View or download the March-April 2018 issue as a color PDF here, or read single articles below.

 

Articles in this issue:

Finding Sewer Leaks Means Detective Work

Hidden Leaks in Pipes from Street to House Pollute Waterways

by Anne-Marie Lambert

Belmont has greatly accelerated investigating underground sources of water pollution in the last six months. This good news is tempered by the knowledge that we have 77 miles of sewer pipes and 56 miles of stormwater drains, all old. The average sewer pipe in Belmont is now 83 years old. The average storm drain is 64 years old. Our accountants assume a 60-year useful life for underground pipes. Read more.

 

Selectman Candidate Answers BCF Questions

Belmont Annual Town Election to be Held Tuesday, April 3

Each year the Belmont Citizens Forum asks candidates for selectman about issues the town will likely face in the next three years. This year Tom Caputo is running uncontested for the seat currently occupied by Jim Williams, who is retiring after one term. Below are Caputo’s unedited replies to our questions about the environment, traffic, funding, and planning. Read more.

 

Hello. Goodbye. And Thank You.

The Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter is pleased to welcome our new editor, Sara McCabe. Read more.

 

Historical Society Calls for Award Nominations

The Belmont Historical Society invites you to nominate projects that have furthered preservation efforts in Belmont for the David R. Johnson Preservation Award. Read more.

 

Symposium Explores Alewife Resilience

by Sarah Howard with Patricia Loheed

“When it comes to natural disasters, 2017 was one for the record books,” according to a recent Weather Channel video. With increasingly extreme weather, area residents have been expressing concerns about the Alewife Corridor. Many still remember when a section of Route 16 remained underwater for two weeks in 1997, becoming impassable to traffic and blocking an evacuation route. The recent “bombogenesis” storm in early January, which caused significant flooding and storm surges in the Boston area, has only added to the commonly voiced concerns. Read more.

 

Committee Recommends Six CPA Projects

by Peg Velie

This year the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) is recommending six projects to Town Meeting for funding, totaling $1,518,087. If approved, these projects will be funded via the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Read more.

 

Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day

Join us in stewarding Lone Tree hill!  The Belmont Citizens Forum, in conjunction with the Judy Record Conservation Fund, is holding its annual cleanup and trail maintenance day on Saturday, April 28, from 9 AM to noon. Last year, we helped plant 45 trees along Pine Allee and clean up the Coal Road area. Read more.

 

Thaddeus Frost House Local Historic District Proposed

by Lauren G. Meier

This spring, Town Meeting will consider the opportunity to create a new local historic district to protect one of Belmont’s most important historic resources, the Thaddeus Frost House on Brighton Street. Read more.

 

Environmental Events, March-April 2018

Woolapalooza, Arlington EcoFest, Single-Use Plastic Check-Out Bat Reduction Forum… Read more.