Letter to the Editor: Hell Strips

 Newsletter, November 2015, Plants  Comments Off on Letter to the Editor: Hell Strips
Nov 062015
 
Letter to the Editor: Hell Strips

To the Editor; If I were not a very experienced gardener, I wouldn’t know from reading Kate Bowen’s otherwise excellent article (“Garden in Your Sidewalk Hell Strip” BCF Newsletter, September 2015) that hell strips are called hell strips for a good reason. Growing conditions in these areas are as a rule hellish! Only a few tough-as-nails plants can withstand the salt, CO2 pollution, and tree root competition that characterize these strips. It would have been great if the article had acknowledged these challenges, and also provided a list of top 10 hell strip plants that have passed the long-term survival [READ MORE]

Share

The Sun Rises for Belmont Solar Customers

 Newsletter, November 2015, Solar Power  Comments Off on The Sun Rises for Belmont Solar Customers
Nov 062015
 
The Sun Rises for Belmont Solar Customers

By Roger Wrubel If you are interested in installing solar panels on your roof and saving money while reducing your carbon footprint, the time to act is NOW. The first reason to act now is that the 30% federal tax credit for residential solar systems expires a short year from now, on December 31, 2016, and may very well not be renewed. To qualify for the credit, your solar system must be operational by the end of the 2016 calendar year. The second reason to act now is that after several tumultuous years of internal debate and false starts, which [READ MORE]

Share

Shared Street has More Space for Trees

 Newsletter, November 2015, Parking, Traffic  Comments Off on Shared Street has More Space for Trees
Nov 062015
 
Shared Street has More Space for Trees

by Meg Muckenhoupt In October 2014, the city of Cambridge finished building its first “shared street” on Longfellow Road, a dead-end street across from Mount Auburn Hospital. One year later, the paving and plantings looked as if they’d always been there. . . and as if it is perfectly natural to have cars, bicycles, pedestrians, and dogs all in the same space. The project began in 2012, when Longfellow Road residents started considering how to repair their street and sidewalk. Several street trees were unhealthy, and needed to be removed—but new trees couldn’t be planted on Longfellow Road because the [READ MORE]

Share

Belmont Center Parking: It’s Complicated

 Newsletter, November 2015, Parking  Comments Off on Belmont Center Parking: It’s Complicated
Nov 062015
 
Belmont Center Parking: It’s Complicated

By Evanthia Malliris It’s a common sight in Belmont Center, cars poking along Leonard Street, seeking that sweet reward, an open parking spot! A quick dash to the dry cleaners, pick up a coffee, and you’re on your way—and not even late for work. But what if you can’t find that space? Maybe you’ll circle the block a few times, and if you’re not lucky, just head home. You’ll do the errand another time. But why not just park in the large municipal lot behind the Leonard Street businesses, or on a residential side street? After all, it’s just a [READ MORE]

Share

Should Waverley Station Close?

 Newsletter, November 2015, Transit  Comments Off on Should Waverley Station Close?
Nov 062015
 
Should Waverley Station Close?

MBTA to hold November 16 Session on consolidating Waverley, Center stations By Sue Bass Should Belmont continue to have two commuter rail stations that people can walk to? Or is it better to have just one station with a parking garage that people can drive to? That’s not officially the topic of the MBTA commuter rail presentation on November 16, but it’s the question hovering over the event. Formally, the meeting is about the T’s need to spend $15 million or more on a station that serves only 117 daily riders—or to close the station entirely. This issue arises because, [READ MORE]

Share

Bike Paths Open In Somerville, Cambridge

 Bike Paths, Newsletter, November 2015  Comments Off on Bike Paths Open In Somerville, Cambridge
Sep 162015
 
Bike Paths Open In Somerville, Cambridge

By Meg Muckenhoupt Two new bicycle paths opened in Somerville and Cambridge this summer: an extension of the Somerville Community Path from Cedar Street to Lowell Street; and a path through Flagstaff park in Harvard Square for bicyclists heading north on Massachusetts Avenue. At the ribbon-cutting for the Somerville Community Path on August 18, Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone made remarks recorded by the Friends of the Community Path: “Somerville as a community has a certain set of values that we believe in and we planned and envisioned the future together based on those values .. and an important part of [READ MORE]

Share

Belmont Center Bridge Clean At Last

 Historic Preservation, Newsletter, November 2015  Comments Off on Belmont Center Bridge Clean At Last
Sep 162015
 
Belmont Center Bridge Clean At Last

By Grant Monahon After many years and the efforts of many residents and businesses, Belmont’s 100 year old granite bridge has been cleaned. The project, initiated by Angelo Firenze when he was a selectman, has been undertaken without public funds. The cleaning was commplished with a combination of town-wide professional support and generous donations to the Belmont Citizens Forum from many residents and  businesses, including the Belmont Center Business Association, The Belmont Savings Bank Foundation, and the Flett Co. The hard work of actually removing the dirt and grime has been possible through the perseverance and energy of Dante Muzzioli, [READ MORE]

Share

Make a Garden in Your Sidewalk “Hell Strip”

 Newsletter, November 2015, Stormwater  Comments Off on Make a Garden in Your Sidewalk “Hell Strip”
Sep 162015
 
Make a Garden in Your Sidewalk "Hell Strip"

By Kate Bowen Hell strip. There. I wrote it, but I didn’t coin the phrase. That credit is given to Lauren Springer Ogden, a renowned gardener, who came up with the term “hell strip.” You know exactly what I am talking about:  that evil zone between you and the road. It might be paved; it might have some weeds; it might have some tidy grass; or it might be bursting with life—a microcosm of annuals, perennials, and wildlife. Many Belmont streets have paved shoulders. The town does not formally encourage restoring paved hell strips, and  open shoulders are often paved [READ MORE]

Share

Winn’s Brook Gets “F” Grade for Health

 Newsletter, November 2015, Stormwater  Comments Off on Winn’s Brook Gets “F” Grade for Health
Sep 162015
 
Winn's Brook Gets "F" Grade for Health

People who visit the Mystic River and its tributaries have a new, more precise way to find out how healthy the water is near them. Last summer, the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) worked with the Environmental Protection Agence (EPA) to create a new location-based “report card” for the Mystic River. The grades are based on bacteria counts. The state has maximum allowable bacteria counts for swimming and boating. High bacteria counts result from illicit sewer discharges to storm drain systems and urban stormwater runoff. A higher grade indicates that the waterway complies with state standards; a lower grade means [READ MORE]

Share

How to Measure Belmont’s Stormwater

 Newsletter, November 2015, Stormwater  Comments Off on How to Measure Belmont’s Stormwater
Sep 162015
 
How to Measure Belmont’s Stormwater

By Sumner Brown Stormwater can be troublesome. Those drops of water add up, causing floods, overflowing sewers, and reduced water quality. Belmont is striving to remedy its stormwater problems, and we need to monitor the effects and measure the results. Water Flow in Alewife Brook Rain falls on the ground and finds its way into streams. We can measure the overflow from rainstorms by placing flow gauges where major streams leave Belmont, So far Belmont has only one such stream flow gauge, in Alewife Brook. The gauge is operated by the US Geologic Survey. It is shared with Arlington, Somerville [READ MORE]

Share
 Older Entries