Another trail, running along Alewife brook to the Mystic River is now in play as well, as a result of stimulus money from Washington D.C., and could go to bid in January or February (a requirement to qualify for stimulus money). Other suggestions to improve bike and pedestrian access (and reduce road congestion) are extensions of the Minuteman Trail to Porter Square in Cambridge and towards Watertown.

Note that the proposed plans do not address the planned extension of the bike path from Brighton Street into Belmont Center. The future of that project is much less certain and has been the subject of much back and forth in the op-ed pages of the BCH in recent weeks. Most recently, the Belmont Citizens Forum, which backs the bike path extension, won support (albeit qualified support) from the Board of Selectmen to ask the National Parks Service to help the town develop plans for the bike path extension. That plan has faced opposition from abutters along Channing Road. Local businessman Robert Mahoney, who won Town Meeting approval to purchase a parcel of land adjacent to the tracks and between Brighton and Channing Streets may also complicate plans for the trail. Mahoney is petitioning the Executive Office of Transportation for an application to construct a building near the MBTA commuter rail tracks. Not sure what his position on the bike trail is — but I do recall asking him specifically about whether his plans for the parcel on Brighton would stand in the way of the bike path when his approval was before Town Meeting and being assured that there was plenty of buffer space between the tracks and his parcel and that construction plans for the site would not nix a bike path. I will try to follow up with him on this issue…but not sure if anyone else knows where he stands or the status of his development plans for the Brighton Street parcel.

As someone who frequently bikes along the proposed route on my way to work each week, let me say the bike path will be a big improvement over the rutted dirt trail that currently exists. I got a bath this morning from rain soaked vegetation that crowds the narrow trail. At other points, stones and gullies make the path treacherous biking. A proper, paved trail for walkers and bikers would greatly enhance the route and provide a boost to business along Brighton Street, as would an extension into Belmont Center, as anyone who has biked or jogged the fabulous Minuteman Trail can attest. This is a modest, smart growth plan that will make Belmont — already a walkable, bikeable town – even more friendly to those who don’t own (or don’t want to drive) their car. These kinds of infrastructure projects are long overdue and the value, to Belmont, in terms of community appeal/cachet (and corresponding property value increases) far outweigh the negatives, in my opinion.

Recently, CNET sent a film crew out to get his take on the big question of the day: should I install solar panels on my roof? Martin gives an excellent run down of the pros and cons in this short Web video. Check it out.

• First — that, in the absence of an override, Belmont residents should expect that cuts — possibly deep ones – are going to be proposed for FY 2010. We’ve already seen the Benton Branch closed after more than seven decades as a branch library. Don’t expect that this will be the end.
• That the Belmont Public Library and The Friends of Belmont Public Library may need to be more vocal in their appeals to the community to maintain vital services. If Arlington can raise funds in a pinch to preserve critical services, Belmont should take note. Frankly, this I hate the idea of this, as its really just an encouragement for people to enjoy town services that they don’t then have to pay for. A small cadre of generous residents in Arlington keep the library open on Sunday, but folks who turn their nose up at paying to keep the library open still enjoy its services during those hours. It’s unfair and — like deficit spending– just hides the real impact of the failure to address the revenue side of things.
• Will Obama ride to the rescue? Libraries have figured prominently in a lot of stimulus talk. And for good reason. As the WBUR story makes clear: in a bad economy, people rely on their libraries more, not less. Netflix subscriptions go out the window as do Amazon.com habits. Moreover, jobless workers can use the magazines, computers and job related resources at public libraries to buff up their resumes. We don’t know yet how much federal money might be available for things like preserving library operations, but let’s hope that some money gets earmarked to preserve these vital community institutions. Belmont’s main branch is packed whenever I visit on the weekend or after work hours. This is an incredibly important resource for Belmont and we’ll all need to come together to make sure it can still serve the community.

Data provided to BloggingBelmont by the Belmont PD shows ten break-ins in Belmont between September 29 and November 18, almost all in neighborhoods adjacent to Route 2. Another eight break ins have been reported just across the town line in Arlington in the same period. At least five of those break-ins occurred when occupants were at home, according to the BPD data.

The thieves have been taking mostly cash and jewelry, and Belmont Police investigators believe that there is a clear pattern to the break-ins and that the same group of criminals is responsible for most of them. No arrests have been made, to date, but a suspect has been identified in one case, according to the Belmont PD data.

The thieves appear to be targeting homes that are not occupied, or where elderly residents live. They have been entering by tearing through window screens, often using tools available on site, or by stepping through unlocked doors. However, in a handful of the cases, the thieves have entered through unlocked second story windows with the assistance of the homeowner’s ladder or that of a neighbor. BPD investigators believe the thieves are being dropped off in the targeted areas, then travel to the target home, possibly on bicycle, before being retrieved later in the evening with the loot.

More worrying: the thieves appear to be growing more bold: breaking in during daylight hours and targeting homes that they don’t know to be vacant. In at least one case, BPD tells us, a homeowner encountered a man in the home, who then fled.The Belmont PD is increasing patrols of affected neighborhoods and is recommending steps to help prevent break ins. Among them: lighting back yards and cutting back trees and shrubs that could provide cover, keeping an eye out for suspicious activity and even initiating neighborhood watch groups to do the rounds. Contact the BPD if you notice anything suspicious in your neighborhood!