Since 1987, our town has voted on thirteen debt exclusions for major construction projects (eleven projects in total). While two of them (Chenery and Rink) did not pass initially, the town ultimately passed every single one. Our family and countless others get to enjoy most of these places today–be it karate classes at Beech Street Center in the winter, lazy summer days lounging at the Underwood Pool or watching fall football at the high school—all thanks to the residents of Belmont who came before us. For that, we are grateful for their generosity and commitment to the greater good! It’s a legacy for which Belmont should be proud, and recent first-ballot approvals of the new High School/Middle School and Library show that commitment is still strong today.
Where Belmont’s track record is a bit unsteady, however, are incremental improvements and, yes, overrides. As is well documented, overrides have failed four of the last five times they’ve been proposed, dating back 20 years. Further back still, the collective willpower to spend on essential upgrades and expenses has long been shaky: in 1994, for instance, $500,000 was too steep to provide “Disability Access Improvements to the Main Public Library Facility” and–in the tightest local vote on record–the measure failed by 28 votes. Those improvements are finally on their way, 30 years and 35 million dollars later.
Fortunately, now is our chance to start a new legacy in Belmont to show that safety, education, and essential services are as important as the facilities themselves. To show that we can rally around our community not just with brick, concrete and steel, but with salaries, healthcare and, most of all, investment in the next generation.
Vote YES on April 2!
William Horne, School Street