusetts.

With Ricci and a candidate at the Academy, Belmont will soon have eight female officers.

Belmont Assistant Town Clerk Meg Piccione issues the oath to Emily Ricci and Robert Ludwig to serve as Belmont Police officers

After serving in the US Air Force, Ludwig began his career with the Dracut Police Department in 2014 before joining the Carlisle Police Department, where he was both a firearms instructor and a patrol officer. He matriculated at UMass Lowell, where he earned a degree in criminal justice. 

This group of a half-dozen successful applicants are the first hires by Belmont’s new Police Chief Shane Smith. 

“It’s such a milestone for me personally,” said Smith. “This was a very competitive process … and these two stood head and shoulders above everyone else.” 

Unlike past police chiefs, Smith was not constrained by the state’s Civil Service system in which applicants take a competitive examination, and those eligible candidates are then rank-listed. Due to Civil Service’s strict adherence to ranked lists, departments are prevented from hiring high-potential or diverse candidates lower down if scoring thresholds interfere. 

“We were having trouble recruiting applicants, given the restraints of Civil Service,” according to Town Administrator Patrice Garvin. In the final four years under the system, Belmont received less than a dozen applicants: four candidates in 2020, three in 2021, two in 2022, and just a single candidate in 2023. 

Belmont Police Chief Shane Smith

The resulting impact was an undermanned department and large yearly budget payouts in overtime, said Garvin. In 2024, Belmont’s Town Meeting voted for the police department to leave the state-run program. 

And this year, the number of applicants has exploded.

“We received 53 applicants to fill the vacancies, and I think it’s a direct result of bringing [Smith] on board,” said Garvin, who praised his ability to use more recruiting avenues “to make sure we have the best applicants.”

“Coming from the agency that never had civil service in New Hampshire, you have to go out and recruit people,” said Smith. Because so many local police departments depend on lists of applicants, they don’t have a culture of actively finding and attracting hiring new people for a job, he said. For Smith, it was second nature.

“I took basically the blueprint that I had from [Salem, NH] that was very successful, and I brought it to Belmont,“ said Smith.

With younger people using apps, Smith focused on PoliceApp.com, a popular law enforcement job site.

“We paid a small fee, which also allowed the site to push Belmont to the top and also push us out over social media. We did our own pushing out as far as Instagram and Facebook and had people share it.” Smith said one of the six who was selected – a recent graduate from the University of New Hampshire – reached out to him on LinkedIn, the Microsoft-owned business and employment-oriented social networking service.

“I said, ‘Are you interested in being a local law enforcement officer?’ because he had a degree in Homeland Security. He said, ‘Absolutely, I am.’ So through a wide array of social media, we get an educated college athlete who is one of your people who will be studying August 3rd in the academy in Randolph.”

“I was beyond pleased with the people who came in for a chief’s interview at the end, and I was blown away by the candidates who were before me. Educated, articulate, well-rounded, from various backgrounds,” said Smith.

And the large number of applicants allowed Smith to be selective about who he wanted in the department.

“I had several certified officers apply. I did not select them. I would only take the best. I’ve learned in my career that if you settle for what’s out there, bad things will happen. Maybe not now. Maybe not in my time here. The last thing I want is a future chief to say, “I cannot believe that Chief Smith hired this person.”

Letter To The Editor: Brownsberger, ‘A True Public Servant’

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Photo: Will Brownsberger

To me, Will Brownsberger is the definition of a public servant.

I first met Will in 2017 over a bill I was deeply concerned about. Of all the elected officials I spoke with, he was the only one who truly understood the issue despite the prevailing narratives. 

As an immigrant new to this country, I was self-conscious—not just about my English, but about everything. Will was incredibly encouraging and became a mentor to me. Since then, we’ve worked together on several projects, most recently on dental care coverage for head and neck cancer survivors.

Will is compassionate, thoughtful, and a man of his word. When he says he will do something, he does it. In an era when many people are frustrated by politicians who make big promises but deliver little, Will stands out because you can trust that he means what he says.

I’ve never seen another elected official publish a personal cell phone number in a full-page local newspaper ad, inviting constituents to reach out directly. Even more remarkably, he replies to every email and text—and quickly. I often wonder how he manages to do it.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the local Asian community hosted a cultural celebration. Will was the very first guest to arrive, well before anyone else. It genuinely surprised the organizers and made all of us feel seen and honored.

Will is transparent. He regularly updates constituents through his blog and writes thoughtful analyses on various policy issues. I remember one reader challenged him to read a book presenting an opposing viewpoint. Will accepted the challenge and wrote back with his thoughts. That openness has earned him respect, even from many people who disagree with him.

Will has earned my vote again in Sept. 1.

Ye Zhang Pogue 

Lewis Road

School District Holding Info Forum Monday, Aug. 3 To Answer Residents Questions After Staffer’s Arrest

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Photo: Belmont Middle School

Belmont Public Schools is hosting a hybrid community forum on Monday, August 3, at 4 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium, a week after the arrest of a long-time educator for the possession of images of child sexual exploitation.

At the Aug. 3 forum, district leadership and members of the Belmont Police Department will answer questions and provide any additional information on the incident.

Leon Dyer, who had been an educator at Belmont Middle School for approximatley 19 years, pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material on Monday, July 27 in Cambridge District Court. Dyer posted bail and was released on Monday.

Residents who want to participate remotely can attend the forum via ZOOM at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89006941103
WEBINAR ID: 890 06941103

“The safety and well-being of our students will always remain our highest priority,” said Belmont Superintendent of Schools Jill Geiser, “Although we do not yet have a complete understanding of this matter, we will continue to share what information we have when we can.”

Town Changes July 4th Cooling Center From Beech Street Center To Public Library

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Photo:

The Morrissey Hall Community Room of the Belmont Public Library, 336 Concord Ave., will be open to provide air-conditioned relief on Saturday, July 4 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The

The library location replaces the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., as the cooling location in town. In addition, the Underwood Pool, adjacent to the library on Concord Avenue will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat watch because of a prolonged period of dangerous heat and humidity. Dangerous heat continues into the Saturday holiday with heat indexes reaching 98F to 115F.

Persistent exposure to high heat and humidity may cause illness. All residents are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned buildings, avoid direct sunlight, and check on relatives and neighbors.