watch and listen to the talking news every day at twelve noon and six pm on channel ninety six cast x fifty and channel thirty verizon fi o's it 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 o's listen any time on the b podcast network on sound cloud and i tunes just search for the belmont media podcast network and now on to the talking news climate action plan update by angela toma they'll man has a plan to place to reduce emissions from electricity generation by eighty percent by two thousand and fifty sustainable belmont presented an update with this climate action plan with energy committee members jenny marusek and james booth on november first they reviewed the town's progress on the plan and looked at whether or not they thought the town was on track to reach its goal bu focused in particular on electricity by analyzing emissions data ranging from two thousand seven to two thousand and fourteen electricity emissions went down by twenty percent he said but that was entirely due to the grid getting cleaner over that timeframe massachusetts has distinguished has diminished its use of coal over the past decade the town's decline in electricity emissions is a reflection of this decrease or overall belmont is heading in the right direction emissions are declining said booth but not fast enough to reach twenty fifty cap goals a major point of discussion was belmont light and energy sourcing belmont li provides electric services to town citizens the company is load serving entity which means they purchase their power as opposed to generating their own approximately seventeen percent of their supply comes from renewable sources however belmont light sells the majority of this renewable energy to other electricity providers what does from everything we understand is that when they buy wind energy they say this kilowatt of wind energy is really clean they then sell that attribute the fact is the fact that it is clean and wind to every source so that ever saw us can now claim to use wind energy said travis frank a member of both the energy committee and the light board advisory coun as a result belmont residents a left with energy from dirty sources the questions we now need to ask are should belmont continue to sell off this clean energy to keep energy costs low or should belmont's stop selling their clean energy to third parties and possibly increase the amount of clean energy they purchase in the case of the latter belmont residents willing to pay more for clean energy the decision does not need to be implemented uniformly across the town but can be done on a personal level with an opt out program attendees discussed program where residents could choose whether they wanted to use only clean energy which cost a little more or continue using a mix which costs less the subject is still debated the construction of belmont high school was a topic that also came up during the discussion on november first sustainable belmont is pushing for a net zero energy building this type of building produces enough renewable energy to meet its own annual energy consumption some have expressed concern regarding the cost of constructing a net zero energy high school building said that the investment to go net zero is about half of what it was a couple of years ago when the town considers all of the costs building a zero energy building pays for itself in generally less than five years she also noted that building a zero energy high school complies with belmont's climate action plan the cap established a policy where a new unit simple buildings needed to meet eligibility criteria for l d certification of the civil level or higher leadership in energy and environmental l d is a rating system used to evaluate the environmental performance of a building which uses a points based system to reward buildings designed and constructed with environmental friendliness in mind an overt a clear thank you the planning board members will still be appointed by select men by joanna so valis the citizens petition to convert the belmont planning board to an elected body instead of a body appointed by the board of selectmen was defeated one hundred forty one to eighty seven town meeting members paul roberts and mahan and wayne myside submitted the petition and explained to the reasons behind it the planning board is clearly in an administrative body that touches residential and commercial development with that kind of impactful authority it has to be subject to accountability elections provide it will bring the planning board in line with belmont's other administrate of boards such as the school committee and board of assessors said mrs ard mayer nsaid year after year good people submit their resumes and have been passed over so lect men opposed the move the selectmen recommended unfavorable action on this article out there november sixth meeting they explained the reasons for their decision to town meeting members on november thirteen selectman adam dash said he thought the timing was not good to make the change when tensions are running high he also said politics could influence the kind of people who run and the decisions they make if they get elected he also said it would be hard to get good people to apply if they have to run for office selectman vice chairman mark paleologue agreed with dash william said i don't think a case has been made for a change i'm not comfortable with change for change sake town meeting members worried about expertise in politics alan scriber town meeting  for precinct eight gave five reasons why she could not support the article she said she is concerned enough people would interrupt because it is expensive and it takes a lot of time she said incumbents tend to be reelected because many voters don't know who else to vote for i don't believe elections are going to create the accountability we are looking for she said she also said that planning board members have difficulty sessions to make that the public isn't always going to agree with i don't think decisions should be influenced by upcoming elections she said elizabeth di own town meeting member for precinct two said she believes the petition will create more problems than it solves the problem we have is technical expertise i don't know that elections will solve that challenge i'm concerned an election could make it worse she said michael crowley warrant a committee member in town meeting member for precinct eight said he thinks the planning board is an important institution much like the selectmen and board of trustees library trustees and other elected offices i think people are capable of presenting their qualifications to us and we can judge where  elections are a good thing he said after the vote roberts told the citizen how old he is unsure if they will bring up the citizen's petition again at the annual town meeting in the spring over town meeting members made three major decisions on nov thirteenth which will help reduce class sizes in the elementary schools improve conditions for employees and visitors of the police department and department of public works facilities and help the belmont public library foundation begin fundraising for a new library the articles for the modular classrooms and schematic designs and building committees for the short term solutions for the police and public works facilities and a new library overwhelmingly passed however there will be no change to the way planning board members are chosen as we just heard the citizens petition to change the town bylaws to have three years seats elected instead of appointed was defeated one hundred forty one to eighty seven town meeting members voted two hundred twenty nine to fourteen in favor of borrowing and appropriating two point seven three four million dollars for the classroom project at the burbank elementary school in addition to adding four modular classrooms plus a bathroom facility the project would add a covered walkway expand existing parking add synthetic turf mavis corner and replace the paved play area construction is expected to begin during april vacation according to superintendent john failon the modeler's will reduce class size to a more acceptable level for teaching and learning in kindergarten through fourth grade in rome and has grown by about one hundred one students every year since two thousand and eleven and failon doesn't see the trend slowing down before two thousand and twenty one town meeting member bob sarno precinct three inquired whether or not a debt exclusion could be used to fund the modulars town treasurer floyd carmen explained all mechanisms will be considered the plan is to borrow two point seven million dollars for ten years at an estimated three percent interest rate in the spring of two thousand and eighteen the debt service will start in fiscal year two thousand and nineteen and cost three hundred twenty one thousand dollars an over ten years the source of the funds to pay the debt service will be determined in the two thousand and one thousand budget cycle carmen said he has suggested a number of options to the selectmen who will begin discussions at decisions in february or march town meeting voted in favor of article four two to three days twelve to appropriate three hundred eighty three thousand two hundred thirty dollars for schematic designs for renovations to the d p w and police facilities and form a building committee will which will provide short term solutions to improve working conditions safety and accessibility at both sites the money will come from the kendall insurance account proceeds from a fire at the kendall school many years ago and marie mahoney chairman of the major capital projects working group reported on their work to date and explain the short term solutions for each of the facilities the improvements to the public works facility would include moving the vehicle washing station outside to the west of the property and adding appropriate locker toilet shower office and break room facilities she said the total estimate for these improvements would be one point six million dollars the short term solution improvements to the police station would include adding an elevator adding locker facilities for female officers to be equal to the facilities for the male officers adding a safe secure sally port used to bring prisoners into the station a weapons lock up area booking area holding cells and evidence storage she said it is not yet known if or how an elevator could be added if it is determined by the designer than an elevator cannot be added to she said the working group would recommend the town move directly to a plan for the construction of a new police station on the d p w campus total estimated cost for these improvements would be two point eight million dollars she said town meeting voted two hundred fifteen to twenty one in favor of article five to appropriate one hundred fifty thousand dollars design for a new main library using the candles insurance account as a funding source and create a building committee the belmont library foundation will provide an additional one hundred fifty thousand dollars for the schematic design which is estimated to cost three hundred thousand dollars ellen schreiber member of the belmont public library foundation explained the importance of the schematic design to privately fundraise for a new thirty eight thousand nine hundred fifty foot square foot building estimated to cost twenty three point six million dollars she said they are still trying to figure out what will be possible in belmont it's larger than anything we've done before in belmont she said adding we need five six seven digit donations it will take time to cultivate she said if someone is going to invest a large amount in a project they will want to see this design that the funds would be used for a project that comes to fruition citing past funds approved approximately three hundred thousand dollars for the project and nothing happened over the bob thank you middle school on is veterans by dr in selly principal michael mcallister welcomed local veterans and that shana reed middle school seventh and eighth grade faculty and students to observe veterans day at their annual assembly events on the program included music from generally wins and chamber singers and some reflections from administrators veterans and students and finally applause and cheers to recognize the individual veterans for this service there was a particularly rousing foot stomping applause for china remodel schools own veteran david gonzales health and physical education teacher sitting among the ranks on stage the highlight of the program included mcallister's remarks he reminded students that veterans were everywhere in their community and were an important reminder of the core values of generally middle school or the three r s being respectful being responsible and being ready these men demonstrated responsibility when they decided to serve in the military to help protect our lives here in belmont these men demonstrated respect when they thought about someone other than themselves fighting alongside soldiers from other countries in places like europe korea and iraq these men demonstrated readiness when they left their lives here in belmont to military we thank our readers for sharing stories about their favorite that aarons with us here are two dear neil jake kenny u s air force belmont mass colonel daniel was a distinguished world war two air force fighter pilot he flew over seventy five combat missions in the famous p forty seven thunderbolt with the four hundred twelfth fighter squadron ninth air force he was awarded the distinguished flying cross commendation medal and fifteen yr medals along with numerous french and belgian decorations he also received fi battle stars for campaigns in the european theater of operations and continued his service in the air force reserve mr kenny was a past commander of the v f w post twelve seventy two in belmont he was active in the town of belmont to serving as chairman of the belmont housing authority chairman of the board of assesses chairman of the republican town committee hundred eighty nine at the age of seventy one he never spoke of his time at wa but this past year my brother in law decided to look into dad's past military racket and discovered that he's posthumously awarded the medal of honor among other medals all eight siblings in our extended family gathering on april seventh two thousand and eighteen on what would have been  dead one hundredth birthday it will be a big day for the bishop family and we are so proud of dad now to max thanks claire for habitat intergenerational program celebrates twenty years over eighty volunteers gathered at mass autobahns habitat education center and wildlife sanctuary on november fifth for the twentieth annual h i p trails day young and old work together on outdoor projects spreading wood chips on trails tidying the educational gardens digging a trench and clearing leaves volunteers then enjoyed a party featuring a lot featuring a lineup of twenty cakes to celebrate the twentieth birthday of  habitats intergenerational program the habitat intergenerational program was established in one nine hundred ninety seven under the leadership of phil solomon with the support of the habitat director laurie bennett hippies found sought to foster friendships across generations through activities that reflect the shared values of community service and caring for nature now in its twentieth year the hip program continues to offer a variety of opportunities to for seniors adults teens and families to work together on hands on projects that benefit nature it's all about learning and having fun together said solomon since the first trails day twenty years ago hippie has grown into a friendly community that welcomes all participants to volunteer as and when they like and actively encourages young people to grow into leadership roles as a member of h i p's intergenerational steering committee and co director of the cherry courtyard project c m s teacher bev like on describes each ip as a family with a shared vision of intergenerational environmental schools local residents and seniors cub scouts from arlington somerville cambridge and belmont students doing community service and families eager to spend that afternoon outdoors in thanking volunteers for their participation in the twentieth trails day and anniversary celebration habitat sanctuary director roger rebel expressed his hope that quote hiv be continues for many more years bringing young and old together working for learning about and enjoying nature unquote  belmont comes out for recycle day i would like to acknowledge and applaud the belmont residents who participated in the d p recycle day it was a busy event with three hundred thirty nine  dropping off various items the event was staffed by volunteers from environmentally minded residents d p w staff to students performing community service the following items were collected two thousand six hundred six pounds of textile collection and one thousand and fifty pounds of book collection both provided by recycled that eight thousand pounds of shredded paper plus eight hundred two dollars and forty eight cents donated to belmont sport collection provided by want to town savings bank and pro pro pro shred shredding a really big thank you to the generosity of watertown savings and belmont residence one thousand seven hundred forty pounds of rigid plastics collection six thousand four hundred seventy six pounds of electronics collection thirty trash bags filled with towels and blankets and one cat carrier to the animal rescue league fifty one bikes two bikes not bombs it was a successful recycling effort that diverted approximately ten tons from the waste to energy plant while belmont trash is incinerated not only does it save the town money by decreasing our trash tonnage but it also helps preserve our natural resources and over to clare thank you b mom's classic apple pie wins first place by joanna case of ellis pastry chef luis miller of jamaica playing cannot only bake an award winning apple pie she can write a novel that will make your mouth water to miller author of the city bakers guide to country living red in eggs or from her first time novel and judge the public contest at belmont books on november ninth miller's inspiration for her book was her experience entering and winning second place in the topsfield fair pie baking contest in one thousand nine hundred ninety nine the main character in book olivia a pastry chef hired to help win a pie contest for an in owner in northern vermont thirteen pies many of them still hot from the oven were intake into the contest which turned out to be a lucky number for the three judges miller along with hospitality consultant josh hubbard and dietrich's and local route marketing director stephanie cutter hero had the pleasure of tasting blood orange hibiscus custard mering pie ultimate pumpkin pie with rum whipped cream chocolate date n p can pie blueberry buttermilk pie ribbon for her mother's apple pie recipe she said she has won second and third place for her prize at the top field fia but this was her first time winning first place her prize was a gift basket donated by local route indeed rex opening soon in belmont center which contained a french pie dish a kitchen towel a touch slicer pastry belinda dough cutters pile weights and a seventy five dollars gift certificate to carry brad a baking company and a fifty dollars gift card to belmont books yeah audrey coach business is holding fundraisers for food pantry by joanna case of alephs as thanksgiving approaches to local businesses are a step ahead in their fundraising efforts for their annual gifts of hope campaign to benefit the belmont food zia's clothing outlet and belmont carwash are holding fundraisers on thursday nov thirtieth belmont carwash will donate one dollar for every car washed on nov thirtieth zia's clothing outlet ninety one trip fellow road will donate a percentage of sales that day to the belmont food pantry the belmont food pantry helps feed more than one hundred families of belmont every week and has been under the direction  church for twenty five years hellish received a proclamation on behalf of the pantry at the special town meeting on november thirteenth back to you bob along with my colleagues clara max who would like to wish allison is a happy thanksgiving and we thank you for listening to the talking news and hope you've enjoyed the show we've returned next week for another edition of local news happenings around belmont