welcomed talking news weekly news program with articles from local newspapers read by volunteers of the belmont council on meeting i'm martha and joining me today are jonathan and zero has been on the job as the belmont public libraries new director since may fourth he is in the process of settling in but said he has felt welcomed by the staff and looks forward to meeting with as many of them one on one as allows to get to know them and hear all the ideas they have for the future of the library the belmont citizen harold had a chance to ask him a few questions about his new position in belmont what are your short term goals versus your long term goals i hope to establish a new long range plan for the library to cover the next three to five years while also working with the board of trustees on larger plans assure the best possible library experience for our patrons in the future how do you think belmont's library compares to that of other towns the statistics prove that we are setting the trends and leading the charge for comparable sized libraries in the greater boston area i plan to see that continue what are your greatest strengths which you think will benefit you in this position my greatest strengths result of revolve around a good representative to the community for the library i'm always happy to lend a hand whether it's in the building the two mice staff would working on policies and offerings helping with the program or workers gather gathering together to develop new ideas in addition i truly get into this work because i believe in public service i want to get out of the building and out into the community  be happy to work with other groups and departments in town to form partnerships and build up our town to be as great as it can be i hope to be a presence at the major offerings in town and at least be sitting in on important meetings here and there to see what important things are happening in belmont and how the library can be involved and support those ideas based on what you seen in just a little over one week what are your most impressed with about belmont library that's an easy one i am impressed with the people who make this library what it is a great place in belmont that has something for everyone the staff the board of trustees the friends of the library the library foundation all the way down to the volunteers who give up their free time to come and make the library great so many different groups comprised of different pen lands different kinds of motivat you have different ideas all working together at belmont to make the library cornerstone of this community jonathan old fire system sets off alarm high school fire alarm project raises questions about timing and transparency by bram berkowitz after a long campaign that succeeded in passing a four point five million proposition two and a half override no more than a month later part of the newly projected funds have been assigned selectmen approved the capital budget committee c b c's recommendation may seventh to bond a one point two million fire alarm project for belmont high school because the project is greater than the discretionary capital budget by itself one point twelve million the town has decided to use five hundred thousand in bonding capacity in fiscal two thousand and sixteen and twenty seventeen exhausting all money from the override allotted to capital budget for debt service in the first two years the decision is still subject to approval at town meeting in june we place high priority on public safety or crossed in the capital  budget said anne marie mahoney chairman of the c b c while residents understand the safety risks associated with the fire alarm some have voiced concerns about this recent allocation citing transparency and timing my concern is during the entire debate on the override there is no mention of the fact that there was no suggestion that all of new capital money would go to schools s planning board chairman and former chairman of the vote no on ballot question number one committee liz allison allison does not suggest that knowledge of this project would have changed the outcome of the override but thinks there was a failure to disclose information the timing just doesn't work on this one it must have been known to new fire alarm was needed the merits for this fire alarm system must be overwhelming but that still does not explain the lack of transparency in the process she said i go back to my initial my initial public comment that belmont does not have a revenue problem but a management problem added rafi  chairman of the wired committee and former treasurer of the no committee in an e mail i wonder if the aged fire department fire alarm system was known given annual inspections it is a significant safety concern my mind goes to who knew what when according to a statement made by town administrator david calle the fire alarm replacement project is a one time expenditure so it would not have been a proper basis to justify override which provides funds on a recurring basis issues with the new fire alarm are not exactly new with all systems they all have issues or problems there is no specific date when problems started the problem has not necessarily gotten worse what has changed is the risk that is increased said belmont fire chief david for selves school committee records from april eighth two thousand and fourteen showing scenarios with faulty fire alarm detection are similar to the incidents that occurred during the s a t testing on may second and a town meeting on may fourth when the fire alarm repeatedly went off the document reads dr kingston explained that last friday the belmont high school fire alarm system went off five times due in an alarm sensor sensitivity to dust the alarm company has been working to repair the problem according to for zone parts of the fire alarm control panel are no longer available as the current system was installed back in one thousand nine hundred seventy one as the system has aged the risk of a failure has increased earlier in its life there was a failure parts could be readily obtained and thus the risk was low that is not the case now said for zell in an email if a failure does occur for ezell said the school would have to close because of the safety of the students would be at risk and the fire department does not have the resources to watch over the school around the clock although the current system is not compliant with current building codes because it was in compliance when it was installed forty five years ago it is not required to be said refers to the technology used for the alarm system actually became obsolete a few years after it was installed he said the manufacturer told us that they can keep it going as long as it doesn't need parts my words we are ok till it fails then we are potentially in a in big trouble without available parts we would not have a fire alarm system the project comes at a time when the massachusetts school building authority could give the go ahead on a future renovation and new high school building project as soon as december marion c spending will help restore a home or house and more by bramber quits in the final portion of the may session town meeting members pass to free cash transfers in a special town meeting to fund various budget shortfalls along with six projects collectively worth approximately one million dollars as part of the community preservation act the two articles in the special town meeting transferred seven hundred forty eight thousand dollars from free cash to fund the snow and ice deficit and two hundred fifty thousand dollars from the special education stabilization fund to cover a school budget shortfall the snow and ice budget exceeded one point three million dollars after a record breaking winter with more than one hundred inches of snow according to town administrator david kale around six hundred thousand dollars was allocated at the beginning of the fiscal year based on an average annual snowfall of fifty inches the special education stabilization fund was created in two thousand and twelve specifically to found special education services although the school department saved approximately four hundred thousand dollars from spending freezes this year there is still a five hundred thirty five thousand dollar deficit after the two hundred fifty thousand dollar transfer the remaining gap will be filled with two hundred eighty five thousand dollars from the reserves fund community preservation act the community preservation act is a state law allowing towns to establish local funds to acquire and preserve open space historic buildings and resources and community affordable housing belmont has two sources of revenue for c p a projects a one point five percent property tax surcharge from residents and limited matching grants from the state of the money appropriated for the six projects more than half five hundred twenty two thousand five hundred dollars was to the belmont housing authority for electrical upgrades to community housing that b h a provides to low income families veterans and senior citizens several residents argued that little progress had been made on the project i am very disappointed money was not utilized from last year to start the project said donald mercier of precinct eight stephen clean precent six noted that one hundred sixty five thousand dollars was given to the electrical efforts last year yet the project is zero percent complete other residents thought the state should pick up the tab on the electrical work sylvia cruz a precinct five said this is happening around towns in massachusetts referring to use of c p a found st pierre community and affordable housing that is run in collaboration with the state we should not have to use c p a funds said cruz who received applause from the audience in the end the vote would come down to safety board of selectmen chairman sammy baghdadi said the board had sent a letter to the state it's a lot of money but at the same time this is housing one hundred units for the elderly if there were ever one fire in the complex these people would be very vulnerable he said the second major c p a project was the restoration and rehabilitation up for tennis courts at the peak park that will cost two hundred ninety five thousand dollars although residents were first put off by the heavy cost of the operation down t precinct seven said it is important to think long term the courts installed in the one nine hundred seventy s lasted a full thirty year lifespan so a roughly three hundred thousand dollars expenditure over thirty years is either c p a projects passed by town meeting members include restoration to the great war monument near concord avenue rehabilitation to the eight transferring twenty sixteen receipts to cover administrative expenses the great war monument will cost sixty thousand dollars and with the appropriation can be completed before veterans day in november the eight hundred fifty three homer house project received one hundred thousand dollars one of two sites nationwide associated with winslow homer according to susan smart vice president of the women's club storms and winds in winter sent boards flying off the cooper low and damaged the porch areas passing of the belmont newspaper project for seventeen thousand nine hundred twenty three dollars will cover the process of converting indexing and hosting five historic newspapers in belmar that began in the late nineteenth century the belmont bulletin belmont courier belmont patriot tribune and the belmont citizen these newspapers are historic snapshots of the entire public private and social life  emilio morrow president of the belmont historical society martha senior feed a meter rise and more details surface as the tournament approaches by brian with less than a month ago until belmont country club host the constellation senior players championship a major a major on the champions tour for golfers over fifty and over more details have started to surface as tournament directors begin to crack up and susie essman in belmont in the area near boston but if you live in the town of belmont you on the golf channel and affiliate of n b c it's splenda going to have a great economic impact statement brian garden senior vice president of championship management with that p g a tour adding that players and fans are going to be in town all week staying in hotel rooms eating in restaurants and shopping at the local businesses not to the nice said previously the ticket sales are ahead of where they were not steer when the event was held in pittsburgh and that at least several thousand people will attend the tournament daily the tournament out so has a field of eighty that will come with their family and friends jerry dick president of  belmont center business association said local business owners have contemplated getting shuttles to take people from the tournament into town in an effort to ramp up customers for local businesses dickau said this idea is still preliminary and further investigation into its feasibility is needed parking will be at the l y station and bentley college or shuttles will take people to and from the tournament tournaments staff are worked closely with town officials to ensure that everything is set up and ready to go he said his work with the belmont police and his weekly meetings with assistant minister it are phyllis marshall rex dreamily helpful in preparing for the event from a golf standpoint former belmont country club president peter coats and feels the course is right to challenge the likes of bernardin langer tom watson and kenny perry as they compete for a two point five purse we can't wait to show off our facility our staff and our golf course cults and going was so impressed with the conditions of the course and facilities he said we could play this championship today outside belmont the tournament is expected to make a big charitable impact on may eleventh at up at belmont country club during media day john bennett vice president general manager of retail business in the northeast region at constellation the tournaments corporate sponsor announced nine local charities that will benefit from the funds raised in the tournaments giving back to the communities research is something that is part of our culture it constellation said bennett who grew up in new bedford according to go in the event is expected to raise five hundred thousand dollars this year alone to local charities bennett said constellation has donated one point five million to local nonprofits since the charities selected our group of youth development educational health care and affordable housing organizations including the first tee of massachusetts the francis  fund the jimmy fund boston medical center and habitat for humanity of greater boston health wise health wise home study trend finds a lack of knowledge on how to create a healthy healthful environment by melissa erickson a remodeled home is a healthy home that's the main takeaway from the first healthy home trend study of was web address h o u z z dot com users in the united states and other key funding homeowners are concerned about the health of their homes they just aren't too sure about what exactly a healthy home means while sixty percent of homeowners rate their homes as healthy more than one in far on certain of major health hazards both indoors and outside of their homes according to the study the design website also found that the majority of homes lack health promoting and safety systems including basic devices like carbon monoxide detectors homeowners recognize the need to address these gaps and nearly fifty percent say preventing health problems and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are motivating factors for home renovations homeowners who rated their homes as healthy tend to have newer homes and report better natural and artificial lighting as well as lower levels of noise allergens and mold and fewer encounter with pests than homeowners who are rated their homes as unhealthy on average however more than  four homeowners say they are uncertain about many risk factors inside their home including contaminants in drinking water from aldehyde lead and exhaust from gas burning appliances a friend says a fifth twenty one percent of owners of healthy homes and more than a third thirty four percent of owners of non healthy homes said they weren't sure about the presence of us best us in their homes one in five homeowners perceive their home as having a negative impact on health with baby boomers and gen xers being the most critical of their homes environment the data reveals that there is a large gap between how healthy homeowners perceive their homes to be and there are awareness of real health hazards in their homes said nino situation of a principal economist at houses inside the home homeowners who are most concerned about moisture indoor air quality and germs the study found outside the home homeowner's concerns were toxins in the soil air pollution allergens study also examine the presence of health promoting systems such as ventilation and humidifiers whole house ventilation systems and even inexpensive stand alone fans are absent from over half of healthy homes and over two thirds of non healthy homes only half of homes have you mid dehumidification systems or devices and less than a third have air purification systems or devices nearly a third of all homes lack windows or skylights in every room despite the lack of health promoting systems in all homes homeowners are rated their homes as healthy were more likely to have made upgrades in the past twelve months with interior interior painting forty one percent lighting twenty eight percent flooring twenty seven percent windows twenty one percent and insulation twenty percent topping the list of improvements one in five owners of healthy homes also upgraded their heating ventilation and air conditioning systems in the past twelve months offers it to aging treatments european skin care facials cellulite reduction and here remove all services including laser and electrolysis for right for a wide variety of and said she has personally gone to great lengths to research experience and be fully educated before any service or product is approved to get on service menu one such product is the skincare line she uses from france we know skincare which she said she in which she said ensures visible long lasting results are making and has created an atmosphere atlas sent child to make her clients feel privacy comfort and serenity and dedicates time solely to each individual client looking to get peppered will make it happen how did you get into this line of work at the suggestion of the electronic just i was seeing can you believe it you get to know your technician there is a trust a bond and friendship that blossoms when you place yourself in their hands i was at crossroads in my career and i had always wanted my own business one evening during a beauty treatment i was having i shared this with my electrode just and she simply said you should do what i do you'd be great she planted the seed and i am still indebted to her for her guidance over the ten years i've been in business i have shared that story with those who ask and i too have been able to encourage clients also at crossroads to go after a goal or chase a dream it's a wonderful feeling what do you love most about what you do i absolutely love my clients i know it sounds like a clich but i really do and they know it i love the technology and the ever changing advances that keep this industry growing and me on my toes i think i am more of a science and doozie asked and find these technologies fascinating i love being in belmont center and i love my space we take great care of it we are always planting welcoming flowers serving goodies maintaining the decor and maintaining our equipment i make a conscious effort in creating an environment where good energy flows it is a personal belief of mine and i incorporate that belief at what are your hopes for your business in the next year now that we are in our tenth year we are finally able to give back to our community and i'd like to continue to do so this year i was invited to work with the american heart association and we had a most amazing event in boston working with children ages five to fifteen who have survived numerous heart surgeries in april essential hosted a fundraiser and open house for breast cancer research martha up on beacon hill the education  a favorable report to a bill that would require all schools to have a supply a fin a friend a drug that is injected to counteract the allergic reactions current number of children with allergic reactions and argued it is time for schools to be proactive in this school dress codes this would give local school in student and books or handed out to each student and parent current law prohibits schools from dictating students stress on the parents and the school officials determine they violate reasonable standards of health safety and plan and this other provisions include requiring schools to help low income students purchase clothing that meets the code and gives parents the option to exempt their children from the code jonathan volunteer appreciation night save the date for belmont media centers volunteer appreciation night this is an event for belmont media center honors and thanks our volunteers for all the work that they do this event will take place on wednesday june seventeenth five to eight pm at the belmont media center a light dinner will be served more details soon to come marian find a golden shoe golden shoes is a health and wellness program encouraging families to get out and get moving gold painted shoes will be hidden throughout belmont during this month of may find issue and win a prize one price per family shoes must be returned to the health department before prices will be awarded directions on returning shoes are attached to the bottom of each to my thought for listening to talking news he's joined us next week until then i'm martha jonathan and mary and so this into our program next week