View or download the May–June 2018 issue as a color PDF here, or read single articles below.

 

Articles in this issue:

Belmont Community Path Update, Part One

Feasibility Study Plan would Renew Transportation Infrastructure and Create New Public Spaces

by Vincent Stanton, Jr.

A bicycle and pedestrian path stretching from the Charles River in East Cambridge to the town of Berlin, beyond Interstate 495, is in various states of design or construction. The path is complete from Brighton Street in Belmont to Lowell Street in Somerville (via Alewife station and Davis Square.) From the Belmont/Waltham border west to Route 128, a path is being designed. Construction is likely to start in early 2019. Read more.

 

Another Way to Preserve Belmont’s Neighborhoods

Should Belmont residents consider a ‘neighborhood conservation district’ model?

Belmont’s cohesive and walkable neighborhoods, high-quality schools, extensive green space, and proximity to public transportation have made it one of the most desirable places to live in the Greater Boston area. And yet, skyrocketing real estate values and the overdevelopment that tends to accompany them currently threaten the very neighborhoods that have made this “town of homes” so appealing in the first place. One tool that cities and towns around the country have used to preserve local neighborhoods from inappropriate development is the “neighborhood conservation district” designation. Read more.

 

Preparing for Climate Change

by Will Brownsberger

This winter’s storms have dramatized flooding in Boston and many other coastal areas. Is Belmont at risk? Despite climate change and rising sea levels, Belmont has minimal risk of direct seawater flooding in the next 50 years. The greatest threat to Belmont residents is the fragility of our regional infrastructure. Read more.

 

Another Successful Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day

On Saturday, April 28, the Belmont Citizens Forum (BCF), in conjunction with the Judy Record Conservation Fund, held its sixth annual Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day. More than 50 volunteers of all ages, including students from Chenery Middle School and Belmont High School, donated their time on this picture-perfect sunny day. Read more.

 

Belmont Announces First Annual Porchfest

by Mary Bradley

Porchfest is coming to Belmont! The first annual Belmont Porchfest will be on Saturday, September 8, 2018. Porchfest is a celebration of community through music and arts performed by your friends and neighbors (and maybe even you) on porches throughout Belmont. Walk to a neighbor’s house to hear a klezmer band or host a circus show on your front lawn. Read more.

 

Poetry in Nature

In early April, Belmont poet Stephanie Burt and Belmont Citizens Forum director Anne-Marie Lambert led a group of local residents on a poetry walk through Rock Meadow. Read more.

 

Environmental Events, May–June 2018

Rock Meadow Meeting #2, Fresh Pond Day, Rain Garden Fundamentals. . .  Read more.