Belmont Town Meeting Approves FY27 Capital Budget, $1.3M for Chenery Roof

Town Meeting · Meeting of June 3, 2026

Belmont Town Meeting approves nine-part FY27 capital budget and clears a land hurdle for its rail-trail underpass. Members voted 226-1 to fund $2,575,697 in road and sidewalk work and 219-1 to transfer $1.3 million toward the Chenery School roof, estimated at $4.2 million to $6.5 million with about 34 percent expected from an MSBA grant, per Chief Financial Officer Jeff Lubian and Comprehensive Capital Budget Committee Chair Chris Doyle. DPW Director Jay Marcotte, pressed on why Belmont uses 80 percent concrete sidewalks versus asphalt, said bluntly, "Asphalt's ugly." After nearly 90 minutes of debate, members voted 210-4 to let the town acquire an "owner unknown" stretch of Alexander Avenue by gift, purchase or eminent domain, needed to meet a MassDOT end-of-July deadline for a rail-trail path and underpass to the middle school.

Members also honored former Select Board member Ralph Jones for 37 years of service and heard the new library is drawing over 20,000 visits a month while running under budget.

In the full story:

• Opening Business and the Ralph Jones Proclamation
• Library Building Committee Update
• Article 34: Fiscal 2027 Capital Budget
• Article 30: Chenery Roof Stabilization Transfer
• Article 23: Prior-Year Bill
• Article 25: Alexander Avenue Public Way
• Adjournment
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,465 words

Source: the Town Meeting meeting of June 3, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.