Finding Sewer Leaks Means Detective Work

 Environment, March-April 2018, Newsletter, Stormwater, Water Quality  Comments Off on Finding Sewer Leaks Means Detective Work
Mar 212018
 
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. Figure 1 shows how we got here. Until 1900, Belmont was a farming community served by about 30 miles [READ MORE]

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Selectman Candidate Answers BCF Questions

 Board of Selectmen, March-April 2018, Newsletter  Comments Off on Selectman Candidate Answers BCF Questions
Mar 212018
 
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.   1. How would you address the amount of cut-through traffic in Belmont? Cut-through traffic in Belmont has always been bad, but it has significantly worsened with the development of GPS apps [READ MORE]

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Hello. Goodbye. And Thank You.

 March-April 2018, Newsletter  Comments Off on Hello. Goodbye. And Thank You.
Mar 212018
 
Hello. Goodbye. And Thank You.

Welcome to Sara McCabe. The Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter is pleased to welcome our new editor, Sara McCabe. Sara has more than 15 years of experience in publications management, and has produced magazines, books, web content, and other communications for a variety of clients nationwide, including Hilton Hotels and several state tourism departments. Sara is also a successful grant writer and has served on many nonprofit boards and advisory and event committees. She holds a bachelor’s in marketing from Santa Clara University and a master’s in organizational leadership and ethics from St. Edward’s University. Sara lives in East Arlington but [READ MORE]

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Historical Society Calls for Award Nominations

 Historic Preservation, March-April 2018, Newsletter  Comments Off on Historical Society Calls for Award Nominations
Mar 212018
 
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. Properties throughout the town, not just in the historic districts, are eligible. There are six categories of projects for nomination: Private residences; Commercial properties; Publicly owned properties; Properties owned by nonprofit institutions; Landscape projects; and Preservation of open space and land conservation. Individuals, companies, or institutions that have made significant contributions to historic preservation in Belmont will also be considered. Awards will be presented at the society’s annual meeting on May 16. Congratulations to last year’s awardees: [READ MORE]

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Symposium Explores Alewife Resilience

 Environment, March-April 2018, Newsletter, Water Quality  Comments Off on Symposium Explores Alewife Resilience
Mar 212018
 
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. Most of us know the Alewife Corridor area as [READ MORE]

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Thaddeus Frost House Local Historic District Proposed

 Historic Preservation, March-April 2018, Newsletter  Comments Off on Thaddeus Frost House Local Historic District Proposed
Mar 212018
 
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. In this case, the proposed district is a single property, which is allowed under M.G.L., Chapter 40C: Historic Districts. The Thaddeus Frost House on Brighton Street predates Belmont’s incorporation as a town in 1859. Colonial land grants established Watertown and Newtowne (now Cambridge) in 1630, including the land that is now Belmont. By the 19th century, large landowners, including prosperous farmers, were dissatisfied with high [READ MORE]

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Committee Recommends Six CPA Projects

 Historic Preservation, March-April 2018, Newsletter  Comments Off on Committee Recommends Six CPA Projects
Mar 212018
 
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). The CPA is a 2001 Massachusetts law that allows towns to establish a local fund dedicated solely to open space (including outdoor recreation), historic preservation, and affordable housing. Belmont adopted the CPA in November 2010. May’s Town Meeting will be Belmont’s sixth for appropriating funds to CPA projects. In the last five years, Town Meeting has appropriated more than $6 million for 33 projects, including the [READ MORE]

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Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day

 Environment, March-April 2018, Newsletter, Volunteer  Comments Off on Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day
Mar 212018
 
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. Students can earn community service credits. Bounded by Concord Avenue, Pleasant Street, and Mill Street, Lone Tree Hill spans 119 acres of permanently protected conservation land and is available to everyone. It is stewarded through a public/private partnership by the town and McLean Hospital, and [READ MORE]

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Environmental Events, March-April 2018

 Environment, March-April 2018, Newsletter  Comments Off on Environmental Events, March-April 2018
Mar 212018
 

Woolapalooza at Drumlin Farm Saturday, March 24, 10 AM–4 PM Celebrate the coming of spring at this annual festival featuring fiber, food, and fun! Highlights include new spring babies, a sheep shearing demonstration, hands-on activities for all ages, lunch made fresh from Drumlin Farm vegetables and meat (for purchase), and local fiber artisans who will offer demonstrations. Mass Audubon members: $15/person, nonmembers: $17, children under age 2: free. Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, 208 S Great Road, Lincoln.   Arlington Ecofest 2018: Greenward Saturday, March 24, 10 AM–2 PM Activities for all ages will center around land and water management, plants [READ MORE]

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