watch and listen to the talking news every day at twelve 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 any time on the bmc podcast network on soundcloud and itunes just search for the belmont media podcast network now on to the talking news new gm for belmont light appointed by joanna k zavalas the belmont light board unanimously voted in favor of appointing christopher roy conquered municipal light plants current assistant director as belmont lights new general manager subject to successful negotiation of a contract following his public interview on april 9th current acting general manager craig spinale was also a final candidate and publicly interviewed on april 9th at the end of july the belmont light board voted not to renew the contract of jim palmer who served as general manager since two thousand and ten spinale was appointed as the acting general manager by the belmont light board grew white the same search committee used to help hire town administrative patrice garvin was used to help with the belmont light general manager search ten applications for the position were received and five candidates were interviewed by the screening committee on april twenty on march 24th the committee then narrowed it down to three candidates to be interviewed by the light board but one dropped out light board chairman adam dash said both were great candidates but only one could get the job he said roy did a great job in the presentation section of the interview with the problem the light board asked the candidates to analyze and solve which was how to keep rates from going up while increasing the green energy portion of belmont's power supply he clearly has a passion for public power and the experience in working on substations solar institutions installations excuse me and and green energy policies it was a close call but the vote was unanimous mr spinale has done a great job as acting gm and really want to we really want him to stay having both of them would give belmont light a dream team said dash in an email to the citizen herald on april 10th roy has been the assistant director of the concord municipal light plant since two thousand and thirteen prior to that he was the interim communications coordinator for concord municipal light plant from two thousand and eleven to two thousand and thirteen engineering and operations manager from two thousand and ten to two thousand and thirteen and electrical engineer from twenty from two thousand and nine to two thousand and ten before joining concord municipal light plant roy worked for enstar electric and gas as a substation operations supervisor from two thousand and five to two thousand and nine roy has a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from tufts university and a masters in power systems management from porster from worcester polytech institute in roy's cover letter to grew white he stated on a regular basis i balance pressures from the community other town departments and system events to provide guidance to our staff so they can focus on the right tasks with minimal obstacles he outlines examples of his experience to show how the key functions of the position closely match his experience such as his work developing all aspects of strategic and financial planning for concorde municipal light plant and a power procurement strategy outline to help concord achieve its goals for the global warming solutions act it adopted in two thousand and eight belmont would be a great fit for me because concord and belmont are essentially sister communities sustainability initiatives our infrastructure and our light plant organizations are all very similar i have had a lot of success aligning the concorde light plants activities with the community's goals and welcome the opportunity to do the same in belmont said roy in an email to the citizen herald and now on to claire thank you bob pharma selectman bill skelley has passed away by joanna k zavalas on election day many belmont residents were sad to learn the news of a dear friend and dedicated town volunteer who touched many lives passing away william skelley who served as a selectman for two terms from one thousand nine hundred and ninety four to two thousand and was very active on the veterans memorial committee and in belmont's church of jesus christ of latter day saints passed away on april 3rd skelley lived in belmont for more than fifty years he also served on the warrant committee was a town precinct five town meeting member and key player in fundraising for the beach street center project he also coached youth sports in belmont for twenty years skelley leaves behind his sons william and christopher dodd and mary elizabeth fiango seven grandchildren and his sisters barbara skelley of belmont and kathleen melons of waltham the selectmen held a moment of silence in his honor at their meeting the morning of april four with newly elected member tom caputo and honored him with a proclamation at their april nine meeting lives he touched skelley's younger sister mary elizabeth was born with severe disabilities and passed away at age seven when he was thirteen in an interview with the citizen herald two years ago skelley credited his sister for inspiring him to help others she taught me the true meaning of life true happiness in our life comes from helping those in need bullies do not understand this but we must help them understand this true meaning of happiness in our lives skelley said timmy polson is a nine year old boy from belmont who skelley spent a few hours each week visiting he was born with a micro deletion of his fourth chromosome which causes him to be severely disabled timmy's mom mother catherine said there seems to be an immediate bond from the moment skelley and timmy first met four years ago at church when skelley introduced himself skelley was honored at a memorial service at the church of jesus christ of latter day saints in belmont on april nine catherine spoke about his relationship with her son at the memorial she said it takes a lot of time and energy to get timothy to come to to truly recognize somebody bill invested this time and energy as their friendship blossomed timothy would light up when he heard his best friend bill come into the room his head would turn and his expression changed as he often would reach for bill's face sometimes tim would smile and chuckle sometimes he'd click his tongue in excitement she said skelley began an initiative called the community friends project designed to encourage teenagers to donate some of their time with people living with severe disabilities both the board of selectmen and the school committee supported the concept a let's get it done guy annmarie mahoney capital budget committee chapman succeeded skelley on the board of selectmen he and i had worked together when he was on the bos and i was on the school committee he convinced peter holland the superintendent to undertake a collaborative form of bargaining with the teacher's union and he participated with us she wrote in an email bill was a true belmontian he grew up in town and was a high school sports star went to harvard and became a successful businessman he married his high school sweetheart and raised his own children here he always remained actively involved in the town the school sports and local politics bill was a positive upbeat let's get it done kind of guy he was a joy to work with and a calming influence in many stressful moments in town government one of his key interests as a selectman was to have a senior center in town his parents were active seniors and he believed they deserved a dedicated space his early work led to the eventual eventual construction of the present senior center continued mahoney now over to max thank you claire paradise flowers moves to cushing square by joanna k zavalas paradise flowers located at four hundred and fifteen concord avenue belmont center since one thousand nine hundred and eighty seven has moved to four hundred and fifty four common street in cushing square owner christine havarti who has lived in belmont her whole life said moving was a difficult decision but she wanted to make a fresh start in a new space which is actually closer to her home she also believes parking in her new location will be better for customers sharing parking with the post office was tricky especially around the holidays she said havarti took over paradise flowers in one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine i had worked there for four years before i realized that i had a head for the business end of the industry too i knew i wanted the freedom to create the designs i loved to be able to meet the customers and build relationships with them and be able to support myself doing it she said soon after taking over the shop the franchise kabloom opened nearby in belmont center which was come competition for havarti it was a little scary at first being up against such a large successful company but i also knew they would have challenges i know from experience the hours that you have to put in to make a successful flower shop it's certainly not a nine to five for me she said the secret to her success has been choosing the freshest flowers finding employees who are willing to work long hours at the holidays and are as passionate about flowers and people as she is my hope is that i'll be at this location for another thirty years i want to be coming in seeing my customers and helping them spread happiness through flowers until i'm very old and that's a long time off said havarti the belmont citizen herald recently had the opportunity to meet with havarti and talk about our business how did you get into the floral business it took me a little while to find my passion i knew i had an artistic eye for proportion and design but i didn't know exactly how i would use it i had tried my hand at cake decorating which i really liked and i worked in an office setting for a while but found it didn't suit my creative side my grandmother tillie was a painter and she painted these gorgeous awardwinning paintings of flowers when i was growing up whenever i saw them i was moved the color and vibrancy of flowers the way it brightens someone's day and lifts them up even if just for a moment that's what really drew me to working at paradise flowers originally what appeals to you about the new cushing square location the new location gives me the chance to be a part of this new cushing square that's really just bursting with possibility there is so many improvements happening and new development coming in it's really exciting to be a part of that i look forward to fostering relationships with the local businesses in the area and i'm hoping to continue my relationships with my current customers while meeting lots of new ones it's such a great area with a lot of character and now it's buzzing with new life how will your new store be different from prior location the new store is bigger brighter and more up to date technologically my focus is on giving it the same welcoming feeling i had over at concord ave and i really think it's coming together beautifully we also now have online ordering so if that's how you like to order you can still do that and still know that it's coming from a designer you know and can trust to get the message just right what do you love about what you do the best part of the job is definitely working with the clients to help them create custom designs each person has their own aesthetic and i work with them to design arrangements that fit their style and personality this is especially true about weddings and special events that i provide the flowers for i love doing weddings and events making sure the bride or honoree has the freshest best selection of flowers in the most creative designs but i also truly believe that receiving flowers is still a special and exciting occasion if you use a designer who cares about what they're making that's always my goal i want the receiver to feel the message that the giver is trying to get across over to you bob thank you max three things to know about the selectmen meeting by angela toma the belmont board of selectmen met on april 9th it was the first full meeting for the newest member tom caputo here are three takeaways from this meeting number one regional dockless bicycle share program at the end of last year the metropolitan area planning council ampc announced a project aimed at bringing a new bike sharing network to the metro boston area the multitone bike sharing project would connect sixteen boston area communities including towns such as lexington newton waltham and watertown the system will use dockless technology as the name suggests dockless bikes do not require a docking station and can be parked within a defined area along the sidewalk or at a bike rack members of the board of selectmen said they believe it is a great way to reduce the cars on the street as well as a great way to make biking easier and more accessible to the community there is no cost to the municipality for participating in this program the selectman passed a motion to sign the memorandum of understanding to facilitate collaboration with the management of the regional metropolis bike sharing system issue number two fiscal year two thousand and nineteen supplemental requests the selectman did not vote on any fiscal year two thousand and nineteen supplemental requests state aid is not finalized and the selectman cannot hold a vote before then they are they are prioritizing funding for existing veterans services officer hours tree trimming a council on aging social worker a school resource officer for the chenery middle school and rodent control discussions are ongoing issue number three housing trust agreement the warrant committee discussed and voted on proposed community preservation act the cpa project at the april 4th meeting one of the projects is a housing trust agreement that would establish a housing trust fund to support affordable housing options in belmont the committee voted unanimously in favor of housing of the housing trust fund however some warrant committee members have accountability concerns with how the trust will use and allocate their funds before the project is taken to town meeting for a vote the committee men have suggested drafting a contract that lays out how how the trust will be using their funding and now over the claire thank you bob a topping off ceremony held for a new quote barn belmont day school held ceremony to celebrate construction of the new building by joanna k zavalas there was a lot of exhilaration in the year as students at belmont day school gathered together the morning of april nine for a topping off ceremony to celebrate the construction of the new building which is being referred to as a barn this moment is a long long time in the making there are some people who have been thinking about this barn and believing in it for as many as six or seven years said headmaster brendan luggay according to belmont day director of communications corinne mcquilton the new building is referred to as the barn as a nod to the school's history belmont day was founded in one thousand nine hundred and twenty seven when belmont was still a town of farms belmont day school initially began operating at all saints parish house on clark street until one thousand nine hundred and thirty two when it outgrew the church facilities a parent came upon a little stone house in the big field that offered expansion possibilities in a country atmosphere in one thousand nine hundred and thirty three the school's executive committee purchased the stone cottage which is currently part of the belmont day school library said mcquilton the barn estimated to cost one hundred and fifteen million to build is expected to be complete in late november the building will add arts athletics and academic spaces to the campus and includes a wood shop an innovation lab two art studios general purpose space offices locker rooms and reception areas and the field house is sized for two sidebyside dual use basketball and volleyball courts the barn will enhance the experience of our current community of two hundred and seventy four students our plan for middleschool enrollment growth calls for a gradual increase over four years adding thirty to forty in total new students to the community said mcquilton now over to max thank you claire dance show elicits many emotions by mayumi muira motoyama i saw avalon dance and fitness studios spring showcase anything goes on the dance floor at a dancer friends invitation on march 16th i knew little to nothing about ballroom dancing but my first dance show experience was far beyond my expectations each piece of the program featuring both professional and amateur dancers in various combinations were beautifully crafted and i was immediately captivated by the charm of ballroom dancing and the passion of the performers to learn that such high level performances were being given at a local town studio was a pleasant surprise the studio is located at three hundred and forty five tropellow road belmont the building may have a modest exterior but take one step inside and you were greeted by a large staircase and pass the black door at the top you will find a spacious ballroom the show began with a brilliant group dance to the cole porter classic anything goes watching such explosive joy emitted by the ten dancers with bright smiles and dazzling costumes made my heart skip a beat next on the program was a graceful waltz the moment the pair who had been swinging slowly began sliding across the floor along with these surging music was breathtaking the program of twenty six numbers was comprised of a variety of styles from chacha's tangos and quick steps with comedic choreography to waltzes which displayed the simple beauty of the style using the entire floor the contrast between each piece kept the audience's attention the characteristics of the styles could be understood very distinctly even by those without any dance experience such as myself every number's choreography was finely crafted to fit the specific dancers skills and personalities the audience applauded and called out not only at the end of a dance but whenever an impressive technique was pulled off which encouraged the dancers even more i am sure that the more one knows about dance vocabulary the more one can participate in the show the music had a lot of variety from standard numbers to some ethnic tunes as the program went on it became clear to me that dance is the art of how one perceives music and how one can express this with a given style the master of ceremonies that night was professional brad morrison he warmly introduced the dancers with their recent achievements and cleverly connected the numbers with his cheerful speech while talking to the guests as mc he was also an essential part of the program ballroom dance is generally done in pairs pros proam or amateurs of course the pair of professional dancers jess and kumar were particularly exquisite it was amazing that even on the uptempo pieces viewer could viewers could still see each pose clearly and they were constantly sensing each other's presence without the need to look over to you bob thank you max caputo sworn in as newest selectman by joanna k zavalas with his wife sarah and twin daughters jane and alison by his side tom caputo was sworn in as belmont's newest selectman on the morning of april 4th and immediately attended his first official meeting of the board caputo ran uncontested for the three years seat however thomas siena olson decided to give residents another alternative at the last minute by running as a writein candidate just days before the election caputo won the election with two thousand one hundred and six votes he said running uncontested gave him gave him two opportunity gave him an opportunity to have more of a listening campaign and hear residents concerns about the town budget and capital projects he said he would like to make revenue a priority at the april 4th meeting the selectman voted to reorganize the board with adam dash becoming the chairman and mark payolilio becoming the vice chairman there will be a new policy outlining the rotation for selectmen to depoliticize the chairman and vice chairmanship after a brief discussion the selectman decided was best for a member not to be chairman for their third year due to the time it takes to run for reelection payolilio said he didn't completely agree with the new policy but second the nomination for dash to become the chairman dash said there would be three simple rules no drama be respectful and don't waste anyone's time and over to claire thank you bob a sugar induced stampede by steve anir katie samuels has fond memories of eating neko wafers the chocky multicolored candies made by the new england confectionary company as a kid samuel's and her siblings would play church at their grandmother's house placing the circular treats into their mouths as if they were taking communion she said so when the twenty three year old florida resident learned recently that the revere based sweets manufacturer was at risk of closing down laying off hundreds of its employees due to financial insecurities she reached out to candy wholesaler candystorecom to try and scoop up as many packages of the iconic sweets as possible desperate times as they say lead to desperate measures i offered to trade my two thousand and three honda accord for all of their stock she said by telephone tuesday i knew it was kind of a silly thing to say but i'm serious i don't have much right now so i was like i've got this car and i want all that candy so maybe they would consider it in march neko chief executive michael mcgee notified the state and revere mayor brian m arigo that three hundred and ninety five workers could be laid off if the candy maker can't find a buyer neko which has been producing wafers since one thousand eight hundred and forty seven is revere's largest employer news that the company they're also known for such old timey classic as those tooth hugging squirrel nut zippers and crunchy sweethearts could close by may allegedly send people from across the country into twinkie hoarding mode the wall street journal reported this week that candy connoisseurs have been maniacally calling up distributors asking to buy candy in bulk candystorecom is calling it the great neko wafer panic the business claims sales of wafers have jumped since the globe first wrote about neko's financial troubles last month neko sales spiked more than fifty neko wafers are up sixty three the company wrote in a blog post a clear signal of panic buying they said a nice older woman called and wanted to buy one hundred pounds of wafers emails by the hundreds about neko branded candies came rolling in and then of course a young woman named katie contacted us offering to trade her used honda accord for all our neko wafers now here's max thank you claire vote delayed on yawkey way name change by milton j valencia the city's public improvement commission thursday postponed its vote on a request by the boston red sox to remove the name of former red sox owner tom yawkey from the street alongside fenway park because of yawkey's reputation reputed pattern of bigotry the decision by the commission came at the request of the red sox organization which has formally asked that yawkey's name be stricken from street signs and that the name the street returned to its original name of jersey street the team asked for the delay on wednesday in a letter written by red sox senior vice president david friedman he wrote that the red sox under current owner john henry remain committed to restoring the city street to its original name henry and his wife linda henry also own the boston globe we remain committed to our petition and do not seek to alter it in any way friedman wrote but he wrote the red sox wanted the panel to postpone thursday's hearing for two weeks to give the commission quote ample time to review and fully consider the substantial testimony in any new material that has been received from the community unquote the commission reset the vote for april 26th the request by the red sox comes after an emotional public hearing last month in which longtime power brokers such as philanthropists jack connors and former red sox ceo john harrington argued that yawkey's substantial charitable works should be given due consideration during the ongoing debate but some members of the city black community including state representative byron rushing and tanisha sullivan president of the city's naacp pointed out yawkey's reputed bigotry yawkey for whom the street was named in one thousand nine hundred and seventy seven owned the team from one thousand nine hundred and thirty three until his death in one thousand nine hundred and seventy six back to you bob along with my colleagues claire and max thank you for listening to the talking news and hope you've enjoyed the show we will return next week for another edition of local news happenings around belmont