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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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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20 Years of Historic Preservation

 Construction and Housing, Historic Preservation, History, January 2020, Newsletter  Comments Off on 20 Years of Historic Preservation
Jan 062020
 
20 Years of Historic Preservation

By Sharon Vanderslice In the late summer of 1999, a dozen or so Belmont residents met in Town Meeting member Sue Bass’s dining room on Concord Avenue to discuss ways to increase transparency in our local government and protect the small-town atmosphere that had drawn us to Belmont in the first place. We had just lost a battle to keep out a massive development proposed by Partners Healthcare on the campus of McLean Hospital. This forward-thinking psychiatric institution was originally designed to offer patients a calm, nature-based space in which to heal. With the advent of pharmaceutical treatments, McLean’s board [READ MORE]

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