Selectmen Preparing For Long-Term Capital Plan

Belmont took a significant step of creating a new look to the town when the Board of Selectmen asked town officials today, June 21 to create a financial analysis for a long-term plan of capital projects.

The plan, which the Board and Christine McVay, co-chairwoman of the Capital Program Overview Committee, believe should be between 10 to 15 years in duration, will include building a new library, police station and municipal light department and renovating the high school in an organized "chain of events."

"We need to think of this as a long-term plan not done piece meal," McVay noted.

At an early morning meeting that began at 8 p.m., Selectmen heard McVay say her committee believed that the most element of any plan would be using the synergy of selling off town owned property to assist in the finance of new construction as well as building on sites that the town already owns.

McVay and the board both pointed to the proposition of creating a new library across Concord Avenue to the site currently occupied by the White Field House, which belongs to the school department.

That would allow the police station to move to the former library site while permitting the town to sell the police station and former Municipal Light building.

"It could be redeveloped as office, retail and residential space or the property can be torn down," said Selectman Angelo Firenze.

"We then can use the money to lower the debt service on the new buildings," he said.

While the plan is "a great idea," Selectman Mark Paolillo said that plan would need a time line as to when each of the properties are sold and financed.

"And then what's the cost of this?" he added.

The estimate cost of the library is $20 million with an additional $4 to $6 million going to temporary site rental and demolition.

The first phase of renovating the which will be the construction of a science wing, will be in the $22 million range. The police station will be in the $13 million range.

But some of those costs will be mitigated by state funds such as the library for about $8 million and schools about $6 million.

On the secondary list would be the Underwood Pool and the high school skating rink. Firenze said the pool should be paid for through donations and fees and the skating rink moved and privatized.

The Selectmen requested that Floyd Carman, the town's treasurer, prepare a financial analysis of the plan.

This blueprint of replacing most of the town's older existing holdings can work if all the projects are seen as unified parts of the larger goal, said McVay.

"We need to think of this as a long-term plan not done piece meal," McVay said.