welcome to talking news we're delighted to have you with us listening to her presentation by members of the beach street center marian jonathan and irene we will be reading local news and happenings from the community newspaper of an explodes at owens bakery because maybe a gas leak stack of baking pans shiels owner by joanna savalas what started out as an ordinary day for burlington resident paul clem owner of at four fifty six common street belmont turned into a day he most likely will never forget while preparing muffins to be baked at two forty five am on march fifteenth clam stepped away from the oven to get something and was shielded by a tall stack of baking pans when there was a sudden explosion from the oven other than his hair being singed clement walked away feeling very fortunate in his baker noory has asked who was also there was an injured i was lucky the pants saved me said clam belmont fire chief david freese al believes the blast was caused by an issue with the oven not igniting properly national grid shut the gas line down w firefighters investigated jerry's barber shop located to the right of all and had its front and rear windows blown out but belmont consignment on the left side did not have any visible damage for example set a lot of work as a head before all ins can reopen the back brick wall of the building where all its is located was blown out and the roof is starting to collapse they will need to get a structural analysis done to that area of the building he said clime said he plans to reopen but will lose a lot of business from the st patrick's day and easter holidays his wife mary beth was relieved her husband was not injured the main thing is how i moved away from the oven and right in front of those pants that saved me it's amazing it's a miracle that i moved when i did because two seconds sooner i would have been right in front of the oven in another two or three seconds i would have been back at the oven said clam jerry but joe has owned jerry's but the bakery fifty one years ago jonathan hill crossed residents hope to make roads public by brown berkowitz residents living in the hill across development of proposing to convert their private ways into public roads own been maintained by the town of belmont president's approach the selectmen march fourteenth to gauge interest on the likelihood of something that has not occurred since the 's the conversion of private ways to public ones the purpose of this proposal according to residents is to fix roads that are in deplorable condition from lack of maintenance while residents on private roads pay real estate tax and receive snow and trash removal as well as pothole patching services from the town rodman moves is their responsibility the biggest problem with the roads in our area and most private roads and they're in bad shape said davy david hurley of burchill road representing the rest residents it's dangerous to even walk down around here you're going to spread an ankle if you're not looking down the hill crest development was completed in the early hundred sixty s and is the largest subdivision in belmont the developer went bankrupt according to her leaving the roads in poor condition which is why the town is never accept of them as public roads the roads residence hope to have made public are amherst road birch hill road crestview road evergreen way land turn road longmeadow road spring valley road stony brook road part of wellesley road p cumberland road and one fall road hurley said residents wanted the end of would fall road to stay private and keep the layout of all the roads the same as it is now for the rose to become public hurley said they must be repaired the project cost of the work is roughly two point one million dollars according to committed development director glen clancy the town and residents would likely have to agree to a betterment which is a tax on the residents to live on the private roads so the town can repave them a better month can be stretched out over several years on a tax bill once the roads are repaved town meeting must vote to convert the private ways into public roads if this happens the town is charged with maintaining these roads selectman chairman sammy baghdadi said he did not think this would happen before a fall town meeting with one hundred thirty to one hundred eighty one households signed in favor of turning the roads public and twenty three didn't didn't respond some oppose the idea marian contract extension turns political by bram berkowitz a recent contract extension with the town longtime waste collector has become an in issue in the race for board of selectmen selectmen approved a new two year contract march seventh with f w russell the company that disposes of bell much trash and recycling bowls f w russell has worked with belmont since one nine hundred ninety eight according to public works director j market similar to previous contracts with f w russell the new contract will provide the town with dual stream an unlimited collections the cost of the company's services in fiscal twenty seven team will be roughly one point eight two million dollars and an eight percent increase from fiscal twenty sixteen year two of its contract will reflect a three percent increase from fiscal twenty seventeen the cost increase accounts for newly new hourly rates for government contractors known as prevailing wages which are set to increase by nearly five dollars an hour july first the increase also accounts for added equipment maintenance c since first jumping in the race february sixteenth selectman candidate alexander reuben has campaigned on the need for more transparency and does that set the town did not go through a competitive bidding process for the waste  collection contract it is only when an organization has the opportunity to examine and analyze their current level of service of competitors in the space that it can truly make informed decision decisions she said marcotte said the town began preparing a bid document by contacting other communities and hollers for a potential two year contract but feedback stated volatility in the commodities market would result in charges on recyclable couples and involved new equipment another expense marcotte said the increase in the new contract is typical in the current climate and know several communities that went out to bid and ended up double digit percentage increases this bridge contract allows time to determine whether the community is best served by making changes to trash and recycling collection he stated it also allows for evaluation of the recycling markets paul roberts a town meeting member supported by rubens argument she began asking questions of town hall and discovered that rather than negotiating changes in its recycling contract belmont this year simply renewed its contract with the same firm without soliciting comp roberts wrote in an endorsement of ruben on his website blogging bell much more outrageous the town has been doing so for more than a decade but according to market this is not true because the town competitively bid the contract in twenty eleven incumbent selectman mark polo who is running against ruben for reelection said the r f b b c six bids the decision to go forward was a logical choice said ralph jones a former selectman who is supporting poor little oh the market for recycled goods has just imploded according to jones to chinese brokers used to come to the united states seeking materials like recycled couple lots which were wants in high demand in china but since the chinese economy has slowed the market for recycled couples has dried up said jones the people who picked it up used to pay us he said now we have to pay them irene cushing village developer needs to show progress cushing village despite taking no action on monday march fourteenth selectman acknowledged that the cushing village development might be at the end of the road the planned three building one hundred sixty three eight hundred thirty three thousand square foot cushing village development has suffered long delays for the last two and a half years after receiving a one year special permit extension in november developer christo r and his firm smith legacy partners missed several deadlines for obtaining a building permit and breaking ground before swapping lenders in early february on march twenty eighth the purchase and sale agreement for a municipal law that star needs in order to break ground expires selectmen say they will be hard pressed to grant and extend the board of selectmen has been prepared to help move the project forward for a very long time said select i think it would be very difficult for us to approve an extension unless the developer comes back to us with something new selectman vice chairman mark a little low and jim williams agreed they would be unlikely to grant an extension unless there is concrete evidence that financing for the project is in place baghdadi said if the purchase and sale agreement expires the special permit would expire leaving start with a few land parcels including square selectman expressed their continued interest in promoting development including square if christian village falls through baghdad he said the town would also receive six hundred thousand dollars in escrow payments from s l p jonathan cambridge middle school has eyes on st george by bram berkowitz the city of cambridge seems to have a keen eye for belmont educators just four days after daniel called blown newfield upper school assistant principal at generally middle school announced he would be taking an administrator job in the cambridge public school system the c m c p s prince principal kirsten st george could be headed that way next jeffrey young superintendent of c p s announced in a letter to parents and faculty wednesday march tenth at st george's one of the four finalists for the head of school position at the range ave school a middle school in cambridge st george already announced she would be leaving her current post next year but never formally disclosed her next employer as some of you may know principal kristen st george will be leaving the district to pursue an employment opportunity instead of john filing superintendent of belmont public schools in an e mail to parents march eleventh principal st george has served as principal of the china in middle school for six years ms st george has been a value out and dedicated employee of the belmont public schools we're thankful for her service and wish her well fallon had similar words or gratitude for copland newfield who was with the district for eleven years and will take over as head of school at the vassal lane opera school another middle school in cambridge both principals will leave after this year and said that plan to work with transition st george will compete against julie craven the current interim head of the range of a new upper school timothy rogers principal of the also son middle school in arlington an assistant principal of the randolph community middle school sin the wait weeks c p s search advisory committee will meet with candidates from march fifteenth through twenty first in belmont  president of the chatter and asked for two parents to be on the screening committee and we have reached out to the belmont education association for two teachers services will fail on some of the hiring process for the assistant principals and position  commence after a new principal is selected marion question of the week there is a race for three year housing authorities see between newcomers thomas senior olson and power richter what do you think are the biggest issues housing it's facing in the next three years paul richter the belmont housing authority like all local housing authorities is constantly struggling for more resources in the next three years i would force see continued efforts at securing funding for maintenance and improvements at the b h a's properties using creative funding approaches that avoid reliance on community preservation act funds from the town i would also expect the b h a to pursue prospects for a new are renovated affordable housing in belmont including understanding potential design and funding options in the next three years we should expect the implementation of a new state law requiring housing authorities to include a tenant representative i applaud this change which will ground the work of the b h a by giving tenets a seat at the table where decisions affecting their daily lives are made in addition the housing production plan for belmont is likely the most important issue facing belmont affordable housing is maintaining quality of life quality of life includes both financial issues and social issues the housing authority under the commonwealth derives its mandate from the one nine hundred sixty eight fair housing act most of us believe that because it is state mandated that repairs for our friends and neighbors who live in sycamore gardens belmont village and waverl oaks are financed by the state at town meeting a short while back we learned that that was not the case state budgets vying for the latest political initiative never finding enough money to properly fund repairs that we who either rent or own no must be done i will advocate for proper state funding just as importantly is the issue of maintaining a home like environment the discussions of the bike path running through belmont village ignore resident rights to peace and quiet enjoyment having served on the first community path committee i believe the community path has other options available i will continue to support resident rights as an elected member of the belmont housing authority i will use my considerable advocacy skills both financial and social to maintain the residents quality of life irene gun was very throughout new england by jerry twenty the process of buying a gun is considerably different in massachusetts other states not only does massachusetts ban most sales of assault weapons it's universal licensing requirements ensure legal gun buyers undergo background checks massachusetts has done a really good job of educating and encouraging citizens to handle their guns responsibly said so grover executive director of newton based handgun violence they've done a lot to limit gun deaths without doing an outright ban on guns well federal law requires background checks for anyone buying a gun from a federally licensed vendor most states don't subject private purchases including sales at gun shows to that same level of scrutiny in massachusetts however any prospective gun buyers is legally required to obtain a license through his or her local police department the license is required whether the buyer is purchasing from a federally licensed gun shop or a private seller as part of the massachusetts licensing process the applicant is subjected to a background check that screens for past criminal activity and history of severe mental illness a two thousand and fourteen state law required massachusetts courts to transmit certain mental health records to the f b i s national database the background check system is only as good as the reporting system of the states that are providing the information said allison interment a staff attorney with the law center to prevent him gun violence massachusetts law as in addition to requiring all gun buyers to obtain a license massachusetts also requires sellers to get a state dealer license and license ehlers are allowed to transfer ownership of up to four firearms per year and all firearm sales are recorded by the state many assault weapons and large capacity magazines are being and in massachusetts of the fifty caliber rifles are legal city and town governments in the bay state are allowed to impose their own local restrictions on guns an ammunition massachusetts does not have a waiting period on gun purchases or restrict the number of firearms a buyer can legally purchase at one time jonathan washington a firearm identification if i d in titles the holder to possess non large capacity rifles and shotguns as of december thirty first twenty twenty there will be a single license to carry and the holder will be able to possess any firearm rifle or shotgun that is legal to own in the state of massachusetts a license to carry or a firearms identification card is issued pursuant to state law and obtained from the police department or a person lives or has a place of business a person of the class a license may transport a handgun loaded or unloaded on his person or under the under his direct control in the vehicle if the handgun is not under his direct control it must be unloaded and in a locked case locked trunk or another secure container a person with a class v license must transport handguns unloaded and in a locked case walk trunk or another secure container or person transporting large capacity rifles and shotguns must transport them unloaded and in a locked case unlocked truck or other secure container trigger locks do not meet the requirement of securing a weapon during transport in a motor motor vehicle types of guns under massachusetts general laws assault weapon an assault weapon shall have the same meaning as a semiautomatic assault weapon as defined by the federal public safety and recreational firearms use protection act and shelving include but not be limited to any of the weapons or compas or duplicate of the weapons of any caliber firearm a pistol revolver or other weapon of any description from which a shot for a bullet can be discharged and of which the length of the barrel or barrels is less than sixteen or eighteen inches in the case of a shotgun as originally manufactured large capacity feeding device affixed her detachable magazine box drum feed strip or similar device capable of accepting or that can be readily converted to accept more than ten rounds of ammunition or more than five shotgun shells large capacity a weapon any firearm rifle or shotgun that is semiautomatic with a fixed large capacity feeding device or that is semi automatic and capable of accepting or readily modified to accept any detachable large capacity feeding device or that employs a rotating cylinder capable of accepting more than ten rounds of ammunition in a rifle  more than five shotgun shells in the case of a shot gun or firearm or that is an assault weapon machine gun a weapon of any description by whatever name known loaded or unloaded from which a number of shots or bullets may be rapidly or automatically discharged by one continuous action activation of a trigger including a summer scene guns rifle a weapon having a rifle bore with the barrel length equal equal or greater than sixteen inches and capable of a shot or bullet for each pull of the trigger semiautomatic capable of utilizing a portion of the energy of a foreign cartridge to extract of fired cartridge case and chamber the next round and requiring a separate shot or bullet for each pull of the trigger marion a question of suitability police chiefs have discretion on issuing licenses by henry schwann police chiefs in massachusetts are allowed to use their judgment when deciding to issue a gun license and it's that suitability standard in the law that some have criticized the biggest concern i have about the suitability standard is the lack of the applicant can understand jason get a said he does the former director of the massachusetts firearms records bureau who has also served as counsel to the thing review board isn't the only massachusetts attorney who has a problem with the suitability standard in the massachusetts law beyond legal disqualify qualified such as drug domestic violence and this massachusetts police chiefs are legally authorized to use their discretion when deciding whether or not to issue a gun license nine out of ten police chiefs are respons reasonable said edward george counsel to the gun owners action league of massachusetts a l the state affiliate of the national rifle association and a practicing attorney for more than forty years however some chiefs are out of control they lack common sense when making decisions about who gets a license massachusetts general law one forty section one thirty one sets conditions and restrictions on a license to carry firearms and states in part the licensing authority may deny the application or remove a license to carry or suspend or revoke a license issued under this section if in a reasonable exercise of discretion the licensing authority determines that the applicant or licensee is unsuitable to be issued or to continue to hold a license to carry the application process there are several steps before an applicant can get a light gotten license in massachusetts an application run through the massachusetts instant records check system and interview with the chief or a designated firearms licensing official a digital photograph fingerprints for new applicants submission of the applicant's information to the massachusetts department of mental health state and national criminal background checks fingerprints submitted to massachusetts state police for state and national fingerprint based criminal background record checks and a licensing official reviewing the criminal background checks and mental health check for eligibility and suitability the application is vetted by their detective division this process includes a criminal background check mental health check certificate of completion of a certified safety course reference letters reasons why the applicant is applying for a license he said the application is either approved or denied by the police chief or the police department's designated licensing officer and denials can lead to an appeal to the district court where the application was filed or the license was issued irene state tracks sales not owners by el gentilly as the gun control debate heats up across the nation and within communities including lexington and lowell where new local regulations have been proposed massachusetts residents may never know how many residents would be affected by any proposal on gun ownership that's because massachusetts does not keep a database of guns registered in the state in massachusetts a state known for its gun control policies state officials have stayed away from tracking gun ownership and instead have focused on sales we do not have a form which says this is the current owner of the gun said mckayla dunn manager of law enforcement and justice services for the state department of criminal justice information services d c j i s our database is transactional it's not the type of database where you can go in and say this is who owns this firearm right now it's law requires a registration form called an f a ten be generated by a seller and sent to a state department database each time it weapon is purchased in tonight a public records request for the number of firearms registered to the residence of lexington in the breakdown of the classifications of those guns as general counsel for d c j i s wrote that the department does not have records  firearms registered to current residents of a particular city or town it does have transaction data for firearms sold or transferred under massachusetts laws related to licensing  the registry of motor vehicles requires a vehicle to be registered in you only in an existing registration is invalidated when a new registration is issued weapons registrations do not expire however and a new registration nullify the previous one ron glidden chairman of the gun control advisory committee said registration practices allow for many country and sections to go under the radar if i take my massachusetts guns and i either move to another state where just go visit another state i can just go sell them to the dealer said glidden who was a police chief in lee it's not going to show up in massachusetts they think i still have those guns it's going to show you on those guns whether you sold them legally or not even for sales in massachusetts glidden said law enforcement essentially deals with records which can never be updated even if you sold them in massachusetts through a lawful private sale or a dealer in my experience it still shows that you own them glidden said if the police department doesn't online search for what you own it's going to show you on those guns whether you sold them legally or not thank you for joining us for this episode of talking news please join us next week