Belmont – Page 3 – Belmont Citizens Forum

Lone Tree Hill Restoration Continues

Environment, Lone Tree Hill, Open Space, Plants, September/October 2025 Comments Off

Aug 262025

By Jeffrey North and Joe Hibbard For over a decade, Lone Tree Hill has been a focal point of community-led ecological restoration in Belmont. The Belmont Citizens Forum, the Judy Record Conservation Fund, and many dedicated volunteers, all under the aegis of the town’s Land Management Committee for Lone Tree Hill, have shared this effort. Since the restoration work began, this conservation land has transformed from a neglected patch of invasive thickets to a thriving habitat increasingly dominated by native species. Last April 26, despite steady rain, more than 50 volunteers gathered at Lone Tree Hill’s Meadow Edge Trail for [READ MORE]

Judy Record Conservation Fund Cares for Land

Environment, Lone Tree Hill, September/October 2025 Comments Off

Aug 262025

Judy Record Conservation Fund Cares for Land

By Roger Wrubel The Judy Record Conservation Fund (JR Fund) was founded in 2001 in honor and memory of Judy Record by her friends and family. Judy Record worked tirelessly and effectively from 1995 to 2000 as the leader of the McLean Open Space Alliance (MOSA), which began when eight apprehensive Belmont citizens met to discuss the rumored development of over 190 acres of woods and meadows surrounding the McLean Hospital campus. She stepped forward to lead the effort to preserve as much of the undeveloped land as possible. Record grew MOSA into an effective grassroots organization with 800 members. [READ MORE]

Belmont’s Electricity Comes from NE Power Pool

Climate Change, Newsletter, September/October 2025 Comments Off

Aug 262025

Belmont’s Electricity Comes from NE Power Pool

By Dave Beavers To further explore the question, “Where does my electricity come from?” (See “Follow Belmont Electricity From Source to Socket“, BCF Newsletter, July/August 2025), this article considers what happens upstream of the Belmont Light substation at Blair Pond. Beyond Blair Pond Our Blair Pond substation is supplied by a transmission line from Alewife which connects Belmont to the New England grid. The Independent System Operator of New England (ISO-NE) operates the grid and administers the wholesale electricity market in New England. It is one of seven regional grid operators in the United States. Belmont Light is a stakeholder [READ MORE]

State Tackles Housing Crisis with New Laws

Construction and Housing, Newsletter, September/October 2025 Comments Off

Aug 262025

State Tackles Housing Crisis with New Laws

Massachusetts takes major steps to expand affordable housing—and Belmont responds By Representative David M. Rogers While Massachusetts is regularly ranked among the most desirable places to live in the United States, it is also ranked among the most expensive. It is widely agreed that the state is experiencing an affordable housing crisis. Communities from Pittsfield to Provincetown are affected by the housing crisis—and it certainly impacts Belmont as well. In Belmont, 28% of homeowners and 36% of renters are considered “cost-burdened,” meaning they spend more than a third of their income on housing. According to Belmont’s Housing Production Plan, last [READ MORE]

BHA Makes Plans for Belmont Village

Construction and Housing, September/October 2025 Comments Off

Aug 262025

By Gloria Leipzig and Matt Zajac The Belmont Housing Authority (BHA) has recently started work with a Boston-based architecture and urban planning firm, DREAM Collaborative, to create a master plan that could serve as the blueprint for redeveloping Belmont Village. The Belmont Village site north of Town Field and west of Thomas Street currently has 100 affordable homes for Belmont families across 25 fourplexes. BHA has diligently maintained the homes since their construction in 1949, but funding through the state’s public housing program has been insufficient to support any major renovations over the past 75 years. The buildings and site [READ MORE]

Trash on Lone Tree Hill

July/August 2025, Lone Tree Hill Comments Off

Jun 302025

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’s First Miyawaki Forest Comes to BHS

Climate Change, Environment, July/August 2025, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

Jun 302025

Belmont’s First Miyawaki Forest Comes to BHS

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]

Profiles in Belmont: Sue Bass

July/August 2025, Newsletter Comments Off

Jun 302025

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]

Meet Belmont’s New Recycling Coordinator

July/August 2025, Recycling Comments Off

Jun 302025

Meet Belmont’s New Recycling Coordinator

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]

Belmont Recycling is Alive and Growing

Environment, July/August 2025, Recycling Comments Off

Jun 302025

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]

Follow Belmont Electricity From Source to Socket

Environment, July/August 2025 Comments Off

Jun 302025

Follow Belmont Electricity From Source to Socket

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]

Vision for a Better Belmont: Matt Taylor

Board of Selectmen, July/August 2025 Comments Off

Jun 302025

Vision for a Better Belmont: Matt Taylor

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]

PILOT Program Could Ease Tax Burden

July/August 2025, Newsletter Comments Off

Jun 302025

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]

Another Successful Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day

BCF Events, Environment, Lone Tree Hill, May/June 2025, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

Apr 292025

Another Successful Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day

By Radha Iyengar On Saturday, April 26, a day with steady rain, the Belmont Citizens Forum (BCF), in conjunction with the Judy Record Conservation Fund, held its 11th annual Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day. The volunteers included Girl Scout Daisy Troop 63278, Cityside Subaru employees, volunteers from Habitat, and citizens from Belmont and the surrounding communities. Many hands made light work. At the Meadow Edge Trail, volunteers removed garlic mustard and planted 50 white pine saplings, 10 eastern red cedar saplings and also replaced five white pine trees that did not survive the planting from last year. Volunteers also transplanted [READ MORE]

Make Your Yard an Avian Oasis

Environment, May/June 2025 Comments Off

Apr 292025

You can bring joy to your backyard flocks without going to the trouble and expense—and to some, imagining the specter of surreptitious nocturnal rodents—of up-keeping bird feeders. Birds are opportunistic feeders—a bug in the beak is worth two in the bush—even if cannier species maintain acorn and seed caches. Nor are they circumspect about having a quick drink: a drop of dew, sip from a puddle, draft from a drainpipe—all afford vital hydration. In times of freeze or drought, refreshed watering oases are lifesavers and bird magnets. If you put out birdbaths, even makeshift ones, a sip of Adam’s ale [READ MORE]

Belmont Drive Electric May 10

May/June 2025 Comments Off

Apr 292025

Belmont Drives Electric May 10 Belmont Drives Electric will host its next EV Ride & Drive event on Saturday, May 10, from 11 AM to 3 PM at Chenery Middle School. Belmont residents are invited to come test drive, ride along in, and check out a number of all-electric vehicles from different manufacturers. The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources will be there to talk about current state and federal incentives for new and used EVs. Car dealerships will have EV models available to test drive in a no-pressure environment. Local residents will bring their own EVs to discuss what it’s [READ MORE]

Attune Yourselves to the Voices of Spring, Tra La!

Environment, May/June 2025 Comments Off

Apr 292025

Attune Yourselves to the Voices of Spring, Tra La!

An Informal Cornucopia of Nature’s Natterers By Fred Bouchard Now we’ve shed our muffled-up, gray brumal months and can wake up to the myriad bright voices of spring that surround us. Some are tiny, and too intimate: the house fly zizzes angrily to escape your bedroom; a drone mosquito whines by your ears. Some are shrill and chattery: from a tree fork a gray squirrel scolds in a chitter; a chipmunk goes tuk! tuk! as she scoots underfoot. The Eastern cottontails burrowing under your yard—normally silent—may emit petulant squeals if alarmed or attacked. A red fox, skunk, or raccoon can [READ MORE]

Belmont Reduces Rodenticides on Town Land

Environment, May/June 2025 Comments Off

Apr 292025

Belmont Reduces Rodenticides on Town Land

By Jeffrey North Belmont is preparing to vote on a home rule petition at the May Town Meeting to seek local authority to regulate use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) on private property. Belmont has largely eliminated SGARs on public property, recognizing their dangers to wildlife, pets, and children. Town departments, including the Health Department, Public Works, Facilities, and Housing Authority, have adopted safer alternatives such as electric traps, carbon dioxide treatments, and snap traps. This initiative reflects Belmont’s commitment to environmentally responsible pest management and aligns with statewide efforts to curb the use of the most toxic rodenticides. Rodenticides, [READ MORE]

OPINION: Understanding America’s Food Systems

Environment, May/June 2025, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

Apr 292025

OPINION: Understanding America’s Food Systems

By Tom Phillips With ambitious promises being made by the new Secretary of Health and Human Services to challenge “big ag” and reduce the country’s reliance on processed foods, and with significant actions already being taken by the Trump administration that impact agriculture on a national level—including the attempted layoffs of federal workers at USDA and FDA—it is crucial for Belmont citizens to understand the complexities of food systems. Growing up in the suburbs of Boston without any family ties to farming, I find it challenging to grasp the financial struggles, social issues, and environmental impacts inherent in food production. [READ MORE]

Profiles in Belmont: Hal Shubin

May/June 2025, Plants Comments Off

Apr 292025

By Elissa Ely Height comes with advantages (which many of us low to the ground wish we had). In Hal Shubin’s case, it’s one way to recognize him at the Belmont Farmers’ Market, where he’s chairman of the overseeing committee. You might already have recognized him, though, from his work with the Belmont Food Collaborative, or his three terms on the Board of Library Trustees, or his early involvement on The Belmont Voice, back when the weekly newspaper was still a list of suggested names. As he wrote on his LinkedIn page, “no rest for the retired.” Hal’s farm awareness [READ MORE]

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