watch and listen to the talking news every day at one thousand two hundred noon and six hundred pm on channel ninety six comcast xfinity and channel thirty verizon fios it can also be heard mondays and tuesdays at four hundred and thirty pm and wednesday at one thousand two hundred and thirty pm on channel nine xfinity and channel twenty nine fios listen anytime on the bmc podcast network on soundcloud and itunes just search for the belmont media podcast network and now onto the the talking news plastic bag ban approved by joanna k tzouvelis the first night of the annual belmont town meeting ended at nine hundred and thirty pm with six articles approved by wide margins with the most discussion on the plastic bag ban town meeting continued on wednesday may 3rd and is expected to vote on the citizen's petition for a special election to opt out of the nonmedical retail establishment in belmont and seven amendments to that petition which would allow one or more types of marijuana establishments to be voted on if a special election is approved belmont is now one of more than sixty five massachusetts towns which is banning retailers from using thin film singleuse plastic checkout bags with handles the selectman's article to ban thin film plastic checkout bags passed at the town meeting by more than twothirds vote on april 30th beginning this november or possibly sooner star market in belmont will no longer provide singleuse thin film plastic checkout bags to customers they will have recyclable paper bags and also sell reusable shopping bags or customers can bring their own reusable shopping bags smaller retail stores defined as those covering less than thirty thousand square feet will no longer be allowed to use the thin film singleuse plastic checkout bags beginning in february two thousand and nineteen or sooner if their current plastic bag stock runs out a special election could determine whether or not belmont will allow certain types any type or no nonmedical retail marijuana establishments to open in belmont once the citizens petition to opt out of the state's legalization of such establishments and the seven amendments voted on by the town meeting in the meantime town meeting took advantage of some extra time on april thirty to vote on two articles related to retail marijuana establishments the three local sales tax at a temporary moratorium the article for a temporary moratorium passed one hundred and ninety to fifty two this will give the planning board until december 31st two thousand and eighteen to draft zoning regulations for nonmedical retail marijuana establishments in belmont a three marijuana sales tax was approved two hundred and thirty one to seven this will allow the town to judge nonmedical retail marijuana establishments a three local sales tax the revenue from this sales tax will go into the town coffers to be used for anything the town decides to use it for former board of health member dr david alper also a town meeting member for precinct six said stores in colorado generate up to forty thousand annually from local sales tax there is no longer a sunset clause on the general residents zoning bylaw put in place in two thousand and fourteen to prevent oversized and outofcharacter additions and new construction the amendment requiring special permits to such projects to be reviewed and approved by the planning board is now permanent town meeting voted two hundred and thirty eight to sixteen in favor of the article special permits for smaller projects defined as three hundred square feet or less such as decks or dormers will now be reviewed and approved by the zoning board of appeals town meeting approved this article two hundred and forty two to nine belmont will now have an additional historic district it's first singlefamily property pending approval by attorney general maura healey's office town meeting approved an article to make two hundred and ninety one brighton street a local historic district this means current or future owners will have to get approval by the belmont historical district commission for any changes to the exterior of the home visible from a public way the home is the last surviving property of what was once a 17acre farm owned by the frost family which grew celery it was built in the 1800s and is one of a few remaining examples of federal style architecture in belmont and now on to claire thank you bob residents give suggestions to design team for belmont high school project by christie armstrong the belmont high school building committee continued its design quest with a community forum on april 26th at the wellington elementary school belmont residents were encouraged to give their feedback on the current design model and help brainstorm uses for what is being called the south plaza an outdoor space between the south side of the new building and clay pit pond the meeting began with a discussion of the revised design for the lower school which will house the seventh and eighth graders in a separate wing from the ninth through 12th graders the aim is to give the lower grades a discreet sense of place according to consultant brooke trivas from perkinson will the project's design team the lower school wing will be angled away from the closest section of the main building to provide more natural light and open space in that area discussion of design dick madden a pleasant street resident expressed concerns about the overall look of the building and whether all of the open space was necessary i see an awful lot of heat in the winter time pouring through that glass madden said the bhs building committee chairman bill lovallo said the building's energy use is being carefully considered and the open spaces allow for natural light lovallo also noted classrooms in new school buildings are now required by code to be located on an outside wall john kolterman a precinct one resident and the former chairman of sustainable belmont also asked about energy efficiency and the goals for a net zero building in net zero buildings the total amount of energy used by the structure on an annual basis is to be roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site lovallo said the building will still achieve a very high level of energy efficiency even if it doesn't hit net zero kolterman also raised concerns about traffic in the area and encouraged the committee to give more thought in terms of urban mobility particularly with covered parking areas for bicycles concern about expense of project resident charles smart and school committee member tara donner also expressed concern about the expense of the project according to lovallo the total project cost is currently estimated at two hundred and ninety five million with up to forty subsidized by the massachusetts school building authority this project will likely add one thousand eight hundred to the average annual tax bill for homeowners over a thirty year period said bob mclaughlin bhs permanent building committee and warrant committee member now here's max thanks claire meet belmont's new facilities director by joanna k tzouvelis town administator patrice garvin introduced belmont's new facilities director at the april 12th board of selectmen meeting steve dorrance officially starts his new position on april 30th he replaced gerald boyle who officially retired on december 29th dorrance has been working for the state for the past four years as bureau director of facilities for the four department of public health hospitals two million square feet forty five buildings one thousand acres of parking dorrance has an undergraduate degree from suffolk university in clinical psychology and a degree in criminal justice from another institution his graduate work was done at harvard university where he specialized in organizational development dorrance took the time to answer some questions from the citizen herald so the community could get to know him a little better what are you looking forward to most about this new role for you in belmont keeping in mind that i've not yet started but from the interviewing process it seems as though there are a number of challenges facing the new director among them are developing comprehensive preventative maintenance programs for all the mechanical systems in the buildings throughout the town fully implementing the work order system and associated modules will be extremely helpful to us as a way of measuring productivity helping us get in front of smaller issues before they become larger and more expensive and give us a routine way of communicating with those who are requesting maintenance and repair services the system as i hope it will work will be instrumental in providing metrics on a number of things including the frequency and cost of repairs on missioncritical systems i am looking forward to addressing some of the shortterm operational issues and longerterm strategic matters including the myriad of choices related to the new high school construction for many years i was a member of the national trust for historic preservation and personally did a number of authentic period restorations of antique homes i live in an one thousand eight hundred and seventy six farmhouse i am excited about the stewardship responsibility for belmont's period municipal structures what do you see as the greatest challenges of this role since i have not officially started yet it's a bit of a challenge to enumerate what the biggest challenges could be on the face of it it seems as though there's a backlog of work that needs to be prioritized and completed next summer break is just a few weeks away and ensuring that all the work that has to be done over break is appropriately specified bid and ready to be started lastly i see the facilities department as a customer service function we exist to serve the needs of everyone who uses or works in municipal buildings including staff students residents and others what do you think are your greatest strengths which will benefit you in this role as a vocation and avocation i have built structures of many types in multiple states i understand at a detailed level construction practices methods and techniques this knowledge will hopefully be important as we consider preserving our existing structures and building new ones i hope the handson practical knowledge coupled with the experience of daytoday operational building management will be the right combination for belmont what have been your greatest challenges in your current position virtually all of my experience save four years is in the private sector in that world performance goals and incentives are for the most part very clear change and innovation in the private sector are among other things key to personal success and organizational survival and prosperity it was a challenge for me to adjust to a system that does not reward any of the things to which i have become accustomed over my threeplusdecadelong career lastly although there is a tremendous need for standardization and implementation of best practices it was very difficult to get there given the organizational resistance to change what accomplishments did you make in your current position that you were most proud of i started at one hospital and over a period of about eighteen months assumed overall responsibility for some aspects of four hospitals including eight hundred beds a thousand acres 40plus buildings acres of parking and miles of roadways over to you bob thank you max funeral director advises people to plan ahead by joanna k tzevoulis nicholas faggas founder of faggas funeral home in watertown always used to say there are two things in life you're never going to avoid death and taxes he started his business in one thousand nine hundred and sixty three and retired in two thousand and fifteen his daughter adrianne always looked up to her father and joined the business in one thousand nine hundred and eighty seven her daughter nicole is now a thirdgeneration funeral director and embalmer adrianne says today's generation doesn't think about the death care industry and importance of planning ahead she often has clients who are shocked at how much it costs to give a loved one a proper burial the average cost of a burial is about seven thousand five hundred and this does not include the cost of the plot if you're not prepared you have to know that a funeral could be a very big expense if you don't own grave space because you have to purchase a grave says adrianne the total cost of a burial with the plot for a municipal cemetery is ten thousand to twelve thousand if it's a private cemetery total cost of a burial with the plot starts at eighteen thousand prices for cemetery plots vary from cemetery to cemetery she said local municipal cemeteries like ridgelawn in watertown no longer allow residents to prepurchase because there is not enough space if you are a watertown resident without a plot you get the next one in line a single grave for two burials at a municipal cemetery is one thousand three hundred and eight hundred to open it buying a cemetery plot is like buying a home says adrianne it's important for families to see where it is and make sure they like the location plots at private cemeteries like newton cemetery or the gardens start at six thousand and an additional three thousand to open the cost of a plot at the historic mount auburn cemetery in cambridge and watertown starts at sixty thousand and about two thousand one hundred to open the grave one thousand for the grave liner and to be buried on a saturday it's an extra one thousand two hundred it's about three thousand eight hundred to be buried on a saturday at mount auburn if you already own a grave said adrianne she said it's prime real estate there many people are opting for cremation because of the lower cost and the lack of cemetery space the total cost for cremation is two thousand three hundred according to adrianne she said cremation is now seventy of the business for many funeral homes nowadays i have families come in and say just give us the cheapest casket or cremate them they just don't want to be bothered a funeral is part of life it is not only a religious ceremony it helps people come to the realization that their loved one is no longer with them so death is really for the living she said she recommends doing a preneed revocation trust to prepay the guarantee the services and merchandise costs at today's prices and now onto claire thank you bob reliving the prom by joanna k tzouvelis seniors entering the beech street center on april 27th received hollywood treatment with a red carpet and runway a photographer taking their photos a colorful balloon archway and centerpieces a popcorn station live entertainment dinner and dancing at belmont's first intergenerational prom the belmont council on aging assistant director lillian hartman organized this event with the assistance of belmont high school volunteer students from the belmontian club other towns hold intergenerational proms which many belmont seniors enjoy attending said david ching he loved burlington's intergenerational prom so much he presented the idea to have one in belmont to hartman who took it on wholeheartedly belmont should have this type of event so their teens and seniors can showcase their ability to organize share good spirit and bring vitality to a common place across generations it was reminiscent but celebrated who we are today and left lasting good impressions for all teens in the kitchen laughed that they recognize most of the 1950s and 1960s rock and roll performed by stanley and the undercovers and it was great to see teen servers get out on the dance floor after dinner said hartman volunteer teams from coldwell banker leader bank friends of belmont coa and belmont high school took on projects to help make the event a success black and white photos of resident's proms from one thousand nine hundred and fifty five to one thousand nine hundred and sixty added to the hollywoodthemed decor the bhs madrigal singers and dancers from fred astaire dance studio in belmont including belmont resident and dance student sherry jones entertained guests ladies also received roses after dinner now here's max thank you claire community shows support for becca pizzi 5k road race by joanna k tzouvelis nearly five hundred people ages two to seventy registered for the third annual becca pizzi 5k road race on april 29th despite the wet weather the event started off with a onemile run for children with one hundred participants belmont savings bank was the major sponsor and belmont boosters were the organizers the event became an annual tradition three years ago after pizzi became the first ever american woman to complete in excuse me compete in and win the world marathon challenge running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days she made history again this year participating and winning the world marathon challenge a second time in her opening remarks before a large crowd at the belmont high school track where pizzi once shown as a star athlete and runs religiously every day she announced she was getting into the guinness book of world records for the fastest time to complete a marathon in each of the seven continents by a female in six days eighteen hours and thirty eight minutes january 23rd to 30th two thousand and sixteen i am so excited we keep growing bigger and bigger even with the hurdle of pouring rain belmont and surrounding towns still came out to run i'm inspired by how loyal and loving our community is said pizzi scott dedeo finished first in the male category finishing at eighteen minutes and fifty four seconds kristin barishian pizzi's sister was the first female to finish at twenty one minutes twenty three seconds awards were presented for male and female winners in eight age categories the youngest winner of the 5k was molly sheehan finishing in twenty four minutes the oldest winner was missy shay finishing in thirty one minutes four seconds i really can't believe that i have my own race named after me this is a dream come true to see signs around my town with my name on it in the town i grew up in i love belmont so much pizzi said pizzi manages moozy's ice cream in belmont and owns a daycare in belmont proceeds from the race will benefit the becca pizzi foundation scholarship which will be presented to graduating bhs students in june over to you bob thank you max belmont man pleads guilty to two thousand and sixteen sexual assault middlesex district attorney marian ryan and belmont police chief richard mclaughlin have announced that zachary st paul thirty five of belmont pleaded guilty today in middlesex superior court to sexual assault charges in connection with the two thousand and sixteen rape of a woman who was known to him st paul pleaded guilty to two counts of rape one count of indecent assault and battery of a person over the age of fourteen one count of photographing an unsuspecting nude person and willful dissemination of a photograph of a nude person according to a press release from ryan's office judge kathe tuttman sentenced the defendant to nine hundred and twelve years in state prison and five years probation as part of the terms of probation tuttman ordered the defendant to wear a gps monitoring bracelet to stay away from and have no contact with the victim to undergo a sexual offender evaluation and comply with any recommended followup care the release states on june 12th two thousand and sixteen belmont police were notified by the victim that she had been sexually assaulted the night before in the defendant's belmont home the victim told police she had been out with the defendant on the night of june 11th two thousand and sixteen and when she awoke next to the defendant the next morning the defendant informed the victim that they had engaged in sexual intercourse the victim had no recollection of this event and had no memory of returning to the defendant's home the victim borrowed the defendant's phone on which she located photos of herself without clothes on a search warrant was executed on the defendant's phone by belmont police who found multiple still photos of the victim in a state of undress as well as videos of the defendant sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious and now over to claire thank you bob should belmont increase number of selectmen town meeting expected to have decided by may 7th by joanna k tzevoulis some of the arguments to keep the number of selectmen the same are allow board deliberations to remain transparent and open to the public every selectman is vested in the job elections would remain competitive three members are more apt to reach a consensus meetings are efficient and reasonable length current level of authority and accountability would be maintained salary and benefit costs would not increase town administrator communications with individual selectmen would not increase too much is at stake for a change of this magnitude now some of the arguments for increasing the number of selectmen are greatest stability for town government in policyplanning and hiring increased representation diversity and viewpoints less likelihood of one board member being isolated or dominating others potential for wider range of skills and experience on the board permits members to use one other member as a sounding board and communicate outside a meeting increased access to board members for town residents increased ability to communicate with town committees and increased ability to attend external meetings and the source is committee to study the number of selectmen now here's max thank you claire kinesthetic connection couple finds community at belmont dance studio by abby patkin with her nephew's wedding coming up nancy lowenstein was just looking to get in some dance lessons with her husband joe rancatore who owns rancatore's ice cream yogurt in belmont and lexington dancing was par for the course but the couple didn't expect to find a community at belmont's fred astaire dance studio we started off just wanting to learn how to dance and then we kind of found a nice community and a nice kind of family there said lowenstein of one of those studio's many lexingtonbased students this community and shared passion for dance are what convinced lowenstein and her husband to stay two years later the couple continues to take regular lessons at fred astaire's we've made new friends that we see outside of the studio now so that's also been something that we really didn't plan on and i think that's been a nice part of this too just the community you get connected to there lowenstein said it really has been a lot more than learning how to dance contributing to community the sense of community is exactly what made the studio's new owner belmont resident elizabeth woo want to invest having taken classes at fred astaire's for more than ten years she has seen it all firsthand when she heard the studio would be on the market woo jumped at the chance to take over for the previous owners earl and jennifer batol when they approached me with this opportunity i felt like this was serendipity working to put me in this place because it was something that i wanted to do in terms of running my own business but it was also something i was passionate about woo explained taking over the studio is woo's way of giving back to her community and fulfilling her dream of running her own business she said when my husband asked me why i wanted to do this i joked semiseriously that this is my midlife crisis project an affair is way too much work and i've already owned a sports car she wrote in an announcement to the students knowledge that i will not cure cancer or solve world peace this is my opportunity to make a greater contribution to my community and hopefully enrich the lives of the staff and students they teach woo a biotech executive is also enjoying the chance to try something new it's also an opportunity to show my kids that it's never too late to do something that's completely out of your comfort zone she said back to you bob along with my colleagues claire and max we thank you for listening to the talking news and hope you have enjoyed the show we will return next week for another edition of local news happenings around belmont