Belmont honors community arts, new poet laureate and celebrates completed Belmont Creek restoration

Several community‑oriented items rounded out Belmont’s Jan. 27 meeting. Lauren Boro of HIP Housing presented the organization’s countywide outcomes and introduced two children chosen for calendar artwork; the children read short statements about what “home” means to them and received city recognition.

Bridget Shearer, parks and recreation and facilities director, introduced Greg McCullough as Belmont’s newly appointed poet laureate. McCullough said he plans school outreach, continued poetry nights, expansion of the Martin Luther King Jr. poetry and essay contest, and centennial‑year programming that will invite residents to reflect on the city’s history through writing. He read a short poem titled "My home is a century now." "As poet laureate, I hope to continue the work of my predecessors, cultivating a thriving literary community here in our city," he said.

City manager Tom Hagen and staff presented a short time‑lapse and highlights of the Belmont Creek restoration, noting more than 500 feet of channel was restored and over 2,000 native plants and trees were installed to improve habitat and water quality. Staff emphasized the project’s regional partnerships and outreach and proposed sharing the project video broadly.

Next steps: staff will publish event materials and outreach information for upcoming centennial and Lunar New Year events; the parks department will continue poetry and youth programming; city communications will place the Belmont Creek video on the city website and share with partner agencies.