The low-down on Mondays Board of Selectmen meeting to discuss the proposed change to the Community Path, after the MBTA raised safety concerns about a proposed route that crosses the tracks at Brighton Street.
The question for those of you who are planning to attend tonight’s meeting of the Board of Selectmen should be “what has changed” for Belmont since last Spring, when both Selectman Jones and Paolillo ardently supported passage of an Override. If the town needed it in June, why is it suddenly unworthy in January now that our budget deficit has grown and all-important one time funds, such as the Federal ARRA grants, have dried up?!
A proposed budget using the Warrant Committee’s “Available Funds” for the school proposes eliminating five full time teaching positions, art and music instruction at the elementary school level, language instruction at the middle school level and steep cuts to support services district wide. Time to get angry, people!
Two events to put on your calendar: an October 13 chat with Massachusetts House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Murphy on the state of the State’s budget. Then set aside the evening of October 27 for an important Community Dialog on the future direction of the public schools.
Just a reminder that the 8th running of “Brendan’s Home Run,” sponsored by the Brendan Grant Foundation is this Sunday, June 21st (Father’s Day). Race time is 10:00am, though a charity walk kicks off at 9:30am.
This year’s marathon, multi-session Town Meeting might be best remembered for what wasn’t heard last night: a single dissenting voice among the more than 200 assembled Town Meeting members to a motion to allocate more than $39 million for reconstruction of the Wellington Elementary School. The unanimous vote in favor was sweet victory for all those who have battled to have the aging school rebuilt!
An amendment by TM member Anne Mahon targeted at using free cash to preventing cuts at Belmont High School and preserving elementary library aides looked like a long shot, but won overwhelming support at Town Meeting last night. Where were you when you heard the Cat Leash speech?
Federal stimulus money may not avert staffing cuts. The School Committee meeting at Chenery Middle School Tuesday at 7:30 PM may be your best opportunity to speak out against cuts to teaching and support staff in Belmont’s Public Schools.
I’m sitting here listening to Don Mercier grill Tim Richardson of BMLD about easements like he’s Clarence Darrow at the Scopes Monkey Trial. Yep — you guessed it — its another night at Town Meeting.
Town officials submitted no fewer than 17 shovel ready projects to the state, with a price tag north of $30 million. Road, sewer and other improvement to municipal buildings top the list and range from a $14m project to rebuild 2.5 miles of new roadway and improved drainage along Trapelo Rd. and Belmont St., to a $35 request for a fan to blow exhaust out of the town’s municipal garage.