Zipcar Brings Two to Town; Tennis Courts Done

Zipcar is just about ready to bring at least two of its rental cars to Belmont Center, Town Administrator Tom Younger told Belmont Patch Friday.

The Cambridge-based car sharing company that lends automobiles for short round trips, has its eyes on two municipal-owned parking spots they will rent from the town, allowing residents with a Zipcar membership and town employees to use its service, said Younger.

An agreement will come "in the very near future," he said.

Belmont Center will be the test site and if activity is strong, there is an opportunity other parking spaces will be added in the Center and at locations in Belmont's other commercial centers such as Cushing and Waverley squares.

Arlington and Newton also have sites in their towns.

Younger said Zipcar brings several benefits to Belmont.

"It's revenue for the town of Belmont, a service to residents and environmentally it's good because it means fewer cars on the road," he said.

Getting the bounce at Winn Brook 

It's bright blue and fun but it is not a Smurf.

The week-long renovation of the tennis courts at the Winn Brook Playground, which was coordinated by the Department of Public Works, is complete, said Assistant Town Administrator Kellie Hebert. The new playing surface cost $24,100 which came from the Town’s Capital Improvement funds.

"Tennis players are now welcome to play on their new courts," said Hebert.

Recognizing all vets

Gregory Arabian knows he'll be asking a lot from the town and the Board of Selectmen. 

The Commander of Belmont Post 2008 of the AMVETS veterans organization, Arabian wants the town to erect a granite wall near the flag pole facing Concord Avenue in the Town Hall complex with the name of all Belmont residents who ever served in the armed forces from the Revolutionary War until today. 

Arabian said that would require the carving of just under 5,000 names.

"They gave a piece of their lives, their careers and their futures and they should be on that roll of honor," said Arabian.

Arabian noted that a quarter of century ago, the Belmont Board of Selectmen voted to create just what he is advocating today.

He said the idea for this memorial come from a memorial that once stood in Belmont Center honoring each resident who was in the armed forces during WWII. 

He said the wooden Wall of Honor, dedicated in the 1940s, was taken down by the town in the 1970s due to wear and tear. Later it mistakenly sent to a landfill. 

In 1985, the Selectmen "made a promise to the town that they would replace the Wall of Honor with a new structure," said Arabian. And this monument should be made to last several lifetimes.  

The greatest obstacle facing the project is money and Arabian doesn't know what it would cost or the timeline for such an ambitious venture to be completed, but he'd like to do some fundraising and see if businesses would contribute.

Younger told Arabian that before coming to the Selectmen with his proposal, he should calculate the price tag for this project.

Yet whatever the final cost is, "I do want the Selectmen to keep their promise," said Arabian.