In Belmont, it’s what is hidden from you that should keep you up at night.
Townie Talk 02478
Volunteers Needed for Lawsuit
It’s become abundantly clear the MBTA forced density housing plan has housing advocates salivating. So much so that they want to take Star Market in Waverley Square by “eminent domain” and build a massive 6 story housing complex on the site.
The Good news is communities are pushing back against the constitutionally questionable mandate. Milton and Marshfield have challenged the mandate and now a citizen’s group in Wakefield and another in Rockport are suing their Town’s to fight back against the mandate. The Belmont Select Board is asleep at the wheel on the damage this housing density plan can cause so a lawsuit may be the only way to wake them up. Someone please save our Town.
Boston Red Sox – Belmont High Grad
Katie Manganelli, BHS class of 2018, and former BHS softball player is a major contributor to the media coverage of the Boston Red Sox. Manganelli covers the Red Sox and most of her work can be found at www.bosoxinjection.com.
$10,000 Raffle
The Belmont Lions Club raffle drawing is this Saturday May 4th, at the Watertown Sons of Italy club, 520 Pleasant Street in Watertown MA opens at 7pm. Tickets are $100 and includes one raffle ticket to win $10,000 but also gets you in the door for a night of Trivia. Light fare and cash bah. 300 tickets will be sold, and 10 tickets will be drawn. Then the fun starts… if all 10 numbers drawn agree to share the pot… each will get $1,000. If just one of them say no, then they remove one ticket at a time until either all agree on splitting the pot or just one remains. Proceeds benefit the Lion’s club a charitable Town club. I have my ticket. Rules and disclosures on back of ticket.
School Committee Scandal?
The Belmont School Committee funded a Demographic study by McKibben Demographic Research LLC. The report is dated January 2024. Shortly after the Override vote, the School Committee released the findings. The findings show the obvious at least to anyone with a brain. Belmont’s student population is returning to historic norms and will be sub 4,200 by 2034. Why did the School Committee wait to release the January study which was material to the override vote?
How does the Warrant Committee respond to a shortfall of 600-800 students after years of the school system sucking up a disproportionate share of the budget at the expense of the Town side based on the now debunked explosive enrollment growth expectation? We have and have had a Top 10 school system for decades. The law of diminishing returns clearly applies here. There are plenty of areas outside education that would provide a greater return to residents and the Town overall. It’s long past due to revisit the unsustainable budget split.
Come back to BPS.
There are rumors about starting a “Return to Belmont” campaign for the 500 or so students who are home schooled or choose to attend private or parochial schools. Apparently, the fancy new $300m+ 7-12 school didn’t make a difference. The problem was never the school buildings… it was the school system. Was it the disabling Covid response by Town and School leaders who should be mocked for their absurdity especially as evidence rolled in that lockdowns were not effective? Maybe it is the extreme progressive political indoctrination pervasive in the schools today, or maybe the “good enough” attitude toward children with varying levels of learning disabilities while the bulk of attention was spent on the elite students for bragging reasons. Plenty of reasons to choose from and none will be addressed.
Belmont Public Schools Enrollment numbers now and projected over a decade.
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 | 2033 | 2034 |
| K-12 | 4700 | 4420 | 4356 | 4378 | 4380 | 4390 | 4299 | 4251 | 4205 | 4217 | 4205 | 4190 | 4181 | 4171 |
“The Illegals are coming… the illegals are coming!”
(imaginary modern day Paul Revere in Lexington)
Lexington Ma. residents just found out that Governor Healey has chosen Lexington to house 57 illegal immigrant and homeless families. The immediate response from Lexington families was what impact this would have on MCAS results. Rest assured Governor Healey said this is temporary transition housing (sure thing wink/wink). Somehow, I suspect the temporary inhabitants will end up in Framingham or Chelsea just prior to test time. Is Belmont immune… maybe as we have little unoccupied space for now?
Lizzie Speaks
The Select Board chair is the gift that keeps on giving so “Lizzie Speaks” is becoming a regular headline.
Lizzie certainly has a bee in her bonnet with longtime Belmont taxpayer/landlord Locatelli properties. Her latest salvo is the absurd threat of using “eminent domain” to seize commercial properties in Belmont that don’t fill the desired wants of the Select Board. What would Lizzie like to see in Belmont… well boutique hotels of course. Does she know the State has been seizing hotels and other facilities to house illegal immigrants and the homeless? Has she talked with Bedford and Concord over the harm those seizures have caused. Does she not understand that Belmont residents are the biggest offenders in not supporting local businesses? Anyways… stay tuned for the next Lizzie speaks headline. You never know what she may say. If any property gets seized by eminent domain, it should be mine. Please, please… you could fit a couple families inside and several tents in the back yard. $1.7m is fair. USD not Bitcoin.
$39.5 million New Belmont Memorial Library News
The good news so far is the new Belmont Library project remains on budget according to a spokeswoman at the recent Town Meeting. That is good news. There was no mention of any contamination issues contrary to the rumor in Town that during demolition asbestos in the library walls was released into the nearby brook. That would be an environmental nightmare as the brook feeds into the claypit. I believe the Conservation commission would have oversight and would have alerted the Town if such an issue occurred. Fingers crossed as no one wants an EPA issue.
Save the “Skip” Rink News
After the new rink committee tried to be everything to everyone in Town… the Skip Viglirolo skating rink is on the verge of becoming a parking lot. Why? The original $29.9m cost ($28.6m after donations) is now expected to cost north of $34.2m. This is what happens when you take a rink that needed replacing and turn it into a sports complex for pickle ball and yoga and place $1.3m solar panels on the roof. The increase is being blamed on bird poop and Bidenflation by committee members although TT sources have implied there is linkage to the BHSMS committee dumping of the work West of Harris field that contributed to the deficit. Worse yet there were rumors the facility would no longer carry the longtime HS Hockey Coach and former Town DPW commissioner’s name. More details will come forward in June.
Boycott ends.
My 1-year boycott of Bud Light is over. Hopefully, vendors will learn from this and stop pushing political ideologies either way. BTW… the coldest beer available since Jamaica Jeff’s closed is easily the Bud Light draft at the Chateau for those wondering.
Public Service announcement
In the last edition of TownieTalk it was suggested, home sellers have a 1–3-year window to sell before the crash. Based on new information that window is closer to 9-18 months. Recently, the Boston Globe ran a story about how Belmont real estate experienced a 7% drop in home prices over the 2022-2023 timeframe. The price decline was blamed on the surge in interest rates under the Biden Administration combined with already excessive prices keeping buyers on the sideline. Belmont’s Realtor to the Stars has informed me that prices have rebounded at the start of 2024 but for how long. Belmont has seen a major increase in homes north of $2m on the market and even had a home sell for $6.25m making the $1.7m price tag for my home and TT no more than bubble gum and comic book money. Still no takers but I know progressives only like to spend other people’s money so why not use CPA funds and buy it for some low-income family or to house illegal immigrants. It’s got 5 bedrooms so you could really squeeze dozens of them in and it would help with the school population problem (more later).
Why did the timeframe change suddenly? Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan Chase CEO) just renewed his belief that STAGFLATION was becoming a higher risk. For those who don’t recall the term it’s because we haven’t experienced it since the late 1970’s under then President Carter. Essentially it means stubbornly high inflation with rising unemployment and slowing or negative growth in GDP. The recent disappointing Q1 GDP growth of 1.6% along with inflationary pressures will likely lead to layoffs and recent college grads are already seeing a less than ideal environment for jobs in their fields. Pay attention folks.
Why do so many protesters wear Covid masks??
A survey came out recently that showed Anti-Israel campus protests are not having the effect organizers wanted unless uniting antisemites and the LGBTQ movement is a goal. Turns out embracing Hamas and Hezbollah was a bridge too far for most American’s. Americans tend to hold favorable views of Israel and Palestinian people but that opinion sours when terrorist organizations are exulted.
Protesters are now upset that there are repercussions for their law breaking. Suspensions and expulsions are only part of the punishment… since arrests records are permanent and unmask the masked. The stench of participating in such events will stay with these misguided students forever and will make applying for jobs difficult.
On a positive note, it appears the Belmont protests have lost interest after public opinion changed when a Katherine Clarke event was disrupted by protesters.
In Memoriam
Chris Grande was a “Facebook” friend, and I enjoyed reading his contributions to Town and World issues. Chris was a graduate of Arlington Catholic and it showed in his passion and beliefs which served a higher purpose. Chris passed away this week suddenly at the age of 51, leaving behind wife Sophia and two children, Christian and Kimi. It’s a devastating loss for the Grande family and the loss of a valued voice for the community. Rest in Peace Chris.
Former Belmont Superintendent of Schools, Peter Holland, recently passed away. Holland was instrumental in bringing Belmont into the LABBB Collaborative during his tenure.
James “Jim” Shaughnessy recently passed. Jim leaves behind his wife Mary, and boys Jay, Michael, and Jeff. Jim was a regular figure in the Belmont sports scene.
MAC JONES 2.0
I am going on record that drafting Drake Maye (a QB with mobility issues and trouble getting past the first read) is repeating the same mistake Bob Kraft made by forcing Belichek to select Mac Jones. Just because you like the face of the franchise does not excuse the glaring lack of ability to carry a team. They should have traded down and taken Minnesota’s two first round picks and next years first rounder. Build your OL and WR’s up now and draft a QB next year with one of your 2 first round picks. The last few years have exposed that Kraft was the weak link that broke up the dynasty. His forcing bill to trade Jimmy G and then his failure to spend on prized free agents created a wedge between Tom and Bill and here we are.