Short and early pre-empted edition as the Holy grail of sports is upon us Sunday and requires full attention.
Belmont Skating Rink Debt Exclusion
The Select Board voted 3-0 to place a somewhat modified version of the new skating rink on the April ballot. What’s changed since voters rejected the rink by 365 or so votes? A couple things… the rink has experienced mechanical failures during streaks of warm weather and ironically cold weather. The costs to repair the rink are rising (about $270k) as of writing. The estimated cost of the rink has been reduced as well by eliminating a viewing area, some maintenance space, demolition of the White Field House, no longer re-using the steel beams and a change in solar panels used on the roof. Estimated building cost is now closer to $30,000,000. The extra 4 Harris field locker rooms for Fall and Spring sports as well as a restroom for spectator use remain. The most substantial change appears to be to persuade a longtime politically connected critic of the rink by making the rink seasonal instead of year-round. The committee is now using the term sports facility to represent the 7 months of the year the recreation department will use the space for TBD programs. It is not known what impact the change will have on the annual operational cost and if the recreational fee-based programs will offset the loss of rink rental. Too early to tell the property tax impact per average single-family home. What appeared to be a boring April now provides a Rink Debt Exclusion vote and a vote to keep the Town Treasurer position Elected vs appointed by the Town Administrator.
Belmont History/Trivia
It’s been 40 years since the BHS class of 1983 graduated. Back in those days you could still buy records and tapes at Belmont Music in Belmont Center or get a Bailey’s Sundae. You also had what in the day was the must see event… the Senior Class Play. Who was the legendary director at the time? Bonus: Can you name the play?
Rumor…
A rumor started floating that Tatte bakery is coming to Waverley Square. Not sure what happened to the Taqueria rumor from last year but maybe the avocado shortage killed it.
Rumor #2…
Townie Talk is up for a NESNE Award for best editorial work in New England.
Ok this one is false, but it has to irk some special people in Town that the news is getting out and people are starting to pay attention.
School Superintendent search
Had the chance to attend a feedback session on qualities we would like to see in a new Superintendent. It’s no secret that a large contingent of Parents are not happy with the way they have seen things going the last 3-5 years.
The search has an aggressive schedule to try and find a permanent Superintendent in order to start by July 1st. It’s not a mandate but would be great if we can find that person to re-instill confidence in the system. About 20 Belmontians were in attendance with most having children in the school, graduated from the schools, and some having left the schools for private/parochial alternatives. The common theme was the schools need to focus on the children, academics, and mental health and much less on pronouns and race. One attendee said it feels like the liberal discussion on race fostered by MLK Jr was replaced with a more critical approach and that has fostered community division. I agree.
My three bullet points for a Superintendent were clean cut…
- Focus on quality over quantity and prioritize value.
Value is Teachers/Aides/Counselors facing the student on a regular basis. It is not a bloated admin focusing on strategies and metrics and DEI. The first rule is to Teach to the pupils needs and ability. 20% of the people do 80% of the work. Be smart and find and keep those people.
- Safety trumps everything. Belmont had out of school suspension for 18 students in 2022. That’s low for the State average. Don’t let race, income, disability, or cost cloud your judgement and or discipline. We live in a more violent society as evidence by the 6-year-old shooting his teacher and pre-teens pouring chemicals into their Teachers coffee. The safety of the Students and Teachers must be a priority over all else.
- Mental Health. The 2021 Belmont Student Well Being survey should have been an eye opener. The number of kids contemplating self-harm was 1 in 10 and higher in Middle School. The top stressor of middle and High School kids was School stress and feeling overwhelmed. Getting rid of the 8th grade DC trip, reducing recess, and in general taking any fun out of School is a quality we don’t want in the next Schools leader.
The Superbowl
If you read this in time…. Philly will cover the 1.5 pt spread. Miles Sanders or AJ Brown will score 2 or more TD’s, and for some risk all 4 (Miles Sanders anytime TD scorer, Phi -9.5 win, Miles Sanders over 64.5 yds rushing, Patrick Mahomes 1+ Int). So what I am saying is the Eagles OL will bully the Chiefs all game. Don’t care about coin tosses or half time entertainers.
Cushing square attempted carjacking
Doesn’t feel like old Belmont with the elevated crimes the last few years. An attempted car jacking was reported in Cushing Square Wednesday night according to a Twitter feed. The three suspects fled to Watertown and then disbursed on foot.
Belmont Business Spotlight…
RinkLink
Started by Charlie Brodigan, a BHS Grad and former BHS Hockey player. Charlie is focused on automating the ice rink industry with yield management to improve financial outcomes and facilitate member communication. The company is presently in seed funding mode. Never bet against a Brodigan.
Belmont XC legend in the making…
Ellie Shea was named USATF Athlete of the month. She ran 2:44.51 in the 1000m at the BU Terrier Classic. That is good enough for 2nd fastest HS time in the Country. As Adam Sandler would say… not too shabby.
Belmont United Methodist Church for Sale
A staple in Cushing square is on the real estate block. After over 100 years in Cushing Square the church is consolidating and will be putting the property on the market.
SOTU…
No, that wasn’t a Saturday Night Live parody of a State of the Union address. While First Lady Jill Biden makes out with Kamala Harris’s husband… we get a British House of Commons like display of Liar, Liar pants on fire. Bidens speech completely ignored Russia which is amassing 500,000 troops on the Ukraine border and vocally threating to invade Poland and for good measure nuking Britain. Meanwhile, the Chinese continue to prepare to invade Taiwan, Iran has enough enriched uranium for three juicy bombs, France and Britain see massive labor strikes, and Germany mulls reinstituting the military draft.
In domestic news, both Disney and Yahoo announce major job cuts. A couple NJ politicians are murdered, and a US Congresswoman is attacked. The likely winner of the Superbowl comes from a city that smells like a Fenway urinal, and America debates pronouns. Oddly enough my teachers always referred to me as PJ. Not Mr. or Mrs. or Check in the box.