The Belmont Citizens Forum is looking for writers, photographers, artists, and researchers to contribute to the BCF Newsletter—no experience necessary! It’s a great opportunity to learn about journalism and contribute to your community. We welcome contributions from Belmont and beyond on preserving natural and historical resources, limiting traffic growth, and enhancing pedestrian safety. For more information, contact bcfprogramdirector@gmail.com.
Now that the weather is at least occasionally balmy, local organizations are contriving new events that bear some resemblance to past years’ experiences. You may not get the thrill of the crowd cheering as you finish a race, or the warm glow of watching other concerned citizens clearing garbage from your favorite outdoor spaces, but you will get out of your home. The Charles River Watershed Association’s Annual Run of the Charles has “a virtual twist” this year. Register for the fundraising 5K or one of five different paddling races any time before Sunday, May 23. You and your paddling [READ MORE]
To the Editor: Tanks…tanks…tanks. The Select Board voted unanimously on February 8, 2021, to grant a license to replace the current underground fuel tanks with two 6,000 gallon above-ground tanks to be located between two existing DPW garages approximately 75 feet from our neighboring residential properties. At the time this vote was taken, no detailed cost-benefit analyses had been provided for either the proposed tank installation or for any alternate tank configurations or sites. Several alternatives had been suggested by concerned residents, including my suggestion of (1) installing one smaller dual-compartment underground tank at either the same site or another [READ MORE]
By Carolyn Bishop Asian bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), also known as Oriental bittersweet, is one of the most beautiful and problematic invasive plant species in our area. In the past, bittersweet was commonly sold in wreaths and floral arrangements, which were especially popular in the fall due to bittersweet’s brilliant yellow-shelled orange berries. Little did we know we were helping to spread a very invasive, damaging, non-native plant. Asian bittersweet was brought to the United States in the 1860s as an ornamental and for erosion control. Now it is found from Ontario and Quebec south through the Great Lakes states, from [READ MORE]
By Jeffrey North The Land Management Committee for Lone Tree Hill approved plans and funding for three 2021 forest restoration and meadow management projects for Lone Tree Hill at a March 3 meeting. The Judy Record Conservation Fund is providing matching funds for the projects, for a total of $22,000 for these initiatives. Area A1 Restoration Continues In early spring, licensed field technicians trained in identifying invasive plant species will cut, mow, and apply plant-specific herbicide in the Area A1 woodland. They will combat Asian bittersweet, buckthorn, garlic mustard, black swallow-wort (Cynanchum louiseae), and lesser celandine, and at least one [READ MORE]
Read the May/June 2021 Newsletter now Your name could be here. Write for the Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter. Featured in this issue: Clay Pit Pond Deforestation Damages Wetland In September 2020, several Belmont residents removed more than 80 trees and shrubs from the south side of Clay Pit Pond. In an unauthorized action taken ostensibly to “enhance” the view of the pond, individuals visited the site on at least three occasions that month, cutting down 50-foot-tall trees, shrubs, vines, and other vegetation. Read more. Belmont Has One Year to Clean up Waterways A 2017 consent order from the US Environmental [READ MORE]
By Representative Dave M. Rogers While policy makers are confronted by a wide variety of pressing policy issues, few if any compare to the complexity and scale presented by our changing climate. Most of us are long since familiar with the worrisome data, but two recent comprehensive reports thoroughly define the challenge. The most recent National Climate Assessment, a quadrennial publication of the US Global Change Research Program, and the October 2018 report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presents a wide array of troubling findings. The IPCC report concluded that limiting global temperature rise to [READ MORE]
By John Dieckmann When completed, the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) will run from North Point Park in Cambridge to downtown Northampton, a distance of 104 miles, following the abandoned right of way (ROW) of the former Mass Central Railroad. The MCRT has been a long-time work in progress, with some segments completed, others in the works, and others yet to be pursued seriously. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recently completed a feasibility study of the western part of the MCRT covering 68.5 miles from the Amherst-Belchertown border to Hudson. The area east of Hudson through to Waltham has been [READ MORE]
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]
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]
By Anne-Marie Lambert A 2017 consent order from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave Belmont five years to stop underground sewage from leaking into our waterways. We made a lot of progress in 2020, but there could be a long way to go before all our outlets run clean. In 2020, the town undertook a $550,000 sewer system rehabilitation construction project (SSRCP). More work is planned in 2021 under a sump pump removal and sewer rehabilitation contract. The SSRCP included significant work such as: Repairing and lining several sewer mains Lining many sewer service laterals Removing a few sewer [READ MORE]
By Judy Singler In September 2020, several Belmont residents removed more than 80 trees and shrubs from the south side of Clay Pit Pond. In an unauthorized action taken ostensibly to “enhance” the view of the pond, individuals visited the site on at least three occasions that month, cutting down 50-foot-tall trees, shrubs, vines, and other vegetation. The remaining trees at the edge of the pond were pruned of side branches to a height of 20 feet and more. Town officials eventually ordered a halt to the illegal tree cutting after calls from several concerned citizens. Environmental Laws Exist to [READ MORE]
By Meg Muckenhoupt So much is still uncertain. Organizations that normally form the bulk of the Belmont Citizens Forum’s event listings are quiet online, leaving their web pages blank and their calendars empty. No one trusts the future to allow us to meet, to learn, to pause to observe the natural world—or grieve the activists who are gone. The Belmont Historical Society, Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation, the Charles River Watershed Association, the Native Plant Trust; if they have anything listed, it’s for a Zoom video. We are all tired of Zoom videos. Here is what I know for certain [READ MORE]
To the Editor: Great articles in this issue, as usual. I know there’s an Earth Day cleanup at Lone Tree Hill, but can knowledgeable volunteers help with the removal of invasives and planting of natives that Jeffrey North described? Art Kreiger Jeff North responds: Thank you for your letter, Mr. Kreiger. Watch these pages for future announcements of volunteer days for invasives removal and restorative planting. The stewards of Lone Tree Hill are eager to organize volunteers for pulling garlic mustard and other restoration work as soon as we can safely gather. Look for an initiative following examples such as [READ MORE]
By Jeffrey North Invasive plant species are disrupting ecosystems globally and here in Belmont. Biological invasions are a leading cause of biodiversity loss and even species extinction, and invasive plants are permanently altering the ecology of our forests, fields, and gardens. This article is the first in a series on invasive plant species found in Belmont and the implications of their presence, spread, and ecological damage potential, as well as hopes for their removal and remediation. Garlic mustard (Alliara petiolata) is changing the character of the woodlands in the Northeast. It can outcompete native herbaceous species, depriving the natives of [READ MORE]
by Anne-Marie Lambert Flooding caused the collapse of the Trapelo Road culvert over Beaver Brook in 2010, and inundated the train tracks at the Waverley MBTA commuter rail station. Belmont is expected to see its share of future big intense storms, extreme heat, and other disasters from climate change. If it’s any comfort, our town now has a preparedness plan, thanks to a state-funded program. The Town of Belmont Hazard Mitigation-Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Plan identifies local vulnerabilities to flooding, pollution, and traffic jams, and proposes mitigating actions, short-term and long-term, to help vulnerable populations safely shelter from extreme heat, rain, [READ MORE]
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]
Local Residents Challenge Tank Location, Planning By Judith Ananian Sarno and Lisa Oteri At a cost of over $500,000, Belmont is launching an initiative to replace two underground storage fuel tanks located at the Department of Public Works (DPW) yard adjacent to a residential neighborhood—but local residents still have many questions about the tanks’ effect on the neighborhood, and whether the tanks should be in that location at all. The current tanks, which serve Belmont’s fleet of vehicles, need to be replaced as they are single walled and no longer comply with state regulations and are no longer insurable. Town [READ MORE]
Read the March-April 2021 BCF Newsletter PDF. In this issue: Neighborhood Opinion: Tank Process is Flawed At a cost of over $500,000, Belmont is launching an initiative to replace two underground storage fuel tanks located at the Department of Public Works (DPW) yard adjacent to a residential neighborhood—but local residents still have many questions about the tanks’ effect on the neighborhood, and whether the tanks should be in that location at all. Read more. 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, [READ MORE]
The Mystic Charles Pollinator Pathways group is a volunteer coalition of gardeners and native plant enthusiasts that has come together to promote and create more pollinator habitats in our region in response to the significant declines in native pollinator species such as bees, butterflies, wasps, and moths. The group is mapping private and public pollinator gardens in the Mystic and Metrowest Charles River watershed communities to show existing resources and identify where more are needed (see the map. The group currently includes sites in Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Lexington, Medford, Newton, Somerville, Waltham, Watertown, Winchester, and Woburn, and welcomes new participants. [READ MORE]