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During 2002, Frank French, Jr. and Michael Speidel continued as Town Moderator appointees on the Committee and Joseph Barrell and Scott Stratford continued as the Planning Board and School Committee representatives respectively. The Moderator also designated Mark Clark, previously the Warrant Committee representative, as his third Town Moderator appointee, replacing James Staton. M. Patricia Brusch replaced Mr. Clark as Warrant Committee representative and Anne Marie Mahoney replaced William Monahan as the representative from the Board of Selectmen. Mr. Speidel was elected
Chairman of the Committee.
During 2002 the “mega-group” process, the series of joint meetings among the Board of Selectmen, the Warrant Committee, the School Committee, the Permanent Building Committee and the Capital Budget Committee to scope and prioritize the Town’s daunting list of large capital project needs, continued. The list of such proposed projects includes (alphabetical order):
Belmont Center parking solution
Facility audit of twelve non-school buildings, including the White Field House and Viglirolo Skating Rink
Fire station consolidation
High School renovation
Library
Pavement management
Permanent senior center
Wellington School
However, consensus regarding the scope, location and projected cost of every proposed project remained elusive, thus frustrating the effort to weave these potential projects into a single comprehensive phasing and funding plan. In particular, a proposal by the Selectmen-appointed Cluster Planning Task Force to combine several of those projects – a new Senior Center, a new Library, a replacement White Field House, and renovations to certain of the high school athletic fields and Viglirolo Skating Rink, along with improved parking and traffic control – in a “civic center” along Concord Avenue was praised for its creativity but failed to win the Selectmen’s support.
In the absence of an overall consensus and given the fiscal constraints imposed by the current economic recession, the Selectmen made a policy decision to divide the proposed large capital projects into two groups – those which are to be addressed within the next five years and those to be addressed afterwards. Into the former group the Selectmen placed the new and consolidated fire stations (with a required Belmont Center parking solution), a new senior center on the site of the former Kendall School, the replacement of the Wellington Elementary School building, the ongoing pavement replacement program, and perhaps one or more projects arising from the results of a recently-completed facility audit of the Town’s non-school municipal buildings. In particular, the Selectmen decided to move the fire station consolidation/parking
solution and permanent senior center projects to the front of the queue for proposed action by Town Meeting and Belmont voters in 2003.
At the 2002 Annual Town Meeting, the Capital Budget Committee recommended and the Town Meeting appropriated $1,400,000 for design services and $10,550,000 for construction and related services for the Town Hall Complex project, which will encompass renovations to the Town Hall Annex and School Administration Building as well as some additional work within the recently-renovated Town Hall. The necessity for this project was prompted by court-ordered handicapped-accessibility improvements pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Belmont voters approved the debt exclusion for the Town Hall Complex project during the Town election on April 1, 2002.
During the course of the 2002 Annual Town Meeting, the Committee recommended and Town Meeting approved an additional $3,945,977 in capital expenditures for Fiscal Year 2003, as shown here (PDF).
Of the $2,018,453 appropriation from General Tax, the sum of $232,200 was made contingent upon the passage of the $2.4 million property tax override question on June 3, 2002. The override question was approved by the Belmont voters on that date. Further, the $440,000 borrowing for the telecommunications tower was made contingent upon approval by the Board of Selectmen of a financial plan for the tower.
On behalf of the Town of Belmont, the Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank Bill Monahan and Jim Staton for their long and distinguished service on the Capital Budget Committee, including Mr. Staton’s seven years as Chairman. We are grateful for their time and their many contributions to our work. We would also like to welcome new Town Accountant Barbara Hagg as our liaison to the Town Departments and look forward to working with her.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael J. Speidel, Chair
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