May/June 2020 Newsletter

 May/June 2020, Newsletter  Comments Off on May/June 2020 Newsletter
May 032020
 
May/June 2020 Newsletter

The complete May/June 2020 Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter is available as a PDF. Read individual articles below. Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day Postponed The volunteer day will be held in the fall, but we’d like to thank our sponsors now. Read more. Belmont’s Last Pandemic: the 1918 Flu The story of how Belmont responded is replete with both striking similarities to the 2020 coronavirus response and sharp differences. A weekly record of the influenza pandemic as it swept through Belmont in the fall of 1918 can be found in the pages of the Belmont Patriot. Read more. Cleaning Belmont’s Water Means More Work There [READ MORE]

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Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day Postponed

 Environment, Lone Tree Hill, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Open Space  Comments Off on Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day Postponed
May 032020
 
Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day Postponed

Belmont Citizens Forum’s Eighth Annual Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day in conjunction with the Judy Record Conservation Fund scheduled for April 24, 2020, at the Lone Tree Hill parcel has been postponed to the fall due to the current Coronavirus shelter in place order. A big shout out to the good Samaritans who picked up the trash at the bottom of Coal Road, along Pleasant Street and at the Mill Street parking lot. Later this year we plan to complete the planting of trees along the Pine Allee. THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS Gold Level Sponsors Anne Mahon Realty [READ MORE]

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Belmont’s Last Pandemic: the 1918 Flu

 History, May/June 2020, Newsletter  Comments Off on Belmont’s Last Pandemic: the 1918 Flu
May 032020
 
Belmont’s Last Pandemic: the 1918 Flu

By Vincent Stanton, Jr. Thought you could escape coronavirus news in the pages of the BCF Newsletter? You are safe, but there is a catch. If you can tolerate more grim news, consider taking a trip back to the last global pandemic, the so-called “Spanish Influenza” of 1918. The story of how Belmont responded is replete with both striking similarities to the 2020 coronavirus response and sharp differences. A weekly record of the influenza pandemic as it swept through Belmont in the fall of 1918 can be found in the pages of the Belmont Patriot. However, before diving into the [READ MORE]

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Cleaning Belmont’s Water Means More Work

 Environment, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Sewers, Stormwater, Water Quality  Comments Off on Cleaning Belmont’s Water Means More Work
May 032020
 
Cleaning Belmont's Water Means More Work

By Anne-Marie Lambert There is good news and bad news in Belmont’s January 31 Report on Compliance to the EPA. On the one hand, the town decided to go ahead and reline or replace many sewer laterals and rehabilitate significant sections of the sewer system in certain Belmont neighborhoods as part of a comprehensive construction project planned for spring 2020. On the other hand, the report indicates that while there was a lot of investigation work (dye testing and sampling) and design work between July 2019 and January 2020, there was no significant mitigation work during the fall construction season. [READ MORE]

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How the Community Preservation Act Works

 Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Town Committee Meetings  Comments Off on How the Community Preservation Act Works
May 032020
 
How the Community Preservation Act Works

Changes in Store for Future Planning, Town Meeting Votes By Elizabeth Harmer Dionne The CPA up to now In November 2010, 51% of Belmont voters adopted the Community Preservation Act (CPA), a state statute which allows communities to dedicate funds to acquiring and preserving open space and recreation land, historic resources, and affordable housing. Belmont property owners now pay a surcharge of 1.5% on the town’s annual real estate tax levy; residents who qualify as having low to moderate income according to state guidelines can apply through the Assessors Office for a full CPA surcharge exemption. Funds raised from this [READ MORE]

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Belmont Tackles Climate Vulnerability Planning

 Environment, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Stormwater, Water Quality  Comments Off on Belmont Tackles Climate Vulnerability Planning
May 032020
 
Belmont Tackles Climate Vulnerability Planning

By Catherine Bowen Take Belmont’s municipal vulnerability survey now. How is Belmont preparing for the impacts of climate change? As we are in the midst of a public health crisis, we are seeing the vulnerabilities and strengths of our community similarly to how we may experience them in a climate-change related crisis. It is timely that Belmont is now in the first phase of the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program (MVP), a tool Massachusetts created in 2017 to enable local governments to prepare for the weather-related impacts of climate change and address vulnerabilities, including emergency communications. Modeled on the state’s Green [READ MORE]

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Tree Loss Harms Urban Environments

 Air Quality, Environment, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, Water Quality  Comments Off on Tree Loss Harms Urban Environments
May 032020
 
Tree Loss Harms Urban Environments

By Florence DiTirro The National Land Cover Database from 2001 estimated Belmont’s tree canopy was 27% of Belmont’s land. From 2003 to 2008, Boston’s urban tree cover declined from 29% to 28%. This downward trend continues if we look at our state, our country, and our globe. The Massachusetts urban tree cover declined between 0.32% and 0.24% in the five years from 2009 to 2014, and the United States overall lost 1.0% of urban tree cover. Global loss was measured as -0.2%. It’s a sad state that we are losing our trees. What is there not to like about trees? [READ MORE]

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Changing Economics Alter Belmont’s Recycling

 Environment, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Recycling  Comments Off on Changing Economics Alter Belmont’s Recycling
May 032020
 
Changing Economics Alter Belmont's Recycling

By Terri Goldberg According to the US EPA, in 2017, the latest year for which they have published data, the United States recycling and composting rate was about 35%. The country’s recycling rate has been stuck in the low- to mid-30 percent range since the early 2000s in spite of the extensive efforts to improve it. In part, the recycling system has been working to keep up with the changes in the materials generated by households, businesses, and institutions. Over the past decade, the composition of municipal solid waste has been evolving away from newsprint, office paper, and glass containers [READ MORE]

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