View or download the January-February 2017 12-page issue here as a color PDF. View or download the January-February 2017 12-page issue here as a black-and-white PDF.
A Cleaner Town, One Driveway at a Time by Madeleine Barr Lara Hirner and Jason Reed, the first Belmont residents to purchase an EV through the Belmont Drives Electric program, with their new Chevrolet Volt. Join the movement. Belmont is one of the top five towns in Massachusetts for electric vehicle adoption. Belmont Drives Electric (BDE) is a community initiative launched in October 2016 designed to highlight the benefits of driving electric vehicles (EVs) and make it easy for you to get behind the wheel. Through this initiative, Belmont residents in cooperation with several local dealers have taken test drives [READ MORE]
No Idle Threat Compiled by John DiCocco Idling your car—leaving the engine running while the vehicle is parked or standing—is bad for your car, your wallet, your own health, and the environment. One of the unfortunate inventions of the past few years is the auto ignition feature that allows owners to start their cars remotely (to “warm up the engine”), without having to step outside. With new car technology, it’s totally unnecessary. But beyond that, it’s dangerous, because it allows carbon monoxide to build up in your driveway, and may even seep into the car. Everyday in the US, millions [READ MORE]
Response To Reader Comments by Kim Slack In our last issue, we published an article by Belmont resident Kim Slack, a member of the town’s recycling and waste committee, advocating for the Pay As You Throw (PAYT) approach to trash collection. One hundred and forty-three Massachusetts communities use PAYT. With PAYT, you pay for each trash bag you want to have collected. The BCF Newsletter received a few notes that offered dissenting views and we invited Slack to respond. I appreciate everyone’s feedback. I hope this will clarify the benefits of PAYT. Hiding the cost in our taxes for trash [READ MORE]
Go West, Young Rider by John Dieckmann When completed, the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) will stretch 104 miles, from North Point Park (opposite the Museum of Science at the Boston-Cambridge line), all the way to Northampton. The Belmont Community Path would eventually be a segment of the MCRT. As the community path feasibility study moves forward here in Belmont, several towns to our immediate west are making ongoing progress developing segments of the trail. The epicenter of trail progress today is Wayland, which is likely to be first to complete the projects listed below. We’ll describe the plans town-by-town [READ MORE]
Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation Annual Meeting and Potluck Supper Sunday, January 22, 5-7 PM Help us celebrate over 15 years of educational programs and stewardship. Enjoy good food and learn about the activities of the Friends group. Following supper, we will briefly review the past year, then share ideas for future programs and projects at Fresh Pond in a relaxed roundtable discussion. Guests and newcomers welcome. RSVP to Catherine Pedemonti at friendsoffreshpond@yahoo.com. Basement of Neville Place, 650 Concord Avenue, Cambridge Winter Nature Storytime at Fresh Pond Friday, January 27, 10-11 AM Friends of Fresh Pond host children and their [READ MORE]
Power to the Pedal by David Chase If you’d like to bike more but are put off by hills, a relatively long commute, or the need to combine children or other cargo with a long or hilly commute, you might consider an e-bike—a bicycle with a battery-powered electric motor assist. The BionX motor is integrated with the gears. This unit can be added to a non-electric bike. A modern e-bike adds a compact battery-powered motor to a regular bike frame (though many are designed specifically to be e-bikes). The electric motor provides extra oomph. The e-bike motor, sized between [READ MORE]
View or download the November-December 2016 16-page issue here in color: bcf-nov-dec-2016-final-10-28-color View or download the November-December 2016 16-page issue here in black-and-white: bcf-nov-dec-2016-final-10-28
First Goal is 50 New Electric Vehicles in Town By Jan Kruse. Photos by Emily Woods. BDE co-chair Marty Bittner (left) and volunteer Ade Baptista check out a Tesla Model X electric car. Experts predict that electric vehicles (EVs) are the wave of the future, but for Belmont, the future is now. Belmont Drives Electric (BDE) is a new community-driven program to promote the benefits of EVs, and is supported by the Belmont Energy Committee, Belmont Light, Sustainable Belmont, and other Belmont EV enthusiasts. Why Promote Electric in Belmont Now? In 2016, the Belmont Energy Committee updated the assessment of [READ MORE]
Will Belmont Follow Suit? By Vince Stanton Jr. In September, the city of Waltham issued a request for proposal (RFP) for 100% design of a community path extending approximately three miles from the Waltham-Belmont border (about 1,000 feet west of Waverley Square) to the Weston border (about 1,500 feet west of Route 128, just south of Main Street). (“100% design” refers to a fully specified set of construction drawings.) Proposals were due on October 20. At a bidder’s conference on October 5, city officials expressed the hope that design work could be completed this winter, allowing construction to begin in [READ MORE]
Photos by David Chase On Saturday, October 15, members of the Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee and consultants led a walk of about two dozen citizens to educate them about route possibilities for the western end of the community path in Belmont. Above, the group stops on Olmsted Drive, uphill from Pleasant Street. Behind the police station, the group examines grades and pinch points. The path could follow the Fitchburg commuter rail line at several locations. Above is near Cityside Subaru on Pleasant Street. The path may continue north of the railroad tracks off Pleasant Street, near Snake Hill Road. [READ MORE]
Interview with an Environmental Change Agent by Julia Blatt EK (EkOngKar) Khalsa was executive director of Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) from 2008 until this September. His leadership has resulted in a dramatic improvement in the environment and water quality in a vital Greater Boston natural resource. We asked Belmont resident Julia Blatt, executive director of the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance and longtime colleague of Khalsa, to speak with him about his accomplishments in the region. Julia Blatt: What brought you to the Mystic River Watershed Association? EK Khalsa: I was introduced to MyRWA by an inspiring, very dynamic member of [READ MORE]
Pay As You Throw Program By Kim Slack One hundred and forty-three Massachusetts communities meter trash the same way they meter water or electricity, creating an equitable system where those who generate more, pay more, and those who generate less, pay less. These programs are called Pay As You Throw (PAYT), or Save Money And Reduce Trash (SMART). As Belmont considers renewing its trash collection contract, it is worth exploring this approach to help the town financially and environmentally. Massachusetts PAYT programs on average have reduced trash by 44% in their communities. When we are charged for the trash we [READ MORE]
Belmont Drives Electric Ride & Drive Day Saturday, November 12, 1:30-4:30 PM Come test drive and learn about several models of electric vehicles, as well as incentives by local dealers and tax benefits. Learn more at: belmontdriveselectric.org or email info@bostoncommittee.org for more information. Belmont High School parking lot and cafeteria. MIT Water Summit 2016 Thursday & Friday, November 17, 8 AM to November 18, 3:30 PM The MIT Water Club and its sponsors are thrilled to announce the fifth edition of the MIT Water Summit, a gathering of not only students and faculty from MIT and the greater Boston area, [READ MORE]
Now Up To 250 Installations Plus: Electric Vehicle Campaign Starts in October by Jan Kruse In our May/June 2016 issue, we covered the initial success of the Belmont Goes Solar campaign, at which time more than 170 Belmont residents added solar panels to their homes (“Belmont Goes Solar Sails Past Initial Goal”). This is an update. The Town of Homes might be ready for a new name: the Town of Solar Homes. About 250 homeowners opted to purchase rooftop solar during the Belmont Goes Solar (BGS) six-month campaign that ended June 30. More Belmontonians purchased solar for their homes than [READ MORE]
Board of Surveyors Hearing–Postponed The Board of Surveyors will hold their hearing of the proposed road adjacent to Habitat at 178 Marsh Street. Homer Art Gallery, Town Hall, 19 Moore Street, Belmont. NOTE: The September 19 meeting has been postponed to a future date. The town engineer is asking the applicant to first apply for a hearing before the Belmont Conservation Commission to resolve any wetland issues. We will update this post when we have more information. 350 Mass Cambridge Node Meeting, Tuesday, September 20, 6:30–8:30 PM Join discussions with a grassroots climate network in Massachusetts. Newcomers welcome. First Church Cambridge, 11 [READ MORE]
A Student’s Citizens Forum Project by Shodai Inose When I announced the concept of the Belmont Staycation, some people snickered at the name and doubted that we would have any success. Well, that didn’t stop me. When we first began this project in June, during my internship with Anne-Marie Lambert, a director of the Belmont Citizens Forum (BCF), to lay out we laid out a few major goals. We wanted to learn how to increase interest in local Belmont sights and businesses, and how to reduce energy use from vacation travel by substituting a family “staycation” in Belmont. We were [READ MORE]
My Long, Long, Long, Short Journey Across Town by Sumner Brown In a July 14, 2016, post on his website, state Senator Will Brownsberger alerted citizens to a proposed law, since passed, that makes it easier for local communities to lower speed limits. The motivation is improved safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. Belmont seems to be a relatively safe place for pedestrians and bicyclists. Data available from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, for example, show that more serious bicycle accidents occur in Waltham. This is why the Waltham segment of the Central Massachusetts Rail Trail has a higher priority for [READ MORE]
Current and Former Town Officials Comment by John DiCocco In our last issue, (BCF apage 1), we addressed the need for more housing in Greater Boston and the state legislature’s proposal of state-wide zoning requirements. If such a law passed, it would require more housing—and more affordable housing—in almost every community inside Route 495. What would that mean for Belmont? We asked several town residents who have served or are still currently serving on various committees and boards to share some brief thoughts on the following question: “Can Belmont increase housing without altering our small town feeling?” Judy Feins, co-chair, Belmont Housing [READ MORE]
Habitat Wetlands at Risk by Vincent Stanton Jr and Roger Wrubel Notice: the Board of Surveyors meeting originally scheduled for September 19 to discuss the Chiofaro property has been postponed. The town engineer is asking the applicant to first apply for a hearing before the Belmont Conservation Commission to resolve any wetland issues. In densely settled communities like Belmont, few real estate marketing pitches ring a louder bell than “abuts conservation land.” Indeed, what could be more salable than guaranteed backyard tranquility in perpetuity? Unfortunately, as the perimeter of conservation land becomes densely settled, the value of the land for conservation [READ MORE]