I have passed by the new sports center on Concord Avenue a few times, and recently stopped to look at the sign that is hard to read from the street. It’s not in front of the building but off to the side. It says “Belmont Sports Complex” across the top and down below in much smaller letters “Home of the Skip Viglirolo Rink.” The sign is in a patch of weeds. If this is how Belmont thinks you should thank someone who faithfully represented the town he loved for close to a century, then it falls way short of the mark.
Skip Viglirolo’s service to this town was remarkable. For more than 50 years, he maintained Belmont’s parks and fields, pool and tennis courts, and the old skating rink that proudly honored his name. He worked tirelessly to support youth hockey, recreation women’s hockey, and recreation programs for children with special needs. An amazing athlete himself, Skip was also Belmont High’s hockey coach for years and was inducted in the Massachusetts Coaches Hall of Fame, as well as the Belmont High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
I could go on about Skip’s countless accomplishments and contributions, but all I really wanted to say was that I think the town can do better than that sign in the weeds to honor one of the greatest Belmont residents.
Rosemary Dulac, Washington Street