Sunday, February 3, 2013
The events that occurred in the past week in Belmont.
Belmont's historic First Congregational Church - Waverly, that stood as a beacon of communial life in Waverely Square for more than 140 years, was torn down in the matter of hours by a developer who will replace landmark with two or three two-unit townhouses. Dr. Thomas Kingston will be the Belmont School District's "interim" superintendent for an additional 18 months until June 2014 as he accepted the extension of his contract from the Belmont School Committee. The town announced that beginning in April, 10 weeks of work replacing Belmont Center's water mains and gas lines will occur between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sixteen roads will be repaired this coming construction season according to the town's enginner. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick'…
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Events that occurred in the past week in Belmont.
The town was shocked and saddened when news came that Dan Scharfman, Belmont School Committee member, died nearly a week after suffering a massive heart attack on Monday. His funeral filled the Beth El Temple where he was eulogized as making 'The world ... a better place because he was in it.' A decision on Cushing Village, the three building, 186,000 square foot retail and residential development proposed for the heart of Cushing Square, will occur 'by Town Meeting' in late April, according to the head of the Planning Board which has been reviewing the project for the past 11 months. Belmont legislators reacted cautiously to Governor Deval Patrick's $34.8 Billion budget proposal which will require large tax increases for improvements in …
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Events that occurred over the past week in Belmont.
The number of firearm licenses in Belmont has shown a steady increase in the past five years with permits rising by 26 percent for the most popular license over that time period. School Committee member and Board of Selectmen's candidate Dan Scharfman is hospitalized after suffering a heart attack early Tuesday morning. Belmont Savings and Mt. Auburn Hospital partnered to provide free flu clinic for residents on the same week as both Belmont CVS stores ran out of flu vaccine. Plans for Belmont's own retro burger joint located in the new strip mall on Concord Avenue was scuttled by neighbors due to potential cooking smells; in its place will now be a coffee shop. A new Breathalyzer policy has been established at Belmont High School. Town-…
Sunday, January 13, 2013
The events and stories over the past week in Belmont.
The first nine projects submitted by residents and groups have been selected to receive nearly $1 million from the town's two-year-old Community Preservation Act account in the inaugural round of funding. The historic First Congregational Church in Waverley Square was sold for $1.3M to a Weston-based development team that will likely demolish the site to build town house residential construction. Belmont's Roman Catholic parishes, St. Luke and St. Joseph, have been selected by the Boston Archdiocese as two of the first churches for reorganization under a far-reaching plan to answer year's of declining attendance and a shortfall of priests. With a $24,000 gift from an anonymous resident, the Belmont Police will have its first police dog …
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The events that happened over the past seven days.
It was a Merry Christmas in Belmont with no snow banks to maneuver around and with more of its residents working as the town's unemployment rate dropped to 4.2 percent in November, just about half the national average. It's never too early: nomination papers for Belmont's 2013 Town Election are now ready at the Town Clerk's office: there will be races for Town Meeting reps, Selectmen, two for School Committee and more. How much will Belmont residents pay going over the so-called "fiscal cliff"? Using a cliff calculator and putting in the median household income in the town – an equal number of households will be above and below the amount – the total comes out to be just under $5,000. Happy New Year. Belmont's US Representative Ed Markey …
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Events that occurred in the past week in Belmont.
Developer Christ Starr ended the initial size, scale and massing presentation before the Belmont Planning Board of his Cushing Village proposal with the release of preliminary designs for the Hyland, the third of three mixed retail and residential buildings that makes up the development at the corner of Common and Belmont streets. In an blistering attack, Belmont Schools Superintendent Thomas Kingston blasts the accreditation report of Belmont High School written last month by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, noting numerous misrepresentation of facts and outdated assumptions. Belmont Center was filled with shoppers late into the night Monday as 18 small businesses participated in Midnight Madness where retailers …
Sunday, October 14, 2012
The events that occurred in the past week in Belmont.
The candidates for state Representative – Jim Gammill, Tomi Olson and Dave Rogers – were part of a live debate on Thursday at the Belmont Media Center. Chris Starr, the developer of the $30 million Cushing Village proposal, brought detail plans for one of the three buildings that make up the development in the heart of Cushing Square. In addition, Starr issued an economic analysis of the project that showed the town would net $300,000 annually if the project is built. Nearly 500 residents volunteered their time on the Monday Columbus Day holiday during Belmont Serves, painting, cleaning and picking up more than 2,000 bags of groceries that were brought to the town's Food Pantry. The principal of the Butler Elementary School said that adult…
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Events occurring in the past week in Belmont.
The Belmont Board of Library Trustees was awarded a $7.5 million grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners for the construction of a new $18 million library that will be built across Concord Avenue from the current library location. The Trustees are beginning an aggressive fundraising effort before coming before Town Meeting in April for the approval to issue bonds for the remainder of the cost. Just about a year after being closed down, good news on the future of the two playgrounds: the Butler Elementary School Playground is just about 30 days away from when the public will be asked to volunteer a weekend to set up the playground equipment while residents are gearing up for the Joey's Park Walk-a-thon, a 2-mile …
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Events occurring in the past week in Belmont.
The Board of Selectmen announced their preference for the building of single-family homes on a town-owned parcel on Belmont Hill. Their decision came after a board meeting where more than 70 residents of the Hillcrest neighborhood expressed their opposition to a Georgia-based medical facilities developer who has expressed interest in building an end-of-life hospice on the land adjacent to Belmont Country Club. The Board of Selectmen approve a contract for the new Town Administrator, David Kale. Details in the contract will be released when the document is signed by the Cambridge official who is expected to start on Aug. 20. A possible axle malfunction on one of the passenger cars caused an outbound Fitchburg Line MBTA commuter rail train …
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Incidents and events that occurred in the past week in Belmont.
This Subway Stops in Belmont Center Today East Boston Savings Coming to Former Murray Sandler Site Selling the Cellar: Belmont Beer Store to Franchise Concept Romney's Belmont: Town's 'Rich' Reputation Not Exactly Earned Sun Setting on School Solar Panels Until Next Summer VIDEO: Belmont Bike Thief Caught on Surveillance Camera Ben Franklin Bang Up Belmont Armed Robbery Suspect Found Guilty Brownsberger: This Legislative Year's Scorecard
Bet
11:12 am on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Yes, It's really a shame that the community was not told about this atrocity until very recently. The demolision of the church was kept very quiet. People in the Waverley area feel that they are being dumped upon. The beautiful 140 year old church will be replaced with cookie cutter housing. more ›