Belmont Citizens Forum

Belmont Roots, March/April 2019

Environment, March/April 2019, Newsletter, Solar Power Comments Off

Mar 052019

Environmental News, Notes, and Events By Meg Muckenhoupt In the winter, the outside world fades to an annoyance if you’re lucky enough to have a warm house and an indoor job. Going from home to car to work to gym to groceries to home only involves the briefest intervals of exposure to the frigid air, the weak, thin light, the silent woods, the frozen ground . . . or so you think. That frigid air is actually trying to get into your house, and it often succeeds. Now is the time to check for air leaks, before the weather warms. [READ MORE]

January/February 2019 Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter & PDF

Jan/Feb 2019, Newsletter Comments Off

Jan 142019

View or download the January/February 2019 issue as a color PDF here, or read single articles below. Articles in this issue: Critical Community Path Decisions Route, Design, and Funding to be Determined in the Next Six Months By Vincent Stanton, Jr. The design of the Belmont Community Path has moved closer to reality in the last six months and further important decisions loom in the next six months. Read more. How Laterals Get Lined Fixing Water Pollution at the Sewer Source By Sumner Brown Sewer leaks get fixed only by physical work on sewer pipes by people with [READ MORE]

Critical Community Path Decisions

Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Board of Selectmen, Jan/Feb 2019, Newsletter, Traffic, Transit Comments Off

Jan 142019

Route, Design, and Funding to be Determined in the Next Six Months By Vincent Stanton, Jr. The design of the Belmont Community Path, last reviewed in the May/June2018 and July/August 2018 issues of the BCF Newsletter, has moved closer to reality in the last six months with leadership from the Belmont selectmen and financial support from Town Meeting. However, further important decisions loom in the next six months. The selectmen will make a final decision about the route in eastern Belmont (the focus of this article); Annual Town Meeting will vote on design funding for the path segment from Brighton [READ MORE]

The BCF Newsletter Team Grows

Jan/Feb 2019, Newsletter Comments Off

Jan 142019

By Sara McCabe Welcome, Mary Bradley, Co-Editor Last year when I was working on the July/August issue of the newsletter, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mary Bradley, the founder of Belmont Porchfest. I was struck by her enthusiasm for all things Belmont, not even knowing at the time that she was also a Town Meeting member, a Recreation Commission board member, and co-president of the Belmont Dolphins swim team. I immediately envisioned putting all that energy to work for the Belmont Citizens Forum (BCF) and somehow managed to convince Mary to lend her talents to the newsletter. After working [READ MORE]

Frozen Water in Belmont: Stories of Imagination and Unexpected Consequences

Environment, History, Jan/Feb 2019, Newsletter Comments Off

Jan 142019

Frozen Water in Belmont: Stories of Imagination and Unexpected Consequences

By Anne-Marie Lambert Belmont would not be the town we know today without ice. Glaciers a mile high carved local hills and valleys to create a wetlands attractive to migrating wildlife. The unusual behavior of frozen water molecules ensured not just game-hunting but also ice fishing would support a substantial Native American population for thousands of years. Harsh winters necessitated both innovation and cooperation among tribes to ensure survival. By 1820 local ice men descended from European settlers started to innovate in different ways. They shipped ice to warm places as far away as Calcutta, employing local farm hands to [READ MORE]

How Laterals Get Lined

Construction and Housing, Environment, Jan/Feb 2019, Newsletter, Water Quality Comments Off

Jan 142019

Fixing Water Pollution at the Sewer Source By Sumner Brown Sewer leaks get fixed only by physical work on sewer pipes by people with tools. For years Belmont has been lining leaking sewer pipes in the streets, to keep sewage out of our streams. The down-and-dirty of sewer work has been described in this newsletter (“How do Sewers Get Relined?”, BCF Newsletter July/August 2007), a counterpart to former BCF director Anne-Marie Lambert’s articles on the top-down issues of environmental motivation, legal pressure, schedules, progress, and costs. Many of the leaks in streets have been repaired, according to Glenn Clancy, director [READ MORE]

Readers Respond to LimeBikes

Bicycles and bike paths, Jan/Feb 2019, Newsletter, Transit Comments Off

Jan 142019

By Evanthia Malliris The article about LimeBikes in Belmont in our November/December BCF Newsletter issue drew several responses from our readers. Authors Sumner Brown and David Chase—both engineers, expert all-weather cyclists, and BCF board members—took a LimeBike out for a spin and reported on their experience. Rachel Berger expressed her concern that bike-sharing services don’t include helmets, and she encouraged potential LimeBikers to buy a helmet before taking their first ride. Sumner responded that he wore a helmet during his LimeBike test drive, though he “may be the only one.” Helmets are not expensive and are a handy place to [READ MORE]

Belmont Roots, Jan/Feb 2019

Environment, Jan/Feb 2019, Newsletter Comments Off

Jan 142019

By Meg Muckenhoupt Environmental News, Notes, and Events Ah, January and February—regularly voted “months most likely to make me want to move far, far away from Massachusetts.” January’s cold and February’s snow are hostile to human undertakings (continually testing our mettle, as mentioned in the “Frozen Water” article in this issue), but January is also the month when five different species of witch hazel trees bloomed at the Arnold Arboretum in 2017. If there’s more than six inches of snow on the ground, voles, mice, and other rodents get busy digging subnivean tunnels in places like Rock Meadow and Habitat. [READ MORE]

November/December 2018 Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter & PDF

Newsletter, Nov-Dec 2018 Comments Off

Nov 052018

View or download the November/December 2018 issue as a color PDF here, or read single articles below. Articles in this issue: Belmont: Town of Homes and Trees An overview of the status of town trees, past and present by Lucia Gates In Belmont, we hold our trees in esteem for their beauty, shade, and the value they add to our property. Our magnificent copper beeches grow throughout town. A wonderful example of these trees stands just east of Cushing Square, along Trapelo Road. Moreover, Belmont has all of the standard Eastern urban trees—callery pears, ginkos, Norway maples—as well as [READ MORE]

Belmont: Town of Homes and Trees

Environment, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Nov-Dec 2018 Comments Off

Nov 052018

An overview of the status of town trees, past and present By Lucia Gates In Belmont, we hold our trees in esteem for their beauty, shade, and the value they add to our property. Our magnificent copper beeches grow throughout town. A wonderful example of these trees stands just east of Cushing Square, along Trapelo Road. Moreover, Belmont has all of the standard Eastern urban trees—callery pears, ginkos, Norway maples—as well as the standard Eastern forest trees—maples, oaks, and pines. One of the most notable trees* is the large dawn redwood growing in back of the town library parking lot. [READ MORE]

Tree Stewardship

Environment, Newsletter, Nov-Dec 2018, Plants Comments Off

Nov 052018

By Carolyn Bishop Illustrations by Ian Todreas, Updog Gallery When surrounded by beauty, we often take it for granted until we notice its decline. So it may be with our town trees. Many Belmont streets are distinguished by a canopy of large, gracious trees. But are we protecting this valuable asset? What silent threats should we be aware of to preserve this beauty? Compacted soil and chemical leakage from cars parked off the pavement at the edge of the road, failure to water street trees during dry times, road salt, and improper pruning all weaken our trees, making them [READ MORE]

LimeBikes: We Tested One for You

Bicycles and bike paths, Board of Selectmen, Newsletter, Nov-Dec 2018, Traffic, Transit Comments Off

Nov 052018

Two engineers analyze the pros and cons of Belmont’s bike-share pilot program By Sumner Brown and David Chase LimeBikes are not great bicycles, but they may be the best bike for you. They came to Belmont this past July, seemingly in plentiful supply. You probably noticed them. They are bright green and yellow and designed to be noticed. Anyone with a smartphone and a credit card can rent a LimeBike anytime. You locate an available bike with the LimeBike app, and when you finish your ride, you lock it and leave it. At $1 per half hour, LimeBikes are [READ MORE]

Bike-Share Comes to Belmont: A Conversation with Belmont Town Planner Spencer Gober

Bicycles and bike paths, Environment, Nov-Dec 2018, Traffic Comments Off

Nov 052018

Bike-Share Comes to Belmont: A Conversation with Belmont Town Planner Spencer Gober

Questions by Mary Bradley; responses by Spencer Gober Q: What was the impetus behind bringing LimeBikes to Belmont? As a little background, the program is led by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), who approached Belmont in the fall of 2017 to gauge interest in participating in a regional, dockless bike-share system. There are 14 other municipalities participating: Arlington, Bedford, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Needham, Newton, Revere, Waltham, Watertown, and Winthrop. MAPC observed numerous municipalities within the region piloting their own dockless bike-share programs and believed that if dockless bike-share was going to be successful and effective, it [READ MORE]

Where Your Drinking Water Comes From

Environment, Nov-Dec 2018, Water Quality Comments Off

Nov 052018

By Ria Convery All photos, maps, and illustrations courtesy of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority unless otherwise noted. Have you ever wondered where your water comes from? Well, it’s kind of a long story. The short answer is that Belmont, like most of eastern and central Massachusetts, gets its water from two reservoirs of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA): the Quabbin Reservoir in Belchertown and the Wachusett Reservoir in Clinton. General Plan of the MWRA Water System Our region’s water system is one of the oldest in the country. Its long history started with local wells in the 1700s, [READ MORE]

Environmental Events, November–December 2018

BCF Events, Environment, Newsletter, Nov-Dec 2018 Comments Off

Nov 052018

Owl Prowl and Sunrise Birding Saturday, November 10, 5:30–8 AM Take advantage of the early start time, when it’s much easier to listen for great horned and screech owls and other night sounds. With first light, we will continue birding and hope for some unusual stray or lingering migrants at Rock Meadow. (Rain date is Sunday, November 11.) Fee: $16 member/$20 nonmember.Register at massaudubon.org, call 617-489-5050 or write to habitat@massaudubon.org. Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 10 Juniper Road, Belmont. Audubon Night Hike Saturday, November 10, 6–7:30 PM Have you been out in the woods at night? Everything seems so different! Spend [READ MORE]

September–October 2018 Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter & PDF

Newsletter, Sept-Oct 2018 Comments Off

Sep 122018

View or download the September–October 2018 issue as a color PDF here, or read single articles below. Articles in this issue: Developing a Conservation Master Plan for Rock Meadow by Jeffrey North “Rock Meadow is a beautiful and diverse landscape with differing microclimates, terrains, and experiences throughout the site. This diversity provides both design challenges and opportunities.” —Excerpt from Rock Meadow, A Conservation Master Plan Read more. The Future of The McLean Barn by Robert Kennedy As most in Belmont are aware, there is a barn located adjacent to Rock Meadow, sitting back from Mill Street just south of [READ MORE]

Developing a Conservation Master Plan for Rock Meadow

Environment, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Plants, Sept-Oct 2018 Comments Off

Sep 122018

Developing a Conservation Master Plan for Rock Meadow

By Jeffrey North “Rock Meadow is a beautiful and diverse landscape with differing microclimates, terrains, and experiences throughout the site. This diversity provides both design challenges and opportunities.” —Excerpt from Rock Meadow, A Conservation Master Plan (Michael Taurean Gagnon and Sam Freedman map) The proposed Rock Meadow design adds trails and other features such as: 1) a boardwalk; 2) a path bisecting the north meadow and leading to the former landfill site; 3) an extended loop emerging from the central woodland to an observation deck; 4) two groves of oaks and hickories; 5) a nature-inspired playground [READ MORE]

The Future of McLean Barn

Arts & Culture, Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, Open Space, Sept-Oct 2018 Comments Off

Sep 122018

By Robert Kennedy As most in Belmont are aware, there is a barn located adjacent to Rock Meadow, sitting back from Mill Street just south of the Rock Meadow parking lot. It is brick, substantially built, and was once part of a farm that supported McLean Hospital. Although now boarded up, it is in reasonably good repair. Belmont Town Meeting recently approved monies from Community Preservation Act funds for minor repairs to help prevent deterioration. Although there are currently no plans for restoration, future use of the barn was discussed during the recent Rock Meadow planning study (see “Developing a [READ MORE]

Sewer Repairs In Progress to Clean Up Wellington Brook and Winn’s Brook

Construction and Housing, Environment, Newsletter, Sept-Oct 2018, Stormwater, Water Quality Comments Off

Sep 122018

Sewer Repairs In Progress to Clean Up Wellington Brook and Winn’s Brook

By Anne-Marie Lambert All images and graphics courtesy of the Town of Belmont, prepared for the town by Stantec Consulting Services Inc. A home in Belmont with four occupants sends about 210 gallons a day of wastewater into the town sewer system.1 When an underground sanitary sewer pipe collapses in a neighborhood where the storm drain is located below the sewer in the same underground trench, the sewage leaks into the storm drain and then into our rivers and ponds. This happened on Homer Road, a small street off Hastings Road. The sewer pipe and storm drain serve three homes [READ MORE]

Two Years of Homer House Restoration Success

Arts & Culture, Construction and Housing, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Sept-Oct 2018 Comments Off

Sep 122018

Two Years of Homer House Restoration Success

By Wendy Murphy The Belmont Woman’s Club has been working on many projects at the beautiful William Flagg Homer House. Located at 661 Pleasant Street, across from Town Hall in the Pleasant Street Historic District, the Homer House is named for its original owner, William Flagg Homer, a wealthy Boston merchant who built the property in 1853 as a summer residence. William Flagg was uncle to famed American artist Winslow Homer, whose artwork features numerous scenes of Belmont people and places, including his uncle’s home. The Homer House has been actively undergoing restoration since 2016, when the Woman’s Club [READ MORE]

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