Trash on Lone Tree Hill Here’s some of the trash that volunteers found at Lone Tree Hill . Help keep this beautiful open space clean for all to enjoy. If you see trash, please email lonetreehillbelmont@gmail.com. Thank you for helping keep our precious open spaces pristine!
Belmont Farmers’ Market, celebrating 20 years! Weekly, Thursdays I 2–6:30 PM Belmont Center parking lot, behind Belmont Center For more information on vendors, special events, and more, see www.belmontfarmersmarket.org Belmont Conservation Volunteers Monthly, Saturdays I 9:30 AM-noon Pleasant Street area of Lone Tree Hill Help remove the invasive Akebia (chocolate vine) that smothers young trees on Lone Tree Hill. Meet at the kiosk where the trail turns, right up Coal Road from South Pleasant Street. Bring work gloves and small diggers and pruners. Visit www.sustainablebelmont.net/belmont-conservation-volunteers/ to join the google group for information and notices of events. Meet Your Watershed: Edible [READ MORE]
By Fred Bouchard So there we were sitting on the side deck well after six of a June evening, sipping chablis with wine pals Jim and Debbie, grinning over Elon/Donny antics, when in an eye-blink along the driveway, I caught a form flitting through the long-past lilacs. I put down my glass and craned. “What th–?” “What is it?” “A female hummingbird…” “Where!” “No wayy.” The gray mite amid grayish spent blooms was darting back and forth for—a sip of nectar? A late blossom? A leaf to doze under? Everyone got a quick peek at her, and in 15 seconds [READ MORE]
By Jean Devine Picture this: It’s 2028, and on the Belmont High School campus, a small forest of native trees and shrubs is shooting toward the sky. The trunks sway gently and the leaves shimmer softly in the summer breeze. As you walk toward this grove, birds flit in and out, you hear a hum of bees, while other pollinators, insects, and worms, mostly invisible to you, thrive in deeper sections of this new habitat. Before you stands Belmont’s first Miyawaki Forest (aka mini forest). Now, three years after planting, this forest is self-sufficient. And, it’s replicable! Maybe it has [READ MORE]
On page 19 of “Belmont Reduces Rodenticide on Town Land” in the May/June Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter, the last paragraph of the section Municipal action: alternatives to poison on public property, should read as follows: “According to Raymond Morales, district housing manager, the BHA is actively replacing SGARs with rodenticides containing Vitamin D3, which do not travel up the food chain and thus pose less risk to non-target species.” We apologize for the error.
By Elissa Ely Sometimes, one accomplished, involved person is actually two; the sum of their lives together exceeds traditional math. This sum was so with Sue and Henry Bass. Sue has been a Town Meeting member since 1998 and cofounded the Belmont Citizens Forum in 1999, diving into local politics and policies after moving to town with Henry four years earlier. In their 57 years of marriage, they did a tremendous amount of diving together. She was not a gregarious child. She was a reader: Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys mysteries, and most of all, any book that featured a [READ MORE]
By Terri Goldberg Joseph Sten started working for Belmont three months before we sat down for a meeting on April 9. He is still learning how Belmont’s programs work and getting support and help from Jay Marcotte, Belmont’s Department of Public Works director. Sten worked at Needham’s transfer station and has a background in political science and urban studies. He’s friendly and approachable. Here’s a summary of what we talked about. Goldberg What are you working on these days to help improve Belmont’s recycling? Sten Helping answer questions from residents about recycling and waste. Most of the questions are about [READ MORE]
By Terri Goldberg Lately, there has been a slew of dramatic stories about the failures of recycling. They could leave readers with the impression that recycling collection programs, like the one supported by Belmont, are a lie or a waste of time (for example, see “The Story You’ve Been Told About Recycling is a Lie” in the New York Times). Often, when I talk to friends and family about my work with MassRecycle, the state recycling organization, they ask me whether recycling is a scam. No! The truth is that the recyclables in our recycling carts are being largely recycled, [READ MORE]
By Dave Beavers The answer to the question “Where does my electricity come from?” can be elusive. There can be many answers to what appears to be a straightforward question. These answers can be abstract by necessity, requiring physics concepts and a plethora of obscure acronyms for precision. Instead of a textbook approach, the goal of this article is to offer an intuitive understanding of Belmont’s electricity. I will eschew dry facts, physics, and acronyms in favor of less abstract explanations and analogies. Along the way, I will explore key issues such as utility costs, rates, reliability, governance, and climate [READ MORE]
This article is the latest in a series of interviews with Belmont stakeholders about their vision for the future of Belmont. Jeffrey North conducted this interview. It has been edited for length and clarity. – Ed. BCF Congratulations on your recent rotation to the chair of the Select Board. Over the past year as a member of the Select Board, what are some positive steps or improvements in town governance you have seen? And what do you see as needing improvement? Taylor We have an excellent town, and we are a welcoming community. I hope you see what I see. [READ MORE]
By Max Colice Belmont’s annual budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, approved by Town Meeting in May, is $166.23 million. Of that, $138.85 M (83.5%) comes from property taxes and debt exclusions. The rest comes from state aid ($15.5 M), auto excise taxes, and a variety of lesser sources. Just over 95% of property taxes come from residents, the remainder from businesses. The 2022 Collins Center Report on municipal best practices recommends that Belmont should develop new sources of revenue to mitigate the burden of property taxes, including a program for payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT). How much revenue [READ MORE]