Belmont Citizens Forum Is it Time to Get Natural Gas Out of Belmont? Local initiatives could affect emissions, climate By Roger Wrubel In 2009, Town Meeting adopted a Belmont Climate Action resolution committing to an 80% reduction in our town’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. An inventory in 2015 found that Belmont had reduced its GHG emissions by 5% compared with 2007. The inventory showed that the most of Belmont’s emissions came from home heating and vehicles. Most of the reduction in emissions in the last nine years is attributable to a shift from using

oil for home heating to natural gas, and CLIMATE.NASA.GOV a similar shift to natural gas from coal Models of molecules of greenhouse gases that trap heat. and oil to generate electricity for the Natural gas is primarily methane. New England grid. In 2018, the Belmont Energy three sources, electrifying houses and businesses Committee issued Achieving Our Climate would drastically reduce our carbon emissions Action Plan: A Belmont Roadmap for Strategic and the rate of atmospheric warming. Decarbonization. The roadmap showed that For Belmont, the strategy involves moving the rate of decline of emissions in Belmont was to all-electric homes and transportation while not sufficient to meet our 80% reduction goal transitioning the electric grid to 100% clean by 2050. More aggressive action is needed. The energy. Toward this end, Belmont Light’s roadmap calls for “strategic electrification” with strategic plan calls for moving to 100% electric heat pumps replacing 50% of oil heating renewable energy by 2022. systems by 2025 and 50% of gas heating systems by 2032, and for 50% of all new vehicles to be Electric Heat Pumps electric by 2030. Electricity is the only form of energy we can Electric heat pumps are those square gray produce without releasing greenhouse gases. boxes that are becoming more common No matter how efficient your gas furnace is and outside buildings. They are very efficient at how much insulation you put in your house, moving heat from outdoors into buildings you still need to burn natural gas to heat your to heat them, even at typically low New house, which releases GHGs. But you can heat England temperatures, and removing heat your house and heat your water efficiently from inside a building for cooling. Heat with electric heat pumps without adding heat- pumps can also power water heaters. For trapping gases to the atmosphere by using solar, more information on heat pumps and how wind, and hydropower to produce electricity. If they work, see bit.ly/MA_Heat_Pumps most of our electricity were produced from those November/December 2020 Preserving Belmont’s Small-Town Atmosphere Vol. 21, No. 6 Massachusetts has recently begun to consider Belmont Citizens Forum its own roadmap to reach its own aggressive climate goals. In April 2020, the Executive Office Officers of Environmental and Energy Affairs (EOEEA) Grant Monahon, President issued a Letter of Determination establishing John Dieckmann, Vice President a GHG reduction target of at least 85% from Evanthia Malliris, Secretary 1990 levels by 2050 as the Commonwealth’s new legal emissions limit. State Senate and Radha Iyengar, Treasurer House bills addressing a pathway to reach the Commonwealth’s goals are now in conference Directors committee: House bill H.4912, An Act to Create Sumner Brown a 2050 Roadmap to a Clean and Thriving David Chase Commonwealth and Senate bill S.2477, An Act Vincent Stanton, Jr. Setting Next Generation Climate Policy. Why not natural gas? Newsletter Natural gas has been described as a bridge to Meg Muckenhoupt, Executive Editor a renewable clean energy future. This is because Mary Bradley, Managing Editor burning natural gas to generate electricity Sue Bass, Newsletter Committee, results in the release of 50% to 60% less carbon Director Emerita dioxide than oil and coal. Substituting natural

Virginia Jordan, Evanthia Malliris, gas for the other fossil fuels would allow us NOAA.GOV Vincent Stanton, Jr. time, or the “bridge,” to develop new renewable, non-greenhouse gas-producing technologies to meet our climate goals. That goal should be to Belmont Citizens Forum Inc. is a not-for-

MEG MUCKENHOUPT MEG limit the increase in the average global temper- profit organization that strives to maintain Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over the last 800,000 years. ature to 1.5°C, compared to preindustrial levels, the small-town atmosphere of Belmont, as recommended by the International Panel on Massachusetts, by preserving its natural and use will increase, as shown by their continued most cities you can commonly smell methane Climate Change. Have we reached the end of the investment in gas infrastructure, including leaking from underground pipes. Methane is historical resources, limiting traffic growth, bridge? pipelines, gas compressors, and storage which actually odorless so mercaptan, which stinks, is and enhancing pedestrian safety. We do this The Natural Gas Council ads promote natural will last decades. Do you think the industry added to natural gas so leaks can be detected. by keeping residents informed about planning gas as clean, reliable, and domestically produced is planning to abandon that infrastructure so (See “80 Natural Gas Leaks in Belmont,” Belmont and zoning issues, by participating actively in with a clean, blue flame. Perhaps you have we can eliminate emissions from fossil fuels by Citizens Forum Newsletter, May 2016.) public hearings, and by organizing forums. switched from an oil-burning furnace to an 2050? Methane is a much more powerful heat- efficient gas furnace, paid for largely with gas Besides carbon dioxide emissions, another trapping molecule than CO2, although its The BCF Newsletter is published six times a utility subsidies. These campaigns have been troubling aspect of natural gas is that global atmospheric concentration is much lower year, in January, March, May, July, September, successful. Total consumption of natural gas in methane concentrations in the atmosphere are than that of CO2, and it cycles through the and November. Published material represents the United States increased by 29% in the last also increasing. Natural gas is mostly methane, atmosphere much more rapidly than carbon 20 years while total consumption of energy the views of the authors and not necessarily a carbon atom surrounded by four hydrogen dioxide. The half-life of methane in the has been essentially flat. Hundreds of coal-fired those of the Belmont Citizens Forum. atoms; natural gas that ends up in pipelines is atmosphere is about nine years, while CO2can electric power plants have been replaced with about 95% to 98% methane. When methane is hang around for centuries. Methane traps 86 natural gas generators. Letters to the editor may be sent to burned completely, the hydrogen-carbon bonds times more heat than CO2 over a 20-year period. Burning natural gas still produces the green- are broken, releasing energy as heat along with So methane must be reduced to keep global P. O. Box 609, Belmont MA 02478 or to house gas CO , and lots of it, as carbon dioxide 2 carbon dioxide and water. temperatures below critical levels by 2050. [email protected] concentrations continue to rise. It is hard to Methane is released into the atmosphere by Reducing natural gas use within this short time imagine how either Belmont or Massachusetts both natural and human activities. Methane frame is an essential part of the solution as the belmontcitizensforum.org can reach their climate goals in the next © 2020 Belmont Citizens Forum. All rights reserved. is discharged from volcanoes and wetlands. window of opportunity to act closes. 20 to 30 years without immediately transi- Human-induced sources of methane include Since many houses in Belmont and our neigh- tioning away from natural gas. Instead, the gas rice paddies, cows, landfills, and fossil-fuel boring communities have fossil-fuel heating industry is trying to ensure that natural gas production, transmission, and distribution. In systems, converting to electric systems will take

2 belmontcitizensforum.org November/December 2020 3 spearheaded efforts with Belmont Light to reduce Bitner said that the EC had readied an the town’s carbon footprint in a variety of ways, Emission-Free zoning by-law similar to the including inventorying GHG emissions and Brookline bylaw to present at Town Meeting. running clean energy campaigns: a residential When the attorney general rejected the energy efficiency campaign, Belmont Drives Brookline bylaw, Belmont’s bylaw had to be Electric, Belmont Heat Smart (encouraging shelved. Bitner said the EC is now studying electric heat pumps), and Belmont Goes Solar. legal alternatives: having the legislature pass an In 2011, Belmont adopted the Massachusetts emission-free electrification bylaw for the entire Stretch Building Code which required a higher state prohibiting fossil-fuel use for heating in level of energy efficiency in new construction houses and other buildings, or allowing each and major renovations. municipality to have the right to pass its own Marty Bitner, EC co-chair, states that the EC emission-free bylaw. wants to engage with all town committees and Bitner says there are four possible paths town officials to make climate considerations forward for emission-free electrification in front and center in the town’s decisions. To Belmont. this end, the EC has had a seat at the table in ● A nonbinding resolution. Belmont Town planning the new Belmont Middle and High Meeting could pass a nonbinding resolution School, now under construction, which will demanding the state enact legislation be zero-net energy and have no natural gas requiring electric heat and cooling in new service. A general definition of a zero net energy construction, so that the state could comply building is that the amount of energy provided with its own Global Warming Solutions by on-site renewable energy sources is at least Act adopted in 2008 as well as the Letter of equal to the amount of energy used by the Determination recently issued by EOEEA. building (see www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/ The town could coordinate delivering parallel NOAA.GOV zero-energy-buildings). The EC has also worked closely with the Library Building Committee to Mean monthly atmospheric methane levels 1984-2020. shape that project, which is still in the planning some time. Most homeowners will wait until sees the threat and has worked with several phase. Bitner believes they need to replace their fossil-fuel heating state legislatures, including Arizona, Tennessee, the library will also be system unless there is an attractive incentive. Louisiana and Oklahoma to prohibit restrictions zero-net energy without But it makes sense to require electric heating, on choice of utilities. natural gas service. hot water, and cooking appliances in new In November 2019, Brookline became the EC members also have construction to avoid installing GHG-emitting first municipality in Massachusetts to enact worked with the Planning infrastructure that will last 15 or more years. a restriction on fossil fuel infrastructure in Board and a developer to This seems to me like a small first step, but there new construction and major renovations. New shape a condo/apartment seems little appetite at the federal or state level laws in Massachusetts towns require approval project planned for the to take on this issue. However, local legislative by the state attorney general. In July 2020, McLean subdistrict above action has been gaining momentum. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey Pleasant Street. While this In July 2019, Berkeley, California, became the reluctantly rejected the ordinance, while development is likely to first municipality in the United States to prohibit expressing her office’s agreement with the have natural gas infra- natural gas hookups in new construction. The objectives of the Brookline ordinance, citing structure, the developer ordinance was approved by the California preemption by existing state building codes, gas has agreed to have electric Energy Commission in December 2019 and codes, and a law giving the Department of Public heating and cooling and went into effect in January 2020. More than 30 Utilities oversight of the sale and distribution of some water heating with other California local governments, including natural gas in Massachusetts. electric heat pumps as San Francisco, San Mateo, San Jose, Santa well as offering electric Monica, as well as Marin County, have adopted What has been happening in Belmont induction-cooking TOLES © 2015 The Washington Post. Reprinted with permission of similar rules, as have municipalities in Oregon, Since it was created by the Select Board in ranges. Washington, Ohio, and New York. Industry 2010, Belmont’s Energy Committee (EC) has ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION. All rights reserved. 4 belmontcitizensforum.org November/December 2020 5 resolutions issued by other municipalities to natural gas may have cancelled out most of the enhance its impact. benefits of the switch. Energy Retrofit Keeps Saving after 10 Years ● A home rule petition. Belmont Town Meeting Compared with the timeline at which climate could pass a home rule petition asking the change is occurring, the timeline and extent state legislature for the power to prohibit fossil of human reaction is too little and too slow, as fuels in new construction, so the town could evidence mounts that climate change is acceler- comply with its Climate Action Plan. ating. The severity of the danger calls for acting ● Zoning. Communities can use their own quickly and boldly to reduce carbon emissions zoning authority to encourage, but not to avoid a long period of climate change and require, building electrification. Incentives increasingly intense natural disasters. might include building height or density bonuses. What you can do to help ● Net Zero Stretch Code. Belmont Town Meeting ● Follow the deliberations of Belmont’s Energy can instruct the Energy Committee and the Committee and support their efforts to bring Select Board to join other municipalities across climate considerations front and center in all the state to insist that the Board of Building town decisions. Regulation and Standards (BBRS), which writes ● Contact the Select Board and our state House the state building code, add a Net Zero Stretch and Senate representatives urging state Code to the basic building code. The original action to support electrification in all new Stretch Code has not been updated since it construction and major renovations, or a was created in 2008 and is now out of date. home rule petition that would allow Belmont Communities choosing to adopt the Net Zero to take action if the town desired. Stretch Code would require modern standards ● Contact the Select Board and our state House of energy efficiency for new construction and and Senate representatives and ask them to renovations. lobby the state for passage of a net zero stretch code. Switching to natural gas from coal and oil

resulted in a reduction in CO2 emissions from Roger Wrubel is a Town Meeting Member for

electrical generation in the United States. Precinct 5 and recently retired after 20 years as DAVE LEGG/ NATIONAL GRID However, the release of methane during the director of the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife David Legg of Synergy Construction works on the Brownsburger roof in 2010. production, transmission, and distribution of Sanctuary. By Will Browsberger our costs and squeeze through the college cost tunnel. A little over 10 years ago, my wife and I Third and fourth, the decision has worked out proposed to my parents that we downsize into a reasonably well environmentally. There were two two-family house together and make it as energy environmental experiments: how much could efficient as possible. (See Deep“ Energy Retrofit we cut our carbon footprint and how well could Shrinks Utility Bills,” Belmont Citizens Forum we sustain the cuts. Newsletter, September 2010.) This is a story of We were lucky to find a two-family for sale in four experiments. Belmont that had “good bones” but was in rough First, the living arrangement has worked out shape, a perfect target for a deep energy retrofit. very well for all of us—we can be helpful in little We set out to find a builder who was experienced ways to my parents and we feel very fortunate with the emerging techniques for reducing home to see them more. Our only wish is that we had energy consumption and could give us informed made the decision when the kids were younger. advice on our options. We were fortunate to end Second, the decision worked out well finan- up working with Paul Eldrenkamp and Cador cially. At the time, our first daughter was a Price Jones of Byggmeister Construction. college sophomore and we were staring at a Working with Paul and Cador and their team, long stretch of college payments for two more. we conceptualized a project that would cut Even with a substantial investment in energy energy use to the lowest possible level for the efficiency, we were able to cut and stabilize

IAN TODREAS IAN preexisting house, improve the living space, and 6 belmontcitizensforum.org November/December 2020 7 fix everything broken about the house (which The project included an energy recovery venti- Our two households were initially able to hold Two-family living is a great choice from a meant replacing all the basic systems). lator to reduce the energy loss associated with our combined annual net energy use to only personal and financial perspective. A deep- The biggest cost element was a full recon- bringing in fresh air. We also included solar hot 11,000 kilowatt hours (counting both gas and energy retrofit makes for a very liveable home struction of the envelope of the house to water and solar photovoltaic panels for electricity electric in kilowatt energy units and netting out and does save a lot of energy, although it is not maximize insulation. The team pumped generation. solar heat and power generated on site). That is going to pay for itself in energy use reductions cellulose into the walls and attic ceiling. Then Our modeling indicated that the blown-in about 20% of the average per household use in alone. Finally, at least with current technology, they ripped off the siding and the shingles and insulation had a relatively short five-year New England. the deepest energy reductions require sustained buzzed off all the exterior architectural detailing pay-back period. However, the outer layer In 2012, we were the first house in behavior change. to simplify the geometry of the structure. They of foam only made a modest additional Massachusetts and the sixth in North America wrapped the house in four inches of foam improvement in insulation value but accounted to meet the standards of the “Thousand Home Notes paneling, with six inches on the roof. for most of the cost. We estimated a 92-year Challenge.” The project was featured on the The “10 years after” period had both more For a week or two, the house looked like a payback for that portion of the investment. cover of Home Energy Magazine in January heating degree days and more cooling degree giant refrigerator, with a tin foil outer layer and The economics depend heavily on fuel pricing. 2013. days (5166/939) than the “Immediately post- no windows or doors. Then the team cut in the Natural gas prices have trended down over the The final experiment was to just live in the project” period (4628/703), but this difference windows and doors and went about installing past decade, so that our actual payback period house without constantly thinking about energy. is not enough to explain the increase in energy new siding and insulated doors and windows. will be longer. The temperature in the house is stable both in use. winter and in summer and there are no drafts Site energy is from the Energy Information Total annual purchased energy per household in terms of kWh except when we want to open the windows. The Administration’s survey of residential energy house is also quiet. With windows closed, we do consumption for New England for 2015. It not notice much outside noise. includes site generated energy in the total, Pre project - average of two single-family homes 58,724 kWh As we stopped thinking about energy use, our whereas we back it out, but since the average behavior did change. The thermostat got warmer home does not have much site energy, this immediately post-project (9/2011-8/2012), average of 5,522 kWh in the winter and cooler in the summer. The difference does not materially distort the two aparments showers got longer. The writing of this piece was comparison. 10 years after project (9/2019-8/2020), average of two a good occasion to check in on how our less- 10,211 kWh apartments mindful energy use has drifted up. The numbers Will Brownsberger is the Massachusetts state senator below summarize the results of our two environ- for the Second Suffolk and Middlesex District of New England average household site energy (2015) 28,516 kWh mental experiments. Massachusetts.

Approximate annual contribution of solar PV panels, 6,000 kWh netted out of per-apartment averages Join the BCF Newsletter Team!

Are you plugged into Belmont and interested in helping maintaining Belmont’s small-town By far, the insulation is the part of the project The envelope investment does pay back atmosphere? We are looking for a managing editor for our bimonthly newsletter to help keep that made the most difference in our energy in other ways. We will not need to paint for residents informed about Belmont’s planning, zoning, and traffic issues; its natural and historical consumption. We didn’t have prior consumption decades and the wood structure of the house is resources; and progress on the Belmont Community Path. data, but our modeling suggested that the very well protected from moisture and insects. insulation reduced the heating needs for the During the first year or two of occupancy, You’ll work closely with executive editor Meg Muckenhoupt and our newsletter committee to structure by 80% to 90%. we continued to tune our use down—using shape each issue by: That made the choice of heating source less the most efficient lighting, shower timers, and critical. The heating system we chose was two low-flow shower heads. We monitored and • Staying tuned in to the topics that we cover small, high-efficiency gas burners, one for each attempted to optimize power consumption • Planning articles and maintaining our running articles list apartment. At that point in time, our analysis by our various electrical devices and generally • Finding, encouraging, and providing feedback to writers indicated that fuel pumps were not actually stayed conscious of our energy use. • Helping to manage publication schedule better in terms of their net carbon emissions, We also tracked our total energy use carefully • Participating in BCF board and newsletter committee meetings including energy generation. The fuel pumps are to measure the success of the project. The state’s better now and the grid is somewhat greener. We secretary of environmental affairs used the data Please contact us at [email protected] for a complete job description, starting date, are waiting for the right moment to make the we generated to develop standards for deep- and salary information. upgrade. energy retrofits.

8 belmontcitizensforum.org November/December 2020 9 This summer, the $493,220.51 compre- Nonetheless, the prospect of additional state Carrots and Sticks Nudge Belmont’s Cleanup hensive sewer system rehabilitation contract funds motivated the town to identify even more was awarded to National Water Main Cleaning potential projects related to stormwater: Belmont By Anne-Marie Lambert Company of Canton (see “Cleaning Belmont’s submitted an application for a Planning Grant Water Means More Work,” Belmont Citizens under Governor Baker’s Municipal Vulnerability Two key drivers are Forum Newsletter, May 2020). This project is Assessment (MVP) program. Unfortunately, the nudging Belmont to funded under the Massachusetts Water Resources town was not granted an MVP Planning Grant clean up our waterways Authority (MWRA) I/I Grant Loan Program, and this year. Glenn Clancy, Belmont’s director of and protect us from is expected to be completed in December. Work Community Development, expects to learn soon the storms coming is underway to address issues found in 2019. what factors may have influenced that decision. with climate change: Most of the work is lining sewer and stormwater The exercise of preparing the application the threat behind mains under the road, work which can be done helped the town identify and prioritize key an Environmental between manholes without digging up the vulnerabilities and countermeasures to make Protection Agency streets. It also includes some repair of broken the town more resilient to the effects of climate Consent Order and the pipes and lining of sewer and stormwater lateral change. It also required the town to identify tempting Massachusetts lines (the smaller pipes which run between each funding sources and regional partnerships which Municipal Vulnerability home and the main underneath our roads). The might help overcome the current oversight Program (MVP) contract addresses at least one illicit connection, challenges. As storms become more intense, Every six months, where a house had been sending sewage directly I’m hopeful the Select Board prioritizes asking Belmont is obliged to file to the storm drain instead of the sewer system. Clancy and his staff to propose creative ways to a report with the New LAMBERTANNE-MARIE The Sewer System Rehabilitation contract oversee and fund the priority projects identified England region of the Road markings for sewer work. includes work in the following locations: in the MVP application. federal Environmental • Maple Street, Bartlett Avenue I remain impressed with the power of Protection Agency (EPA) to demonstrate the year drawing up designs to bundle up all the • Oliver Road legislation and government leadership at compliance with a 2017 consent order under known repair work into one umbrella contract in • Knox Road, Bellington Road, Herman Road different levels. The Massachusetts Municipal the Clean Water Act. The town has to show the second half of the year. • Shaw Road, Herbert Road, Houghton Road Vulnerability Assessment Program (MVP) and steady progress cleaning up the sewage pollution During the first six months of 2020, no • Livermore Road the Clean Water Act, as enforced through the Belmont has sent to Boston Harbor due to the new sewer rehabilitation work was completed. • Betts Road EPA Consent Order, together served as a carrot intermingling of Belmont’s sewer and storm- Moreover, some of the 2020 measurements • Hoitt Road, Westlund Road and stick to motivate our town leaders to figure water systems. revealed that certain repairs done in 2019 were • Hill Road out ways to take concrete actions they were Belmont’s waste ends up in Boston Harbor insufficient to make the storm drains run clean. Many factors go into deciding when to take a unlikely to have taken otherwise. because the contents of our leaky sewers travel In particular, there are still elevated levels of E. fix-as-you-go approach and when to bundle work Ultimately, though, the most powerful force into our rivers and streams by way of nearby coli, a hazardous bacteria carried in sewage, in into a large project. As far as I can tell, the main of all is the voice of citizens. Until more of us stormwater pipes. Most of the sewage winds up the area around Bow Road, Randolph Street, and limitation preventing the town from moving make obvious to local leaders that cleaning up in Winn’s Brook or Wellington Brook, both of Lincoln Street, indicating an additional sewage faster to clean up our pollution continues to our waterways and making us more resilient to which feed into Little Pond or Little River. These source has emerged. Most 2020 measurements, be the availability of town staff qualified to climate change really are top priorities, they will waterways continue into Alewife Brook near the though, showed the storm drains running clean, oversee this type of contract work. Without spend their time and energy addressing other Alewife MBTA station. Alewife Brook then winds indicating that other 2019 rehabilitation work the staff to oversee the work, it’s challenging to issues. It’s time for citizens to find and create north through Cambridge and Somerville until had done the trick. take advantage of all the funds made available opportunities to help town leaders celebrate it enters the Mystic River by Dilboy Stadium in As part of preparing designs, the town’s through the MWRA I/I loan program, and victories and to have their back when they invest Somerville. It’s surprisingly difficult to determine contractor sometimes sends a camera down difficult to pursue more measurement and even more in resilient and clean waterways. It’s if the residents at any particular house—maybe the drain to inspect for cracks and the general rehabilitation projects in parallel. time to ask them which of the priority MVP yours or mine—are innocently contributing to condition of each pipe. They will often see projects they will find a way to fund, and to ask Boston Harbor pollution with every flush and mineral deposits around joints or cracks, what it would take to make even faster progress laundry load. (See “Hidden Leaks in Pipes from indicating that seepage occurred at some point on cleaning up our waterways. It doesn’t have to Street to House Pollute Waterways,” Belmont in the past. Cameras can also detect whether be this slow. Citizens Forum Newsletter, March 2018.) tree roots are damaging the pipe. Sometimes There will be a big difference between the the camera shows some surprises: under Dalton Anne-Marie Lambert is a former director of the disappointing July 2020 EPA compliance report Road, earlier this year the camera showed a Belmont Citizens Forum. and the upcoming January 2021 report. This SIFNEOS ANNE plastic baseball bat stuck in the drain. year, the town decided to spend the first half of

10 belmontcitizensforum.org November/December 2020 11 Community Path Proponents Offer FAQ By Sara Smith, Eric Batcho, and Jarrod Goentzel What are the path’s phases? The path is being designed and constructed What is the Belmont Community Path? in two phases. Phase 1 includes the rail trail The Belmont Community Path is a proposed from Brighton Street through Belmont Center shared-use path running just over two miles to the Clark Street pedestrian bridge and also through Belmont along the former Central the railroad underpass from Alexander Avenue Massachusetts Railroad line connecting that extends along the future Belmont Middle Cambridge and Waltham. It is a critical link and High School to Concord Avenue. Phase 2 in the 104-mile Massachusetts Central Rail continues from the Clark Street pedestrian bridge Trail (MCRT) between North Station and to the Belmont/Waltham line. Northampton. See a map and more details on Phase 1 has two components. Phase 1a the MCRT at www.masscentralrailtrail.org/inter- includes a railroad underpass between Alexander

active-google-map. Avenue and the Belmont Middle and High PATH COMMUNITY BELMONT THE OF FRIENDS School and an extended path across the campus Design and construction phases of the Belmont Community Path. Who is it for? to Concord Avenue. Phase 1b is the portion of To accommodate different types of users, in The shared-use path is for a wide variety of the path from the Clark Street bridge to Brighton crossing. The underpass tunnel will include most locations the paved path will be 12 feet non-motorized users, including walkers, runners, Street, where it meets the existing Fitchburg lighting to improve safety. wide with a 4-foot shoulder. In certain locations, bicyclists, roller skaters/bladers, wheelchair Cutoff Path to Alewife Station. such as Belmont Center and the Alexander How are concerns about the path being users, and people walking dogs on leashes or Avenue underpass, the path will narrow to 10 pushing strollers. The path will comply with Will the path be safe? addressed? feet due to site constraints. the Americans with Disabilities Act and include Yes, the path will be safe. The path will be The town hired Nitsch Engineering to design The path will also include new signals and accessible connections to Belmont Center and completely separated from the MBTA railroad Phase 1. Nitsch has met with stakeholders to gates to enhance safety at the Brighton Street the Belmont Middle and High School. corridor by a continuous fence. solicit feedback to inform the project design. FRIENDS OF THE BELMONT COMMUNITY PATH COMMUNITY BELMONT THE OF FRIENDS Design and construction phases 1A and 1B of the Belmont Community Path.

12 belmontcitizensforum.org November/December 2020 13 Stakeholders have expressed concerns about The Community Path Planning Committee privacy, security, noise, drainage, and parking. www.belmont-ma.gov/community-path-project- Jerry’s Pond May Have A Chance to Shine To address these concerns, Nitsch’s proposed committee design includes: Belmont Community Path Feasibility study: By Greg Harris • extensive vegetation and screening for www.belmont-ma.gov/community-path-imple- Since developers have targeted abutters, mentation-advisory-committee-cpiac/pages/ the Alewife area for rapid • a network of swales and sub-drains to community-path-feasibility-study development, with housing reduce water runoff and improve drainage, A webinar on the MassTrails team, the interests erecting massive and path, and the TIP funding processm youtu. apartment complexes and life • parking restrictions near the Alexander be/2O7uv4owuns sciences companies rushing Avenue underpass access point. A complete history of the project www. to turn the area into a second belmontcitizensforum.org/2020/03/02/ Kendall Square, long-time As the project moves forward, Nitsch will community-path-began-decades-ago/ residents have feared the continue to seek input from stakeholders to How will the Belmont Community Path trampling of their history, enhance the project’s design. quality of life, community link to other local paths? Who is paying for the path? health, and the remaining Construction of neighboring links on the natural environment. But Payment for the path is divided into design Mass Central Rail Trail continues to move these changes present oppor- and construction phases. Funding for the design forward: tunities as well as risks. of Phase 1 has been allocated from the town’s • The Fitchburg Cutoff segment from If a coalition of long-time Community Preservation Act funds and from Alewife Station to Brighton Street was residents and neighborhood MassTrails, a state interagency initiative led by completed in 2013. activists get their way, life the Governor’s Office. • The Wayside Trail segment from Weston to science developer IQHQ’s $125 Construction costs are expected to be Wayland was completed in 2019. million dollar acquisition POND JERRY’S OF FRIENDS covered by the federally funded Transportation • The Somerville Community Path segment of land next to the Alewife An aerial view of Jerry’s Pond. Russell Field is in the left foreground: Improvement Program (TIP), a five-year budget adjacent to the Green Line Extension is T Station may result in the Route 2 and Alewife station are visible at the top of the photo. plan administered by the Boston Metropolitan expected to be completed by the end of resurrection of Jerry’s Pond. Planning Organization (MPO). 2021. This neighborhood landmark in Belmont and Spy Pond in Arlington down to While construction of Phase 1 is listed in the • Waltham has completed a final design for has been fenced off due to pollution for nearly Fresh Pond in Cambridge and draining to the TIP “Universe of Projects,” it has not yet been the segment of the path directly to the 60 years, but it offers a chance for a restored and Mystic River via Alewife Brook. When storm programmed. In 2021, the MPO will assign a west of Belmont. That segment is budgeted accessible natural reservation. surges and sea level rise threaten, the remaining specific fiscal year for funding based on factors for construction in the next fiscal year. natural water features of the landscape need such as safety, mobility, sustainability, equity, Environmental sustainability—and justice to be preserved and expanded. Though Jerry’s and economic vitality relative to competing The Belmont Community Path is a critical To understand the appeal of a long-inacces- Pond was created by digging clay, it is part of projects from other towns. Construction of link. Clear plans and support from town leaders sible pit sitting on industrial land and what the Great Swamp. The land fenced in along the Phase 1 will only start once TIP funding is in and residents this next year could yield outside moved Cambridge’s City Council to unani- pond’s edge is among the largest stretches of place, and will take at least another year to funding to build a major town amenity, and mously pass a resolution pushing for it to undeveloped green space in Cambridge that complete after it is funded. broad support could accelerate the timing. In be restored to public use, consider both the has not been set aside for conservation. It also addition, Belmont should begin the design How can I learn more and give input? neighborhood’s present needs and its enduring has a rare gem, a thriving six-acre pond with an process for Phase 2 as soon as possible to history. annual great blue heron rookery. If you are interested in learning more or avoid significant delays in the funding and The present needs are not hard to define. Jerry’s Pond represents an issue of environ- getting involved, please contact the Friends of construction of Phase 2. Drowning in traffic, with a skyline set to be mental justice. Alewife holds Cambridge’s the Belmont Community Path at belmontpath@ crowded by ever-more condominium complexes, greatest concentration of affordable housing, gmail.com. Opportunities to explore the work Sara Smith, Eric Batcho, and Jarrod Goentzel are office buildings, and laboratories, the Alewife including the Jefferson Park apartments just that has been done to date and track future members of Friends of the Belmont Community region must act now to preserve and enhance its across the street and the Rindge Towers, opportunities for giving input include: Path. They can be reached at belmontpath@gmail. green spaces, parks, and open corridors or see three Le Corbusier-style high-rises with 777 Nitsch Engineering belmontcommunitypath. com. access forever lost. housing units. The 4,000 people living in these com/ Floodwater management is a large concern. units—disproportionately poor, and composed Alewife sits at the heart of what used to be called significantly of people of color and recent the Great Swamp, stretching from Little Pond immigrants—have for decades faced a polluted,

14 belmontcitizensforum.org November/December 2020 15 Sumbul Siddiqui grew Company dating from 1919. up in part in the Rindge Waste products were often left in Towers and sponsored settling lagoons on the site. Cambridge City In 1954, the W. R. Grace Council’s resolution on Company purchased Dewey & Jerry’s Pond. Almy Chemical. W. R. Grace’s role in polluting Woburn’s “The Cape Cod of waterways was made famous North Cambridge” by the book and movie, A Civil What could Jerry’s Action. In 1961, Jerry’s Pond was Pond mean to the neigh- fenced off, and the McCrehan borhood? A glance at its swimming pool, named after history shows just how “Jerry” McCrehan’s grandson, much. It was originally was built on the adjacent Russell excavated from the Field. marshlands of the Great Contaminants still found Swamp in the 1860s for on the larger site include

FRIENDS OF JERRY’S POND JERRY’S OF FRIENDS its clay, spearheaded byproducts of manufacturing

Historic photo of swimmers at “The Cape Cod of North Cambridge.” by Jeremiah (“Jerry”) rubber—especially DAXAD POND JERRY’S OF FRIENDS McCrehan, an Irish (naphthalene sulphonate)— Current view of Jerry’s Pond facing Rindge towers. fenced-off property. As neighborhood activist immigrant brickworker who prospered enough and, north of the pond, a large Eric Grunebaum, a cofounder of Friends of to form his own brickmaking company. The quantity of asbestos once used in brake linings Rindge Avenue and include GCP Technologies’ Jerry’s Pond, puts it, “It’s no coincidence that the “pit,” as it was called, filled back up with water, and insulation. The city of Cambridge passed a buildings and parking lots, the fenced-off nine City of Cambridge has mostly taken a hands-off and by the turn of the 20th century had become Council Order in 1914 calling for the purchase acres of Jerry’s Pond and its perimeter, and the approach to Jerry’s Pond’s given where it’s a neighborhood swimming hole. From at least of “Jerry’s Pit so called, for the purpose of using equally fenced-off green spaces on either side of located. If it were located in West Cambridge, the late 1880s to 1961, it was the beach where it in connection with Russell Field for bathing the pedestrian and bicycle path that connects there’s little doubt that these issues would have the working-class residents of North Cambridge purposes,” and the city operated a bathhouse Russell Field to Alewife Station. been addressed long ago.” spent their summer days off, earning it the there for public enjoyment for decades. Many unknowns surround the sale, including It turns out that there is political support for nickname “The Cape Cod of North Cambridge.” However, the land remained private, limiting just how much of the purchased land IQHQ Alewife’s green space as well. Cambridge Mayor Not only that: in the 1920s, the J. B. Johnson Cambridge’s options for cleanup. This proved intends to develop. Due diligence would have Company used Jerry’s Pond as an obstacle as recently as 2018 when then- shown IQHQ that much of the undeveloped land a source of ice to manufacture Councilor Siddiqui and other residents reached its locally famous ice cream, out to the EPA to inquire about a Targeted carving out 10,000 tons of Brownfields Assessment grant, a crucial first step ice blocks a year and storing in determining the current levels of pollution. them in an icehouse next to The Cambridge’s city manager signaled he the pond. did not believe Cambridge had standing to The roots of the nearby pursue the assessment without permission of land’s eventual pollution GCP Technologies (a W.R. Grace spinoff). GCP problem and abandonment Technologies refused such permission, writing in are obvious, though, in early a letter that it was instead engaged in a process photographs. As sunbathers “to evaluate business options.” lay out on the beach and dogs and swimmers frolic in the A last best chance? waters, industrial works loom Those “business options” came to fruition on the north side of the pond, this summer with GCP Technologies’ sale of its from brickworks to lumber- headquarters to IQHQ for an astronomical $125 yards to, most ominously, million. Plans have been announced to develop

FRIENDS OF JERRY’S POND JERRY’S OF FRIENDS the manufacturing plants the site as a life sciences campus. The 26.5 POND JERRY’S OF FRIENDS Friends of Jerry’s Pond volunteers clean a perimeter path. of Dewey & Almy Chemical acres stretch between Whittemore Avenue and Nesting herons at Jerry’s Pond.

16 belmontcitizensforum.org November/December 2020 17 toward Belmont’s subsidized housing inventory. Letter to the Editor Under 40B rules, the total number—12—of rental apartments built, both market and To the Editor: affordable, would count towards the inventory. Overall, it’s positive that the Belmont Citizens Regarding the real estate tax burden for those Forum devoted two articles to the topic of who own affordable homes or townhouses affordable housing in Belmont in the September/ through Chapter 40B developments, the real October Newsletter. However, it was disap- estate tax will reflect the lower assessed value of pointing that the picture of 40B was incomplete, the homes due to the deed restrictions. and neither article acknowledged the benefits of The article states that the requirement of a increasing the stock of housing—both affordable deed rider for a unit to be considered affordable and market rate—including social, racial, and is hard for many to understand. Perhaps it’s economic benefits for the residents of Belmont hyperbole: “It doesn’t matter if half the housing and the region. in Belmont costs only $1,000/month.” Clearly, “How Affordable Housing Works in Belmont,” that’s not the case; as two-family homes are sold by Meg Muckenhoupt, incorrectly states the or converted to condos, the number of below- townhome number of the 91 Beatrice Circle site market rentals has dwindled. development as 32. The developer originally In the article “Affordable Housing on Belmont proposed 16 units and then revised it to 12. The Hill,” Sumner Brown notes that 40B does not article states that only four units would count count housing that is affordable in cost, but not FRIENDS OF JERRY’S POND JERRY’S OF FRIENDS

One conceptual plan for restoring Jerry’s Pond.

is deemed a Massachusetts Hazardous Material “incorporating Jerry’s Pond into the adjacent Site, subject to an Activity and Use Limitation as public parklands, with pedestrian and bicycle well as a City of Cambridge asbestos ordinance. connections to the MBTA Station, the Alewife Those same designations guide the restoration Reservation, Minuteman Bikeway, and the Linear of public access to Jerry’s Pond, particularly the Park.” perimeter furthest from the factories, where Perhaps most encouraging for open space contamination is thought to be far less extensive. advocates, Cambridge’s “Envision Cambridge” The Friends of Jerry’s Pond envision strolling planning process for Alewife, completed a year paths and boardwalks for wildlife viewing, not ago and published as the Alewife District Plan, the return of a swimming beach. And that plan recommends on pages 111 to 112 that Jerry’s would have to be carefully managed to allay the Pond and the large swath of land extending concerns of long-term neighborhood advocacy north of the site be restored as green open space. associations such as the Alewife Study Group. Pasquale has contacted IQHQ. Now the Cambridge has weighed in on the side of neighborhood—and the broader region of realism and hope. The city recognizes that other Belmont, Arlington, Cambridge, Somerville, and contaminated areas have been safely made into Medford, connected by human paths and by the public reservations, such as Belle Isle Marsh in remaining waterways of the Great Swamp—waits East Boston. At a July 27 meeting, soon after to see: Will Jerry’s Pond sparkle at the center IQHQ’s purchase was announced, the City once again? Council resolved that City Manager Louis D. Pasquale be “hereby . . . requested to contact Greg Harris is on the Alewife Subsidiary Board of IQHQ and engage the relevant city departments Green Cambridge and resides in North Cambridge.

regarding next steps for restoration, health and A long-time teacher of writing at Harvard University, LLC CIRCLE BEATRICE 91 environmental protection, improvement, beauti- Greg is founding editor of Pangyrus Literary fication, and making the surrounding areas of Magazine. Detail of a rendering of the planned 91 Beatrice Circle development, as submitted to MassHousing Jerry’s Pond publicly accessible.” The goal is in May 2020. 18 belmontcitizensforum.org November/December 2020 19 If you’ve walked all of the Western Greenway Belmont Roots and Lone Tree Hill, consider trying the ACROSS Lexington Challenge. Walk all 12 ACROSS Environmental News, Notes, and Events Lexington trails—more than 35 miles!—record the dates, and submit your record to get a certif- By Meg Muckenhoupt icate and get added to the “baggers” list. Now is the winter of Many spellcheck algorithms replace “COVID- our discontent. We’ve 19,” the virus, with the word “corvid,” meaning watched all the videos “a bird of the crow family.” Perhaps it’s a subtle of past events at the suggestion that you ought to figure out what Belmont Historical corvids are doing around the Commonwealth. Society and the Charles For example, you may be hunkering down with River Watershed your family for the long, cold winter—but if Association. It’s getting cold, but it may be time you were a Massachusetts crow, you might be to get outside. Nature is a balm when screens roosting with 10,000 friends and relations every separate you from the world. MARY BRADLEYMARY 91 Beatrice Circle, summer 2020. certified, so “the wonderful housing I enjoyed Select Board) to shape a project with benefits while a graduate student did not count.” The to all parties. More recently, Town Meeting reason for deed restrictions is that they render overwhelmingly approved the zoning change a property permanently affordable, and not required to let the McLean development move subject to the change in ownership and market forward. As a 40B, all the rental units will count movement. The over 2,000 low-income house- toward Belmont’s subsidized housing inventory. holds now living in Belmont are able to do so The article also states that these developments because they live in subsidized housing, or are in Belmont can be expected to increase property long-term tenants of kind landlords, or because taxes because of the increase of school-aged they have owned their homes long enough to children. Note that for a municipality to make have paid off their mortgages. The long-term development decisions to exclude families with renters cannot depend on that situation: stories children violates the Federal Fair Housing act. of tenants losing their apartments due to Appropriately, the apartments to be created at ownership change are widespread. McLean will be a mix of age-restricted units and This article attributes the town’s official units open to all renters. Housing Production Plan to the Belmont Land We hope your readers will have a chance to Trust, rather than the Housing Trust. It would re-consider these two articles in light of the have been prudent for the Citizens Forum to points made in this letter. consult with the Housing Trust on these articles before publishing them. Sincerely, The inset box titled “Friendly vs. Unfriendly 40B” describes the friendly kind but includes Gloria Leipzig, Belmont Housing Trust only an example of the unfriendly kind—the Judith Feins, Belmont Housing Trust Belmont Uplands. The proposed development on the McLean Hospital land is an excellent The Belmont Citizens Forum thanks Gloria example of a friendly 40B resulting from Leipzig and Judith Feins for their corrections and cooperation between a developer and town clarifications and regrets the errors. This letter has TOWN OF LEXINGTON MA boards (the Planning Board, Housing Trust, and been edited for length. Detail of ACROSS Lexington map.

20 belmontcitizensforum.org November/December 2020 21 to identify bird species and enjoy them Thursday, December 3, 6:30-7:30 PM. from a close distance, but different “Slow Gardening” is about doing more feeders and seed types affect what with less effort. The description reads: you attract. This online presentation “Why wait for the last minute to plan will cover cover different winter birds, and prepare your gardens? Save your bird feeders, types of food, and what back and knees from all that weed birds they attract, so you’ll be ready to and turf removal! Learn some passive, participate in Mass Audubon’s “Feeder elegant, and simple techniques to let Watch’ in February. “Feeder Watch” nature do the work for you. A little is a national citizen science program. prep now will give you a fresh start Counting birds at your feeders provides come next spring.” The cost is $30 valuable data to scientists monitoring members, $36 nonmembers. Register bird species, especially in the face at nativeplanttrust.org. of climate change. The cost for this One you know how to save your program is $20 for members, $24 for knees, you can garden to save your nonmembers. Register for the class at ecosystem. “Ecological Gardening” www.massaudubon.org/programs. At tackles topics like how to take least you won’t have to watch your a wildlife-friendly approach to feeder birds on Zoom. gardening, and how to manage peren- Once you’ve filled your bird feeders, nials, trees, and shrubs for health, consider making the rest of your yard beauty, and wildlife value as winter more lively. The Native Plant Trust is approaches. This session is $12 MASS AUDUBON/ DAVID A HOFMANN, FLICKR offering two online gardening talks: members, $15 nonmembers. Register A raven. “Slow Gardening,” Saturday, November at nativeplanttrust.org. night. Mass Audbon is sponsoring an online 14, 1-3 PM, and “Ecological Gardening,” MASS AUDUBON/ AIMEE GRACE talk titled “Crows, Ravens, and Winter Roosts,” on Thursday, December 3, 7-8:30 PM. Expect to learn more about the intelligence and life history Thank you for your continued support. of crows and ravens, and their many clever Your contribution makes a difference! behaviors. The cost for this program is $20 for members, $24 for nonmembers. Register for the Each BCF Newsletter issue costs about class at www.massaudubon.org/programs o Check here if your employer has a Corvid enthusiasts can also enjoy one of the $4,000 to publish. Thank you for your matching gift program. in-person field trips to a large crow roost in support! o Check here if you would like to learn more about volunteering. Springfield the Mass Audubon Arcadia Wildlife o $50 o $100 o $150 o $250 Sanctuary is offering on January 3 and 10. Literary corvid enthusiasts should look into Make checks payable to Belmont Citizens Bernd Heinrich’s classic study of bird behavior, Name ______Forum and mail to: Ravens in Winter, or Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of PO Box 609, Belmont, MA 02478 Ymr, by John Crowley, the author of Little, Big. A ______fable told by a two-thousand-year-old crow, Ka Or give securely online: Address ______contains reflections on both corvid and human belmontcitizensforum.org behavior as well as morality, history, and loss. ______Contact us: At 465 pages, it’s also long enough to take up [email protected] roosting sessions on long, dark winter evenings. ______If you’re a little less fussy about species, Mass The Belmont Citizens Forum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Audubon is also presenting an online program Phone______organization. Your donation is deductible from titled “Intro to Winter Bird Feeder Watching” on Email ______federal taxes to the full extent provided by law. Thursday, December 10, 7-8:30 PM. Bird feeding areas provide great opportunities to learn how MASS AUDUBON/ PAIGE MORTIS 22 belmontcitizensforum.org November/December 2020 23 Belmont Citizens Forum Nonprofit Org. P.O. Box 609 US Postage PAID Belmont MA 02478 Boston MA Permit No. 56393 Address Service Requested

November/December 2020

Get Natural Gas Out of Belmont? ...... 1

Energy Retrofit Keeps Saving ...... 7

Incentives Nudge Sewer Clean-up . . . . . 10

Community Path FAQ ...... 12

Jerry’s Pond May Have A Chance . . . . 15

Letter to the Editor ...... 19

Belmont Roots ...... 21

November/December 2020 Preserving Belmont’s Small-Town Atmosphere Vol. 21, No. 6