watch and listen to the talking news every day at twelve noon and six pm on channel ninety six comcast dick finity and channel thirty verizon fi os it can also be heard if 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 c podcast network on sound cloud and tunes just search for the belmont media podcast network and now on to the talking news belmont high school principal reflexes he prepares to move on by principal dan richards begins his new role as principal of the georgetown middle high school july one in his final days as the leader of belmont high school richard said that he was feeling emotional about leaving after being in his position for six years prior to becoming the b h s principal richard served as melrose high school principal for one year and be h s assistant principal for six  on june rd he gave his final commencement speech to the class of two thousand and eighteen he said it was a special day and he had to muster up the strength to get through it with a box of tissues in the background with kid i've seen them grow up and just see that day come and shake their hand and deliver that diploma or and give that speech to a community that has meant so much to me he said in february richards sent an email to parents announcing his decision to leave at the end of the school year to pursue other opportunities he moved to beverly three years ago and his family was encouraged him to work closer to home his commute to work will now be thirty minutes shorter the belmont citizen harold have the opportunity to meet with richards before his departure and ask him to reflect on his time at b h yes what will you miss most about b h yes there are many things but i think the thing i'm going to miss the the great relationships with the faculty and staff with the students and the parents the people without a doubt is what i'm going to miss most what accomplishments are you most proud of during your time at b h s my relationship building with everyone is something i'm very proud of the parents have been extremely generous to me i have families that have graduated children five years ago that keep in touch with me make a donation for teacher breakfast they're still involved and i'm really proud of that relationship we've become friends i'm not just the principal of the children the faculty here is absolutely outstanding on so many levels and print so many levels and professional working together to be creative innovative risk takers is what they'll quote me on i want them to take risks in their classes and invite me into see with no cond consequences and if it fails it fails no big deal you'll pick yourself up and do better next time i promoted creativity and risk taking environment and therefore thrived and it's become an innovative environment what do you think your greatest responsibility is principal v h s standing out in front of the school and having the parents drop off the kids and trust me with them for a period of time i don't think there's a greater responsibility than that making sure that they are safe and have a positive experience what was your greatest challenges as principal of s budget was a challenge every year but also the growth and culture shifts for the building when i started we were about nine hundred and fifty dollars students we're over one thousand three hundred right now and as the growth happens culture shifts along the way taking that culture and aiming it in a direction of creativity innovation and risk taking as they adapt to it tighter spaces classrooms out of the lawns to keep that rolling has been a challenge and all of it to my colleague max thank you bub construction for a new high school could begin april two thousand and nineteen by the belmont high school building committee is preparing to submit its preferred schematic design to the massachusetts school building committee by july th for the new grades seven through twelve buildings to accommodate two thousand two hundred and fifteen students the project is estimated to cost two hundred and ninety five million dollars the m s b a will reimburse up to forty percent of the total cost however the b h as building committee will present updated cost information  june th meeting seven pm in the cherry middle school community room at the november th state election belmont voters will be asked to approve or disapprove a debt exclusion for the building at it at the most recent meeting june th the belmont high school building committee's construction management firm scans outlined the expected completion dates for different aspects of the project according to cancer project executive dan a latter fill construction for the new school is expected to begin in april two thousand and nineteen and the building for grades nine to twelve is expected to be completed by july tw completion date for the total project is to expected to be august two thousand and twenty three scanned sca is the same construction management firm under used for the wellington elementary school project completed seven years ago students will remain in the existing high school building until the new building for upper school students in grades nine through twelve is completed throughout the construction landfill said there will be police details on site and surrounding the site to ensure pedestrian safety there will be a specific route for all construction workers to follow to and from the high school as well as designated off site parking when the project is in full swing let of all estimates an average of one hundred dollars to two hundred and fifty dollars workers per day will be on the project from july of two thousand and nineteen to july two thousand and twenty one the higginbottom pool will be closed while the mechanical infrastructure for the building which is going over the pool roof is installed during this time the pool will also be renovated modular building with temporary lockers will be put in place according to lana ville the baseball and soccer fields will also be offline june two thousand and nineteen to august two thousand and twenty three during construction at several recent meetings  the traffic advisory committee board board of selectmen board of selectmen planning board school committee and b h as building committee town leaders have discussed widespread traffic concerns connected with the project's residence in this in the neighborhood surrounding b h s particularly god and st are already traffic will get worse when the new building opens one of the two way entrance exit driveways to the new school proposed is proposed to be located at the intersection of god in street and concord have the other two way entrance exit driveway is proposed to be located at the intersection of hidden sure road and brighton street the b h as building committees consultant recommends a traffic light be installed at the intersection of god in street and concord a have many residents of upper and lower god in the street are concerned the traffic light will only make the gridlock on their street worse putting students walking in the area as well as bicyclists at greater risk of getting hurt in an accident the traffic advisory committee has been discussing ideas at recent meetings to help reduce traffic such as getting more students to take the bus getting more students to bike or walk to school getting more students to carpool to school changing the start time for the high school and constructing a pedestrian tunnel to connect alexander avenue and channing road to concord have over you bob thank you max the new belmont high school my graduating class of one thousand nine hundred and seventy one was the st class to graduate from the brand new belmont high school that was not even fifty years ago now the powers that be in our town have decided to rebuild a new high school for the astounding sum of two hundred and ninety six million dollars i was a teacher at everett high school and we moved into a brand new incredible state of the art building in two thousand and eight that was built for eighty four million dollars eighteen cents students moved into the new building but the building was built for more students who might move into the city in the future why will it cost the belmont taxpayers those of us who foot the bill for all of the new projects two hundred and eleven million dollars more why do we need to put th and th graders in this school we would not need such a huge new building if we did not add two additional grades why do we needn't terribly new building without the voters of the town even having a chance whether or not we want or can even afford this new monstrosity until november how much of our tax dollars will have been spent by then for all the planning etc for this school and one planning board meeting that i attended i thought that i was hearing things when one of the board members smugly stated that he hoped to build a new high school do it last another fifty years are you serious for two hundred and ninety six million dollars it should last a bit longer than that i would also love to know how many bids were made to build a new high school before the contract was given to the same company that built the wellington school which is already in serious need of repair on the outside of the building the material on the outside of the building is already deteriorating i am not surprised this was the very st school that this contractor built why would the town officials choose someone with no experience in building schools to be given this job when i retired from everett in two thousand and sixteen the student body at the high school has grown to two thousand two hundred why did never it need to build a new high school or for that matter even add an addition perhaps it was because the school department the school committee and the elected ready town officials use some imagination creativity and yes some common sense to accommodate the new students maybe they actually did something the belmont does not do planned for the future they did reopen one of the schools that had been closed down years before but of course belmont couldn't do that because schools that have been closed down such as pace and p school and burned down it is so strange to me that in a small town the size of bowman's we have had four school fires to me in considerably many more residents of this time is horrifying even thinking about the huge impact this new high school ready ready will be on all of the residents of the time especially those living nearby school what about another very important change the increase in our taxes i know of three families who are already planning to move out of beaumont before this awful commotion begins and the property values in the area plummets ever also talked to at least five families who will be moving because they will not be able to afford to have the increase in their real estate taxes now back to bob thank you public forum held to discuss a zoning for adult use marijuana by angela toma the planning board held the st public forum to discuss adult use marijuana or in belmont on june  over the next couple of months the planning board will work on developing two separate adult use marijuana bylaws in preparation for the september th special town election on september t need to just side whether or not allow up to two retail marijuana stores in belmont if residents vote no the town will out when unlimited number of adult use marijuana including manufacturers chester's cultivators except around opting out completely from marijuana establishment is no longer an option the planning board must prepare for either outcome in order to begin drafting the zoning bylaws the board must make decisions on four distinct topics including the location buffer signage and permit process the meeting began by outlining the different options for each subject location adult use marijuana establishments can be allowed in one or more of the following districts general business local businesses one local business to endorse local business three under massachusetts state law local zoning bylaws cannot be unreasonably impractical for citing of due license marijuana or establishment says another words belmont cannot create zoning by laws that make it entirely unattractive for town can legislate is five hundred feet under massachusetts state law this buffer zone cannot be applied to daycare centers or preschools massachusetts state law prohibits the use of logos depicting medical symbols images of marijuana and related paraphernalia and colloquial resident references to cannabis and marijuana permit process there are three different options for the permit process by right design and site plan review or special permit by to site plan review includes a public hearing and can take up to six months to complete a site plan review establishes criteria for appearance safety layout scale and environmental impact the new high school building is an example of a site plan review process the final option a special permit requires a formal public hearing and can take up to nine months to complete if the community does not object to the proposed development a special permit is granted to the applicant however the board overseeing the application can deny the special perm or stipulate conditions upon granting the special permit an example of this process is the new don't condone at site on pleasant street restaurants in belmont are also required to obtain a special permit and over to my colleague max thank you bob frequently asked questions about marijuana in massachusetts here's what you should know by e m i sherman with state regulators hoping to approve licenses for adult use marijuana businesses this week massachusetts residents still have a lot of questions after approving its st license last week c c c chairman steve hoffman said he expected that the body would consider license applications at each subsequent meeting hoffman said he expects the c c c will vote on approving quote a handful unquote of licenses when it meets next on monday which could local crowd sourced from across the commonwealth and found widespread interest related to personal freedom business interests and law enforcement the questions were compiled and sent to state regulators and local law enforcement as the industry continues to roll out questions will most likely continue to arise but for now here are some answers what's the legal age of consumption twenty one years of age cannabis control commission c c c regulations approved in april by belmont's board of health set the minimum age for someone to purchase marijuana in belmont at twenty five dollars employees employers and consumers of recreational retail marijuana establishments in belmont would have to be at least twenty five years of age according to former board of health director dr david alper establishment will be required to have signage to smaller than eight and a half inches by eleven inches posted to be spread least seen by a person standing at or approaching the cash register stating the sale of marijuana product to someone under belmont's minimum legal sales age of twenty five years is prohibited are people allowed to smoke in public how about consuming edibles know consuming marijuana products in a public place is prohibited smoking marijuana in an area where smoking tobacco is prohibited is also prohibited what's the penalty the civil penalty for consuming marijuana in public or smoking marijuana where smoking tobacco is prohibited is up to one hundred dollars cities and towns may pass by laws or ordinances authorizing social consumption in certain areas consumption of marijuana is limited limited to adults over twenty one with limited specific medical exceptions how much marijuana can a person have on them at one time and what form can it take if you are over twenty one years old you may possess up to one ounce of marijuana on your person not more than five grams of marijuana may be in the form of marijuana concentrate in your home you may possess up to ten ounces of marijuana and any marijuana produced by plants cultivated on the premises any amount of marijuana or marijuana products over one ounce kept within your place of residence must be secured by a lock failure to keep marijuana and maro it up on a products in excess of one ounce locked up within the home may be punished by a civil penalty of up to one hundred and forfeiture of the marijuana where can people grow and store cannabis related products in their homes the law allows an individual over twenty one years of age to grow up to six plants in their home if there are other individuals over twenty one years of age living in the residence who wish to grow the maximum number of plants that may be grown in a residence is twelve plants the plants must be grown in an area that is equipped with a lock or security device the plants cannot be visible from a public place without the use of binoculars aircraft or other optical aids will landlords be allowed to ban it smoking elana lord may in a lease agreement lawfully prohibit or otherwise regulate the consumption of marijuana by smoking and the display production processing manufacturing or sale of marijuana or marijuana accessories on or in property that the landlord consuming by not smoking a lease agreement may not prohibit a tenant from consuming marijuana by means other than smoking on or in property in which the tenant resides unless failing to do so would cause the landlord to violate  federal law or regulation or if the property is owned by the commonwealth a subdivision of the commonwealth e g a country county city or town or a state or local government agency protection for landlords the two thousand and seventeen act prohibits a landlord from being punished under state law for allowing marijuana can consumption or other marijuana related activities conducted lawfully under the two thousand and seventeen law and the commission's regulations on the landlord didn't prevent many people from attending the summer blast stuff to celebrate the opening of the underwood pool for its rd season those who attended enjoyed games music with d j paul madden and free refreshments for adult lap swim in the lap swimming area of the pool for ages sixteen and over for forty five to five thirty pm monday through friday and tuesdays wednesdays and thursdays zero entry pool and splash and here e belmont recreation program supervisor june howell said there are fring more activities for families and children this year as well as organized activities during the week with books games and equipment to available ready to borrow another new addition to the pool this year for visitors to purchase is pizza from stone have pizza minimum swimming requirements children ages ten and under must be accompanied by an adult who possesses a membership tag or day pass swimming is only allowed with the recreation department lifeguards on duty non swimmers are allowed in the shallow pool only children must be elise forty eight dollars inches tall to use the one a sly the less they have passed the modified deep and yes swimmers are required to pass the deep end as to swim in the deep pool pool management will determine that the parent scores which mean clude jumping or diving from the very board swimmers who parrots the deep end will be given question was asked to dr richard greenberg isn't the mercury and dental amalgam bad for you an excessive amount of mercury in the body is certainly a negative but there is no scientific evidence to support that the addition of a silver amalgam body will in any way cause more many other sources of mercury a bound as in fish for instance but we all seem to be doing very well the these restorations have been placed for well over one hundred years with no evidence of negativity the us food and drug administration concur there is much anecdotal news opiah that can cause fear and concern in our population but none is evidence based on science dentistry is has always will continue to be a profession based on sound scientific principles so as to always deliver a benefit to the population and above all do no please note the dental amalgam can be delivered to the patient in such a way as to significantly minimize the possibility of the patient ingesting or inhaling the free mercury when placing the material if the dentist used dental rubber dam along with high volume excavation devices suction exposure will be greatly minimized this plus using as low mercury content will aig greatly once the m l m is placed carved and haydn's on the rub a dam removed only extremely trace amounts can be detected to lea out not near enough however to cause any harm as shown by strict science for those who do not for those who are not aware the dental dam has other uses that help in keeping sterility but we are talking we are talking of use in dentistry when used by the dentist this rubber dam creates a neat clean field to work in where saliva does not contaminate the material vision for the dentist is greatly enhanced and danger of swallowing any material is materially has all but eliminated one must be careful not to use latex if a patient has a latex allergy other dams made of nitrile will address the problem if the restoration restaurant of dental office it is very sad to see that use of these dental dams discovered and used over one hundred years ago i used far too when frequently i believe that every dentistry and in the united states has been taught to use the damn when treating their st patients the obvious reason is safety and then all the structures of the oral cavity are protected completely also all dental restoration materials are adversely affected by moisture aka saliva the rub a dam accomplishes creation of a dry field in which the restorations must be placed why then do most into stop using them i believe the dentist today fool themselves into thinking that they can control these variables in other ways they think of the dams as a kin to starting out would diapers that you eventually grow out of or graduate out of but that is patently untrue only caught on the part of the dentist is the true rationale for their decrease in use and over my colleague max tha you bob burbank student art installation inspired by individual ality in the fall of two thousand and seventeen students and staff at the burbank school began work on a collaborative art project for installation in the burbank garden classroom inspired by the only one of you was the only one you by linda krantz guidance counselor kristen romig an art teacher nicole pond designed a school wide project connecting social emotional learning and the arts in a colorful addition to the garden classroom roman pond began with the school the goal of inspiring each student and staff member to recognize individual qualities that together create the burbank school community at a community meeting assembly in september romig and ponds shared the book the only one you and followed this with a visit to each classroom to discuss the books message play a game about discovering one's own unique qualities and then brainstorming about how one might visually represent these qualities in an art project next in art class students were encouraged to artistically represent these traits on a smooth river rock with color design and words this year long endeavor culminated in early june two thousand and eighteen with the installation of the completed rocks in the burbank garden classroom this permanent piece of public art celebrates the collaboration of all members of the burbank school community and ad beautiful color for all to enjoy ponds said the burbank garden classroom established during the two hundred and one thousand four hundred and fifteen school year is a culmination of an initiative to enhance the school grounds and provide inspiring outdoor space for innovative teaching and hands on learning over to you bob thank you max workgroup recommends belmont remain a member of minuteman by joanna kazan what is the future of occasional education options for belmont students after june th two thousand and twenty when the town is no longer a member district of the minuteman region ready over ok tional school district after belmont town meeting voted to withdraw from the district in october two thousand and sixteen superintendent john failand said he would launch it work group to explore career and vocational technical education options c v t in december two thousand and seventeen work began for the sixteen member group comprised of parents teachers community members guidance counselors special education teachers and members of the administration their charge was to answer two questions where would belmont students at ten and for c b t programs and how should bellman contract with c v providers  that has capacity and is willing to commit to a long term relationship with the town the work group initially reviewed several options for c v t in the boston and metro west area and narrow it down to three regional c v t options for study minuteman share cian ensure i can patient a learning ready and vocational education division a local collaborative  municipalities are fring c v t programs to their students including cambridge medford somerville and waltham and back to bob along with my colleagues bob and max we thank you for listening to the talking news and hope you've enjoyed the show who also like to wish our listeners a happy th of july and we will return next week for another edition of local news happenings around belmont