Garden Club Helping Repair Sandy's Windy Visit

Representatives from the Belmont Garden Club came to the Belmont Board of Selectmen's meeting Monday, Jan. 7 bearing gifts. Namely $3,000 to replace the damage to the town's urban tree population sustained during October's visit by Hurricane Sandy.

Nanny Almquist, the club's president, told the Selectmen that the gift would be used to plant 68 trees throughout Belmont with a target of planting them to replace those which were knocked over or seriously damaged in the storm.

Peter Castanino, director of Belmont's Department of Public Works, reported after the storm that 52 "whole" town trees came down in Belmont along with hundreds of branches. 

The Garden Club's gift will also go to help preserve Belmont's reputation as a Tree City USA community which the Arbor Day Foundation has bestowed onto the town for nearly 30 consecutive years.