Letter to the Editor: Belmont's Need for Leadership

To the editor:

I am amazed and disappointed at the situation this town found itself in at the School Committee meeting last night. The members of the School Committee were in an impossible situation and had no good way out. The Library Trustees found themselves literally cutting and pasting possible alternative ideas for locations for a ball field to save the future of the new library.

Where is the leadership in this town? It is not the job of a Library Trustee alone, or the responsibility or the school committee members, to do this work.

The Selectmen should have stepped up with professionals to find a way to make it work. I have to believe that there is a way to both support the sports programs and move our library to a more appropriate location.

I have been asking for several years now for a 10-year plan. We need some thoughtful planning and then a huge campaign to promote the plan to the community. If the Selectmen do not gather the facts and provide a map for proceeding forward, who will?

The failure to find a solution to the ball field issue has effectively put an end to hopes for a new library for at least five more years. Along with it, we now cannot move forward with possible plans to move the police station to the old library site.

We are also now limited on any sort of future development plans to refurbish/ sell/ lease the old electric light department substation and police station, which could be a great strip of shops along the train tracks if done right. Having sat on the Warrant Committee, I have seen first hand how much work there is to be tackled and also recognize the potential Belmont has, if we would only have some vision.

We need a plan. Other communities have a clear plan with clear goals, why not Belmont?

Kimberly Becker

Warwick Road