Select Board Candidates Answer BCF Questions

Each year, the Belmont Citizens Forum asks Select Board candidates questions about issues facing our town. This year, Roy Epstein and Jeffrey Lasseter provided answers. They were limited to 1,000 words.

What do you consider the top three concerns for the town after the challenges of the past two years?

Epstein:

The operating budget, including funding of essential capital projects, remains my chief concern. The changes last month that allow Belmont to make use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds do not address our structural deficit. We cannot ignore the fiscal cliff that will be there when the ARPA funds are exhausted, likely no later than FY2025. Second, I want to help achieve construction of both a new library and a new skating rink. Financing these projects are key challenges. My third issue is that we all set an example of civility and respect in our public discourse. Stress that seems to be due to Covid has led to distrust of local government and even accusations of elected officials and town employees acting in bad faith. My Select Board colleagues and I will always try our best to be models of probity and to live up to our oath of office, which requires us always to act in the best interest of the town.

Lasseter:

• Improve communication/transparency from town leadership to the citizenry in Belmont.
• Make town leadership 100% accountable for financial expenditures and disclosures on budgetary issues to the public.
• Improve town leadership’s commitment to education, business, senior citizen’s issues and infrastructure.

What changes to transportation infrastructure would help Belmont move better and more efficiently?

Lasseter:

Repair and pave the town roads.

Epstein:

Building the bike/pedestrian tunnel under the tracks at Alexander Avenue as called for in the Community Path would be the single biggest improvement by far. Reengineering some of the most dangerous street intersections is also important. The Mill St./Concord Ave./Winter St. junction will be addressed first. Design work to improve vehicle flow and increase bicycle safety should start in the next year. The Select Board and the Transportation Advisory Committee are working on a revised bike lane plan for Concord Avenue that should improve the current system. Belmont Light is also planning to install more electric vehicle chargers around town that will be valuable for renters, who often are not able to make these improvements where they live. Belmont residents drive about 300 electric vehicles but we should make it easier for more to do so. Accessible platforms at the Waverley and Belmont Center MBTA stations would also make it easier for people with mobility challenges to ride the train.

What steps would you take to ensure that the design and construction of the Community Path proceed efficiently?

Epstein:

The 25% design plans were submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) last fall. MassDOT’s feedback will largely determine what design changes are needed. My main concern is that the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the regional funding agency, may not have the $17 million now estimated as needed for Phase 1 construction (tunnel plus path from Clark St. to Brighton St.). The Community Path Project Committee (CPPC) has primary responsibility in Belmont for this project. I would urge the CPPC to have a contingency plan to accomplish at least the tunnel, if the MPO initially cannot fund all of Phase 1. Phase 2 (Clark St. to the Waltham line) will be a very significant challenge both in terms of engineering and acquiring the necessary right of way. The Select Board will consider appointing additional members to the CPPC to increase planning capacity for Phase 2.

Lasseter:

Clearly the subject of completing the community path has been initiated and received the necessary support. The key to the question posed is how to proceed efficiently, and the answer is that leadership in the town needs to make commitments, ensure the commitments are executed, and be accountable to the ensuing results that have been promised to the public.

What are your concerns related to climate change, and what steps should the town take to address those risks?

Lasseter:

Climate change should be a variable and focal point in all the decisions undertaken by town leadership. Clearly the town can incorporate various strategies to address climate change and make positive decisions that benefit the town and support initiatives that address climate change concerns.

Epstein: 

See also my next answer. Belmont Light is on track to get credit for 100% renewable power in the near future. That will be a major success. The town can review energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission standards for new construction and remodeling. This relates particularly to home heating, which is one of our largest sources of these emissions. Belmont already has nearly the highest proportion of houses with solar panels in Massachusetts, which followed adoption of the Belmont Light solar tariff that I helped develop. As chair of the Traffic Working Group—Middle and High School, I am concerned by both the number of students who drive/are driven to school, and how long parents idle their engines waiting to pick up students. I am hopeful that coordination with the school department and dialog with parents can change this behavior.

How would you guide the town toward needed improvements in infrastructure, such as building modernization, electrification, and green infrastructure solutions for stormwater management and water quality compliance?

Epstein: 

In addition to reviewing local energy efficiency and GHG emission standards, new town buildings should meet zero net energy standards, assuming the cost is not prohibitive. Belmont Light is partnering with several public power associations to offer programs to encourage further strategic electrification. Work should begin soon to correct the flooding problems on Trapelo Rd. at Mill St., which has been a long-standing issue. We have made great progress replacing century-old water mains. We are on track to meet the EPA and DEP deadlines for water quality compliance for storm sewers. However, completely relining the sanitary sewers to eliminate leakage into the stormwater system is a longer term project. The town is committed to doing that important work.

Lasseter:

All the aforementioned issues in the question are directly related to available funding and appropriations of resources. The town leadership needs to be hyperaware of the needs of the citizenry, and work with the community to create solutions and achieve measurable results that address those specific issues.

In 2021, Governor Baker signed into law a new measure that will require cities and towns with MBTA stations to permit apartment construction within 0.5 miles. How should Belmont be moving ahead with its housing production plan?

Lasseter:

Any type of new housing, especially apartment buildings, needs to be a collaborative effort between the town leadership and the immediate community in Belmont where the proposed construction will who begin to unfold.

Epstein:

This new mandate poses significant challenges, given how densely Belmont is already built up and how even denser development will increase demand for town and school services. We need to learn more about the specific requirements in the Baker plan in terms of timeline, development size, and the procedures that developers and property owners must follow. Regarding the affordable housing production plan, the McLean project currently before the Planning Board will give Belmont a two-year 40B safe harbor. We should examine possibilities to rebuild/expand existing properties like Belmont Village. Finding satisfactory strategies for meeting these mandates will require extensive input from the public. 

How would you support efforts for restoration and maintenance of town open spaces and parks, especially given their increased popularity and use in 2020/21?

Epstein:

I am proud to have led the Select Board effort to eliminate rats in Grove St. Park and to improve trash pickup on weekends in the parks and business districts. I hope the Community Preservation Act project for Payson Park Playground will pass Town Meeting this spring, which combined with the work on Town Field, will mean our principal parks will be renovated. The area around Clay Pit Pond needs some attention. We need a permanent funding solution for mowing in Rock Meadow. I want to make sure dog waste is properly removed by pet owners in all of our open spaces.

Lasseter:

Supporting the available amenities throughout Belmont is an imperative issue. Restoring, maintaining and monitoring the multiple parks for safety of operational usage is a responsibility of the town leadership. With funding available, more attention given to the open spaces and parks in Belmont is a good thing, and should be encouraged for residents of all ages 

Briefly describe your vision for preserving and enhancing Belmont’s quality of living, learning, working, and connecting. 

Lasseter:

My vision for preserving and improving the quality of life in Belmont is a recipe of getting community input from the different districts and using that input to make critical decisions for the town of Belmont. 

The underlying common denominator in all these questions, issues and programs is that the people of Belmont need more information and accountability from their elected leaders. These leaders need to gather input from the affected persons in the areas of the services/projects that were tagged to lose funding to achieve desired results. Any and all expenditures on public spaces need to be available to the public for external review.

Epstein:

Looking ahead, I hope for the same things when you asked me this in my first campaign. Our schools must remain outstanding, and the roads and sidewalks should be repaved. I would like people to walk and bike more and to reduce their carbon footprint with heat pumps and electric vehicles. There would be less cut-through traffic if the Fitchburg line had more frequent service. Our town buildings and parks should be in excellent condition. Seniors should have attractive new housing options. Belmont has an incredibly wide range of viewpoints and priorities. The constant challenge for the Select Board is to find ways to bring the community together in a shared vision of the future.