Open space plan review community

1.23Priorities

The Town of Belmont has established the following initiatives as highest priority:

1.23.1Walking/Bike Trails

Since its inception in 1994, the Bikeway Planning Committee has made major progress in planning the routing and construction of new walking and biking paths that will connect to the nearby regional trails network. This committee has examined MDC and commuter rail resources and will be reporting on their progress later this year. Bicycle lanes have recently been installed on Concord Avenue between Belmont Center and the Cambridge City line.

1.23.2PRESERVE THE BELMONT UPLANDS

The Town of Belmont enacted a one-year development moratorium to study and develop a land-use plan for the Alewife General Residence Zoning District. The Belmont Uplands are part of this Alewife Area and therefore falls under the moratorium. This area plays a vital role in the wetlands drainage for the Town and its further development will jeopardize its ability to absorb water. A committee, appointed by the Board of Selectmen, has been reviewing and discussing options for the use of this property. O’Neill Properties, owner of the Uplands, has indicated that they would like to develop the property non-residentially, preferably with an office building.

1.23.3Renovate playgrounds and tot lots

The Belmont Health Department and other regulatory groups have identified several playgrounds in Belmont that are in need of significant renovation. The town is two-thirds of the way through a program to improve tot lots. Four have been completed and two are coming up. The town has allocated $100,000 per year to upgrade playgrounds. This has been done through a contract with Carol R. Johnson Associates, a professional design firm. Improvements will be made to Grove Street in the spring of 2000 and Payson Park in the fall of 2000.

9.2.4 COMPLETE THE COMPLEX
The Recreation Commission has determined that the Belmont High School track needs to be replaced. The track was constructed of asphalt many years ago and as a result is not safe for use. Most competing high schools will not allow the track to be used for meets. The football fields as well as the abutting athletic fields have significant drainage problems. A committee was appointed by the Board of Selectmen to develop a plan to rehabilitate the high school track and field. As the committee began their work, it became apparent that the entire high school complex, including the hockey rink and tennis courts, needed to be studied. These facilities are quite old and much time and money is put into them in order to maintain them and keep them safe. For example, the hockey rink was closed early last year due to a faulty compressor. A design consultant was hired to look at the high school complex and developed an ambitious program (in excess of 13 million dollars). While the plan received favorable reviews, it was recognized that a new approach was needed in order to accomplish the goals of the plan. The Committee reviewed the program and separated out the track and field. This year, at a special Town Meeting, funding was provided in order to design a new track and field.

1.24Funding Sources

There are a number of funding sources for open space and recreation protection.

Self-Help Program - The Division of Conservation Services (DCS) of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs administers the Self-Help Program. This program provides financial assistance to cities and towns to purchase conservation land. The Urban Self-Help Program helps communities pay for developing recreational areas.
DEM Greenways and Trails Demonstration Grants Program - The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has a Greenways and Trails Demonstration Grants Program. The program provides grants of $1,000- $5,000 to non-profit organizations, municipalities and regional planning agencies to support innovative greenway and trails projects.
National Recreational Trails Act (NRTA) - The Department of Environmental Management administers this program, which provides grants to non-profit organizations, government agencies and municipalities for trail development and trail maintenance projects.
Transportation Enhancements Program - This is a reimbursement program that funds projects in a number of categories including the provision of facilities for pedestrians and bicycle, the acquisition of scenic easements and scenic or historic sites, landscaping and other scenic beautification projects and historic preservation. The regional planning agencies and the Massachusetts Highway Department administer the program together.

1.25Responsibility Identified

The Five-Year Action Plan contains a designated lead agency/organization for every item. In most cases, more than one agency, organization or committee will need to be involved.

10. Public Comments

Beginning in March 1996, The OSPC has kept the Conservation Commission and the Planning Board informed of the work underway. The preliminary draft of the Belmont Open Space Plan was submitted to the Planning Board on May 29 as discussed in Section 1.2. In October 1999 the Town contracted with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to prepare the Section 504 Handicapped Self-Evaluation and to edit and complete the plan. A draft of the plan was submitted to the Town in June, 2000 and adopted by the Board of Selectmen in December, 2000.

1.26Regional Planning Agency

1.27Planning Board

1.28Chief Municipal Official

11. APPENDICES

11.1 Phillip B. Herr & Associates, Report to Planning Board, July 8, 1991 99

11.2 Richard Betts, Open Space Inventory Report, April 1, 1996 101

11.3 Nancy Childs, Report to Belmont Conservation Commission, August 31, 1995 103

11.4 Open Space Survey Questionnaire 105

Data Analysis & Overview of Survey 109

11.5 Open Space Planning Committee Membership List 123

11.6 Section 504 Handicapped Access Self-Evaluation and Plan 125