Belmont Citizens ForumJul 14, 2010 · Wildflower Identification Using Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Saturday, July 14, 10 a.m.-noon. If you find yourself wondering what the flowers

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Belmont Citizens Forum

Vol. 8, No. 4 A Newsletter for Belmont Residents July 2007

This is a story about a church, a neighborhood,and a dilemma.

Three years ago, the Archdiocese of Bostonannounced that the Our Lady of Mercy propertywould be sold. That set off alarm bells in thesurrounding neighborhood. The property comprisesthe church, rectory, parking lot, and parish hall on fiveseparate parcels of land roughly bounded by BelmontStreet, Oakley Road, and Lawndale Street.

The alarm bells went off because of theeconomics of the site. The property is zoned forsingle-family housing, and each of the five parcelsexceeds the 9,000-square-foot minimum lot size for asingle-family house. However, at the Archdiocese'sselling price of $6.1 million, a developer could notmake an acceptable profit on single-family homes,unless they could be sold for a very high price—something in the vicinity of $2 million each. Thatdidn't seem feasible because of the proximity of abusy street.

The most likely alternative seemed to be aChapter 40B proposal. In communities where lessthan 10% of the year-round housing is subsidized, asin Belmont, Chapter 40B allows developers todispense with most local zoning laws to buildsubsidized housing. The downside of 40B is thepotential for housing of much higher density than thesurrounding neighborhood and all the issues that canarise from a large and fast increase in population. Inan effort to combat zoning that allows only costly,low-density housing, 40B provides little incentive forthe developer to take local views into account. In lightof the recent Uplands experience, The Our Lady of

Mercy neighbors were wary of a "hostile" 40B.Although a group of parishioners appealed the

sale to the Vatican, residents of the area "didn't have achoice," says Elizabeth Gibson, a neighbor. In theevent the sale was upheld by the Pope—which itwas—the neighborhood either had to act or be actedupon. They began to talk among themselves abouttheir vision for the area. Neighbors didn't wasteenergy fighting the inevitability of higher density onthe property but wanted to hold it to a level that didn'tfundamentally change their neighborhood.

In the spring of 2005, they met four times with theBelmont Housing Trust. The topic was a "friendly"40B. According to its 2005 annual report, the Trustwould develop affordable housing while preservingthe residential character of the neighborhood. Atabout that time, residents formed the OakleyNeighborhood Association (ONA).

In This Issue Environmental Events . . . . . . . . . 2

State Reps Push Uplands Purchase Bill . . 3

Farmers’ Market Serves Community . . . 6

Bakery Could Enliven Concord Ave . . . 7

Farm Animals Harken to Belmont’s Past . . . 8

McLean Decision OKs More Sewage . . . . 12

How do Sewers Get Relined? . . . . . . 16

By Bill Ellet

continued on page 10

Oakley Neighbors Unite to Plan Site’s Future

www.belmontcitizensforum.org

Charles River One Mile Swim. Saturday, July 21, 8a.m. Sponsored by the Charles River Swimming Club,this will be the first open water swimming race in theCharles. After decades of pollution, the Charles Riverhas benefited from the ongoing Clean Charles RiverInitiative, started in 1995 to restore the river'secological health. This swim is intended to raiseawareness of and celebrate the efforts that went intocleaning the river, as well as to highlight the need forcontinued clean-up to enable recreational swimmingin the future. Come to the river dock near the HatchShell on theEsplanade in Boston. For information,visit www.charlesriverswimmingclub.org.

Canoe and Kayak on the Charles River. Saturday,August 18, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Waltham'sWoerd Avenue boat launch for a leisurely paddledownstream and back, with the option of stoppingabove the falls on Moody St. for lunch at Margarita’sMexican Restaurant and Watering Hole. Bring your

canoe or kayak and flotation devices; some extracanoes may be available with advance notice. Formore information contact Karen Patterson at781-893-3355 or [email protected]

Wildflower Identification Using Newcomb'sWildflower Guide. Saturday, July 14, 10 a.m.-noon.If you find yourself wondering what the flowers arethat you see as you walk around Fresh Pond, thisprogram may be just right for you! We willdemonstrate the use of Newcomb's, a wildflowerguide that really works, then identify some beautifulspecimens in the nearby Water Department bio-swale.We have guides and lenses to lend, or you can bringyour own. Meet at the Walter J. Sullivan WaterPurification Facility, 250 Fresh Pond Parkway,Cambridge. Sponsored by Friends of Fresh PondReservation. To register for this free event, e-mailElizabeth Wylde at [email protected] orcall (617) 349-4793 and leave your name and number.

Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation AnnualMeeting and Potluck Picnic. Monday, July 16, 6:30p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Don't miss this opportunity to gettogether with members of the Friends group and enjoya good meal. After we eat we will talk about what wehave been doing this year, including several excitingnew programs. We will also brainstorm about whatwe would like to do in the future. Newcomers arewelcome. Bring a favorite dish and we will providetables, drinks, and dinnerware. If it rains we will meetindoors. Meet at the Maynard Ecology Center,basement of Neville Place, 650 Concord Avenue,Cambridge. Sponsored by Friends of Fresh PondReservation. To register for this free event, e-mailElizabeth Wylde at [email protected] orcall (617) 349-4793 and leave your name and number.

Summer Evening Mushroom Walk. Thursday, July19 and Wednesday, August 15, 6 p.m.-7:45 p.m. It'sthat time of the year when mushrooms of all colors,shapes, and odors start popping up. Join us for acasual walk on the sanctuary as we keep our eyesopen for a variety of fungi from puffballs tostinkhorns... and a few surprises along the way. Meet

Belmont Citizens ForumOfficers and Directors

Grant Monahon, President John Dieckmann, Vice President

Mark D’Andrea, Treasurer Evanthia Malliris, Secretary Sue Bass Sumner Brown

Newsletter Editor: Meg MuckenhouptArtwork: Ann Coit Sifneos

Belmont Citizens Forum Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that strives to maintain

the small-town atmosphere of Belmont, Massachusetts, by preserving its natural and historical resources,

limiting traffic growth, and enhancing pedestrian safety. We do this by keeping residents informed about planning

and zoning issues, by participating actively in publichearings, and by organizing forums on key subjects.

Our newsletter is published six times a year (January, March, May, July, September, and November).Published material represents the views of the authors

and not necessarily those of the Belmont Citizens Forum.Letters to the editor may be sent to P. O. Box 609, Belmont MA 02478

or to [email protected]

EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaall EEvveennttss CCaalleennddaarr

continued on page 5

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Dozens of Belmont and Arlington residentscrowded a State House hearing room on June 21 tosupport an innovative approach to saving the SilverMaple forest at Alewife from development. The JointLegislative Committee on Bonding, CapitalExpenditures, and State Assets heard testimony on abill proposed by state Representatives WillBrownsberger of Belmont, Jim Marzilli of Arlington,and State Sen. Steve Tolman of Brighton, whorepresents Belmont. The bill would authorize the stateto spend $6 million to buy the 15.6-acre site inBelmont and Cambridge and add the land to thestate’s adjacent Alewife Reservation — but only ifmunicipalities and private citizens kick in the rest,based on a state-ordered appraisal of the land.

This site has often been called the BelmontUplands. However, a portion of the 15.6 acres is inCambridge, a significant portion is wetlands, and eventhe “uplands” portion is quite low. The highest pointis only 27 feet above sea level.

Witnesses spoke about the importance of theSilver Maple forest to protect the habitat of wildlifespecies that require both wetlands and uplands, of itsrole in protecting the area from even worse floodingand water quality, and of the importance of preservingthis rare urban wild that is even accessible by subway.The committee did not deliberate on the proposal;committee members are now being polled on arecommendation. However, the testimony seemedwell received, and legislators asked a number of ques-tions, including whether other examples could befound of an apparently new state-municipal-privatefunding effort to save open space.

Organizations testifying in support of the billincluded the Mystic River Watershed Association, theFriends of Alewife Reservation, the Friends of theMiddlesex Fells, and the Belmont Land Trust; lettersin support are also expected from the Sierra Club ofMassachusetts and the Environmental League ofMassachusetts. Two Belmont Selectmen, Paul

State Reps Push Uplands Purchase Bill

continued on page 4

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By Sue Bass

UUppllaannddss


Solomon and Dan LeClerc, testified in favor of theproposal, as did Selectman Clarissa Rowe ofArlington, who also testified as chairman of theArlington-Belmont-Cambridge Flooding Board.Arlington’s Director of Planning, Kevin O’Brien, andCharles Tirone of its Conservation Commission alsospoke in support of the bill, along with numerousresidents of Belmont and Arlington.

Meanwhile, the Belmont ConservationCommission opened a hearing on June 26 on anapplication from O’Neill Properties, the owner of theSilver Maple forest, to construct their 299-unitapartment building adjacent to protected wetlands.The Con Com will meet again on August 7 in theSelectmen's meeting room, with the Upland issuescheduled for 8 p.m.

Earlier this spring, a suit was filed in SuperiorCourt by a group of citizens supported by the Friendsof Alewife Reservation to block the construction ofthe apartments. The Belmont Citizens Forum issupporting the FAR litigation with a small pool offunds earmarked by donors for the Belmont Uplands.

Uplands Purchase continued from page 3

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— Sue Bass is a Director of the Belmont CitizensForum.

Belmont’s sewers are being relined. Do you know how?

For the full story, see page 16.


at Visitor Center at Habitat Education Center andWildlife Sanctuary, 10 Juniper Road, Belmont.Sponsored by Habitat. The cost is $10 for MassAudubon members; $12 for non-members;registration is required. Call (617) 489-5050 for moreinformation.

Northeast Sector Walkabout. Monday, July 30,6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Chip Norton, Watershed Managerfor the Cambridge Water Department, will give a tourof Fresh Pond Reservation's Northeast Sector, wherean enormous amount of planting has been done thisspring. He will answer your questions, and use mapsand diagrams to help illustrate the goals for this majorrestoration project. This two-mile walk will be onpaved roads and unpaved paths. Meet at the Walter J.Sullivan Water Purification Facility, 250 Fresh PondParkway, Cambridge. Sponsored by Friends of FreshPond Reservation. To register for this free event, call(617) 349-4793 and leave your name and number ore-mail Elizabeth Wylde [email protected].

Insects and Ice Cream. Wednesday, August 1,6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Come on a bug treasure hunt as wesweep nets in Habitat's meadow to see whatwonderful creatures we can find! We'll listen forcicadas and crickets, look for grasshoppers andspiders, and see how many different kinds of beetleswe can find. After our meadow adventure, we'll haveice cream. Meet at the Visitor Center at HabitatEducation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 10 JuniperRoad, Belmont. Sponsored by Habitat. The cost is $7for adult and child Mass Audubon members, $9 fornon-members; registration is required. Call (617) 489-5050 for more information.

Meet Belmont. Thursday, August 23, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.Learn about Belmont's community organizations atthe 5th annual Meet Belmont event. This free eventwill take place at Belmont High School, 221 ConcordAvenue, Belmont. For updated information, [email protected].

Nighthawk Watch. Friday, August 24 and Tuesday,August 28, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. The fall migration of thecommon nighthawk occurs each year over a relativelyshort period of time. These interesting birds move

south while hunting insects at twilight. Find out morefrom Bob Stymeist who has been watching them forover 30 years! Meet at the Highland Farm entrancenear the corner of Concord Rd. and Somerset St.,Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 10Juniper Road, Belmont. Sponsored by Habitat. Thecost is $10 for Mass Audubon members, $12 for non-members; registration is required. Call (617) 489-5050 for more information.

Night Fliers. Thursday, August 16, 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m.The night sky is alive with the beating of bat andmoth wings. Using some tricks and some specialequipment we'll get a glimpse into this secretnocturnal world. You never know what we'll discover!This program is appropriate for adults and childrenages 6 and up; no younger siblings, please. Meet attheVisitor Center at Habitat Education Center andWildlife Sanctuary, 10 Juniper Road, Belmont.Sponsored by Habitat. The cost is $6 for adult andchild Mass Audubon members, $8 for non-members;registration is required. Call (617) 489-5050 for moreinformation.

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Events continued from page 2

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Farmers’ Market Serves Community

Sold out! That is what several Belmont Farmers’Market vendors reported on opening day, June 14.That is a very good thing for a farmer — and for localcitizens who not only enjoy fresh-picked produce andsmall-batch comestibles, but the opportunity to social-ize with friends and neighbors at the market onThursday afternoons.

“I loved the market,” said Belmont resident TeresaHowe of her opening day experience. “I got to seefriends and catch up.” Market vendors have comment-ed about the lively social scene and sense ofcommunity at Belmont’s market.

A trumpet fanfare by the Meyer brothers heraldedMarket Opening Day, along with a full complement ofvendors. Local June crops included salad greens,radishes, sweet peas, garden seedlings, tomato plants,and spring flowers. Breads and pastries, chocolates,lamb and pork, honey, cheese—and even soap—complete the offerings. Some vendors will attend themarket every other week; check with vendors abouttheir schedules.

Food and the arts seem to be natural partners.Musicians of all ages come and play at the market.July performers include Belmont resident KarenAllendoerfer, viola and fiddle; violin duo Pilar andDevon Hincapie; and the Lockett brothers, both

Chenery Middle School students, flute andclarinet. In June, young violinistsserenaded shoppers. Performers arerewarded with gift certificates purchasedfrom Belmont Center retailers by theBelmont Farmers’ Market Committee.

This summer also features a Food onFilm series, sponsored by the BelmontFarmers’ Market and organized by CarlhaVickers and Joan Teebagy. “I wanted tofocus on the importance of food in ourlives, and how it is viewed and thought ofin many different cultures,” said Vickers.“An underlying hope was that if peopleunderstood where their food came fromthey would do more of their shopping atBelmont Farmers’ Market.”

Films are free, and are shown on thesecond Tuesday of the month at theBelmont Public Library. The July 10 filmis Dinner Rush (2002), directed by BobGiraldi, and described as gourmetcinema. Director and restauranteur Giraldicasts his own New York eatery as aTriBeCa hot spot where the owner (DannyAiello) presides over a busy night of fine dining andmob entanglements.

The August 14 film, Babette’s Feast, directed byGabriel Axel, was the Best Foreign FilmAcademy Award winner in 1988. This Danishfilm is visually lovely, and one that makes usthink about choices, talent, gratitude, friendship,grace, and hope.

The September 11 movie will be announced.Vickers said, “We would love people to send intheir ideas for a movies and documentaries. Thiswould help make Food on Film veryparticipatory.”

To send in suggestions, or to get market dayreminder e-mails, see belmontfarmersmarket.org.You’ll get news about what’s at the market,delicious recipe ideas, the latest issue of theMarket's newsletter Roots & Sprouts, andreminders about special Market happenings.—Evanthia Malliris is a Director of the Belmont

Citizens Forum and serves on the BelmontFarmers’ Market Committee.

By Evnathia Malliris

www.belmontcitizensforum.org 7

Bakery Could Bring New Life to Concord Ave

After more than four years as a vacant eyesore,the Murray Sandler Skate Shop may soon be cookingup something new. Kay Wiggin, owner of QuebradaBaking Co. in Arlington and Wellesley, iscontemplating opening a third bakery, this one in herhome town. Wiggin met in May with Belmont plannerJay Szklut and a group of abutters to discuss the shop.“She had them literally eating out of her hand,” saidAnn Verrilli, a neighbor. “She brought a lot ofpastries.”

The area of Concord Avenue east of BelmontHigh School may be newest frontier for Belmontplanning. A neighborhood group, the Concord AvenueNeighbors Association, has been meeting for nearlyfour years. The group got organized when a WalgreenDrug Store was proposed for the skate shop site, afterneighbors of the former Volkswagen dealership onTrapelo Road shot down the idea of a Walgreen’s onthat site — which now has a CVS.

The next proposal for the skate shop site was asmall 40B housing development. Bill Ellet, one of theorganizers of the Concord Avenue NeighborsAssociation, said many people in the neighborhoodfavored that, once the skirmishes over the size hadbeen resolved at about 18 units of housing. But thedeveloper, Eli Jammal, didn’t pursue it, Ellet said.

Last fall, the group asked the Belmont PlanningBoard to begin a formal planning process for theentire area — not only the small commercial sectionon Concord Avenue east of the high school, butextending as far north as the Purecoat plant across therailroad tracks. The Planning Board agreed but hasrecently withdrawn that commitment, Ellet said.Szklut confirmed that. “Two meetings ago, thePlanning Board put transitional zones [betweenresidential and business neighborhoods] on hold andis focusing on Waverley Square and Belmont Center,”Szklut said.

Even if a Quebrada bakeshop cleans the dirtywindows of the skate shop and brings new life to thesite, the neighborhood association is going to pursueits dream of thoughtful planning for the whole area,Ellet said. “We want to go ahead on our own even ifwe don’t have the town’s help. At least we can takethe town’s vision statement and work up one for thearea.” He said the neighborhood association will call

a meeting, this summer if possible, to get started. The area faces plenty of challenges just on

Concord Avenue itself, which is a mixture of housesinterspersed with small businesses — a barber shop,gas station, dry cleaner, Chinese restaurant, beautyshop, building contractor, lodge for the Sons of Italyin America, and offices for law firms, dentists, a real

estate business, an insurance agency, and variouscounselors.

Parking is a problem, especially for 100 ConcordAvenue. The two-story frame building holds 13 smalloffices for group and individual counseling —bringing one or more cars every hour for each office,plus those belonging to the counselors themselves.The building generates more traffic and has far lessparking — only three on-site spaces — than the three-story brick building with law offices across WatsonRoad at 90 Concord Avenue.

The area is dangerous for pedestrians, Ellet said.Many children who live near the high school andattend the Burbank School don’t make the short walkbecause they’d have to cross Concord Avenue. “Whydo these kids get hit?” Ellet asked. “This area iscrying out for traffic calming.”

By Sue Bass


www.belmontcitizensforum.org8

Farm Animals Harken to Belmont’s PastPhotos and research by Georgia Howe

Young chicks in their Belmont coop. Models courtesy of Evanthia Malliris.

Belmont was mostly farmland when the town was first incorporated in 1859. Thetown was full of pigs and cattle, pears and strawberries. By 1915, Belmont’sgreenhouses sheltered 75,000 square feet of crops from the elements — and fromwandering livestock.

The Sergi farm between Glenn and Blanchard Roads is the last commercialvegetable grower in Belmont; there are also still traditional farm animals to befound in town. Chickens are growing more popular, and a horse lives nearWaverley Square. Your flowers are most likely visited by bees nurtured by one ofBelmont’s beekeepers. Even in a town of homes, the agricultural past survives.

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Chickens feeling small... and looking tall

at the Malliris residence

Willa Howe leads Charm, a full-grown miniature horse. Charm liveson Waverley Street with RalphMelanson. For 15 years, Charmworked at the Lovelane TherapeuticRiding Center in Lincoln, where hewould give gentle rides to childrenwith a variety of special needs,including autism, cerebral palsy, andDown syndrome. Now 20 years old,Charm is retired, but retains hissweet disposition.

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Eventually, an alternative to a friendly 40Bcropped up in the discussions about the property:Chapter 40R. Passed by the legislature in 2004 andsigned by Governor Mitt Romney, Chapter 40R givesmunicipalities financial rewards for adopting specialzoning districts for the construction of multi-familyhousing and single-family housing on small lots. Italso gives town departments and neighbors far moreinfluence than 40B does. To be eligible, a propertymust meet "smart growth" requirements set down inthe legislation such as accessibility to publictransportation.

Chapter 40R isn't a change in zoning. It is an"overlay" of zoning on existing zoning, allowing theproperty to be developed under either. A companionmeasure tied to Chapter 40R, 40S, provides funds for

local schools to help with the costs of additionalstudents living in 40R housing.

The ONA pursued this option in concert with thetown. Two members of ONA, David Johnson, anarchitect, and Nancy Conlin, a lawyer, provided probono analysis and guidance. Jay Szklut, Belmonttown planner, the Planning Board, and the Board ofSelectmen worked with the association to develop anoverlay proposal. Szklut obtained a state grant tofund a consultant specializing in Chapter 40R. Thatconsultant, Concord Square Development, moves theprocess forward to help realize a proposal that wouldpass muster with the State Department of Housingand Community Development and the town.

Before a town can adopt a 40R overlay district,the Massachusetts Department of Housing andCommunity Development (DHCD) must review theapplication, which takes 90 days. The Board of

Oakley Neighbors continued from page 1

Simplified map of the proposed overlay district, based on materials provided by Concord Square Development.

Senior Center

Parking Lot

Priest’s House Church

Rectory


Selectment approved submitting the 40R proposal tothe state on June 25, for submission on June 30. (TheDHCD only accepts applications on the last day of themonth.) The application will now move to DHCD forreview. Johnson said the hope is that the proposal willbe ready for the fall 2007 town meeting. However, italso needs to be approved by the Planning Board,which will hold a public hearing on the 40R overlaydistrict. Over the next few months, Szklut will hold anumber of meetings with the ONA and revise the 40Rapplication to reflect changes that DHCD mayrequest, to include the Planning Board's revisions, andto make improvements in the draft design standardsfor the overlay district — the rules that affect how thebuildings will look from the street.

The Our Lady of Mercy Smart Growth OverlayDistrict permits up to 20 units per acre that meetsmart growth standards with 20 percent to be deed-restricted as affordable. In return, the town wouldreceive "modest" financial benefits, according toJohnson's analysis. ONA members would like to see a

maximum of 18 units and preferably 16.Even with all the work and the persistence of the

neighborhood, there is no guarantee of a 40R develop-ment that meets the desired density and scale. There issome uncertainty whether the overlay district wouldpreclude a 40B. If the proposal receives all of the nec-essary approvals, a developer willing to meet thechurch's selling price and work with the parameters ofthe overlay district has to come forward or be found.

Nevertheless, the pro-active collaboration ofresidents and town government has created thepotential for an economically viable development thatadds to the town's stock of affordable housing and iscompatible with the kind of neighborhood residentswant to live in. Although the story is unfinished, thisshould be recognized as a significant accomplishmentand a possible model for development in otherneighborhoods.

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— Bill Ellet is a member of the Belmont CitizensForum Newsletter committee.


Despite evidence of continued sewage overflowsin the Winn Brook neighborhood, an administrativemagistrate has ruled that Belmont has enough sewercapacity to handle the additional flows from 750,000square feet of development on the McLean hospitalsite. The additional 83,000 gallons per day, which willflow through the Winn Brook area, will not threatenpublic health and safety, according to a recommendeddecision by Bonney Cashin, administrative magistratein the state Division of Administrative Law Appeals.The decision will not be final until confirmed byArleen O’Donnell, commissioner of EnvironmentalProtection, and if confirmed may be appealed to theSuperior Court.

In her recommended decision, Cashin notedevidence of sewage problems. She acknowledged thattown engineer Glenn Clancy provided evidence offive places in the Winn Brook neighborhood wheresewage spewed into the streets through manholesduring the May 2006 Mother's Day storm and 11places where sewage backed up into houses. She alsorecognized that the Massachusetts Water ResourcesAuthority had provided evidence of seven times thatBelmont was trying to send more sewage into theMWRA’s Flanders Road connection than it couldhold. Despite that information, Cashin said she wasnot convinced “that these problems are the result ofinadequate system capacity.”

The Belmont Citizens Forum and 12 citizens had

McLean Decision OKs More Belmont SewageBy Sue Bass

A map of Winn Brook streets which had had sewer back-ups, 1996-2006. The dotted line is Winn Brook.Gray lines show the boundaries of reported sewer back-ups; only some houses on each marked streetreported basement sewage. The number of houses affected varies by year: June 13-15 1998, 43 back-ups;on May 10-15, 2006, 16 back-ups. Information taken from Exhibit B, “Sewer Back-ups for the WinnBrook Area” as presented to DALA.

13www.belmontcitizensforum.org

challenged the state’s decision to issue a sewerconnection permit allowing the additional 83,000gallons per day of sewage. Two principal issues werecited: that the state’s review of the application wasinadequate, consisting of little more than seeing thatall the appropriate boxes were checked on the form;

and that the additional sewage flows would “result inimpermissible surcharges and overflows or otherwisefails to protect public health and safety.” Cashinrecommended against the Citizens Forum and thecitizen-petitioners on both grounds.

The Citizens Forum had particularly advocated anactual study of the sewer system’s downstreamcapacity in wet weather, instead of basing mitigationdecisions on rules of thumb or what othercommunities were requiring. The town’s sewerconsultant, Fay Spofford Thorndike, hadrecommended such a study in negotiations withMcLean, according to correspondence and meetingminutes, but the firm was apparently overruled.

“It’s an engineering problem, and you would thinkthat a town like Belmont would have an engineeringassessment,” remarked a recent victim of sewage,Rebecca Graham of Dean Street in Winn Brook.Sewage backed up into her basement laundry tubduring the Mother’s Day storm of 2006, Graham said.At her plumber’s recommendation, she stuffed a ragdown the sink and was able to stop the backflow; butneighbors who were out of town had a lot of damagefrom sewage, losing both their hot water heater andtheir furnace. “As far as I know, the town hasn’t doneanything,” Graham said.

Doug Massidda of Cross Street said he got hitwith three sewage backups in three or four monthslast year, one of them from the Mother’s Day storm.After one of the storms the family had to shower at a

neighbor’s house for several days. “I have a manualshutoff [valve in the basement to prevent backflows]but you have to remember to shut it off,” he said.Massidda also recalled sewage bubbling up from amanhole in Cross Street.

If the magistrate’s recommendation is endorsed byCommissioner O’Donnell, the Citizens Forum has anopportunity to ask the Commissioner to reconsider,citing the evidence — the significance of whichCashin apparently missed. (Until the Commissionerhas ruled, neither the petitioners nor anyone else maycontact her on the subject.) If O'Donnell reaffirms theruling, the petitioners will have to decide whether toappeal to Superior Court.

American Retirement Corp., now a subsidiary ofBrookdale Senior Living Inc., plans more than600,000 square feet of a continuing care retirementcommunity, advertised as Freedom Commons, on theMcLean property high on Belmont Hill over WaverleySquare. Adjoining that will be a 150,000-square-footresearch and development or office complex plannedby Belmont ValueRealty Corp. New sewer pipeswould run along Olmsted Drive, the new road beingcarved out of the hillside above Pleasant Streetopposite Shaw’s Market. At Pleasant Street theywould connect to the Belmont system and would runthrough the Winn Brook area en route to the FlandersRoad connection to the MWRA system, along with 80percent of Belmont’s sewage.



that day was weak; the sewage was diluted by aconstant flow of inflow and infiltration (I&I) water,the clean water that leaks into old sewer pipes andcauses big trouble at the bottom of the Belmont Hill.The new lining will plug up the leaks.

Once installed, the lining of an eight-inch sewerpipe is blue, tough, about a quarter-inch thick, smoothon the inside, pressed tightly against the original claypipe, and strong enough to be a pipe all by itself. Theformulation of the lining is a proprietary secret, but isfiberglass, more or less. These linings are expected tolast 50 or 85 years, depending on who you ask.Linings for eight-inch pipes cost about $32 a linearfoot, installed. By reducing I&I during storms, theywill both reduce the terrible sanitary sewer surchargesthat spill raw sewage into Winn Brook neighborhoodbasements, and they will give cute baby otters and

foxes that live downstream in the Mystic River water-shed a cleaner habitat. The linings will also cut theamount of wastewater flowing from Belmont to theDeer Island treatment plant, lowering our water bills.

Insituform Forms Linings On Site

Glenn Clancy, head of Belmont’s CommunityDevelopment Department, was pleasantly surprisedwhen a bid for lining sewer pipes came in about 25percent lower than expected (See “What’s the Cost toFix Belmont’s Sewers?,” Belmont Citizens ForumNewsletter, November 2006, p. 13,www.belmontcitizensforum.org/newsletters/2006/nov/BCFNov06.pdf). The low bidder was Insituform.Their proprietary technology and efficient, alert work-men impress me. If you pick stocks, you might wantto check them out.

Sewer Linings continued from page 16

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1. A resin-saturated, coated felt tube is inverted (left) or pulled (right) into a damaged pipe.

2. Next, hot water or steam is used to curethe resin and form a tight-fitting, jointlessand corrosion-resistant replacement pipe.

3. Lateral service is restored internallywith robotically controlled cuttingdevices, and the pipe is inspected viaclosed-circuit TV.

How Insituform Sewer Linings are Installed

Source: www.insituform.com/content/190/how_insituform_cipp_is_installed.aspx

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WWee nneeeedd yyoouu..If you can volunteer even a few hours a month, you canmake a difference. You do not need to be an expert—just aperson who cares about our town.

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If you have questions, please call (617) 484-1844. TheBelmont Citizens Forum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organiza-tion. Your donation is deductible from federal taxes to thefull extent provided by law.

Make checks payable to Belmont Citizens Forum andmail to Belmont Citizens Forum, P.O. Box 609, BelmontMA 02478. Thank you!

— Sumner Brown is a Director of the BelmontCitizens Forum.


Insituform's linings are made of fiber with animpermeable film on one face. The fiber is sewn intoa tube, and impregnated with a two-part resin. Whenthe resin is heated, it cures, and the liner becomes ahard, strong composite material. Linings are shippedin refrigerated trucks to keep them flexible. When theliner arrives on site, it is inside out, with the imperme-able film on the outside. It is hundreds of feet longand has the consistency of a pair of new, stiff jeans.

People who live beside the sewer to be linedreceive two notices — one week and one day beforework commences — that installation hours would be abad time to take a long shower. You do not need torefrain from using water while your sewer gets lined,but there are strict limits to water usage; otherwise,your lateral connecting pipe gets filled and sewagestarts overflowing from your lowest plumbing fixture.

After preliminary smoothing, cleaning, and videoinspection of the inside of the pipe, the lining isinserted. A refrigerated truck with the lining, an aircompressor, a steam-generating truck, and two mensurround an open manhole. Above the manhole,supported by a tripod, is the central piece ofequipment: a metal shell with lips on top, a short tubepointing toward the manhole on the bottom, and acompressed-air hose in the middle. After insertion, the

same hose conducts steam to cure the lining.The flat, floppy liner comes out of the truck, over

a roller, and into the lips which are tight so the linercan enter the pressurized shell without air escaping.The first end of the liner out of the truck gets attachedto the tube at the bottom of the shell. The remainderof the liner goes through the shell and inside the firstpart of the liner until it turns inside out and stopsmoving, mostly inside the old sewer pipe.

Compressed air pushes the liner through the shelland into the sewer. Thus the liner rolls into placewithout any rubbing against the sewer pipe. The com-pressed air keeps the liner pressed tightly against theold pipe and squeegees water out of the way. Whenall goes well, the lining for an eight-inch pipe goes inat about two feet per second.

A crew can insert two or sometime three runs ofliner a day. Each run typically lines two manhole-defined sewer segments. Once inserted, the far end ofthe liner gets attached to something that allows steamto escape but maintains pressure. Then steam goes into cure the liner. During the hour of curing, the crewrelaxes. They are happy to explain their work tostrangers.


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I was out running in early April when by chance Isaw what at first appeared to be a virtuoso videogame player with a public works crew. I watched ayoung man sitting before multiple video monitors anda rack of industrial electronics, manipulating imagesin front of him with a joystick, keyboard, andswitches. He was inside a specialized truck parkedbeside the rotary where Park Avenue ends at theBelmont Hill School.

The virtuoso was guiding a remote machine tool

deep inside a sanitary sewer to cut holes in a sanitarysewer pipe lining. The lining had just been installed inan old eight-inch clay sewer pipe, and had to be cut tore-open lateral sewer connections to homes. He hadaccomplices in another truck 500 feet closer to Route2, and he occasionally gave them terse instructions bya radio link.

Sometimes the joystick virtuoso also descendsinto sanitary sewer manholes, lowered and raised by awinch and a harness. Two of his colleagues died nearDes Moines a few years ago after entering a manholewith a ladder. They lost consciousness due tosuffocating gases, and drowned. You do not want touse a ladder to retrieve a 200-pound unconscious manfrom a sewer manhole filled with poisonous gas.

The sewage odor from the Park Avenue manholes

continued on page 14

People Are Asking

How do Sewers GetRelined?

By Sumner Brown

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Belmont Citizens ForumJul 14, 2010 · Wildflower Identification Using Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Saturday, July 14, 10 a.m.-noon. If you find yourself wondering what the flowers