watch and listen to the talky news every day at twelve noon and six pm on channel ninety six comcast six finity and cheryl thirty for rise in five 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 seat podcast network on sound  after more than two years nicholas leo owner of three forty four pleasant street got his application for a special permit to operate a fast food restaurant approved by the zoning board of appeals on may fourteenth leo plans on constructing a three thousand five hundred sixteen foot building separated into three retail spaces one of those spaces will be a d genuity twenty sixteen leo applied for a special permit from the zoning board of appeals to open a one thousand six hundred square foot twenty one seat don't condone what's in the development is application was rejected with opposing board members citing concerns about insufficient parking and traffic impact in response leo filed a civil complaint with the middle six county superior court against the zoning board on september twenty seventeen both parties agreed that leo would file a revised proposal for the zoning boards consideration in the meantime leo went back to the drawing board with a new application submitted to the planning board for a commercial building with three retail spaces the new proposal has reduced the size the dunkin donuts by five hundred fourteen square feet and reduced in house seating from twenty one to fifteen it is also approved a revised traffic study in september twenty seventh deem the planning board approved the application for the new buildings subject to conditions and review by belmont's town council the major condition is related to traffic leo must retain a traffic engineer to conduct a level of service study of the brighton pleasant street intersection at the time he receives his a difficult of occupancy using standards prescribed by the commission traffic flows would be served would be surveyed in the morning and evening rush hours once that is if it once the sit difficult of of occupancy was received and again twelve months later if the level of service has deteriorated he must return to the planning board for remediation in november two thousand and seventeen leo filed a new application for a special permit for a fast food restaurant from the zoning board the board has been hesitant to approve leo's special permit because of traffic concerns from the area's residence in february leo requested a motion of continuance to further address the community's concerns the board requested three things a peer review of the traffic analysis submitted by the applicant confirmation of the seventy five percent past five rate utilized in the traffic study is in conformity with industry standards and a gap analysis in to access whether friction generated by the site could be handled by gaps in the traffic system leo's attorney joseph newman presented their findings on monday night meeting michael santos acted as the peer reviewer of the traffic analysis originally performed by d c i he found the d c i completed the report in a professional manner and in accord with industry standards santos continued concluded that the traffic generated from the site will not have any negative impact on the surrounding roadways or the town he also assessed concerns regarding site safety and found that the site as designed and planned is safe with the gods to the boards second request a pass by trips or it of a subset of trip generation they are folks already on the road who stop into the business because it is convenient and then continue on their way leo's traffic study used to seventy five percent bypass meaning the total trips generated seventy five percent deducted by vehicles already on the roadway using this percentage the traffic study found no effect on the level of service at the brighton it just section the board requested confirmation that this percentage conformed to traffic industry standards santo's confirmed that seventy five percent is the precedent it is important to note that even  bypass rates of twenty five percent and fifty percent the level of service did not change santos said the board also had concerns over whether vehicles coming in and out of the site would create further friction on the roadway the traffic study already confirmed no change in the level of service and the gap analysis supported this finding new asserted that leo had more than adequately shown that the proposal would not have any negative impact on traffic without finding any imperial evidence of a negative impact on traffic nunes said the board is obliged to vote in favor of the applicant and i want to clare thank you bob touring the new high school virtually by christiane strong belmont got its first glimpse inside the future high school last week when  attendees of the may eighth belmont high school building committee meeting had a virtual reality tour of the current design for the new school building the meeting a joint session between the building committee the school committee and the of selectmen also included about fifty community members in the audience the committee has been meeting frequently with project design perkins him wail as they prepare for the preferred design to be submitted to the massachusetts school building authority in july for the new grade seven to twelve high school building intended to accommodate two thousand two hundred and fifteen students the total square footage of the building will be approximately four hundred and forty five thousand one hundred square feet the cost per square foot will be approximately five hundred thirty three dollars eighty cents bringing the total project estimated cost to two hundred ninety five million eight hundred twenty four thousand six hundred twenty four dollars belmont's estimated contribution is now two hundred eighteen million nine hundred ten thousand two hundred twenty two dollars virtual reality tour the virtual reality tour was shown to attendees on the meeting rooms video screen led by patrick cunningham from the belmont high building projects architectural firm of perkins and well the tour began with the interactive image of the new high school's front door then use the virtual reality system to take viewers through these doors and into the main area of the new building attendees were able to experience the students point of view going up stairways in travelling through eating the areas the library media commons the maker space and hallways for both upper and lower schools as well as look out the windows to the outdoor south plaza space and clay pit point i ten days were also given the opportunity to try out the virtual reality set up for themselves using their quick meant set up in the china recapture tyria participants donned the virtual reality headset in told kind of ham who manned the controls where in the main section of the high school building they wanted to go or whether they wanted to go outside or above the building onlookers could also view what was being seen through the goggles on a video screen nearby the virtual reality walk through it was a fantastic two it was really helpful to put on the goggles and look around and get a sense of what it might feel like to be in the new space said building committee member diane milla now his boss thank you clear to pass both sides for new recreation center facility proposal for a sixty five thousand square foot mixed use facility presented to the school committee by jew winner k vallas belmont youth rockey has a proposal for a brand new sixty five thousand square foot mixed use athletic center true place the deed teary rating skip the glow roller skating ring located in the belmont high school campus to ninety seven concord have board member robert motor oil presented the concept  with a half rink and field house eight locker rooms additional parking hundred sixty two hundred eighty spaces and new entrance dropoff with handicapped spaces and expanded street parking which would support the facility as well as a health whether it fields pool and belmont high school activities according to morrow and engineering assessment determined the current rank built in hundred seventy one determined it is obsolete its mechanical systems are at risk for catastrophic failure and the structure is not up to current code making it a candidate for rebuilds not renovation to possible locations in september two thousand and fifteen the moment you thought he presented the concept for a new wrinkle it was asked by the school committee to put things on hold until the site plan and design for the new high school was underway now that the basic design for the new high school building has been chosen and its location determined belmont you thought he would like to move forward with their proposed plans first they need the town to grant the land there are two possible sites for the project the current site with the rink is now located on the high school campus or the incinerator site twenty five acres of town known when surrounded by conservation and tucked away off of concord have heading towards lexington morris said they're both pros and cons to both sites it's like choosing between chicken and salmon or salmon and steak both are good options that provide an upgrade over the facilities we have today said motorway the pros for the high school site are the convenience for the b a h s hockey team not to have to be biased or driven to the incinerators site as well as the amenities  add to civic uses such as additional parking for the town pool and library uses the pros or the incinerator site are a bigger facility could be built eighty thousand square feet with two full size i surfaces and a lot more parking spaces there's also the potential for a solar farm on the roof of the facility at the incinerator site whether morris said they're still in the very early stages and  only done a site survey more time will need to be spent to determine what else could go on the site youth hockey would fund project belmont youth hockey would fund the construction for the new athletic center through a public private partnership with the town similar to the bead pool in jim and concord the town would least lend to belmont you thought he would be responsible for building the visibility funding and running it for thirty years belmont you thought he would secure a private financing for the project and pay off the loan by charging user fees in thirty years when the loan is paid off the town would have the option to is the newly appointed interim principal of belmont high school he will begin his new role on july first in an e mail to parents on may ninth peterson said brough had a long and distinguished career in education serving in multiple roles with the melrose public schools over thirty two years including principal of the middle school for seventeen years prior to assuming that role of principal tom served as a middle school assistant principal share of the social studies department and as a social studies teacher during his tenure in melrose bro was asked to serve as interim principal of belmont high school for one year after retiring from over as public school in two thousand and fourteen browed joined the belmont public schools first as interim assistant princip chinnery middle school then as interests as an interim prince assistant principal of the belmont high school and as an instructional leadership coach in the district during the twenty seventeen twenty eight school year tom had been an assistant principal part time at belmont high school over the course of his korea broers received numerous awards in distinctions and has made a significant contribution to the field of education during his tenure in melrose brolin a multiple school building projects and expansion initiatives we are delighted that tom has agreed to serve as interim principal of the belmont high school for the twenty eighteen twenty nine thousand school year the depth of the depth of his professional experience and his familiarity with the district with belmont high school  serve the students and staff well in the coming years said peterson in the mail on february five belmont high school principal daniel richards unknowns t is leaving his visitation in an email to parents is last day will be june thirtieth as of july first he will become the new principal of georgetown middle slash high school a grade seven through twelve school with eight hundred students belmont santa business association learned stonehearth pizza fifty seven leonard street was in danger of closing he rallied support from the community to save it lamar del leon no silv who started as a cook at stone heights when it first opened in two thousand and five told dick out it was in danger of closing last year as the previous owner jonathan swatch closed all of its other locations in austin he him winchester cambridge and needham together silver and take out recruited several of the partners to join their new ownership team they are frank ski and carlos lisa and nathan del llano silva one man's trouble is another man's opportunity said frank whose wife lisa owns revolve in belmont center to lose stonehearth said stonehearth has become like his family and he cares about the loyal regular customers who make up seventy five to eighty percent of the business long time employees like waitress nancey murphy are the heart and soul of stone house he said our crew is phenomenal said lamarck he also takes great pride in the stonehearth menu it's not just a pizza place it's a full service restaurant offering an organic menu featuring locally grown ingredients and gluten free options he said changes since the new owners took over include a new floor paint updated lighting and a new refrigerator frank said this is just the beginning they have many future plans including adding a bar and doors that open out to the side fresco sidewalk dining they also may be opening for brunch on sundays this summer stone house will be selling pizza at the underwood pool daily eleven am to three and now concord municipal light plants assistant director as ballmer white's new general manager subject to a successful negotiation of a contract following his public interview in april ninth acting general manager craig spend that he was also a final candidate and public interview april ninth roy has been the assistant director of the concord minn this will lie planned since two thousand and thirteen prior to that he thirteen an electrical engineer from two thousand and nine to two thousand and ten for joining concord municipal lie plant royal work for and star electric and gas as a substation operation supervisor from two thousand and five to two thousand and nine this isn't harold recently had the opportunity to ask roy a few questions to help the community gets a no i'm a little better what are you looking for most about your new position with belmont light i'm really looking forward to helping the belmont complete community achieve its vision for the future b m l d can serve as the foundation for climate goals adoption of new technologies and as a trusted advisor for all energy issues facing our citizens and business i will strive to assure be m l d is the motto utility for community support climate resiliency and system reliability what do you think your greatest challenges will be in your new role the most immediate challenges facing this position are primarily financial there are several large initiatives such as the new high school the substation project and cabin reduction goals that are poised to put financial pressure on the community  thank you camel rides car show dog show and more plan for town day bellman savings bank recently is the major sponsor of belmont town day to be held from nine a to four pm on june second town day is a community wide of event that features a number of dome on savings bonds and activities including a caution cash cube camel rides pony rides and a dog show be sure to stop by the belmont citizen herald booth on town day to get your photo taken on the mock front page plus have the opportunity to meet senior multimedia allas and freelancers angela toma and christy strong many of the businesses and organizations up dissipating by having boots and giving away prizes belmont savings fifth annual dog show will begin at noon on the main stage best in show will be selected by three judges from local vet noori offices and pet stores to enter the dog show and facebook contest send an e mail to marketing at belmont savings dot com with you for the following details your name town you live in name of your dog dog breed dogs age and photo dog each entrant receives a gift bag up to thirty dollars in value but just the bins entering before may ten will have their dog's photo posted on the bank's facebook page where people can vote for their favorite dog the photo with the most likes by the start of the dog show on town day will win both the on or of being named facebook favored twenty eight twenty eighteen as well as a prize best in show will receive a certificate and facebook favorite window will receive a special prize in addition to the gift bags belmont savings bank introduced the car exhibit in twenty eleven giving proud area collectors an opportunity to show off their pristine cars the cars will be in front of the belmont savings the show will run the car show will run from nine am to two pm attendees will also have a chance to enter the cash cube adjacent to the belmont savings booth where they can try their luck at catching flying online and now on to my colleague claire thank you bob face has a place in the good times too by joe fitzgerald of the herald while watching prince harry take as his bride saturday morning lots of thoughts popped into mind here especially when the most reverend michael bruce connery turned loose the preacher within him mesmerizing that starchy white bread congregation with a stem winding sermon unlike any ever heard in the stately windsor castle saying culinary at least not with the royal family looking on for thirteen riveting min minutes the chicago born leader of the episcopal church let it rip infusing his words with a passion usually found in black and evangelical houses of worship where church is a verb as well as a noun at first his listeners seemed taken aback but then as heads began nodding affirmatively you could sense the emergence of an appreciation that assured curry his message was right on target and quite appropriate for the occasion did he get to you to nonsense the stirring days of dr martin luther king jr has a worldwide audience been publicly exhorted from scripture in such spelled binding fashion it would be hard to suggest anyone stole the show from the breathtakingly beautiful bride especially with that a jarring history of mixed heritage and family dysfunction she brought to the altar but currie sure came close if you found yourself remembering king's oratorial or rhetorical brilliance you were not alone he even  invoked king's favorite verse of scripture in which the lowly prophet amas envisioned a day when judgment would run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream given that these were the of the tony is clear and on earth the only thing more surprising would have been hearing the queen shout hallelujah and maybe that's the point since king can you think of any political or cultural leader  american public life who directs our attention to scripture other than those who offer a mocking assurance of thoughts and prayers when evil do is break our hearts and that doesn't count because almost everyone quote gets religion when savagery our natural disasters traumatized ever get a slice perhaps it also occurred to you that while this handsome couple was swapping i d across the pond americans were once again preparing to bury innocent high school kids this time in texas make no mistake kerry was speaking to us too like king he was reminding harry megan and the rest of us that faith has a place in good times too and that it's ok to proclaim it we seem to have forgotten that in today's america and how wonderful it was to have been reminded by a black pastor in a british church of all places and that's it for this week over to bob along with my colleagues clear and