Claflin Street Culvert Project

 March/April 2023, Newsletter  Comments Off on Claflin Street Culvert Project
Mar 012023
 
Claflin Street Culvert Project

Spot repairs of the trough of the old Claflin Street culvert took place in February 2023. The project includes the removal of the old grate system and replacement by a newly engineered grate with a larger mouth. The new grate is similar to the one behind the library and is designed to accommodate debris and greater precipitation. The new culvert will contain and direct higher water levels without limiting the flow. – Editor

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American Chestnuts May Return to the Wild

 March/April 2023  Comments Off on American Chestnuts May Return to the Wild
Mar 012023
 
American Chestnuts May Return to the Wild

By John Dieckmann Prior to 1900, an estimated three billion American chestnut trees populated the Eastern United States. It was an important tree ecologically, with its nuts being an vital food source for a variety of wildlife and a significant food source for people. Chestnut wood was used in both construction and in furniture making.  In the late 19th century, a blight fungus that attacks chestnuts was inadvertently imported from Asia. The fungus spores spread rapidly, and by 1925, the vast majority of American chestnut trees had been infected and killed. In the 1970s, the American Chestnut Foundation was organized [READ MORE]

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Profiles in Belmont: Jean Devine

 Environment, March/April 2023, Newsletter  Comments Off on Profiles in Belmont: Jean Devine
Mar 012023
 
Profiles in Belmont: Jean Devine

By Elissa Ely There were woods behind Jean Devine’s house growing up in Manchester, New Hampshire. As a child, she liked pressing leaves and hated wearing socks; her mother would send her outside on ‘safaris’ with apple slices, the family dog trailing behind. She was always late to school. Jean was unafraid of bugs and fascinated by Daddy Longlegs. Woods and spiders did not turn her into the environmental educator, native-plant coach, and landscaper she eventually became, but they were her introduction to nature. Her mother belonged to the Garden Club in an era when plots were visually beautiful, organized [READ MORE]

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Change Comes to Waltham Fields Site

 March/April 2023  Comments Off on Change Comes to Waltham Fields Site
Mar 012023
 
Change Comes to Waltham Fields Site

By John Dieckmann For the past 30 years, the 28-acre former UMass Field Station at 240 Beaver Street in Waltham has hosted the Waltham Fields Community Farm and several other nonprofit organizations. The property includes an office building, a boiler house, greenhouses, and sheds. Ownership has recently transferred to the city of Waltham, and as a result, significant change may be in the offing. History of the UMass Field Station The property is a portion of the 200-acre, mid-nineteenth century Cedar Hill estate that was owned by a successful business man named Samuel Dennis Warren, the namesake of the S. [READ MORE]

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Let The Charles River Run Free of Defunct Dams

 March/April 2023  Comments Off on Let The Charles River Run Free of Defunct Dams
Mar 012023
 
Let The Charles River Run Free of Defunct Dams

By Julia Hopkins For more than 400 years, the Charles River has been altered, controlled, and dammed to bend to the will of industry and profit.  The river we know today is not free. Instead, a river radically changed by the long history of human intervention. We dammed its waters to power industry, leaving a legacy of toxic pollution in our wake. We straightened its gentle meanders, buried its tributaries, and hardened its shores, constricting its natural flow. We drained and filled its wetlands to free up more land and let our parking lots sprawl right up to its banks.  [READ MORE]

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Opinion: Belmont Zoning Laws Penalize GR District

 March/April 2023, Newsletter  Comments Off on Opinion: Belmont Zoning Laws Penalize GR District
Mar 012023
 
Opinion: Belmont Zoning Laws Penalize GR District

by Chris Arthur The last article I wrote about zoning (“Belmont’s Zoning Needs Rethinking,” BCF Newsletter, January/February 2023) focused on changing the use of “nonconforming” properties so that all properties would have to abide by the same rules, and owners could build to the allowable requirements of the code. I also mentioned changing the code to create a smaller allowable footprint. This article focuses on the unfairness of the existing code to an entire zoning district.   Belmont’s zoning map can be found on the town’s website. There are several residential districts. For example, SR-C (Single Residence “C”) and GR [READ MORE]

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Join New Belmont Group Protecting Raptors

 Environment, March/April 2023  Comments Off on Join New Belmont Group Protecting Raptors
Mar 012023
 
Join New Belmont Group Protecting Raptors

By Jeffrey North Eagles, owls, and hawks are dying. Of the 161 Massachusetts raptors tested at Tufts Wildlife Clinic in a study between 2006 and 2010, 86% had poison residues in their liver tissue. And according to the EPA, more than 10,000 kids are poisoned by toxic chemicals left around residences, restaurants, or public parks to poison rats.  Take action Proven tactics to address the problem with minimal or no rodenticide use include Integrated Pest Management plans, engaging housing authorities, affecting retail and construction site practices, and a rat poison bylaw. And please support legislation currently before the House (HD [READ MORE]

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Opinion: Staffing Shortages Imperil Belmont

 March/April 2023, Newsletter  Comments Off on Opinion: Staffing Shortages Imperil Belmont
Mar 012023
 
Opinion: Staffing Shortages Imperil Belmont

By Paul Joy In the last few months, Belmont’s trajectory toward the fiscal cliff has accelerated with alarming speed. The School Committee has already been asked by the Select Board to find ways to plug a $2.1 million funding gap in its proposed FY2024 budget. These budget shortages, projected to continue in FY2025 and beyond, would require untenable cuts to our schools and first responders.  Are we capable as a town of changing our trajectory? Of investing in growth and renewal? In my opinion, as the co-chair of the Economic Development Committee (EDC), we must change. We must act now [READ MORE]

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CPC Changes Plan, Endorses Seven Projects

 March/April 2023, Newsletter  Comments Off on CPC Changes Plan, Endorses Seven Projects
Mar 012023
 
CPC Changes Plan, Endorses Seven Projects

By Elizabeth Harmer Dionne Every summer, members of Belmont’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC) update Belmont’s Community Preservation Act (CPA) Plan. Publication of the plan launches the subsequent fiscal year’s funding cycle, which begins with the submission of preliminary project applications each October. The current version of the CPA plan is posted on the town website. During its initial years, Belmont’s CPC learned a lot about elements of successful projects and how best to evaluate them. We have kept the structure and content of the original plan, but in recent years, we have refined and emphasized important provisions. One example is [READ MORE]

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Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions

 March/April 2023  Comments Off on Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions
Mar 012023
 
Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions

Each year, the Belmont Citizens Forum asks Select Board candidates questions about issues facing our town. This year, Elizabeth Harmer Dionne provided answers. She was limited to 1,000 words. BCF: During the time you have lived in Belmont, in what ways has Belmont improved as a place to live, learn, work, and connect? In what ways has the town “lost ground” as a place to live, learn, work, and connect? Dionne: In the 12 years since my family and I moved to Belmont, I’ve seen— and contributed to—a series of heartening improvements to the town. I have seen real infrastructure [READ MORE]

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Opinion: Belmont needs to get serious about climate goals

 March/April 2023  Comments Off on Opinion: Belmont needs to get serious about climate goals
Mar 012023
 
Opinion: Belmont needs to get serious about climate goals

By Brian Iler While providing $290,633 to BMHS Building Committee to complete the full solar array is an encouraging development from both a fiscal and environmental perspective, this observer is discouraged by the fact that the Select Board’s deliberations never included a mention of the climate-positive effect of the scheme. Instead, it was a 100% fiscal argument that carried the day. There are obvious reasons for this. Everyone can agree with a proposal that saves the town money. It’s a political no-brainer. What’s not clear is whether the town shares a sense of its moral responsibility to decrease its contribution [READ MORE]

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Belmont Needs School Roof Solar Panels

 March/April 2023, Newsletter, Solar Power  Comments Off on Belmont Needs School Roof Solar Panels
Mar 012023
 
Belmont Needs School Roof Solar Panels

By Brian Iler Photovoltaic solar panels (PVs) have been planned for the new Belmont Middle and High School (BMHS) since early designs for the project were presented in 2017. PV is integral to achieving this building’s Zero Net Energy goal. And to many in Belmont, Zero Net Energy was a big factor when deciding whether to vote for a hefty tax increase to fund this colossal project in 2018.  Since this vote, the funds reserved for PVs have been on the chopping block three times to offset project cost overruns. Public outcry—with advocates crowding into Belmont Middle and High School [READ MORE]

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March/April 2023 Newsletter

 March/April 2023, Newsletter  Comments Off on March/April 2023 Newsletter
Mar 012023
 
March/April 2023 Newsletter

Read the March-April 2023 Newsletter In this issue: Belmont Needs School Roof Solar Panels Photovoltaic solar panels (PVs) have been planned for the new Belmont Middle and High School (BMHS) since early designs for the project were presented in 2017. Read more. Opinion: Belmont Needs to Get Serious About Climate Goals  While providing $290,633 to BMHS Building Committee to complete the full solar array is an encouraging development from both a fiscal and environmental perspective, this observer is discouraged . . . Read more. Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day April 22 Come help from 9 AM-noon! Read more. Select Board [READ MORE]

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