Belmont Citizens Forum

How the Community Preservation Act Works

Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Town Committee Meetings Comments Off

May 032020

How the Community Preservation Act Works

Changes in Store for Future Planning, Town Meeting Votes By Elizabeth Harmer Dionne The CPA up to now In November 2010, 51% of Belmont voters adopted the Community Preservation Act (CPA), a state statute which allows communities to dedicate funds to acquiring and preserving open space and recreation land, historic resources, and affordable housing. Belmont property owners now pay a surcharge of 1.5% on the town’s annual real estate tax levy; residents who qualify as having low to moderate income according to state guidelines can apply through the Assessors Office for a full CPA surcharge exemption. Funds raised from this [READ MORE]

It’s Officially Census Day

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May 032020

By now, all Belmont households have received one or more official invitations by mail to take the 2020 Census. It has never been easier or more important to take the census. Residents can respond on their own, whether online, over the phone, or by mail—all without having to meet a census taker. With the flexibility and support of Belmont residents, we will achieve a complete and accurate count to help guide funding decisions for things like health centers, roads, and emergency services. Both phone and online options are available in 13 languages, and assistance in many more languages is available [READ MORE]

Belmont Tackles Climate Vulnerability Planning

Environment, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Stormwater, Water Quality Comments Off

May 032020

Belmont Tackles Climate Vulnerability Planning

By Catherine Bowen Take Belmont’s municipal vulnerability survey now. How is Belmont preparing for the impacts of climate change? As we are in the midst of a public health crisis, we are seeing the vulnerabilities and strengths of our community similarly to how we may experience them in a climate-change related crisis. It is timely that Belmont is now in the first phase of the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program (MVP), a tool Massachusetts created in 2017 to enable local governments to prepare for the weather-related impacts of climate change and address vulnerabilities, including emergency communications. Modeled on the state’s Green [READ MORE]

Tree Loss Harms Urban Environments

Air Quality, Environment, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, Water Quality Comments Off

May 032020

By Florence DiTirro The National Land Cover Database from 2001 estimated Belmont’s tree canopy was 27% of Belmont’s land. From 2003 to 2008, Boston’s urban tree cover declined from 29% to 28%. This downward trend continues if we look at our state, our country, and our globe. The Massachusetts urban tree cover declined between 0.32% and 0.24% in the five years from 2009 to 2014, and the United States overall lost 1.0% of urban tree cover. Global loss was measured as -0.2%. It’s a sad state that we are losing our trees. What is there not to like about trees? [READ MORE]

Changing Economics Alter Belmont’s Recycling

Environment, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Recycling Comments Off

May 032020

Changing Economics Alter Belmont's Recycling

By Terri Goldberg According to the US EPA, in 2017, the latest year for which they have published data, the United States recycling and composting rate was about 35%. The country’s recycling rate has been stuck in the low- to mid-30 percent range since the early 2000s in spite of the extensive efforts to improve it. In part, the recycling system has been working to keep up with the changes in the materials generated by households, businesses, and institutions. Over the past decade, the composition of municipal solid waste has been evolving away from newsprint, office paper, and glass containers [READ MORE]

Arlington Group Opposes Mugar Site Plans

March/April 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Water Quality Comments Off

Mar 022020

Arlington Group Opposes Mugar Site Plans

By Meg Muckenhoupt The Mugar wetlands are 17.7 acres of open land in East Arlington. Oaktree Development has proposed constructing a 207-unit apartment complex and six duplex townhouses on this site, to be renamed Thorndike Place. The Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands opposes building on the site, which is bordered by Route 2, Thorndike Field, and Dorothy, Edith, and Burch Streets. The following interview with Clarissa Rowe, one of the founders of the Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands, was edited for length and clarity. Why is the Mugar site important? I think the reason Arlington and Belmont residents [READ MORE]

Lydia Ogilby Remembered

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Mar 022020

By Neal Winston Lydia Phippen Ogilby passed away on November 1, 2019, at age 98 at her historic John Bright House on Washington Street, adjacent to the 10-acre Belmont Farm. Living in Belmont from a young age, she was known by townspeople as a spirited preservationist of its heritage and land. Lydia’s strong and generous opinions embodied the Belmont spirit of independence and industriousness of her forebears. Her portrait by Belmont photographer Richard Cheek hangs in Town Hall. She is seen standing in her field, seemingly growing out of the earth, ever vigilant, defying the pressures of development around her. [READ MORE]

Community Path Began Decades Ago

Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, History, March/April 2020, Newsletter Comments Off

Mar 022020

By Vincent Stanton, Jr. It has taken over two decades of stop-and-start development to bring the Belmont Community Path to its current state of planning and formal design, but a timeline for construction of the path is finally in sight. The design and engineering of Phase I of the Belmont Community Path, from Brighton Street to the Clark Street Bridge, started last fall and should take about two years to complete. In the next two years, path plans will progress through three major milestones: 25, 75, and 100 percent design, as part of a Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) guided [READ MORE]

Belmont CPC Supports Four Projects

Arts & Culture, Historic Preservation, March/April 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Town Committee Meetings Comments Off

Mar 022020

By Margaret Velie This year, Town Meeting will be considering four projects for Community Preservation Act funding. By law, Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds are limited to projects for affordable housing, historic resources, open space, and outdoor recreational facilities. Last fall, the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) received seven preliminary applications for funding. Since then, one project was deemed ineligible, and two others were withdrawn. The committee reviewed the remaining four applications and is recommending all four for funding. Affordable Housing Feasibility Study for the Redevelopment and Creation of New Affordable Housing Units at Belmont Village The Belmont Housing Authority is [READ MORE]

Community Path Update

Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, March/April 2020, Newsletter Comments Off

Mar 022020

By Kate Bowen Work continues with Nitsch Engineering and the Belmont Community Path Project Committee (CPPC) to bring the path to fruition. A public engagement meeting is anticipated in spring 2020. At that meeting, design solutions will be shared and discussed for Phase 1 of the two-phase project, including pinch points such as the former Belmont Municipal Light Department building. The Alexander underpass portion of the project (segment 1A), for which the town received a MassTrails Grant of $150,000, will also be discussed at that meeting. Nitsch Engineering presented two technical options for installing the tunnel alongside the functioning rail [READ MORE]

Arlington Group Opposes Mugar Site Plans

Construction and Housing, Environment, March/April 2020, Newsletter, Stormwater, Water Quality Comments Off

Mar 022020

Belmont Roots March/April 2020

BCF Events, March/April 2020 Comments Off

Mar 022020

By Meg Muckenhoupt Is your workplace letting everyone off for Spring Break this year? I didn’t think so. It’s just as well. Flying to the Caribbean spews a lot of carbon into the air, and there’s so much to explore at home. Animals are stirring from their winter torpor, buds are subtly swelling, and more than 500,000 herring are preparing to swim up the Mystic River—perhaps to Alewife Brook, named for those very herring. It’s fun to watch, and even more fun to watch while recording information that helps us understand our world, and how it is changing. Winter Forest [READ MORE]

Paper Bag Fee Would Reduce Emissions

March/April 2020, Newsletter, Recycling Comments Off

Mar 022020

By Rahul Ramakrishnan As a lifelong Belmont resident and Belmont High School alum, I take pride in Belmont’s forward-thinking mind-set and commitment to the environment. As a senior at MIT studying materials science, I have had the opportunity to learn about the diversity in production and policy surrounding the materials that make up our world. Recently, I thought about how I could use what I have learned to keep Belmont on an environmentally conscious trajectory, and an idea popped up. Problems with Plastic—and Paper For the last many years, we have repeatedly been told that paper bags are better for [READ MORE]

Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions

Board of Selectmen, March/April 2020, Newsletter Comments Off

Mar 022020

Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions

Each year, the Belmont Citzens Forum asks Select Board candidates questions about issues facing our town. This year, Adam Dash provided answers. He was limited to 1,200 words. What steps would you take to ensure that the design and construction of the Belmont Community Path proceed efficiently? Finally, after decades of Belmont residents waiting, the community path is being brought to reality. Parts 1A (the Alexander Avenue tunnel under the railroad tracks) and 1B (from Brighton Street to the Clark Street Bridge) are currently being designed. We need to make sure that the construction of Parts 1A and 1B gets [READ MORE]

Lone Tree Hill Cleanup Day April 25

BCF Events, Environment, March/April 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, Volunteer Comments Off

Feb 272020

Lone Tree Hill Cleanup Day Join us in stewarding Lone Tree Hill! The Belmont Citizens Forum, in conjunction with the Judy Record Conservation Fund, is holding its eighth annual cleanup and trail maintenance day on Saturday, April 25, from 9 AM until noon. Help complete the planting of trees along the Pine Allee, clean up and remove invasive species at the Coal Road area, and pick up trash at the Mill Street parking lot and South Pleasant Street area at the Coal Road kiosk. Students can earn community service credits. This event is made possible by generous local business sponsors. [READ MORE]

Belmont Timeline

Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Board of Selectmen, Historic Preservation, History, January 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Sewers, Traffic, Water Quality Comments Off

Jan 062020

Belmont Timeline Featuring events significant to the Belmont’s history and Belmont Citizens Forum issues. 1654 The John Chenery house, 52 Washington Street, is built. The Chenery house is the oldest surviving house in Belmont. 1760 The Thomas Clark House is built on what is now Common Street. “Local tradition maintains that the Clark family witnessed the beginning of America’s War for Independence from the hill behind this house, seeing smoke and hearing the sounds of war breaking out on April 19, 1775.” —Joseph Cornish, BCF Newsletter, January 2011. It was moved in 2012, and finally demolished in 2014. 1805 “Ice [READ MORE]

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