Rogers Works to Keep Rivers Flowing

 March 2015, Newsletter  Comments Off on Rogers Works to Keep Rivers Flowing
Mar 122015
 
Rogers Works to Keep Rivers Flowing

By Dave Rogers On November 4, 2014, at an event at Habitat here in Belmont, I was honored to receive a Rivers Friend Award from the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance. I received the award for my work supporting increased Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) funding and my successful efforts to protect the rollout of major changes to water supply rules in Massachusetts. Both of these issues are important for those of us concerned about careful environmental stewardship. Between 2008 and 2012, battered by the decline in state revenue caused by the global recession, funding for DEP was cut dramatically. Although [READ MORE]

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Copper Beeches Grace Belmont Grounds

 March 2015, Newsletter  Comments Off on Copper Beeches Grace Belmont Grounds
Mar 122015
 
Copper Beeches Grace Belmont Grounds

By Elizabeth Gourley “There is no finer specimen tree; so beautiful that it overwhelms one at first glance,” states Michael Dirr, University of Georgia professor and author of Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, on the merits of the European beech (Fagus sylvatica). One of the most striking cultivars of European beech is the copper beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Cuprea’). A lovely specimen can be found in the small park adjacent to The First Church in Belmont Unitarian Universalist where Concord Avenue and Common Street intersect. This majestic tree has been overseeing our comings and goings for over 150 years. Tom Walsh, [READ MORE]

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Selectman Candidates Answer BCF Questions

 March 2015, Newsletter  Comments Off on Selectman Candidates Answer BCF Questions
Mar 122015
 
Selectman Candidates Answer BCF Questions

Every year, Belmont voters elect one member of the town’s three-person Board of Selectmen. This year, Andres Rojas and James Williams are running for the seat. The Belmont Citizens Forum asked the candidates to respond to the following seven questions. The candidates were limited to 1,200 words total, or an average of 170 words in response to each question. 1. How do you think Belmont Light should deal with electricity generated by residents’ solar panels? What is the role of solar energy in Belmont’s power grid? Andres Rojas The Light Board adopted a policy that provided generous continuing subsidies to [READ MORE]

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Uplands Permit Issued for 298 Apartments

 March 2015, Newsletter, Stormwater  Comments Off on Uplands Permit Issued for 298 Apartments
Mar 122015
 
Uplands Permit Issued for 298 Apartments

By Meg Muckenhoupt The e-mail that went out on Friday, March 6, was short and to the point: “Please be aware that today a building permit was issued for foundation work at the Belmont Uplands site,” wrote Glenn Clancy, Belmont’s Director of Community Development. “AP Cambridge Partners has fulfilled all requirements under the Zoning Board of Appeals Comprehensive Permit and the Massachusetts State Building Code necessary to secure a building permit.” The permit ends a decade-long struggle over the fate of the Uplands, a 13-acre site that straddles Belmont and Cambridge at the edge of the Alewife reservation. Now, the [READ MORE]

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