watch and listen to the talking news every day at twelve noon six pm on channel ninety six comcast ticks finity and channel thirty the rise in fy zero six you can also be heard mondays and tuesdays at four thirty pm and wednesday at twelve thirty pm on channel nine x finity and channel twenty nine fi os listen any time on the b m see podcast network on sound cloud and tunes just search for the belmont media podcast network now on to the talking news surely town administrator patricia garvan has been chosen as belmont's next town administrator after public interviews with the belmont board of selectmen on december fifth the selectmen voted unanimously to offer gavin the position of town administrator pending the outcome of the contract negotiations and the background check govern and maynard's town administrator kevin suite with the two final candidates for the town administrative position selected by the search committee from a pool of nineteen each candidate was asked the same seven questions by selectman during this separate forty five minute interviews the first question asked the candidates to introduce themselves providing a brief synopsis of their career and accomplishments and conclude with the best pitch as to how they think their background and experiences would best serve delmon and deal with the my raid of challenges it faces in the short and long term goven said she with many hats in her role as t administrative for surely i feel that if belmont selects me they will receive a very well rounded experienced town administrator she said regarding challenges she may face working with the board of selectmen and how she would facilitate conflict between board members and what she would do if she disagreed with the selectmen goven has as she says three key rules always be informed and never be surprised you set the destination point it's my job as town administrator to figure out how to get there she said she said if there are times she disagrees with the selectmen if something isn't in the best interest of the town she would tell them and seek other alternatives that would be in the best interest of the town and inform the selectmen of these alternatives and the consequences i can't go to bed at night without knowing i did something in the best interest of the town i'm doing that if i'm giving alternatives and suggestions based on that ultimately it's the board of selectmen its decision she said another question she asked to describe her management style how her subordinates would describe her management style and how her current and previous bosses would describe her management style my management style is an open door policy said gavin she said that she would not micromanage but which but she likes to be kept in the loop she likes to conduct monthly department meetings have grown as a manager in surely the biggest mistake i've seen town administrators do is they come in and start changing everything i like to listen absorb understand and slowly bring all these pieces together and to form a vision i can bring to the town board of selectmen she said with regard to planning for belmont's budget which is considerably higher than surely fifteen million dollars budget given said that while surely has a small a budget the process concept and goals of the same she said she said that she would want to sit down with the town treasurer and accountant and look at the ten year debt schedule with the with and without capital projects she mentioned the incinerate a site as a potential revenue source to help fund capital projects for the town is used for solar development her experience and surely she said has given her a lot of experience was sold of development williams asked her the final question on how belmont will benefit from her being the town administrator what i bring to everything i do is my full effort if i don't succeed one thing i will try another i don't give up until it's done and that's what i will bring to belmont said ga in surely she said there is a neglected bridge the public works director wanted to have repaired she said she kept applying for a grant and chills she finally got it i don't stop until i feel the town is getting what it needs and what  deserves she said rick white the consulting firm hired to assist with the search said both candidates represent the younger and rising stars of the profession selectman adam dash said he thought either candidate could do a job but gavin articulated a vision which he didn't necessarily hear from sweet we need vision heart and an eye for what we do here which is to work for the people of belmont's a dash he said garvan came across as practical forthright and persistent the way she talked and things she said wasn't just a list of accomplishments he said it was a statement of purpose and motivation it's a really tough choice and she wishes he could high of both he said dash also said he thought gavin's answers were very honest and didn't sound k and i know what we're getting if we hire her he said selecting mark kelly yellow said sweet has strong financial skills and he liked the credentials he had but gavin had him on questioned one when she said that she wanted to give back to the community and see the results of our actions to make improvements he thought sweet would do a foreign job but gavin would have quiet forcefulness and find ways to bring the community together over a clear thank you bob to new planning board members appointed by joanna k s of alice the belmont board selectmen unanimously appointed to new full members to the planning board on december fourth to fill the seats vacated by liz allison and barbara fiasco who both resigned in october  your project manager for mit was appointed to the three year seat and adman started as a director of land entitlements and master planning for mass development was appointed to the one year seat fourteen applications for the open positions were received by the nov tenth deadline planning board chairman charles clarke said he was impressed with the range of applications and the applicants qualifications background and potential to make contributions he said when reviewing the potential candidates he focused on the people who could fill the gaps needed on the planning board who have planning architectural and developmental backgrounds he narrowed his recommendations down to dhanam and stars in the two new members are hitting the ground running they got sworn on the morning of december five to attend their first meeting scheduled for the same evening they join newly appointed associate member edward sanderson who replaced associate member more than twenty five years of professional experience she is currently the project manager for the new mit museum in kendall square dhanam has been a town meeting member since two thousand one and was a member of the belmont center planning group two thousand and seven and eight she received her bachelor's degree from was layin university and her master's degree in architecture from the university of oregon she and her husband ted george raised their two children hannah and ian and belmont i felt like this was the one opportunity i'd seen and a long time said don i'm she said if special town meeting passed the citizens petition to make planning board members elected instead of appointed she would not have run she plans to do a lot of reading to get up to speed on the current cases coming up and reacquainted herself with the zoning ordinance and maps i think i have more experience in design site planning and architecture and i think i will round out the other expertise on the planning board she said stars act brings real estate economic development skills such as eric has lived in belmont for eleven years with his wife amy and their fourteen year old daughter elina he has twenty years of experience in urban planning and real estate development he received his bachelor's degree in english from hamilton college and his master's degree in regional planning from cornell university stars eric started out in the private sector and moved into his current position since two thousand and six as the senior planet for mass development the commonwealth's primary economic development agency my experience with economic development around the commonwealth and joakim with private developers will prove useful as the town moves forward the stars that also applied to the planning board eighty years ago but was not appointed he recently served as a member of the warrant committee for two he is but needed to resign for health reasons a report by c n n in january nine hundred eighty the new england journal of medicine published a letter by gene porter and dr herschel jek in which they discussed their analysis of eleven thousand eight hundred eighty two patients who were treated with opioid pain medicine stating quote the development of addiction is rare in medical patients with no history of addiction unquote this is but one of the many glowing and reassuring indorsements issued by the medical and pharmaceutical communities unsurprisingly the national institute of health reports the number of opioid print prescriptions crept from seventy one million the in one nine hundred ninety one earning over one billion dollars for the pharmaceutical industry to two hundred fifty nine million prescriptions in two thousand and fifteen netting the pharmaceutical industry over ten billion dollars i am told that the street cost of  relief medication ranges from five to sixty dollars per pill depending on upon the strength and where it is sold with carfare mill horse tranquilliser fetching the higher price because of the cost and scarcity users which the heroin which is a synthetic version of morphine and is both cheaper and more widely available marc mauer director of the sentencing project an organization that investigates and exposes racial disparities in criminal justice notes that contemporary opioid users and distributors are disproportionately white males and the drugs are widely perceived as an accidental addiction that follows their prescription for legitimate medical needs consequently opioid addictions are directly or indirectly associated with a medical need and the medical community rather than criminality in turn the perception of about nine origin to the addiction translates to a gentler approach by the criminal justice system public health initiatives including drug courts and other forms of therapeutic jurisprudence in response to opioid addiction stand in stark contrast to the draconian mandatory sentences imposed during the war on drugs although an incarceration is a poor substitute for treatment our seemingly benevolent neglect to what is widely viewed as a medically created social problem means we have not developed a coordinated coherent response to the opioid addiction epidemic just as my well intended overpayment to tom only served to perpetuate his drug use so too has the relative non response of criminal justice public health and health care providers what is it about this drug that is so attractive to so many what are opioids and why do we love them the drug are class two drug because they carry a high potential for abuse and have accepted medical use with severe restrictions according to the national institutes of health opioids take their toll not only when we are high from them but even more so when we are not this is because our brains naturally generate opioid like substances when we're having fun enjoying a good meal or sex and actually naturally occurring opi transported through the blood to the brain where they bind to opioid receptors in turn one part of the brain tells another to release the chemical dopamine which activates the brain regions associated with feelings of love pleasure these neural biological pathways are unique to opioids and are important to our understanding of opioid addiction for two reasons the first is how we remember our experiences of being high the second is because of the damage done to the brain when we remember what it was like to be high on opioids the memory is imbued with this exaggerated sense of euphoria or bliss that was experienced during the high add to this the effects of classical conditioning which come into play more so with this drug than with most others because of the areas of the brain affected when we have very emotionally intense pleasurable experiences we associate the people places and other aspects of the environment with them thus the places people or things associated with opioid use elicit strong urges to return to the experience of bliss and happiness associated with the high the damage to the brain further complicates matters as the artificial source is a source of pleasure the drug subsides the brain's natural ability to feel these pressure pleasurable emotions diminishes because of the disruption in the brain's reward system the brain comes to need the drug not just to feel good but to feel normal to feel high is another story altogether it requires ever escalating amounts of the drug felt with the first high unattainable many who become addicted to opioids become disinterested in relationships with friends and family and in their jobs supportive friends and family grow frustrated angry and suspicious out of a need for self protection they may distance themselves from the self centeredness the stealing the lying and manipulation often exhibited by drug seeking people as the person stops using the drug they are less able to feel connected to others to experience positive emotions or to feel a sense of reward for their efforts the only solution to this problem seems to be the problem itself use of op relieves these terrible feelings and restores a sense of normalcy while also drawing the deeper the user deeper into addiction because of this cycle the national institute on drug abuse advises the treatment of withdrawal symptoms as the initial focus for treatment followed with behavioral and pharmacological street strategies for relapse prevention over you bob magical night for town's christmas lighting by claus arrived in style on a belmont fire truck for turn on the town the end will treat lighting ceremony in belmont center which took place on thursday nov thirtieth after switching on the lights to the town tree in front of belmont cafe santa and mrs claus boarded a horse drawn carriage which transported them to belmont savings bank to take photos with visitors gerry dick caught owner of champions sporting goods and president of the belmont sun a business association a major sponsor of the event believes that it was one of the most successful years ever this there was plenty of entertainment for all ages including live singing with belmont high school magic drills face painting cupcakes and photo opportunities and characters from the movie frozen year's turn on the town was a tremendous success with a great turnout in belmont son of said bob moni president and c e o of belmont savings bank the bank was once again thrilled to play a pot in the festivities including santa photos in a branch the petting zoo in the garage and free hot chocolate and train rides on more street overall it was a very positive and festive evening and over to clare thank you barbara new stores open in belmont center home where stores didrex and local route the kitchen store now open at seventy seven leonard street did rick's and local route has moved their cambridge location to a new space in belmont center seventy seven leonard street a grand opening was held december second and third the former macy's building on leonard street has been remodeled to include several new tenants including locally owned stores did directs and local route the property is located right off the route two corridor and is only ten minutes from cambridge the new development is one of the most exciting retail developments in the greater boston area said owner jonathan hankie th close to four thousand square foot space will feature two floors of products for the home local route the kitchen store hosts a selection of cookware bakeware knives and kitchen accessories from brands a wide variety of other shops in the area the store will be handicapped assessable and will be open seven days a week about didrikson local wood since two thousand and four didrex has helped customers create inspired home environments showcasing fine outdoor furniture tableware and home decor products sourced from the united states and europe local route the kitchen store opened in two thousand twelve provides a curated selection of kitchen tools now over to max thanks clare lights camera lions club actor and cambridge native matt damon when good tree hunting in belmont december third in the company of his nephew and his brother kyle the trio was spotted shopping for a christmas tree this past sunday at the annual lions club tree and wreath sale which itself is no strangers said damon posed for pictures with lions club members as well as the few fans who has his brother has been a regular to the tree sale for many years they love how we give back said credit they get a great tree and were able to give back to the community this year the lions club is donating to adaptive sports new england and belmont sport the donations come from a tip jar left out every day the tree sale is going on shoppers can choose to place any amount in the jar the money is given to the charity recipients at a dinner hosted by the club after the holidays they the daemon's could have spent their money anywhere but they chose us the club started the tree and we sailed back in one nine hundred fifty seven making this the year this year sealed their sixtieth around two thousand three hundred are sold as sold or delivered each year starting on with th saturday after thanksgiving the lions club wreath and trees the one at one common street is currently ongoing monday through friday ten am to eight pm and weekends nine am to eight pm until all the trees are gone by the time the members by that time the members are all exhausted said crillon but we love what we're doing christmas said matt damon wasn't the biggest celebrity to show up on december third that would have been santa who and personal companion yup pet from squeaky toys to sweaters and special treats local pet supply stores have it all and your staff are experts on the latest and greatest products don't leave your fuzzy friend out of the holiday celebrations check out your local pet store and you assure to stumble upon an unexpected treat or toy that will catch your or your pets fancy toys one of my favorite toys is called hide a bird or hide a squirrel and its in interactive toy hide a bird there was a plush bird house with squeaker birds inside you push them all inside the bird house and the dog is occupied by pulling them out it's good for any dog that has boredom another toy is called dog p it's made of eco friendly recycled fabrics and it has tags tugs excuse me first areas five areas that the dog can actually tug and pull off a cat's i recommend made by the company kong we have ones that are made with natural materials and they have catnip in them a lot of a cat toys made with feathers or some sort of fluffy  that cats are naturally drawn toward treats the dogs we have a treat that's called convoy crunch and it's made by stella and chewy these treats are made in the us the grain free and dogs go crazy for them it's unbelievable they also make a meal mixer for dogs that up picky about their food you can just spread this on top of their food and once again they go crazy for it it's good for the dogs that might be away from their homes or maybe stressed they gobble their food up even if they're in a situation that's new to them one of the most popular things that is in the category of keeping a pet calm is pet naturals of vermont they are calming treats for dogs and cats we carry treats with yogurt toppings as well as a range of five animal pots lambs years pig's ears hoofs antler eaves and more most of the stuff that we carry is made in the us we also have old lisboa sticks which a good for puppies to nora on they will keep the dog really active or quiet we can carry birthday cakes and bones with yogurt toppings the bones come from  bakery in indiana we also bake treats during the holidays they come right out of my kitchen will you offering these starting two weeks before christmas another local product called skins right off the boston docks we carry suffix color's leashes and sweaters we also have patriots call as leashes and highnesses as well as matching toys we don't have a lot of bruins accessories but we definitely have red sox stuff we also have flex leisure's and gentle leader color's those go over the nose kind of like a horse halter so you're not pulling on the dog's neck and no over the clear thank you bob the snowflake tradition continues at belmont high school the belmont beltone belmonte in club continued it's no flake fundraise community servings families this november each year the club adopts nine people to fulfill their holiday wish lists this year the three families the club adopted wished for items such as coats boots hats scarves angle outings the club learns only the ages genders and wishes of the people they adopt to raise money for the families the fundraises such as bake sales and selling snowflakes the club sells over one thousand snowflakes the snowflakes are one dollar each or a dollar fifty with a candy cane included the students involved assemble the snowflakes in deliver them the week before winter break the community servings is a nonprofit organization located in jamaica plain which delivers approximately six hundred seventy five thousand meals to two thousand critically ill individuals and their families in eastern massachusetts snowflakes is the and that to me contributes most to other people directly co president of the belmonte and club sophia's laws men said we get to see the whole process from planning and shopping to fund raising and understand how much they deserve what we are doing and now here's max thanks claire curling to be added to the bay state games the bay state games announces that curling will be added to it two thousand and eighteen winter program as an exhibition sport curling his game popularity since the sport was reestablished consistently in the olympic games in one nine hundred ninety eight after first being debuted in the one nine hundred twenty four olympics as an it an exhibition sport in two thousand and eighteen the competition will be comprised of eight teams from curling clubs across massachusetts when curling is incorporated into the regular bay state winter games program in the two thousand  games the competition will be opened up to the general public as well as clubs from the northeastern united states the curling competition will take place on february and saturday february twenty fourth at the boys and girls club in pittsfield spectators are encouraged to come enjoy the competition and learn more about curling over to you bob along with my colleagues clara max we'd like to wish you a happy honaker in a merry christmas and 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