Environment – Page 10 – Belmont Citizens Forum

Belmont Citizens Forum Sept-Oct 2017 Newsletter

Belmont Citizens Forum Sept-Oct 2017 Newsletter Air Quality, Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, Lone Tree Hill, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Recycling, September 2017, Traffic, Transit Comments Off

Sep 162017

View or download the September-October 2017 issue as a color PDF here, or read single articles below. . Articles in this issue: Demolition Delay Could Save Historic Buildings Read more here. Belmont Reviews Trash and Recycling Options Read more here. Iyengar Joins Land Management Committee Read more here. Keeping the Lights On and the Water Flowing Read more here. Tracking Traffic Read more here. What’s the Latest in Cushing Square? Read more here. Letter to the Editor Read more here. Environmental Events Read more here.

Demolition Delay Could Save Historic Buildings

Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, September 2017 Comments Off

Sep 132017

Demolition Delay Could Save Historic Buildings

182 Structures Now Under Consideration for “Historic” Designation by Sharon Vanderslice Belmont’s historic districts preserve many of the town’s historic buildings, which contribute dramatically to its sense of place. But many other important buildings are outside the districts. To protect them, Belmont Town Meeting has now required a one-year delay before anyone can get a permit to demolish 182 historically or architecturally significant buildings not otherwise protected. The list of designated buildings was developed by the Historic District Commission (HDC) from information prepared by a [READ MORE]

Keeping the Lights On and the Water Flowing

Air Quality, Environment, Newsletter, Recycling, September 2017, Solar Power, Water Quality Comments Off

Sep 132017

Keeping the Lights On and the Water Flowing

The Sources of Belmont Utilities by Virginia Jordan In the US, most of us take our water and other utilities for granted. But how are they delivered to Belmont residents, and who is responsible for keeping them flowing? Utility companies supply our electricity, gas, water, telephone, cable, internet, and wireless. Some are supplied by corporations like National Grid or Eversource (formerly NStar.) These private electricity and gas providers, also known as investor-owned utilities, are regulated by various state and federal agencies. Other utilities are supplied by the Water Division of Belmont’s Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Belmont Light [READ MORE]

Belmont Reviews Trash and Recycling Options

Air Quality, Environment, Newsletter, Recycling, September 2017, Solar Power, Water Quality Comments Off

Sep 132017

Belmont Reviews Trash and Recycling Options

Town Hearing Set for September 25 by Kim Slack This fall, Belmont will be negotiating a new contract for trash and recycling collection with interested haulers, to begin in July 2018. Now is an optimal time to consider other options for how Belmont deals with its trash. There are many urgent reasons that suggest that we change how we deal with our trash. Along with fellow members of the Sustainable Belmont Advisory Group, I evaluated several options. We encourage the public to voice their views at a meeting on September 25 at Town Hall. The state has set a goal that [READ MORE]

What’s The Latest in Cushing Square?

Air Quality, Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Parking, September 2017, Stormwater, Traffic, Transit, Water Quality Comments Off

Sep 132017

The Project Moves Forward and Continues to Evolve by John DiCocco There’s progress at the Bradford (formerly named Cushing Village), the three-building residential and retail complex in Cushing Square. Since our last article on the development in the May-June 2017 issue, construction is still moving ahead although several issues remain unresolved. Toll Brothers Apartment Living is the developer (through a subsidiary named Belmont Residential LLC), and Nauset Construction is the general contractor. Toll Brothers employs Sage Environmental as their licensed site professional (LSP) and the town has independently contracted with John Thompson, LSP, of Waypoint Environmental, who reports to town [READ MORE]

Tracking Traffic

Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Environment, Newsletter, Parking, September 2017, Traffic, Transit Comments Off

Sep 132017

Environmental Events Sept-Oct 2017

Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Environment, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Plants, Recycling, September 2017, Solar Power, Traffic, Transit, Water Quality Comments Off

Sep 132017

Extreme Events and Climate Change Thursday, September 14; 7–8 PM What We Know and What We Can Do Ellen Marie Douglas, Associate Professor of Hydrology, School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston. Douglas will discuss observations of our changing climate, what changes may be in Boston’s future, and some plans for how to adapt to these changes. New England Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf, Boston. Belmont Drives Electric, Ride & Drive Sunday, September 17, 1–4 PM Learn about electric vehicles and test drive Chevy Bolts, Volkswagen Golfs, Nissan Leafs, and other electric vehicles. Meet local owners to get their experience. [READ MORE]

The Future of the Incinerator Site

Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Construction and Housing, Environment, July 2017, July 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Solar Power, Stormwater, Uncategorized Comments Off

Jul 102017

Athletic Fields? Police Station? Solar Farm? Bike Park? by Lucia Wille Belmont’s former trash incinerator facility occupies 25 acres on Concord Avenue, close to the Lexington town line. About two-thirds of the site was owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until May 2017, when it was conveyed to Belmont. The conveyance represents a windfall for a town often struggling with space constraints. As Belmont balances its municipal and recreational needs, the incinerator site presents a valuable opportunity for the community to either ease municipal space constraints or add to its portfolio of recreational assets, with the potential to further Belmont’s [READ MORE]

A Cure for Belmont Traffic Congestion

Air Quality, Environment, July 2017, Traffic, Transit Comments Off

Jul 102017

Could Congestion Pricing Work Here? by Sumner Brown Nothing spoils Belmont’s small town atmosphere as much as our traffic. Residents complain it is terrible, getting worse, and they feel they can’t do anything about it. In fact, anger about traffic congestion dominated recent Planning Board meetings on Belmont Day School’s request to add a new driveway off Concord Avenue. In the future, perhaps in my lifetime, there is hope in technology-enabled solutions. Consider congestion pricing, made possible by technology such as Fast Lane. It’s working in London and other European cities. There is no fundamental reason why congestion pricing could [READ MORE]

Fix the Stormwater System: It’s the Law

Environment, July 2017, Newsletter, Stormwater, Water Quality Comments Off

Jul 102017

Leaks and Illegal Connections Create Pollution by Anne-Marie Lambert After months of negotiation with the EPA, on May 15 the Belmont Board of Selectmen approved and signed a 2017 EPA Administrative Order for Compliance on Consent. This enforcement action makes mandatory a negotiated plan for addressing our illegal discharge of sewage into the Mystic River watershed. It requires the town to investigate and remove all pollution within five years, a daunting task. The likely sources are leaks and illegal connections in over 50 miles of Belmont’s 76 miles of street drains, as well as in over 50 miles of lateral [READ MORE]

Belmont Citizens Forum July-August 2017 Newsletter

Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, donations, Environment, July 2017, Newsletter, Parking, Plants, Staycation, Stormwater, Traffic, Water Quality Comments Off

Jul 102017

View or download the July-August 2017 16-page issue here as a color PDF. . Articles in this issue: The Future of the Incinerator Site A Cure for Belmont Traffic Congestion New Lilac Planted On Town Green Fix the Stormwater System; It’s The Law Environmental Events

Belmont Citizens Forum May-June 2017 Newsletter

Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Construction and Housing, donations, Environment, Historic Preservation, Lone Tree Hill, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Plants, Recycling, Stormwater, Traffic, Transit, Volunteer, Water Quality Comments Off

May 122017

View or download the May-June 2017 20-page issue here as a color PDF.

Cleaning Up Belmont’s Polluted Waterways

Environment, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Stormwater, Water Quality Comments Off

May 122017

Cleaning Up Belmont's Polluted Waterways

by Anne-Marie Lambert Water Quality update: On May 15, 2017, the Belmont Board of Selectmen approved and signed a 2017 EPA Administrative Order for Compliance on Consent with the EPA. This Order includes EPA water sample results through March 30 2016 and makes mandatory the town’s current plan for addressing water pollution. It also includes downstream water quality measurements from Cambridge in 2014 and 2015, and references water samples collected by the town in November 2016. Belmont has also recently posted their IDDE Plan 05-19-2017. The Belmont Media Center link to the May 15, 2017 meeting of the Belmont Board of Selectmen includes a discussion of this [READ MORE]

Watering Trees in a Drought

Air Quality, Environment, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Plants Comments Off

May 122017

If 2017 is as Bad as 2016 . . . by Jeremy Marin We’ve just come through a very rainy April, but the summer of 2016 was one of the driest in recent memory. With global warming, the same conditions can occur again. If the summer of 2017 is dry, here’s how to take care of your trees. Just like there’s no single best tree for all yards, there’s no single best way to irrigate trees during periods of drought. The easiest and most effective options for one family will be difficult, frustrating, or impossible for others. Not all trees [READ MORE]

Lone Tree Hill Annual Spring Volunteer Day

Environment, Historic Preservation, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

May 122017

Lone Tree Hill Annual Spring Volunteer Day

Tree Plantings and Pleasant Street Pickup by Radha Iyengar On Saturday, April 29, the Belmont Citizens Forum (BCF) in conjunction with the Judith K. Record (JKR) Memorial Conservation Fund held its Fifth Annual Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day. The rain held off and the volunteers came out in full force. This year the work was divided between planting trees along the Pine Allee, and cleaning up the trash along South Pleasant Street (across from Star Market and Artefact Home & Garden). In 2015, the JKR Memorial Conservation Fund engaged Tree Specialists, Inc. of Holliston, MA, to inspect the health of [READ MORE]

Community Path Route Alternatives Viewed

Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Environment, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Traffic, Transit Comments Off

May 122017

Community Path Route Alternatives Viewed

Happy Trail to You by John Dieckmann On April 26, the Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee (CPIAC) and Pare Engineering, the Community Path Feasibility Study contractor, held a public meeting to present their final evaluation of route alternatives for the path, construction cost estimates, and potential funding sources. From west to east, the end-to-end route that ranks highest in the evaluation methodology consists of the following segments: • At the Waltham city line, the path would be on the north side of the commuter rail tracks, then as it approaches Waverley Square it rises to street level and crosses Lexington [READ MORE]

Poetry Walk at Rock Meadow

Environment, May-June 2017, Newsletter Comments Off

May 122017

Anne-Marie Lambert (far left) and Kevin Gallagher (sixth from the left, with sunglasses), local poet and author of the recently published book Loom, about the Massachusetts textile industry and its relation to the surge in demand for slave labor in the South in the 19th century, led a walk at Rock Meadow on April 29. “Through poetry,” said Lambert, “we explored the landscape and history of this part of Belmont and Waltham.”

Environmental Events, May/June 2017

Air Quality, Environment, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Solar Power Comments Off

May 122017

Belmont’s Semiannual Big Recycling Day Saturday, May 13, 9 AM–1 PM The semiannual Big Recycling Day is your chance to clean out all that stuff you didn’t want and includes paper shredding, electronics, rigid plastics, eyeglasses, books, CDs, DVDs, propane tanks, and bicycles (no cardboard or styrofoam). Info at belmont-ma.gov/recycling-trash-information, or 617-993-2689. Note: Belmont Residents only. ID required. Town Yard, 37 C Street, Belmont. Fresh Pond Day Saturday, May 20, 11 AM-3 PM Celebrate the land, water, wildlife, and people that make Fresh Pond Reservation a unique and vital part of Cambridge. Fresh Pond Day is the Cambridge Water Department’s annual [READ MORE]

Belmont Citizens Forum March-April 2017 Newsletter PDF

Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Construction and Housing, donations, Environment, Historic Preservation, March 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Recycling, Solar Power, Stormwater, Traffic, Transit, Water Quality Comments Off

Apr 242017

View or download the March-April 2017 20-page issue here as a color PDF. View or download the March-April 2017 20-page issue here as a black-and-white PDF.

Mugar Wetlands Project Stalled—For Now

Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, March 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Stormwater, Traffic, Water Quality Comments Off

Mar 152017

Neighborhood Fears Water Displacement by John DiCocco The Mugar Wetlands in East Arlington is a triangular parcel that borders Route 2 westbound, adjacent to the Thorndike Park playing fields, and just across Route 2 from the Vox on Two apartments and Lanes & Games Bowling. The Mugar family, owners for more than 50 years, wants to develop it with townhouses and an apartment building. Residents in the town of Arlington, led by the Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands (CSMW) are opposed. In dispute is whether the land can handle the water displacement, whether the neighborhood can handle more people, [READ MORE]

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