Parks and Recreation

  (Gazette Photo – Brad Coville)

From the Gazette article:

  (Gazette Photo – Brad Coville)

Winners from Saturday’s “Go Fly a Kite!” in Belmont

2- to 5-Year-Olds

Most Unusual

Leah Bivens

Dhruv Patel

Sophie Smith

Quickest Controlled

Puja Patel

Mason Craig

Kevin Granson

Highest

Mason Craig

Leah Bivens

Dharmin Patel

6- to 8year-olds

Sarah Griffin

Maddie Deal

Niraj Patel

Quickest Controlled

Eternity Moore

Priyanka Patel

Kendal Craig

Highest

Eternity Moore

Hemali Patel

Gracie Smith (tied for third)

Ekta Patel (tied for third)

9- to 12-year-olds

Brendan Granson

Neerel Patel

Destiny Moore

Quickest Controlled

Destiny Moore

Neerel Patel

Brendan Granson

Highest

Destiny Moore

Brendan Granson

Neeral Patel

Yep, that is what the city is telling their citizens on sandwich boards scattered about the city.

Of course it is in reference to the Parks and Recreation, Go Fly a Kite celebration, this Saturday, March 15, at the Belmont Central Elementary school soccer field.

This event is for children ages 2-12, and prizes are awarded. There is no entry fee, and hopefully the weather will cooperate.

The Observer is reporting today that the plans for the 1,100 acres below South Point HS have been shared with city planners.

Almost 3,000 new homes are planned, along with a 36-acre “regional” park, and an additonal 30-acres for an elementary school site.

It is great to see their plans, but some of the land reserved for the park and the school site are basically very difficult and expensive terrain to develop.

It is both a good news and bad news type of story. The good news is that they plan a long term build out of the project — 15 to 20 years; The bad news is that the road plan is also a bit questionable. It is relying heavily on the use of South Point Road and an unfunded “spine” road closer to the South Fork River, connecting with Armstrong Ford Road(Main Street) near Timberlake and connecting to the Garden Parkway.

We hope that this particular road is built BEFORE the proposed houses and towncenters are approved. If you think South Point Road is busy now, wait for this development to take off.

Unfortunately — well maybe fortunately — the state builds roads, Senator Pittenger has a very cozy relationship with the development firms around the state. We would not be too surprised if this “spine road” gets fastracked. As former city councilmember Irl Dixon once stated, the TIP ( transportation Improvement Program) had already designated that a road needed to be built and overlayed a road path. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan by the City of Belmont accepted this overlay, so all things considered, the road could be a go…

Hopefully, the funding will be forthcoming from the state legislature. We know that Representative Wil Neumann of Belmont is supportive, if not for re-election purposes at the very least.  

 (Neumann)     (Pittenger)

Other good news on this project is the developer. Haden Stanziale is a recognized leader in large tract development. The project will certainly be first class. The bad news about this developer is that it contributes to the notion of economic cleansing concerns that many in-town and long-time residents have expressed.

When the property taxes on revaluation of property goes sky high two things happen. Pleople sell their property, or they can’t afford the tax bill. In this “bubble-burst” period of housing slowdown, both the resale of existing homes and new homes may help keep the tax values from rising too quickly.

We have a county commission that is very averse to raising pennies on property, but willing to hit the sales tax side for “good causes”  — this is a whole ‘nuther story completely so we won’t talk about it right now.