Stewards Keep Ogilby Farm Traditions

 Environment, Historic Preservation, History, Newsletter, Plants, September/October 2023  Comments Off on Stewards Keep Ogilby Farm Traditions
Sep 012023
 
Stewards Keep Ogilby Farm Traditions

By Judith Feinleib Henry Ogilby thinks of himself, his siblings, and Mike and Hermik Chase as stewards of the last remaining farmland in Belmont, part of the Richardson Farm Historical District. They are stewards in the classical sense of the term—people whose code of ethics requires them to engage in responsible planning and management of resources.  In this case, these resources are the land and houses that have been in the Ogilby family since the 17th century. For the last 11 years, the Chases have cultivated the land of Belmont Acres Farm where they grow and sell vegetables and keep [READ MORE]

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CPC Changes Plan, Endorses Seven Projects

 March/April 2023, Newsletter  Comments Off on CPC Changes Plan, Endorses Seven Projects
Mar 012023
 
CPC Changes Plan, Endorses Seven Projects

By Elizabeth Harmer Dionne Every summer, members of Belmont’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC) update Belmont’s Community Preservation Act (CPA) Plan. Publication of the plan launches the subsequent fiscal year’s funding cycle, which begins with the submission of preliminary project applications each October. The current version of the CPA plan is posted on the town website. During its initial years, Belmont’s CPC learned a lot about elements of successful projects and how best to evaluate them. We have kept the structure and content of the original plan, but in recent years, we have refined and emphasized important provisions. One example is [READ MORE]

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Belmont Needs More Affordable Housing

 Construction and Housing, May/June 2022, Newsletter  Comments Off on Belmont Needs More Affordable Housing
May 052022
 
Belmont Needs More Affordable Housing

By Tomi Olson and Rachel Heller Belmont has great schools, restaurants, and local businesses and is located near job centers in Boston, Cambridge, and the MetroWest area. The Boston area’s burgeoning life sciences industry alone is projected to create up to 40,000 new jobs by 2024, but our region’s economic engine is hampered by a lack of housing near jobs—and Belmont’s limited housing supply is part of that problem.  Population growth, together with housing production that hasn’t kept pace, has made housing shortages in appealing parts of the country like ours front-page news. Our region builds much less housing every [READ MORE]

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Historic Clock Project Seeks Donations

 donations, Historic Preservation, History, March/April 2022, Newsletter  Comments Off on Historic Clock Project Seeks Donations
Mar 032022
 
Historic Clock Project Seeks Donations

By Michael Flamang The First Church in Belmont Unitarian Universalist is seeking funds and a qualified contractor to restore the historic clock in the church’s tower on the town green to functioning condition. In December, the Community Preservation Committee approved a grant application for the repair funds and included it in the projects to be considered by Town Meeting. (See “CPC Recommends Funds for Seven Projects,”  in this issue.​​) There is a great deal of precedent in our area for cities and towns successfully using Commonwealth-designated Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds to implement this type of project in religious buildings. [READ MORE]

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CPC Recommends Funds for Seven Projects

 Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, March/April 2022, Newsletter, Open Space  Comments Off on CPC Recommends Funds for Seven Projects
Mar 032022
 
CPC Recommends Funds for Seven Projects

By Juliet Jenkins The Belmont Community Preservation Committee (CPC) voted to recommend funding seven projects totaling $2,058,554 for FY 2023, to be voted on at the annual Town Meeting, through the Community Preservation Act (CPA) current funding round. Following the CPC’s public hearing and vote on December 8, 2021, the proposed projects were filed with the Belmont Town Clerk and set for voting by Town Meeting in May 2022.  Projects supported with CPA funding must create or preserve affordable housing, historic resources, open space, or recreational facilities. All CPA proposals are developed and created by Belmontonians, and each project directly [READ MORE]

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Four Projects Proposed for CPA Funds

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Construction and Housing, May-June 2021, Newsletter  Comments Off on Four Projects Proposed for CPA Funds
May 042021
 
Four Projects Proposed for CPA Funds

By Elizabeth Harmer Dionne Belmont’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC) has recommended the following projects to Town Meeting for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding in FY2022. Phase I Consulting Services for Payson Park Renovation Organization: Friends of Payson Park (Linda Oates, Susanne Croy, Jay Marcotte) CPA Category: Recreation Amount requested: $35,000 This is the first step in renovating Payson Park, which suffers from inadequate access, crumbling infrastructure, and haphazard layout. Phase I involves an assessment of existing site conditions, neighborhood consultation and feedback, a conceptual design, and a proposed budget for construction costs. Due to changes implemented by the CPC in [READ MORE]

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Time to Fix the Town’s Historic Clock

 Historic Preservation, History, May-June 2021, Newsletter  Comments Off on Time to Fix the Town’s Historic Clock
May 042021
 
Time to Fix the Town’s Historic Clock

By Michael Flamang Since the invention of mechanical clocks in Renaissance Europe, town governments have installed clocks in prominent buildings in town centers to standardize time in support of commerce. In New England, many of the clocks that we see in historic churches on town greens were purchased and maintained by town select boards. In Belmont, in 1889, Town Meeting voted “that the selectmen be authorized to place a clock in the new Unitarian Church to be erected this year and the sum of $500 be appropriated for the same.” When the church was dedicated in 1890, the clock was [READ MORE]

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2021 Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Board of Selectmen, Climate Change, Environment, March/April 2021, Newsletter, Open Space, Select Board, Sewers, Stormwater, Traffic, Transit, Water Quality  Comments Off on 2021 Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions
Mar 012021
 
2021 Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions

Each year, the Belmont Citizens Forum asks Select Board candidates questions about issues facing our town. This year, Mark Paolillo, who is running unopposed, provided answers. He was limited to 1,200 words. Describe your vision for preserving and enhancing Belmont’s quality of living, learning, working, and connecting. Preserving and enhancing Belmont’s quality of life must begin with making town finances stable and sustainable. This will require a more in-depth approach to long-term structural reform.  Belmont should consider the use of performance management budgeting which measures resource input against the resulting output of services for each department. That will help us [READ MORE]

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How the Community Preservation Act Works

 Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Town Committee Meetings  Comments Off on How the Community Preservation Act Works
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]

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Belmont CPC Supports Four Projects

 Arts & Culture, Historic Preservation, March/April 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Town Committee Meetings  Comments Off on Belmont CPC Supports Four Projects
Mar 022020
 
Belmont CPC Supports Four Projects

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]

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