Tom Caputo Named to Fill Vacancy on Belmont School Committee

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Photo: Newly-appointed School Committee member Thomas Caputo (right) is congratulated by Belmont School District Asst. Superintendent Janice Darias. Belmont Superintendent John Phelan is in the center of the photo. 

Technology expert Thomas Caputo was appointed to the Belmont School Committee this morning, Monday, Nov. 17 to fill the vacancy created when Kevin Cunningham resigned from the six-member board last month.

“This is a great honor and I’m proud to have been selected,” said Caputo, who has been for the past two years the Chief Product Officer at FIKSU, a technology start up providing mobile marketing technology to app developers, game publishers and advertisers.

Caputo will serve on the committee until the Belmont Town Election in April 2015 when he can seek to fill the remaining two-years of Cunningham’s term.

The Richmond Road resident – who has lived in Belmont with his wife, Sarah and their eight-year-old, third grade twin daughters for the past seven years – was selected by a joint committee of the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee from eight candidates who had applied for the position.

What guided the majority of the Selectmen and School Committee to Caputo was his experience in finance and technology.

“I think the entrepreneurial and tech specialization along with the venture capital … [is the type of] analytical study of these important issues, particularly around enrollment, [is] critical for the school committee,” said Selectmen Chair Andy Rojas.

“It is the nexus of the technology and business solutions that really spoke to me,” said Laurie Slap, school committee chair.

A dual major (graduating with a BA in computer science and biophysical chemistry) while matriculating at Dartmouth, Caputo also has a MBA from Stanford.

After working in finance in Boston and London, Caputo became a group product manager at Microsoft’s main office in Redmond, Wash. for four years. He come back east to work in venture capital, product management for a software startup in New York before joining the senior execution team at Boston-based FIKSU.

“There is an incredible wave of really interesting start ups as well as established companies that are bringing new education technologies to the market that are … helping school districts across the country to find more efficient and effective ways to educate students,” Caputo told the Belmontonian.

“I do believe that, much the way we’ve seen technology disruptions shaping a lot of industries … Belmont needs to be on the forefront of finding ways to pick the best technology programs, bring them into the school system, train the teachers and administrators to use them effectively and executing all that for the benefit of the students,” said Caputo, who looks the part of the tech pro; wearing a smart blazer over a tie-less pattern shirt, skinny jeans and nifty shoes to the joint meeting.

But Caputo told the Belmontonian that bringing technology to the classroom is not simply “supplying everyone an iPad.”

“It’s great to have the infrastructure but that alone will not solve the issues we’re facing. It’s really about … the iPad and its integration into the curriculum, the selection of the right application and tools and the manner in which it’s all used,” he said.

Caputo pointed to his background in start ups as a plus when the committee faces the challenges of finding adequate funding to maintain the district’s first-rate education reputation.

“What start ups are able to do is find efficient, creative solutions to addressing otherwise challenging problems. I will bring a little bit of that culture to the school committee; to find ways to collaborate, to identify solutions and to look at things in, maybe, a little different way,” he said.

“It won’t be easy. It will require contributions from many different groups and constituents from across the town to make that effective. I hope I can contribute in that way,” Caputo said.

 

Eight Residents In the Running to Fill Vacant School Committee Position

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A past candidate and seven other residents were named by the Belmont School Committee on Friday, Nov. 14 as the applicants seeking to fill the seat left vacant after Kevin Cunningham announced his resignation from the committee last month.

The eight candidates are:

  • Susan Burgess-Cox
  • Tom Caputo
  • Tara Donner
  • Maura Fennelly
  • Jamie Kang (who ran for the committee in 2013)
  • Kimberly O’Mahony
  • Ike Papadopoulos
  • Erica Zidel

The collection of applicants will be presented to and interviewed by a joint meeting of Belmont Board of Selectmen and School Committee on Monday, Nov. 17 at 8 a.m. in the Selectmen’s Room in Belmont Town Hall.

After the candidates are interviewed by the panel, the joint committee will vote for the appointee they feel will best fill the seat during the very busy five months until the April Town Election.

Under state law, the appointee’s term lasts only until the Town Election when they will have the opportunity to seek election to serve the remaining two years of Cunningham’s tenure.

While there will not be time for questions from the audience, suggestions or comments can be sent to School Committee Chair Laurie Slap at lslap@belmont.k12.ma.us

“Each candidate brings strengths and accomplishments and we are all pleased that this vacancy has elicited such interest. We are looking forward to the interviews on Monday and are excited to welcome another colleague at the table to help us as we continue the very important work of providing the best educational experience for all of our students,” said Slap.

Town Meeting Amendment Challenges Belmont Center Project Financing Plan

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Special Town Meeting just got a whole lot more interesting.

Rather than the option of simply accepting or rejecting the financing plan for the $2.8 million Belmont Center Reconstruction Project, the 290 Town Meeting Members now have an alternative to the town-created “free cash” proposal.

Read the project’s highlights here

James Williams of Glenn Road and Precinct 1 submitted an amendment to the Belmont Center warrant article that will be brought before the Special Town Meeting on Monday, Nov. 17 to bond the entire $2.8 million project using a traditional sale of a bond to be paid out of the general fund.

Under the plan submitted in the article, the town proposes to finance the project in two steps; an initial downpayment from the town’s free cash account – sometimes referred to as the town’s “savings account” – of $1.3 million and then issuing a $1.5 million, 15-year bond which will be paid for over the term of the debt from free cash.

Read about the unique way the town will pay for project here.

“Free cash” is typically actual town receipts in excess of revenue estimates and unspent amounts in departmental budget line-items at the end of the fiscal year, plus the unexpended free cash from the previous year.

Last week, the state’s Department of Revenue certified Belmont’s free cash amount at $7,465,000, an increase of $1.3 million from the previous fiscal year.

For Williams and others who both support and are opposed to the project, using the town’s “savings” to finance a capital project that will benefit the residents over many years is not the proper use of the funds.

“Belmont is arguably in serious financial difficulty due in large part to actions taken or not taken by previous and current administrations,” said Williams in an email to the Belmontonian.
Pointing to areas of financial concern such as the millions owed in health care obligations to retired town employees and the lack of financing standard town amenities such as sidewalks and road, “[basically], we are living beyond our means and we are making commitments we can’t keep,” said Williams.
For Williams and others, using “free” cash would be just another example of fiscal irresponsibility by town officials.
“[T]he only responsible thing to do is to issue debt for the entire amount so the so-called “free cash” can be used for existing obligations and the center can be funded by new money,” said Williams.
“Since the Center is not a ‘must have’ project, it should be voted up or down on this point,” said Williams, who will “stand against” the project unless it was fully funded.

At a warrant briefing earlier this month which reviewed the articles on the Special Town Meeting, town officials said the current plan “strike a balance” in using town’s savings so it can bond a smaller portion of the project.

Belmont Town Administrator David Kale said if the entire project is bonded, the town would pay $320,000 in the first year, as opposed to the $168,000 in the first year under the current proposal.

Opening Day of New Underwood Pool All Depends on the Weather

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The commute for construction supervisor Ernie Raney to his newest assignment can’t be beat.

He leaves his house on Lincoln Street, heads to School Street, then down Cottage Street and there he is, at the site of the new Underwood Pool.

“Really close,” said Raney, who is currently overseeing large earth moving equipment remove the final concrete remains of the historic pool – the oldest outdoor municipal pool in the US which opened in 1912 two months after the sinking of the Titanic and the first game at Fenway Park – as the team begins moving through its list of objectives.

“Right now I have five or six guys doing the demolition,” said Raney, who works for general contractor New England Builders and Contractors of Methuen.

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After bringing in equipment and fencing in the construction site on Monday, Nov. 2, the demolition company made quick work of the 102-year-old bathhouse and pool. Excavators have ripped out the pump room and tore out trees along Cottage Street. On Wednesday, Nov. 12, crews removed large trees along Concord Avenue.

After the demolition process, next for Raney is laying the foundation for the bathhouses.

Then, it’s all about the weather – in particulate, a warmish forecast – which will determine if the construction team will finish the $5.5 million complex by early/mid-July, which Raney said is the “ideal” completion date.

“If we have relatively normal temperatures, we’ll have the foundations done. And we’ll keep going as long as the weather holds out,” said Raney.

“If the temperatures holdout, we could continue work for the next two months,” the Belmont resident said. Most of that work will be framing the bathhouses.

But Raney said the major work on the pools will need to wait until the spring of 2015 due to the material being used.

“Winter isn’t the time to pour concrete for an outdoor pool,” said Raney.

Once the temperatures rise, the majority of the work will be done; pouring and curing the concrete, laying the plumbing, installing fixtures and installing the filter systems.

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“It will be very busy in the spring, it’s when we will have the most guys here on site,” said Raney.

In the next week, the public will have two chances to learn more about the construction and the time frame it is working under:

• The Underwood Pool Building Committee will hold a public meeting on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m., in the Assembly Room at the Belmont Public Library, where the members of the construction team will be introduced and answer questions.

• The Building Committee and the Belmont Board of Selectmen invite the public to the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new pool complex on Friday, Nov. 21 at 8:15 a.m. at the construction site.

The Why and How of Paying for Belmont Center’s ‘Facelift’ Debated Before Town Meeting

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After town officials gave a lengthy, detailed explanation of the financing and work proposed for the $2.8 million Belmont Center reconstruction project, Town Meeting Member Ed Kuzanjian came to the microphone and asked the assembled officials at the Nov. 6 warrant briefing held at the Beech Street Center one question.

Why?

“What are we getting for the money?” queried the School Street resident at the meeting hosted by the Warrant Committee and the Belmont League of Women Voters.

“Convince me to spend $3 million … here when we don’t put in curbs, we don’t do sidewalks and we don’t do other things around town?” said the long-serving Precinct 6 member.

The reconstruction project – which will be the sole major article before the approximate 290 members at the Special Town Meeting on Monday, Nov. 17 at the Chenery Middle School – was not just question on why its being done now but for its funding which is precedent setting new approach to financing capital projects.

For town officials, the need for the project – read the project’s highlights here – is quickly evident just by walking down the center’s main drag, Leonard Street, and the side streets. Narrow sidewalks, haphazard traffic patterns, a limited amount of pedestrian amenities and real safety concerns for walkers and cyclists have bedeviled residents and business owners for the past two, if not three, decades.

With its “tired look,” it’s little wonder several officials called the project a “facelift” for the town’s main retail business hub.

With the completion last year of the Center’s water and gas infrastructure and the new road work being completed in the town’s other two business locations of Waverley and Cushing squares, “[t]his seemed like the time to talk about Belmont Center,” Glenn Clancy, the director of the Office of Community Development and the town’s engineer,

Clancy told the audience the alternative to the project would be a simple a layer of asphalt – which would cost $900,000 – on the roadway.

But after that, “we will not talk about the center for another 20 to 25 years,” said Clancy.

With the improvements – wider sidewalks, a creation of a new “common” in front of Belmont Savings Bank, a bike path, improvements to streets that allows for a more natural flow of traffic and a modern parking program – will make “Belmont Center an attractive destination point; it is the main commercial area of Belmont,” said Clancy.

With the landlord of the former Macy’s site preparing to seek tenants for the landmark location, “there is an economic redevelopment component to revitalizing Belmont Center. If I was opening a business and I had a choice of a location that is sketchy in its presentation or go someplace that recently had a facelift and everything looks really nice, I’m going to the nice location,” said Clancy.

When Kuzanjian asked if businesses have commented on the reconstruction, Belmont Board of Selectman Chair Andy Rojas said the entire package of upgrades “add up to a better business climate.”

“Every business owner I’ve spoken to, that understands what the … finished project will look like is in favor of it,” said Rojas.

Kuzanjian countered that current studies of vehicle patterns show that there will be “minimal, if any improvement” on center traffic at the project’s completion, which town officials did not dispute.

“We don’t gain anything by doing [the project],” said Kuzanjian. “I don’t see any huge plus that’s worth three million bucks.”

“My question is why this year? Do we have the money so next year we aren’t screaming and yelling at Town Meeting that the School Department is going down the tubes again?” said Kuzanjian.

David Kale. Belmont’s Town Administrator, told Kuzanjian and the audience that all the Selectmen are asking the Special Town Meeting is whether they would like to continue with the project – which has been on the drawing boards since 2010 – “based upon all the benefits that have been outlined and finance it … from free cash.”

The project’s financing – read about the unique way the town will pay for project here – which relies on the town’s “free cash” account also came under a series of questions.

Before the meeting, the town’s free cash account was certified by the state’s Department of Revenue at $7.465 million, an increase of $1.3 million from the previous year’s amount, which Kale described as “very good news.”

“I’m a little concerned about dipping into free cash,” said Lewis Road’s Penny Shaffer, remembering previous Town Meetings where the members were told to “carefully husband [it].”

“[Town Meeting has] gotten into the habit, which I support, of taking some of the free cash and putting it into the operating budget,” said the Precinct 7 member. “But I am concerned on spending free cash on [a capital project]. Why aren’t we bonding the entire amount?”

“Is it because we are feeling so rich?” said Shaffer.

Town officials pointed to the need to strike a balance to use the town’s savings, which has been increasing over the past few years through very conservative budgeting practices, and then bonding a smaller portion of the project.

Kale said if the entire project was bonded, the town would pay $320,000 allocation the first year, as opposed to the $168,000 the first year by bonding $1,475,000 under the current proposal.

Belmont Selectmen Seek Residents to Join Committee to Implement Community Path

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Now is the time to decide the when, where, what, why and how much of a community path running through the heart of Belmont.

After more than two decades after it was first suggested, the Belmont Board of Selectmen last week created the Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee, a five-member temporary advisory committee which will recommend strategies for the design, construction and implementation of a multi-use path from the approved route selected by the selectmen earlier this year.

The routes are included in the final report of the Community Path Advisory Committee submitted in June.

The committee will also identify funding sources for a feasibility study of the route options, which will include a technical evaluation.  The feasibility study will allow the town to establish a cost estimate to be used in the development of capital budget planning and solicit grant funds to fund the project.

For supporters of the multi-use path running from Cambridge to Waltham, the selectmen’s decision to move on the project is good news.

“This is great news. Support in town for the path in Belmont is strong. It looks as if the [Selectmen] recognize that and are embracing the recommendations of their Community Path Advisory Committee. I’m happy and relieved to see that,” said Paul Roberts, who noted the committee needs the right blend of skill and expertise to pursue answers to some important questions. 

“It is also critical that the Selectmen give committee members a free hand to pursue all the options that are on the table regarding the routes and possible features of the path,” said Roberts.

“The Community Path Implementation Committee should pursue and incorporate the best advice from experts and engineers  so that the final plan – whatever it is – will be one that is in the long-term best interests of the town and the hundreds of thousands of individuals who will use the path in the decades to come,” he said. 

Residents with experience in the design, construction and implementation of similar projects are highly encouraged to apply.

Applications should include a completed Community Volunteer Interest Form and Resume. The form is available in the Office of the Board of Selectmen or online.

Please submit all applications to the Selectmen’s Office or by e-mail to selectmen@belmont-ma.gov by Monday, Nov. 24.

Deadline Looms For Residents Interested Joining School Committee

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Time is growing short for residents who are interested in joining the Belmont School Committee as the deadline for applications to fill the vacancy after Kevin Cunningham resigned last month is Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m.

The School Committee and the Selectmen will meet jointly five days later, on Monday, Nov. 17, to hear from and interview candidates before voting to appoint a new member.

The selected appointee will be sworn in by the Town Clerk Ellen Cushman before the School Committee’s meeting on Nov. 18.

Under state law, the appointee’s term only lasts until the next Town Election; in Belmont that occurs in April, 2015. The person elected for that committee seat will serve a two year term, which is the remainder of Cunningham’s tenure.

Those interested in seeking appointment should write a letter of interest that will include:

  • The reasons for seeking the appointment,
  • Expertise, skills and perspectives they will bring to the committee, and
  • Identify the most pressing issues facing the committee, both through the April election and beyond.

Letters should be sent to:

Cathy Grant

Belmont Public Schools

644 Pleasant St.

Belmont, MA 02478

or via email at:

cgrant@belmont.k12.ma.us

Contrary Belmont: Voters Support Coakley, Yes on Casino Ban, Gas Tax Index

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Belmont was true blue for Martha Coakley as the left-leaning town’s voters gave the Democrat their support in her run for Massachusetts governor against Republican Charlie Baker in the Massachusetts General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

But the “Town of Homes” backing wasn’t enough as Baker won a squeaker over Coakley by just fewer than 38,000 votes as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Belmont voters also bucked the state-wide trend on two of the four ballot questions, voting for a casino ban in Massachusetts and supporting continuing the automatic increase of the state’s gas tax by the rate of inflation.

Residents did support the measure requiring employers to provide paid leave and voted no on expanding the bottle bill.

Nearly three of five Belmont voters turned out to cast a ballot at the town’s eight precincts, according to Town Clerk Ellen Cushman. A total of 10,310 voters cast ballots on Tuesday.

“We have strong voter interest across town,” said Cushman at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, noting lines were common through out the day at polling places.

The 57 percent participation rate is significantly lower than the 67 percent who showed up for the last gubernatorial election in 2010 when 11,140 voter went to the polls.

Complete results can be found at the Town Clerk’s web page here.

In the feature Governor’s race, Coakley defeated Baker, 5,598 to 4,296, or 55 percent to 42 percent. Independent Evan Falchuk received 224 votes, or 2.2 percent, slightly lower than his statewide result of 3.3 percent.

Baker slightly improved on his result in Belmont of four years ago when he was defeated by sitting governor Deval Patrick, 6,514 to 3,953.

On the ballot questions, Belmont voters ran counter to the state on the casino bill, Question 3, voting to approve a casino ban by a wide margin, 56 percent to 44 percent. Statewide, the measure was soundly defeated, 60 percent to 40 percent.

Belmont also voted against the rest of the state on removing the automatic indexing of the state gas tax, Question 1. Statewide the measure passed 53 percent to 47 percent, while being voted down by residents, 58 percent to 42 percent.

Residents joined state voters in rejecting expanding the bottle bill, Question 2, but by a tighter margin, 55 percent to 45 percent, as opposed to the overwhelming vote, three to one, statewide. And they approved in greater numbers the earned sick time measure, Question 4, 65 percent to 35 percent, while Massachusetts voters approved the question 60/40.

And 74 percent of residents voted in favor of the non-binding Question 5, asking State Rep. Dave Rogers to vote in favor of legislation that would regulate and tax marijuana in the same manner as alcohol.

Belmont Votes: Where, Who, When, What in the State General Election

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Today, Tuesday, Nov. 4, Belmont voters have the opportunity to cast ballots in Massachusetts General Election for state-wide candidates, federal office holders and four ballot questions.

Time

Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Who can vote

All legally registered voters affiliated with any number of political parties and un-enrolled. 

You may be asked for ID

Did you fill out your town census form mailed earlier in the year? If you did not, then you are known as an “inactive” voter. Luckily, an “inactive” voter may still vote but first must provide adequate identification proving the voter’s identity and current place of residence. Usually a Massachusetts Driver’s License or State issued ID are sufficient.

Who’s running?

Find out about the state-wide candidates here.

What are the ballot questions?

Number 1: Eliminating Gas Tax Indexing

Number 2: Expanding the Beverage Container Deposit Law

Number 3: Expanding Prohibitions on Gaming

Number 4: Earned Sick Time for Employees

Transportation to the polls

Questions about or during votingThe League of Women Voters of Belmont is offering rides to the polls from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 617-771-8500 to schedule transportation.

FAQ

Most questions – including who is eligible to vote in Belmont – that arise during voting can be answered by the precinct warden at the polling station. Other questions should be addressed to the Town Clerk’s Office at 617-993-2600. 

Where do I vote?

Don’t know where to vote? Call the Town Clerk at 617-993-2600, or read or download the handy map included on this web page that includes a street directory.

Polling Places:

  • Precinct 1; Belmont Memorial Library, Assembly Room, 336 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct 2: Belmont Town Hall, Selectmen’s Meeting Room, 455 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct 3: Beech Street Center (Senior Center), 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct 4: Daniel Butler School, 90 White St.
  • Precinct 5: Beech Street Center (Senior Center), 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct 6: Belmont Fire Headquarters, 299 Trapelo Rd.
  • Precinct 7: Burbank School Gym, 266 School St.
  • Precinct 8: Winn Brook School Gym, 97 Waterhouse Rd (Enter at Cross St)

Construction Work Begins on New Underwood Pool

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A large excavator has begun breaking up the walkway at the Underwood Pool adjacent the Belmont Public Library as a staging area is being set up behind a temporary fence in the bowl of the 102-year-old facility.

Monday, Nov. 3 begins the $4.6 million construction project which will result in a new Underwood Pool complex with two pools – including one for diving and lap swimming – and a pair of bath houses with modern changing room and restrooms.

The project appeared dead in the water in September when an original low bidder of the project withdrew his proposal leaving the Underwood Pool Building Committee facing a deficit of approximately $400,000. That amount was quickly erased with a $200,000 grant from the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation and with a community fundraising effort raising in more than $210,000 in small and large contributions.

According to previous reports, the contractor, Methuen-based New England Builders and Contractors, plans on having the pool complex completed before the end of the 2015 summer recreation season.  

On Thursday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m., the Underwood Pool Building Committee Construction Team meeting will be held in the Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library.

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