welcome to talking news we're delighted to have you with us listening to our presentation by members of the beech street center marian jonathan and irene we will be reading local news and happenings from the community newspaper could cost roughly one point two million dollars according to anne marie mahoney share woman of the capital budget committee at a school committee meeting in january five superintendent john failon unveils the addition of modular classrooms as one of several steps being taken to address massive enrollment growth according to failand stand your school newsletter the increase in enroll meant was four hundred twenty six students over the last five years and is projected to increase by approximately ninety students per year for the next four years this is a projected net gain of approximately eight hundred students over a ten year period failand stated the creative uses we have been able to employ over the years have been exhausted failon said on january five we very much need to add space there are variables in the one point two million estimate according to mahoney including the cost of installing utilities a temporary foundation and furnishing the modular classrooms but the number is what everyone is working with at this point failon said an architectural firm evaluated each school in the district to determine where modular classrooms could be added the process also included input from the fire department and planning board chinnery middle school seems to be the best place that fits all the different views of safety said failon it is actually a perfect fit for exactly six classrooms which is kind of a thankfully amazing coincidence over the years school officials have made many attempts to repurpose space and make room for the influx of new students storage spaces were transformed into offices ar classrooms turned into special education classrooms and computer labs dragged into libraries but with all of the resourcefulness the space taskforce still recommended the modular classrooms at general middle school in addition inked to repurpose in space at burbank elementary school to create additional classroom spaces for the task force also proposed using three existing modular classrooms behind belmont's high school that were recently updated for daily use we truly could recommend and use three additional classrooms behind on high school to accommodate some of the eight hundred teachers who travel and don't have classrooms said failon if the belmont high school modular classrooms are used belmont food pantry might have to relocate from behind the high school a big decision considering the organization's active role in the community said failon overall if all of the space task forces recommendations are approved eleven additional classrooms will be generated around the district the much will or classrooms a cherry middle school are slated for use by fall two thousand and sixteen but town meeting must first appropriate as members of the post world war two generation belmont along with most other communities in massachusetts will need to prepare for a major demographic shift now in their affairs experts say on december thirty first twenty sixteen eleven months from now the number of adults age sixty and older will be greater for the first time in recorded history than the number of children aged twenty and younger said david stevens executive director of the massachusetts association of councils on aging there's going to be as sea change in terms of service response and needs in many towns c o i directors the executive office of elder affairs and others have been routinely meeting to discuss the senior populations current needs and plan for the future the trends really should be alarming people if we are not prepared said alice bon or the state's executive secretary elinor affairs we have this great opportunity now to think about what our society communities and communities are going to look from thirty years from now vogel director of the belmont council on aging said there were five thousand fifty one residents over the age of sixty in town according to the twenty ten census numbers however new vogel said this number has increased since those numbers came out the states and the vocal is projecting another ten to fifteen percent in this population segment over the next fifteen years i think that we are absolutely going to need to expand our social quite a demand on us and our services to get ahead of the curve near vogel said development would spend two thousand to conduct needs assessment for seniors in town money the town received through a grant for the m c a away when reaching out to seniors baan or said she hears more than two concerns than any other the price of health care and the price of housing while approximately two thirds of the state's three point five billion elder affairs a budget is devoted to nursing homes the office of elder affairs offers many programs to help senior citizens address a variety of concerns the office provides programs for nutrition employment services in home care family caregivers and more the state's shine program provides counseling to help seniors and medicare navigate the health insurance system b singled out massachusetts prescription advantage stated ministered prescription drug insurance plan as a major service or office provides another top priority boehner said is aging in place an effort to help elderly students who want to stay in their own homes get the care they need without having to go to a nursing home there congregate housing developments in forty one communities that provide short term assisted living for qualifying seniors those facilities boehner said maybe used by and low income seniors who need assistance but want to eventually transfer it back to living on their own we're working across other agencies the department of labor the department of education to create new strategies to grow the workforce we need to take care of her aging communities barson councils on aging and senior centers across the state also offer a variety of services including chronic disease management programs insurance counseling nutrition programs and help navigating the government benefits system c o is can also often help connect seniors to fuel assistance or food assistance programs marian m b t a abandon station plans pleasant street proposals drew complaints from area residents by bram berkowitz after months of complaints two heated public meetings and a letter from selectman the m b t a will abandon approach pozole to construct a new commuter rail station at one thousand pleasant street an option that likely would have shuttered both of the existing waverley and belmont center commuter rail stations state senator will brown's burckhardt democratic belmont announced the news on his website friday january twenty second but also stated that the m b t s a is still working on defining the options for waverley station itself given the requirements of the architectural access board a regulatory agency that ensures public buildings are accessible for those with disabilities in september after speaking with m p t officials brownsburg or notes on his website the m b t a was considering closing the waverley and belmont center stations both which are in noncompliance with this ability access laws to build one consolidated station at one thousand pleasant street the announcement angered residents and select from belmont watertown and walls them especially after they discovered that a four hundred thousand dollars maintenance investment by the m b t a at waverley station accidentally triggered an obligation to roughly thirty million dollars to make waverly accessible following a meeting nov sixteenth where almost every resident who spoke including some with disabilities strongly urged m b t officials to keep the station open the m b t informed brownsburg its decision week i think they got the message loud and clear from belmont said brownsburg or i had every expectation the  bta would reach this conclusion after the november meeting brownsburg or said the end bta would meet with the a b to discuss the future of the station he expects to hear more new sometime in february irene to tenants sign on by bramber quits following a series of delays and missteps lines the cushing village project is showing signs of life developer chris starr reported january thirteenth the signing of two leases for the planned three building one hundred sixty three thousand eight hundred eighty three square foot development intended for christian square in his first weekly progress report to the planning a specific tenants were not disclosed star in managing partner and smith legacy partners said one is a major national tenant and the other is a five thousand square foot restaurant furthermore star stated he was in the process of finding an anchor tenant that will likely be a small format food store similar to a whole for foods or trader joe's when the cushing square overlay district was being conceptualized and drafted a food store it was one of the most if not the most popular request made by residents in the community stated star we are excited to deliver such a great amenity to the neighborhood in town star also hinted the news of leasing tenants could increase the likelihood of closing on the municipal lot at williston entropy hello roads that is the site of one of the projects buildings and is needed to begin demolition the requirements to loan closing in the past have centered around retail pre leasing stated star planning board chairwoman liz allison said the announcement shows assured cashflow planning board members and selectman believe the signing of tenants is a positive staff after more than two years of delays in november the planning board granted smith legacy partners a one year extension on cushing village as special permit on the condition meet a number of deadlines smith legacy partners had proposed the deadlines which was the main reason the planning board agreed to the extension but on december eleventh s l p missed the first deadline failing to close on the municipal law at the other deadlines beginning demolition january fifteenth into a building foundation permit by february one were contingent on the first as of january thirteenth smith legacy partners still had not closed on the municipal law and starr remained vague on when demolition could begin we plan on starting demolition in the near future star said we are still working on the logistics of getting equipment onsite and we'll provide you an update on our progress next week although the projects future is still uncertain allison and selectman chairman sammy baghdadi agree it is important to focus on the bigger picture the cushing village project would revitalize the christians we have business district it would provide a very attractive housing alternative one with restaurants and shops good access to public transportation a strong neighborhood to older residents who sell their larger home and want to have that money available for other purposes it adds to the stock of affordable housing stated allison after accounting for all the class of additional services to tenants including the schools it offers a net fiscal benefit to the town jonathan developer proposes hotel by bram berkowitz as up to hundreds of residents try to rent out spare rooms in their belmont homes using air b n b according to estimates from town officials michael coleman a veteran of the hotel business thinks the demand presents a great opportunity for the town's untapped hospitality market the waltham developer is proposing to build an eighteen room hotel at three hundred thirty four thousand street performer side of a mini mart with a variety of amenities for guests including a cafe a fitness room a business center  management office space it is going to be a nice little boutique hotel with nice landscaping said colomba on a recent afternoon in his waltham office it's not going to be affiliated by and huge in any chains i want to guarantee the community a fantastic product the proposed hotel which columbia plans to call the belmont would be erected on approximately twelve thousand square feet of space and include one thousand parking lots spots colombo what had a second floor to the existing building as well as an elevator in order to comply with the disability access laws former selectman andy rose r completed the design work columbus said the proposed hotel would include a few seats with kitchenettes he expects the prize to be between one hundred seventy five and two hundred fifty dollars per night colombo was born in sicily italy hoary lived until moving to the united states the age of eleven while working in the navigation field for several years he frequently traveled and lived in hotels i stayed hotels for years i used to get frustrated by previously owned the crescent suites hotel on crescent street in waltham which received favorable reviews in expedia columbus old crescent suites last year and he is proposing to build a fifty two room hotel in  waltham mooney street other than the close proximity of boston columbus and he used to frequently have guests in the crescent streets hotel visiting belmont he thinks the hotel will be ideal for relatives tourists business men or business women and those attending funerals or going through divorce the belmont would be the first hotel in town in recent years according to our younger toon assistant director of community development the only venue similar is a six room boarding house on a common street said younger tinian to make the belmont a reality colomba must first receive a special permit from the  his hearing is slated for february first marion former belmont man on trial for nineteen ninety two child rape by bram berkowitz richard huff a former belmont man who pled guilty to fraud juillet business activities last october and is now facing rape and assault charges is headed to trial may thirty first judge cathy tuchman and middlesex superior court in will burn on january twenty first half will be on trial for two counts for rape of a child two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under fourteen assault to rape a child and disseminating obscene material to a minor charges he was arrested for in one thousand nine hundred two by the belmont police department according to have said turney stephen weymouth half insists he is not guilty and wants to go on go to trial during the pretrial hearing sporting glasses and a gray sweatshirt half appeared in a wheelchair which weymouth said was temporary well lawyers consulted with the seventy three year old wheeled his chair around and took a long glance at people looking on him from behind him after middlesex a period court grand jury  hundred two the accomplished author and publisher posted bail and then never appeared for his trial on august twelfth nine hundred ninety two he instead fled the country years after half became a fugitive serving time on the massachusetts state police is most wanted list the state police is the violent fugitive apprehension section along with belmont police picked up the scent and found half residing in columbia early in two thousand and thirteen state police reached out to the u s state department in may two thousand and thirteen and after failing once the state department's diplomatic security service and colombian immigration officials developed new information on haps whereabouts and arrested him in february two thousand and fourteen state and belmont police as well as the u s state department were able to pinpoint have slow cation and arrest him while he was riding in a taxi travelling from the colombian city of cali to card car to jayna during his time away half guilty to using multiple fake businesses and aliases to defraud more than one hundred fifty universities seminaries churches and individuals by taking advanced payments for various encyclopedias one of which he claimed to have authored despite not possessing the books are having any way to obtain them half was sentenced to twenty months of time served in prison and to pay restitution of one hundred sixty seven thousand eight hundred eighty three dollars weymouth said discovering motions who would be filed around february twenty fifth and a final pretrial hearing will take place may ten irene the bus to girl selected for one book one belmont the bell my public library will present and the d amounts novel the boston girl as the featured title for one book one belmont two thousand and sixteen the library six community reading program the library and eleven community groups invite town residents to read the book and participate in book discussions and other related activities throughout the month of april and needed are of the red tent and day after night we'll speak in belmont on april twenty sixth the boston girl writes dora levy most and then in the huffington post is the story of every immigrant and the difficulties of adapting to and accepting an unfamiliar culture the novel unfolds as eighty five year old addie bomb attempts to answer her granddaughter's question how did you get to be the woman you are today he begins by describing the one room tenement apartment in the north end where she grew up with her russian immigrant parents two sisters and sometimes a border during the early years of the twentieth century through a book club for young women at the salem street settlement house and several life changing summers in rockport addie is introduced to a new world where women can go to high school and college have a career and live on their own against the opposition of her parents addie attempts to chart her own course during a time of upheaval world war one pro had bishan the great flu epidemic the depression and passage of women's right to vote the one book one bill my planning committee made up of representatives of the library and various town departments and commissions selected the book after reviewing suggestions from library patrons and staff the boston girl was the third most checked out book at the belmont public library in two thousand and fifteen said library director peter st zero jonathan safe housing the belmont safe and healthy housing planning committee briefed the selectmen and sought their support for the state senate and house bills that would allow belmont to utilize the massachusetts housing court system currently belmont is not part of the housing court department's jurisdiction and goes before the cameras district court to settle housing issues that arise member of the planning committee led by belmont board of health chairman david alper and fire department chief david explained several housing related issues that come before various belmont town offices and up in court but like the cambridge district court the housing court focuses almost exclusively on housing concerns which greatly expedite their resolution planning committee member and belmont police lieutenant kristen daly give an example of the type of housing issue she confronts we have had to condo owners in belmont who have called the police over one hundred forty times to settle civil dispute she explained outburst added that access to the housing court in its expertise would save time and make adjudicate adjudicating these issues far easier the selectmen agreed the two bills permitting belmont to utilize the massachusetts housing court would benefit the town they will draft a letter to be sent to the relevant state legislators in involved including senator brow berger who is a member of the senate judiciary committee marian belmont native reaching her racing goal becca p z a lifetime resident of belmont is currently running in the world marathon challenge which consists of running seven marathons and seven continents in seven days the international race began this past saturday and becca has already completed the fourth marathon with the following results january twenty third antarctica beca won the women's marathon with an event record time of three hours fifty seven minutes and nineteen seconds january twenty fourth put zero one the women's marathon three hours forty four minutes eighteen seconds january twenty fifth miami florida back to one the women's marathon three hours forty one minutes twenty seconds january twenty six madrid spain three hours forty eight minutes fifty nine seconds at press time p z was racing in america  on january twenty seven on january twenty eighth she races in dubai united arab emirates and her final race is in sydney australia on january twenty ninth two on belmont savings bank is donating a thousand dollars to belmont charity of her choice the belmont food pantry following her return from the races the bank is also sponsoring a welcome home celebration and student and parent like her given by p c on the importance of goals and in durance we are so thrilled to be supporting back as she prepares to make history as the first american woman to run seven marathon on seven continents in seven days it's just a tremendous undertaking and we wish her the absolute best said bob mahoney president chief executive officer of belmont savings becca has a longtime connection with the bank but beyond that we recognize this is a monumental historic opportunity to assist a member of the belmont community partnering with a wonderful community bank like belmont savings reiterate some interest in making these challenges about more than myself said p c their encouragement will not only inspire me during my marathon challenge but will hopefully yield a great impact across velma as a whole i thank the bank for their support and look forward to a fruitful ongoing relationship born into what is now a third generation family of belmont runners p z has been heavily involved in community in the community center father fred signed up for her first road race at six years old she ran track at belmont high school and now it thirty five she raises her daughter taylor while working two jobs in town seven days a week as the owner of pace and playmates daycare and manager at mousie's ice cream really thank you for joining us for this episode of talking news please join us next week